Whoa! What the... Look at that! OH NO!! I know what that means!"
Alert! AlertAlertAlertAlert! Everybody come quick! Important safety announcement!
Oh, good grief, Nash. We are all already here.
No kidding! I think he just wanted an excuse to howl.
Yeah, he loves to exercise those pipes of his. And now my ears are ringing.
Let's just go back inside. I'm sure it's not important.
Listen UP, I say. Take a look at what I just found on the patio!
Do you KNOW what that is? It's a Wooly Bear and its stripes tell us how bad winter is going to be.
If I remember right, that big orange middle means lots of heavy snow, ice, blizzards, zero degree temperatures with wind chills at minus 300, and being stuck inside for months at a time!
What?? Nooooo! That means I won't be able to play frisbee at the park! I'm shook!! SHOOK, I say!
It's true! And remember that sparrow feather we found in the yard? That's another sign it will be a bad winter - the birds are growing bigger feathers so they can keep themselves warm when it's 300 below.
The baby deer with antlers we spied in the neighbor's yard? Even the baby deer are preparing for a bad winter - they know they are going to have to fight for food, even the babies!
And while I hate to mention him (shiver), Mr. Toad is putting on the pounds. He's an old toad and been through several winters. He's the most reliable sign of all that it is gonna be a bad winter!
(The dogs crowd through the back door and race into the house.)
I call any place that has a sun puddle! That's where I will be sleeping when it's cold outside!
(Loftily) I can't think of just myself; Lynn is my partner and I need to make sure she is warm, too. We can snuggle on the couch when it's cold out. See? We are practicing.
(Yawn) I love the double blankets on this bed. So warm and comfy!
All right! Mission accomplished! I have warned my family about the approaching danger and now I can take a snooze, too.
This family would not survive without my leadership. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz
(Happy Fall, ya'll! What are your Wooly Bears saying about winter?)
Those who have been reading the blog awhile know that I follow meteorological seasons (January 1, Winter begins; March 1, Spring begins; June 1, Summer begins, and September 1, Fall begins.)
This morning I have a pumpkin candle lit here on my desk and it is sending the smell of Fall into my office. Today I plan to switch out my Summer door mat and wreath at the front door for ones for Fall. I will also change the pillows on the park bench for ones celebrating the new season.
This is my favorite time of the year, and bow howdy, it sure feels like Fall here in western Indiana. False Fall continues and I am wearing sweaters and even put an extra blanket on the bed last night!
One of the old apple trees up where the farmhouse used to be has dropped its apples. Tim went around and picked most of them up - otherwise the horses would stand under that tree and gorge themselves. There's a bucket of them near one of the gates and I offer each horse a couple when I check the barn.
I love the early Fall sounds in this video from yesterday - the crickets, the breeze, the sound of the horses' legs swishing through the grass...
After nibbling on the apples, they ambled down to the trough and drank some fresh water.
What is it about those sounds of horses out to pasture? It makes me feel relaxed and peaceful inside, and as though I could stand outside with them all day. Maybe I just will!
Falling is one of the biggest fears most people Craig's and my age have. And in a sense, it is rather inevitable, whether it's because you slip, take a wrong step, or trip over your pet. It's probably going to happen sooner or later.
Well, yesterday Craig had his first really bad fall, and boy howdy, it was a doozy. Just before lunch he stepped out onto the front porch to let Pepper out, hit some ice under the snow, and down he went.
A face plant right on the concrete - he couldn't get his hands out fast enough to break his fall or protect himself.
I got him inside, grabbed towels to staunch all the bleeding, and had him lie down as he was very shaken up. Putting a bag of ice on his face, I called an Urgent Care facility a few miles from our home and let them know what had happened and that we were on our way.
Just like our front porch, the roads had patchy ice, and I did some sliding - not good when your hands are shaking and you are not thinking clearly. Still, I avoided an accident with a neighbor who suddenly backed out of his driveway without looking. It was a close call and not what we needed at that time.
Urgent Care did a quick triage and with that huge goose egg on his head and concerns about other head injuries, alerted the Emergency Room and said that we were on our way.
I was calming down a bit, enough to call Lisa and ask her to come get Pepper and take her to her home - I had no idea how long we would be at the hospital. Then I texted Curt to tell him where we were headed and why, and that I doubted we would be able to attend Pony Pal Mila's baptism that was scheduled later that afternoon. Mila had asked me to say a prayer and Craig to speak; that clearly was not going to happen.
After a slippery drive to the ER on the far side of town, we were immediately admitted and taken back for care.
It was a long couple of hours of cleaning all the blood off of his face and out of his ears, then an initial assessment of his injuries, a CT scan of his head, face, and neck, and finally treating the big cut on the bridge of his nose. (There was not enough skin to stitch so they used glue and steri strips.)
We were all surprised to find that his nose was not broken and although he has a huge goose egg over his left eye, the occipital bone was not fractured as feared. There was concern over his neck as it is painful, but that checked out as nothing serious and will heal.
Craig does have a concussion (accompanied by a very bad headache) and his front teeth appear to have been knocked out of alignment a bit (he will see our dentist this week.) His face is swollen and he has abrasions in a variety of spots so he looks pretty rough.
And he is exhausted. The experience simply wore him out, enough so that he (who rarely allows injuries or illness to sideline him), asked if I would make him some soup. I put it in his favorite mug, one that Pony Pal Julie made him for Christmas years ago, knowing that that would make him smile.
I'm not posting pictures of Craig's face as they are pretty shocking. And oh my gosh, our front porch is a mess! (No photos will be posted of that, either!) It is covered in blood that is now frozen in place.
The temperature as I write is -4 with the wind chill at -34. I won't be able to clean that blood away until we have a thaw, and that is going to be a while.
(A friend made us laugh with his tongue in cheek suggestion about all that frozen blood. "You could put a note of warning to any would-be porch thieves: this is what happened to the last guy who tried to steal a package!" Oh, how Craig and I needed that laugh!)
As for Mila's baptism, we did not make it in person, but we were able to watch via Zoom.
Ironically, she had a head bump, too!
It was fun to be a part of her big day, even if we were unable to join her in person.
Lisa is fixing dinner for us all tonight, so we will get our hugs in then. (I think I will ask Curt and his family to come into the house through the garage; I really don't want the kids to see that front porch.)
Today we are staying home and catching our breath. Because he has a concussion, I don't want to be away from Craig, so I won't go church or head out to the barn. Tim will be checking Abby and if she needs anything, he will take care of it and let me know.
Finishing off with a song that's been running through my mind since yesterday.
Mama Said by The Shirelles
And Mama was right!
Finally, today is the last day to enter the Give Away!
Enter by commenting on the blog post by 11:59 PM EST.
Winners will be announced Monday or possibly Tuesday. Good luck to all!
Thanks to Shannon Call, we have some information on one of the Stone fall shows. She writes,
That is so weird - everything about Stone's model horse show last fall is gone from the site. It was The Little Horse Show so Stablemates, Pebbles, and Chips. I attended and it was a lot of fun. My husband and I stayed the night and made a weekend of it. I hope they have it again at the same place.
Pokagon State Park, where the show was held, is in northwestern Indiana close to the border with Michigan and Ohio.
It has a lot to offer, and is well known for its toboggan run. The run has an elevation of 90 feet and takes you down a 1/4 mile track at speeds of up to 42 mph.
It's not for the faint of heart (which would be why I have never been on it. Nor will I ever!)
Here are some pics from Shannon from the show weekend - like the spring shows, the fall ones have activities along with a model horse show.
The inn where attendees stayed and the show was held.
One of Shannon's big winners.
A lake in the park. (That part of Indiana is riddled with lakes.)
Horseback riding was one of the activities.
Hiking.
Shannon and her husband.
Thanks, Shannon, for sharing - I knew there were Stone fall shows but I could not find the info.
One more Hoosier show is left on the list, so stay 'tooned!
Fall is my favorite season and despite my current busyness, I took time to put out my horse head wreath made from leaves, acorns, broom corn, and jute.
We also did a fire pit and roasted marshmallows on the first chilly evening of the season.
Lukie got cold and snuggled in between Craig and me - I love how our faces reflect the glow of the fire!
Fall also means burr season, and Hokey has got a real snarl in his mane right now. Tim may end up having to cut that mass out.
Two Socks (who actually has three) is covered in beautiful dapples. She continues to be super bold and friendly.
I finished Mila's 18th century dress with just hours to spare - while there is always something I could be sewing, her dress is the last piece I am making for this weekend.
I was going to lace it with white twill tape, but the turquoise ribbon she wanted to trim her cap did not work, so I used it as lacing. I was also going to hand stitch round holes for the lacing, but time was so short, I made small buttonholes with my sewing machine.
While the Feast organizers have spent the past two weeks prepping the grounds and setting up the booths, tents, and things they will need, today is the first day that participants (merchants, sutlers, voyageurs with their canoes, etc.) can set up.
I am heading out to the grounds at noon and Craig and Curt are coming along and will help me put my tent up. Lisa is coming after school to start setting things up inside. I'm excited!
Several of you asked me about my comment in yesterday's blog post about 18th century women wanting to appear heavier than they were - the answer is a glimpse into cultural mores of the time.
Me having just lost 75 pounds and excited about that yet having to put on panniers to go back to looking heavy. (Oh, the irony!)
Women did not have much power during the 18th century and were dependent on husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, and uncles for their very livelihoods. Men controlled all the money, including the money a woman may have inherited or been given. Women brought men money in the form of a dowry or, in the case of an older woman or widow, had some money to bring to a second marriage.
In addition, food insecurity and poverty was very real - thinner women generally were less fortunate, even impoverished, and had little to no money for food. Wealthier people did.
Making themselves look heavier signaled possible wealth to men who might need that dowry or inherited money to shore up their own finances.
So, in other words, being heavier was a survival tactic for women. And if you weren't, you faked it.
Most of the corn is dry and ready to be harvested.
Soybeans, too - the beans from this field by the barn have already been harvested.
Tim has been doing some fall clean up around the property
and getting it ready to be hauled away.
Despite the dry conditions Indiana has been having, there is still forage in the pastures and Tim hasn't begun feeding hay. But that time is coming soon.
We have plenty of hay put up - rectangular bales in the hay mow of the old barn and round bales lined up along the west pasture. But next year, that may change.
The hay field and home adjoining the property is for sale. Tim harvests that hay field and keeps part of it in exchange for his labor. Whether or not the new owners will continue the arrangement remains to be seen.
Western Indiana is having one of the most beautiful falls on record. The weather conditions are perfect for beautiful leaves and while it has gotten cooler, it has still been warm enough to get outside and enjoy the days.
And, it's time for one of my girl's favorite treats. October isn't a time for peppermints;
And I just had Lisa Haley (founder of the Old Timer Model Fans Group on Facebook) make me a candy corn hat for my carpet herd Old Timer.
Now he gets to be part of the Halloween decor I have around the house.
When you live out in the country, finding a place to walk can be difficult. The woman who owns Jax and Fancy next door has been hiking around the hay field to get her exercise.
Across the road from the north pastures, the farmers are combining the corn and soybeans and taking it to grain storage facilities. It has been perfect harvest weather, too.
Coming up - a throwback to one of my favorite blog posts ever.
Comment to enter the fourth giveaway and win a Horsiemama haversack with your stable name embroidered on it! (I can also do a model's name, your name, etc.)
