Quiet Book Updates

First, thank you for your kind messages about Donnie's loss. The funeral was very well attended and we had Illinois as well as Indiana friends there. It was a lovely gathering and celebration of a life well lived.

And I did drop those flowers out the window on I-74 where my kids and I had sat for so long in that 90 degree heat.

The work on the quiet book continues to progress, so well so that I am not feeling too stressed about making that 4th of July deadline. (Although I may not have any spare time to practice for the annual  family bocce tournament...)

Ever mindful of me, Pepper is very much a presence as I work.

I had to work around her as I went through my ribbon stash, but I really don't mind. I understand why she is always so close and I respect and honor her for her devotion - even when I could really use that space she is lying in to sort out ribbons!

Decision made! I was working on the count-the-beads octopus; each ribbon was to be a tentacle.

One thousand beads. (I sure don't want to spill that container!) I needed ten different colors even though octopus have eight tentacles, not ten. Squid have ten, but an octopus is more fun to make.

More than ten colors! I was good.

I paired bead colors with ribbon colors, and then arranged them in a pattern I thought was pretty. (Color as well as by texture.)

I counted and I counted and I COUNTED as I strung the beads to ensure that the number of beads lined up with the number written above that tentacle.

I also used toggle rings with two rings  for safety to keep the beads from sliding off and becoming a choking hazard. Finally, I put hot glue on the tied end to double secure the tie.

I was really happy with how the octopus turned out until I parted the tentacles to see how it looked underneath.

It was too bare. I'm heading to the craft shop today to see what kinds of ocean/fishy appliqués and patches I can find. After stitching those down, the octopus page will be completed.

Also finished is the cover page which has a tying activity. The kitty needed a nose, but the fur was so dark and so long, it had to be something I sewed on rather than drawing one which would disappear in all that fur.

I found a set of domed pink, red, and white heart buttons, tried each one to see the visual effect, and chose the red button. Flipping the heart upside down made it look more like an animal's nose.

Also finished is the colorful spider web. The cord is about 18" long and secured under the back. Not only can the kids make different patterns of spider webs, they can also learn their colors with this page. (We teachers just never turn off that teaching gene! LOL)

Here are a couple of sneak peeks of some in-progress pages:

Another aquatic page waiting for more appliquéing.

A page related to The Wiggles, a suggestion from family as both JC and Jayci grew up watching the show.

Here's a hint about this page:

Not gonna lie - I love The Wiggles! There are four Wiggle-themed pages planned for the quiet book.

Busy day today around here. Nashie is coming over (which means transports joy for Nash, Tammo and Pepper), I have a doctor's appointment, shopping at a craft shop (transports of joy for me!) and then Ian is playing in a band concert this evening. (Cheering and applause coming up!)

Hopefully I will get some work done on the book; if not, no worries.

Stay 'tooned!

On the Fence - Literally

Second Post of the Day

In case you missed it, Breyer's Second Chance Sale of BreyerFest 2025 merchandise starts today at 11:00 AM EDT. 

You must be a BreyerFest ticket holder to participate so be sure you are logged into the Breyer account that you used to buy your tickets. I might try for another Ties that Bind Us to see if I can get the gold or silver charm, but I'm still on the fence about that.

Speaking about being on the fence...

Tim and Loni are home from their trip, and the first thing he did at the barn was to rotate the pastures. (Tim's barn management skills are superb.)

Not the best photo, but the new pasture is full of tiny flowers, and Sultanna's hoof was surrounded by them. It was charming!

Back to fences...

The next door neighbor is repairing his fences and I took this photo as I drove down the lane to visit Sultanna, Eazy, and Hokey. Then I noticed something that made me smile.

The hammer hanging on the fence, waiting be used!

For whatever reason, that just made me smile. It seemed so typical of life around horses and it made me feel good that I am back around horses frequently again.

Crazy, huh? But it still makes me smile.

Abby's Loss: Visiting the Gravesite

Second Post of the Day

My family and friends have been reaching out to me and it has been a comfort. Mountain Mama Jessica wrote these words that made my heart melt:

Mom, I can't even tell you how deeply sorry I am for Abby's loss. She brought you so much joy and in turn brought us joy to know you had a horse again - a horse after you had to sacrifice so much for our family. I am just crying here and wish I were there to give you a big squeeze. I love you so much. xoxy

Thanks, Jessica. Love you too and xoxy right back to you!

On Saturday after I discovered that the horses had died and called Tim to alert him, Lisa came out to the barn to be with me while Tim and I made arrangements. But, I had just left for home so she paid her respects to Abby and Two Socks and then picked up lunch for me. (She was right - I had not had lunch and it was mid afternoon.) Lisa hung around with Craig and me for most of the afternoon and then Sunday morning she stopped by with a big bouquet of flowers that were from all our kids. 

Monday morning Curt texted and asked if he and the kids could come over and visit. They brought lunch for all of us and each of the kids gave me a long hug and said how sorry they were about Abby.

Mila also made a beautiful card that she read aloud to me.

The Pony Pals and Curt wanted to go out to the barn with me after lunch. I was already planning on going since I wanted to check on Hokey. (Tim had to go out of town so I am taking care of Hokey while he is gone.)

I also wanted to see the graves and leave some flowers. The bouquet from my kids was so large that I'd had to split it into two vases

and I knew my kids would not mind if I put some of their flowers on the horses' graves. So everyone chose several selections and we headed to the barn. (Ian chose a large red rose for Abby and a smaller one for Two Socks.)

We first stopped to check on Hokey. He is doing better but as always, he was glad to see us. Bonus points to me for bringing the kids to visit him - he knows that when the Pony Pals are with me, that means he will get extra treats.

The grave site is in the northwest pasture which is bordered by a woods. It is a beautiful spot.

Abby's final resting place.

Two Socks' grave. Those carrots the kids placed on her grave brought tears to my eyes.

Tim placed this halter on a rock between the two graves. The perfect sentiment for him and for me.

Flowers for my sweet Abby. 

As we were preparing to head back up to the old barn, I noticed this:

A golf tee? I understood leaving a carrot, but why a golf tee?

Turned out Ian wanted to leave a final gift to honor the horses but all he had was the golf tee that was in his pocket. So he had quietly set it there without telling his dad or me. It was Curt who spotted it and asked the kids about it. (Mila was responsible for the carrot.)

That little golf tee offering was so sweet and touching, it makes me cry to even write about it.

Hokey followed us as we walked back to the cars. I was glad to see him acting more like himself and that he was no longer taking refuge in the old barn but was cropping grass, interested in treats and pets, and calm. He did call twice for his herdmates while we were there, but he was not agitated, not pacing or running around, sweating, or showing any outward signs of distress.

I love this photo of Cowpoke Lukie watching Hokey drink. Lukie was very disappointed that there were no tadpoles in the trough that we needed to remove like there were a few years ago.

I made sure that Hokey was eating and drinking, other good signs that he was recovering from the shock of the lightning strike and the loss of Abby and Two Socks.

And then we went home. I didn't get much done the rest of the day, but I am determined to be a bit more productive today. I need to check Hokey at least once, and I have a fairly long to-do list. 

Things are still far from normal yet, but healing has begun and I am getting my feet back under me. I will share more tomorrow.

Stay 'tooned.