More New Models

Be still my heart! The Breyer 2024 Advent Calendar has arrived!

Chock full of quirky Mini Whinnies and accompanying tack, barn tools, and more (none of which I collect, but still!!), I am so excited to have it in hand!

And it's not just me who gets excited about Breyer's advent calendars - Jennifer works for Dover Saddlery in Denver and she wrote that when the Breyer advent calendars arrived, it was the first thing to sell of all the Breyer holiday merchandise.

There's something about opening a little door daily throughout December and taking out a surprise goody. 

It reminds me of digging through the box of Cracker Jacks for the prize when we were kids! I can't wait until December 1 to find out what's behind each door!

For several weeks now, I've been in physical therapy twice a week for my back. The place I go is close to Tractor Supply. After one session last week, I stopped by on a whim.

Normally the local Tractor Supply doesn't carry the full line of holiday specials (I never did get Jolene and was so disappointed) but this year they had the two I wanted, Big Blue and Peyton.

Big Blue is a fundraiser for the FFA (Future Farmers Association), an organization that I support, 

and he's on the Clydesdale mold, a vintage mold and an old favorite of mine.

Big Blue has a gold ribbon in his forelock, 

gold braids, tail ribbon, and hooves,

and "FFA" stamped on his belly.

His coat is textured to emulate the iconic blue corduroy jackets that FFA members wear.

Purdue University often hosts the State FFA gathering, and it's fun to see the high schoolers all over campus wearing their blue jackets as they walk from activity to activity.

Peyton, a Quarter Horse done on the Adios mold, also came home with me from TSC.

Peyton is not a portrait of a real horse, he's an example of the breed.

And as the text on the box reads, "Like many Quarter Horses out west, he sports his ranch's brand on his hip."

He is nicely shaded and was the only one left in the store. 

Adios is an early mold first introduced in 1969

and sculpted by Chriss Hess (and based on a sculpt by James Slick.)

So, two new models on vintage molds and a box of 24 Mini Whinny goodies to look forward to opening! Add to that the new pieces I posted about yesterday and it was a very good, model horsey week.

Reminder! Last call for blackened beeswax ornaments! After 11:59 PM Eastern time this evening, I will not be taking any more orders. Email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com to order.

Tractor Supply Fail

I was on the far side of town yesterday and decided to stop by the Tractor Supply and check out their Breyers.

The shelves were mostly empty.

And what they had in stock was nothing that I was interested in buying.

I want Blue, the FFA benefit horse,

and Jolene, the Lady Phase TSC exclusive.

When I asked when more Breyers might come in, the woman at the service desk said that a truck was coming in later that day and to come back in the afternoon.

She asked if I was looking for a particular one, and replied that she, too, was looking for Jolene. Another woman at the desk suggested that I buy Jolene online, and I told her that I preferred to pick out my own.

And then something odd happened. The first woman changed the time I should come back from later that afternoon to the following day, blaming the change on those who would be unloading the truck. 

That sudden change made no sense - why did she not think about the "unloading problem" when she first recommended I come that afternoon? Was it because she wanted to pick out her Jolene before anyone else went through them?

I won't be back on that side of town for a while, so I did go online to order. Blue is available, but Jolene is out of stock.

I hope that when I do get a chance to get back to TSC, there is a Jolene still there.

More New Models

Between Happy Trails, Great Lakes Congress, and some surfing on Breyer's web site, I've added more than a few ponies to the herd! Besides the blingy pieces, I've gotten some realistically painted ones, too.

This dapple grey Clydesdale is a bit of a stumper. He has a USA mark, so that puts him as a model from the 1970s. I think he may be from the 1979 special run for mail order companies but I still need to do some research.

Liz and I traded my BreyerFest Tassili for one of her Seven Arts Surprise models, and we did the hand off at Happy Trails.

This or the palomino pintaloosa were the two I was hoping to get. I'm really happy with this piece.

The Indian Pony is one of my top five favorite molds, and so I had to get the Tractor Supply special run, Sayen. She has gorgeous shading and is absolutely lovely.

Liz had a sales table at Happy Trails and had Breyer's flagship model Livingston for sale.

He's now mine, too!

I also received Breyer's Christmas Pony, Gingerbread, but he will get his own blog post soon.

Stay 'tooned!

TSC Stella - a Glowy!

Teacher Daughter Lisa bought me a TSC Stella for Christmas. 

 She bought the last one in stock at our local TSC, but she really got a good one.

 It's a semi gloss  with lovely shadings,

 clean seams, and no rubs or flaws that I can find,

and it's a glowy - one that was made from the glow in the dark plastic by mistake!

With that kind of luck, I sure hope Lisa buys me more model horses!

A Breyer Under the Tree!

My Lisa bought me a Breyer for Christmas!

I was goofing around a bit with the dogs (that's Millie with a bow on her head) when I began unwrapping Lisa's gift.

Now normally, I can easily recognize a Breyer box when it is wrapped, but since my kids usually buy things other than model horses for me, Breyers weren't even on my mind as a possibility.

 That moment when I realized that I was unwrapping a Breyer of some sort. "You didn't!!" 

 She did! Stella from TSC!

I had wanted Stella even though I collect mostly vintage molds. I like the Bluegrass Bandit mold and I like Stella's color. I'd even been online December 24 looking to see if our TSC still had one that I could go get. (They didn't. Lisa had gotten the very last one.)

Super excited about this gift - thank you, Lis!

A Nice Horsey Touch

My school corporation held a celebration for the 2018 retirees last week.

Curt and Lisa, who both live in the Lafayette area and could attend, me, and Craig.

It was a lovely evening, but there was one thing that really made me smile when I noticed it.

 Take a closer look at the podium in the picture above.

Our celebration was held in one of our high schools, and its logo is a horse! How nice to have a horsey touch at my retirement party!

The 2018 retirees (I am in the middle row, second from right.)

Such a lovely evening, and it is really beginning to feel like retirement is real.

TSC Recognition Night

On Wednesday evening, TSC honored its teachers who had won awards over the course of the school year. Because of my PAEMST award for Science teaching, I was one of the honorees. It was a lovely evening and very well done. 

I was more than a little nervous about those risers that we had to stand on. Fortunately, my friend Gina and Lance Wildoner, assistant principal at Harrison High School,  helped me get up and down.

Two other teachers from the High Ability faculty won awards - Kristy Harshbarger and Gina Boyd were recognized for their work in Economics education.

Craig and me.