Models, Molly, & Me

 Hi, Grammy! It is so much fun to come upstairs and keep you company while you work. 

I had no idea what I was missing those five long years I was too afraid to follow Pepper, Millie, and Nash up here!

It's good to not be afraid of things any more. Why, I am even brave enough to take a nap while you work. I feel so safe in here and what a bonus -  Boompa is just across the hallway!

Oh, goodness me! I am so sorry! 

I couldn't help but wag my tail when Boompa came in.

I didn't mean to knock your horses off the shelves!

The noise they made was so scary! Could you please pet me for a minute?

Okay, I feel a bit better. But I am very sorry I knocked your models off the shelf.

Molly, I am not angry or upset. It was an accident.You are always welcome in my office, sweet girl.

For those who don't know Mama's back story - she was a puppy mill breeder for four years. She came to us absolutely terrified of everything, especially men, and spent her days on her bed in the living room, rarely moving, and with the biggest fearful eyes you ever saw.

Molly the day she was rescued. She'd just had a litter of nine puppies taken away from her. (This picture hurts my heart - that poor girl!)

She fell in love with Lisa and her dog, Millie and gradually came out of her shell. We ended up giving Molly to Lis where she absolutely bloomed. The real Molly emerged and she even got over her fears of Craig.

Molly and Craig taking a nap together.

Molly has been a part of our family for five years now, but it was only a few months ago that she finally ventured upstairs. Craig and I were shocked when she poked her head around the corner and looked into our offices, but we were also delighted. She now runs up and downstairs several times a day with Pepper and Nash.

(We've dubbed her the bowling ball - hang onto the railing when she's coming up or down with you!)

I love my collection, no doubt about that.

But this is far more important.

Happy Valentine's Day

I like to use pieces from my collection to bring some holiday cheer into my home. Valentine's Day is no exception.

 I have an open shelf (who knows how long that will last, haha!) and set the seasonal pieces out on it.

 The three breast cancer horses make nice Valentine's Day decorations. 

Some years ago, Craig got me Godiva Chocolates as a gift, and since the box has a horse on it and chocolates are a good Valentine's Day gift, I saved the box and use it with the display.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The FAMulous Show - Around the Show Hall

The show was held in a church basement, but this was no ordinary basement. Roomy and spacious, it had a high ceiling and was very well lit. (And, it had an elevator.) Perfect for a model horse show!

We set up long tables down the middle of the room for the classes.

 There was plenty of space to move and walk around without fear of bumping into someone's table.

The show had four divisions, and each division was allotted two long tables for entries. Melissa Hart, Lois Kohnhorst, Kammie Fenwick, and Ann Bilon look at the awards their ponies just won.

The room had a stage which was perfect for our raffle items, and then Stan (Allison's husband) set up his equipment and announced the show for us.

He had an assortment of noisemakers that he used to draw the attention of the entrants throughout the show. (Photo courtesy of Nancy Kelly.)

We thought we might get some complaints about the round tables, but no one said a thing. We had no choice since the long tables were limited in number and those really were essential for classes.

 Jamie Rott waits for a class to be pinned.

Since I was only a month out from pancreatic surgery, I could not do as much as I normally might. Judges Cris Holt, Tara Oliver, and Nancy Kelly helped set up and take down the raffle (in addition to helping with other things.) We had so many generous donations that we had to pull out a third table for them all!

Allison Pareis brought her neat light-up FAM that DooWiki on Blab made for her in a Secret Santa exchange.

Judge Tara Oliver made it a point to meet as many people as she could in between her judging duties. When she could, she took a selfie, but sadly she wasn't able to get to everyone. (She is going to try to come back next year, so if you missed her this year, there will be another opportunity!)

 Alicia Strayer-Mangan and Tara Oliver.

 Melissa Hart and Tara Oliver.

Ann Bilon and Tara Oliver.

 We had truly excellent judges. Liz Cory had some interesting entries in her division!

Cristine Holt and Tara saw some stunning oldies, class after class after class. 

And Tonya Clapp was able to sort out all the gorgeous Breyers and keep her division running on time, too.

Nancy Kelly had a tough job with the chinas but she was more than up to the task. Honestly, Allison and I felt that we had top of the line judges across the board.

Tomorrow's blog entry - some of the models that were at the show. (They will blow you away!)

Naming Model Horses

I have about 1,000 pieces in my model horse collection. They reside upstairs in my office (except for a display case in the living room where my chinas reside) and I love that, when I am grading papers or writing, I can pause, look around, and see my ponies.

Most, though, are unnamed. Only my original carpet herd and the models I take to shows are named. The reason? I have a difficult time coming up with names.

Last March, Craig and I drove out to Colorado to visit our daughter Sarah and her family. It's a long trip, and as I was watching the scenery go by, the name of a town on a road sign caught my eye. "What a great name for a model horse!" I thought, and I grabbed my phone, opened the Notes app, and wrote it down.

 Soon I had a lengthy list forming. 

The names of towns and counties also inspired some other ideas, such as games I like to play that might work (Skip-bo) and flowers (Jonquil). And since that March trip, I have been adding to what has become an ongoing list whenever I see a word that might work.

It makes me smile as I can trace some of the recent trips to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida that I have made via the names of the towns and cities that appear on the list.

Street names work well, too. The last seven on the list are street names in my son's neighborhood in St. Augustine, Florida.

It's a lengthy list now, but I have not named that first model since starting it. The next model show I will be attending is GLC (Great Lakes Congress) in October; I'll pull it up then and put it to use.

Muncie Model Swap Meet

Allison Pareis, a fellow Hoosier horse collector, posted a few months ago on Facebook that she was going to hold a get together in Muncie for collectors. It was a meetup for selling, trading, and chatting, plus she was going to have someone talk about model horse repair and someone else speak on conformation.

We were getting together at the Muncie Pizza King and eating pizza and noodling about our collections.

 I packed my items from "Lynn's Rescue" (as Craig calls the things I find at antique shops and buy in order to get them into the hands of collectors. I don't personally want them for my collection, but I know others who do, and so, if the price is good, I'll buy them. I sell them almost at cost as I am not interested in making a profit.)

The banquet room of the Pizza King was very large, and easily held the collectors from Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio who were gathered together. (Maureen Reynolds in the blue on the left.)

 All sorts of things were for sale, from vintage Breyers and Hagen Renakers, to current models, tack, props, and other things. It was so fun to walk around and take a gander at the goodies!

 But it wasn't just the swap meet items that were fun and exciting. Running into dear friends was, too!

Michelle Evans and I have been friends for years. She's been collecting since the mid 1970s and has a wonderful sense of humor. (She is also an excellent writer.) I always love running into her at collectors' events. I was so happy that she took my HR Butch home for her collection!

 Lunch was served right where we were, and Michelle and Pat Reed came and ate with me. That's Robin Mangus from Indianapolis in the background.

 Mary H.... I cannot remember her last name, but she came with Pat and Michelle....

 ... and Pat's sister, whose name also escapes me at the moment!

 Anna Tackett and her son came up from Kentucky. He collects, too, and was very sweet to talk to.

 Jenn Read (in yellow) gave a talk on simple touch ups on your model.

Ronda Mosley, Kaye Callahan, Anna Tackett, hostess Allison Pareis, Jenn Read, her friend, and her husband.

Allison's husband, Stan Sollars, a professor at Ball State University in Muncie, came along. He and I had a nice chat - he's started his own collection!

I didn't get to talk to everyone there, but I did do a tally when we went around and introduced ourselves. There were thirteen folks from Indiana, two from Kentucky, and six from Ohio. I was interested in that because I have long wanted to put together a fun show for vintage models and I was looking to see if there would be enough people in the area to support it. Judging from this turnout, I think there definitely is.

My HR Butch, HR Specialty Sentinel, HR Specialty Wrangler, and my Stone Critter Zebra all went to new homes. I bought a Cherry Creek Fonzie Merit for $20 and got a Breyer Shetland Pony "Pine" in trade for the Zebra. 

It was a fun and relaxing day. Allison says she will do it again, and Pat and Michelle are talking about having a meet up in Indianapolis some time in September. 

Hope I can be there!

Cleaning the Hobby Closet

This afternoon I FINALLY got the time to clean out the closet in the horse room. Mostly model horse and Star Trek/Star Wars things, it is always fun to pull things out, see what I've got tucked away, and get it organized again.

 It was a mess.

 Things were stacked up in no particular order.

I pulled out eight empty boxes that I'd tucked away for future use. I may keep them, but I really don't need eight.

All done! And it looks so much better.