Updates on So Many Things!

Life is pretty crazy at the moment - so many things are happening that I thought I'd do a quick update.

Tammo

Tammo and Kyle got back to St. Augustine safely.

Tammo is adjusting to being back home and enjoying reacquainting himself with his favorite spots in the yard.

"Helping" Kyle mow the lawn. Kyle had said that our grass was much softer than Florida grass and I can see what he means.

Kyle's kids are coming home tomorrow and they are so excited to see their dog again. I think Tammo will be, too. He loves kids and they will be doing a lot of playing and petting with him.

Not only does Kyle have to get the house ready for the rest of the family, he has to work, too. He can work from anywhere - his company is based in California and his boss is in Ohio.

Kyle's been sitting out in the lanai by the pool and working with Tammo by his side. There are huge fans overhead and Florida is much cooler at the moment than the midwest. (We are on our fifth day of 90+ temps with more in the forecast.)

Craig, Pepper, and I miss Tammo terribly. Even our neighbors miss him - Nan from next door came over to say good bye to him. (If Tammo saw Nan and Bob sitting outside on their patio, he'd run over to say hello.)  

Nash and Mama are here and you can tell they are missing Tammo, too. Lisa is in Boston for my uncle's funeral and so we are watching her dogs. 

Nash especially seems to be missing his play buddy so we are doing what we can to give him some extra attention and play time together.

Mama (who is recovering well from her MRSA) is also a bit more subdued without Tammo around. (Sure am glad I put that blanket down to indicate where I wanted her to lie. She missed the mark and her backside is right by some of my models!)

Pepper is quieter, too, with Tammo gone. However, I think she does enjoy having Craig and me to herself again.

The Boston Funeral

Lisa flew out to Boston for Uncle Ned's funeral. 

Lisa with her Aunt Sissy. 

Sissy (her real name is Jean, but family calls her Sissy) is having a rough time with the loss of Ned. They had a deep and abiding love and friendship, and were each other's rocks. Their four kids have all come to Boston and are there to support her. The funeral mass is today and is being live streamed so those of us who could not get to Boston will be able to watch.

Horses

You never know where you might find horses, and in this case, my sewing life intersected with my horsey life.

I've been looking for a silver 18th century bodkin. I already have five bodkins, but four of them don't work well and the fifth wasn't strong enough for what I need and bent in use.

I found this beautiful 18th century style bodkin on Etsy and ordered four. (They are very easy to lose when they travel with me to events so I always buy extras.)

The return address sure caught my eye.

As did the Fragile stamp. Who was this Etsy seller?

Her name is Kimberly Walters and she runs The Sign of the Gray Horse on Etsy. She also runs a horse rescue of the same name. You can find her shop on Facebook , too.

I've looked online for her as a model horse collector, too, but haven't come across her yet. It would be fun to discover that she was.

Sewing

I made four chemises and two pockets  the last two weeks and now I am stitching up women's caps.

The seams are teeny tiny and because of all the gathering and the ruffle, you cannot iron the finished product.

Instead I'm using two different sizes of sewing clips to "press" those seams so that they lie flat. One women's cap is done, another is in process, and then I'll make a girl's cap that Mila requested for this year's Feast of the Hunters' Moon.

Health

I've saved the best news for last. I spoke with my hematologist Friday afternoon about that pathology report that indicated I had cancer markers for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and that suggested we repeat the tests in three weeks.

She acknowledged that those markers were present but she assured me that she did not think I had cancer. I meet with her July 8 and we will talk more, but in the meantime, I am breathing easier!

Meanwhile, I received this missive from my brother. It made me laugh and is SO typical of him!

Gotta love big brothers, right?

My siblings clockwise starting with me:  Lynn, Steve, Jenny, and Leslie.

There are a few other things I could update you on (Abby's fine but it's hot here!) but that's most of it. 

In the meantime, I will be hibernating inside during the day and stitching up those women's caps as well as attending Uncle Ned's funeral. I'll also be keeping an eye on social media for any more news on BreyerFest - can't wait!

Stay cool, everyone!

Scare at the Barn

 No one ever wants to receive a text like the one I received from Tim on his last day out of town.

My heart dropped when I read the text.

Since Kyle and his family were heading home, we'd gone down to Indy with them as they wanted to see the temple where Craig and I serve once a week. I was an hour away and not able to run out to the barn to check on things!

 His family also wanted to celebrate my birthday by singing to me. (I love little Melissa's voice chiming in with her family's voices!)

I texted Tim back and got some more information - neighbors, bless them, had seen people walking around the property that they did not recognize so they had called Tim to let him know. Clearly, though, there was nothing I could do until I got home. I knew Tim would call the sheriff if he felt the situation needed it, but I was still anxious to get home.

I zipped out to the barn as soon as were were back in West Lafayette. All seemed normal, although I walked through the new barn to check for missing items as well as looked at the horses and counted noses.

I also took a photo of a truck parked at one of the homes on the property (there are two homes; an old house with the old barn and a new house with the new barn) but I suspect that that belonged to a visiting family member. Still, I made sure I got a photo of the license plate.

So, who did the neighbors see? My guess is that the folks renting the blue barn had friends come out and help them move their horses to the south paddock. The horses were not there the previous afternoon when I did a barn check, so I suspect they had been moved that morning.

All is well, and I'll say it again, bless those neighbors who saw something unusual and reported it!

Florida Fam: Twins Reunited!

In April of 2012, I was trailering Abby from Indiana Horse Rescue to her new home when I got a call from Beach Son Kyle. "Ashley's in labor - the baby will be born today!" Corinne (Cory) arrived a few hours later, and we have called Abby her "twin horse" ever since. (When Cory was just learning to talk, she pronounced it, "tin hoss." How I miss that sweet phrase!)

The twins together in September, 2017 when Kyle's family came and sheltered with us as Hurricane Irma bulls-eyed their town, St. Augustine.

Abby and Corinne reunited again this month. Cory no longer needs me to lift her up in order to pet her twin.

Trying to not giggle as Abby reaches through the bars of the gate, asking for some more peppermints.

We thanked Hokey with some peppermints and apple slices for being such a gentleman while the kids rode, but we also made sure everyone else got a nibble, too.

Next up? A scare at the barn. Stay 'tooned!

Florida Fam: We Ride!

One of the first things Kyle's family wanted to do was to visit the horses and go for a ride. We went early in the morning trying to beat the heat, but already the temps were climbing.

Curt, Lukie, Cory, Whitney, Braden, Melissa, Addie, Kyle, Ashley, me, and Craig on the veranda of the new barn.

We often pop kids up on Hokey bareback as he is gentle and trustworthy. So, with the heat and all, I just put a halter on him, brought him into the small paddock behind the new barn, and the rides began. 

Going for a ride was a family effort - someone needed to lead Hokey and then we needed a person on each side of the rider. Here I am leading Hokey with Kyle and Curt as side helpers. That's Lisa standing on the flatbed trailer - we used it as a mounting block.

Cory was especially excited to be at the barn - she would like to be a farmer when she grows up. (Isn't that a good picture of Hokey?)

I didn't make it around the paddock too many times - heat bothers me, so Lisa took over for me.

Melissa's first ride on a horse! And no doubt it is not her last one - not with me as her Grammy!

The other kids waited in the shade of the new barn for their turns. 

Even a couple of the adults took a spin around the paddock. 

Curt.

Braden. (Another pretty shot of Hokey.)

Addie. (She'd have ridden all day, even in the heat, if we'd let her!)

Hokey was such a good boy. He never balked or argued, and walked carefully around the paddock no matter who was on his back. (He got peppermints and apple slices for his efforts.)

More on our barn visit to come. Stay 'tooned!

Staying with Millie and Molly

Note:
This was posted accidentally to Horsiemama instead of another blog, one that I started writing specifically for Pepper's handler, Sarah. Sarah was very sad when Pepper's Addison's Disease made it so that she could no longer work as a guide dog, and I thought a blog where I wrote about her former partner would make her smile and keep her posted as to how Pepper was doing in her new life as a pet. Entries are written in letter form and from Pepper's perspective. 

Dearest Mom,

I am sorry it has been a week since I last wrote you. I have been at Millie and Molly's house (which was an absolute blast) while Craig and Lynn went to Florida to visit Beach Son Kyle and his family. (Lynn says to be sure to tell you that he isn't really a beach bum or anything. She just makes up names to go along with where her kids live. Music City Son Cole lives in Nashville, Denver Daughter is Sarah who lives in Colorado, and so on.)

Anyway! Staying with Lisa and the girls was fun. I loved having a doggy door where I could run in and out at will. I asked Lynn to put one into our house, but she said that it wasn't a good idea since our yard is not fenced in. Doggone it!

 Millie is the queen of the house and so I let her get into my bed and try it out. (Photo of Millie in the princess and the pea stacked beds and all comfy while Pepper stands next to her and looks up at Lisa who is holding the camera.)

I didn't mind if she slept in my bed - that meant there was more room for me in Lisa's bed!

Photo of Pepper sprawled on the comforter among the pillows. Molly can be seen sitting on the floor in the background.

Sometimes Millie and I both stretched out on the living room floor to snooze. Here we are side by side, but her nose is facing right while mine is facing left. My favorite toy, my rope tug, is handy nearby.

Lynn packed my antler in my travel tub and I spent a lot of time gnawing it. I like to lie on my back, legs akimbo, and chew, chew, chew with it held between my front paws. Do you like this picture Lisa snapped of me doing just that? Oh, that's Molly you can partially see.

Sometimes I didn't want to share my toys. Being a smart girl, I figured out that if I lay on them, like I am doing here on my rope tug, then Millie couldn't grab it. (Funny thing about Millie, she never plays with any toys. Ever! But now she seems to want mine. What is that all about?)

How do you like my Christmas collar? It has peppermints on it - get it? Peppermints for Pepper! Lynn got it for me from Serendipity, an Etsy shop who gives part of their proceed to support guide dogs like me.

Lisa is a teacher and she gets home around 4:30. If I thought she wasn't petting me enough, I'd put my head on the couch, just like in this photo, and give her my puppy eyes. Worked like a charm on her!

Lisa took Molly and me out for a walk every day in the evening. (Millie went separately after us; she can't walk nearly as far as the two of us as she is elderly.) I loved getting to be with Molly. She's really nice, and she told me a little bit about her previous home before she became an Isenbarger. It was a sad story, and she is very scared, especially of men, as a result. But Lisa makes her feel very safe and she is so happy to live with her. I like Molly; she's very sweet, and I keep inviting her to play with me. Maybe someday she will!

Much as I loved my visit, I missed Lynn and Craig. They actually came home a day early; usually it takes them two days to drive to Florida, but they wanted to get home to me so they drove it all in one day. They were very tired, but we were glad to be reunited. I wagged, and licked, and practically danced around them when they walked in the door!

This last photo is of me at home again at last. I have climbed up onto the princess and the pea bed (a stack of Millie, Molly, and my beds) which is my favorite place to sleep. It was good to get home with my family and settle in.

Well, Craig is calling me. He walks me twice a day (and Lynn will take me once, so I get three walks a day!) I love you, Mom, but you know that exercise is important, so I had better answer Craig's call.

Love, licks, and wags,

Peppermint

Florida (and Tennessee) Horsiness

Beach Boy Son, Kyle, has five kids, and since traveling by car to Indiana is a major undertaking, we usually go down to Florida to visit them so that they don't have to make that long drive. Last week Craig and I spent a week in St. Augustine and celebrated an early Christmas with his family. Of course, where Grammy is, there are usually horsey things.

There was something horsey beside me when I met grandchild #16, Melissa Jean, for the first time.

I'd brought along some books to read - I always read A Christmas Carol, Christmas at Fairacre,  and other Christmassy books during December.

That includes Sleigh Bells for Windy Foot, an old favorite from when I was a child. Addie borrowed and read it, too, during my visit, while Braden read another book I'd brought, Summer of the Toad, written by the parent of a former student who'd sent it to me as a gift.

Knowing my love of horses, Addie gifted me with a model horse that she'd found at Target when we took them Christmas shopping for their parents. She'd budgeted a little of her savings to get it for me! We named it "Addie's Surprise."

Every night Whitney slept in her favorite unicorn/Pegasus nightgown.

Corinne had saved a school paper to show me. (She is legally blind in her left eye, so she wears a patch over the good eye much of the time to strengthen the other.)

Shades of when I used to draw on my school work at the same age!

Whitney was very excited that we just happened to have some unicorn paper for gift wrapping.

Our gift to her was Target's Our Generation doll. There were a lot of dolls to choose from, and since she hadn't specified which one she wanted, naturally I bought the one in britches and boots!

And the horse to go with it!

 Look at that smile - it was a huge hit.

While I was down in Florida, I received a photo from Music City Son's wife, Emily.

Taken at Thanksgiving, it was of Pony Pals Julie and Kate and Cowpoke Susie and the ornaments I had given them for Christmas. (Every grandchild gets one from me at Thanksgiving, a tradition my mother did with my children and that I have continued.) Susie got Eeyore. I had tried to find a cow ornament for her, but most were breakable and unsuitable for a toddler.

Emily also sent one of Pony Pal Julie taken that morning because "Grammy would appreciate seeing the dress." I sure did!

There was a lot of horsiness in Beach Boy Son's home, but I was in for some more the following day when we went to the St. Augustine Christmas parade. More about that tomorrow.