A Memorial to my Mom

On Thursday, October 12, the Tippecanoe County Historical Association planted a tree in my mother's memory on the battlefield. What an honor that is! It is a national monument as well as a cemetery for those who died in The Battle of Tippecanoe. (My mother was a historian who preserved much of our area's history by researching and publishing books about it.)

The tree is a beautiful burr oak, and if things go well, it should live 250-300 years!

We gathered around Allen Nail, head groundskeeper and the man who had the idea for the memorial, and he told us a little bit about the tree, then invited us to add mulch and water and then spend as much time there as we wished.

 Great Uncle Rick and Ian began by adding some water. 

I love how the tree is near the highway so we can drive by and see Mom's tree whenever we wish!

The idea that two of my mother's great-grandchildren helped plant the tree and then may return over the years with their children, grandchildren, and maybe even great-grandchildren, brings tears to my eyes.

 Mila is such a big help!

 The kids LOVED those water jugs.

I hope to go out every October for the rest of my life and have my photo taken with the tree. I am also going to go back out and measure the trunk's circumference - I think it will be fun to track its growth over time.

My siblings Jenny, Leslie, and Steve. Leslie and I have always been horsey girls, Jenny not so much, and Steve always found horses to be useful fodder to tease his sisters.

So, as adults now, of course, we had to do Steve's old "horse feet" move at him. He would drum his hands as though they were hooves and neigh at me when I was a child and DRIVE ME NUTS. Now, it is a wonderful family memory that makes us all laugh.

 These kids worked hard planting that tree!

I love that there is a living memorial to my mother in a place that holds great meaning to her as well as to the rest of our family. And I hope this tree is important to future generations of our family as well.

Black Beauty in Art

Each semester, my students must read a book from classic literature and then present a paper and a project on it. As you might imagine, I love it when Black Beauty or other horsey classics are chosen!

Friday, TM did a wonderful paper on Black Beauty. I was thrilled that one of the things he discussed in his paper was that this book changed the world for the better - as a direct result of Anna Sewell's story of equine abuse, The Humane Society was formed and millions of animals have benefitted as a result. Talk about the power of the pen and how, with our writing, we can make a difference in this world!

TM's project was really cool, too

Black Beauty done in string art!

TM explained that he'd found a picture of a horse that he liked, put it on the board, and then used a Sharpie to place dots around the outline. Nails were pounded in at those spots, and then he wound black string around the nails for the body. There is white string for the sock and blaze.

As one of his classmates said (and I agree), "I think you should hang that up at home and keep it forever."

Beautiful Fall Day

It was a beautiful fall day today. The temperatures are still warm, and the sky was bright blue. I was able to get away from school earlier than usual today, and so I had some extra time to spend with my girl.

I didn't even have to call her - she saw me coming and strode out of the barn to come say "hello." We had a lovely chat and I fed her apple slices that were left over from my lunch.

Since Tim is out of town this week, I did a little fence checking. When I finished, I turned around and looked back at the old barn.

Diablo and Abby were watching my every move. 

I love this time of year, and spending time with the horses makes these lovely fall days even better.

The Return of My McClellan Saddle

Nearly two decades ago, I loaned my antique McClellan military saddle to a friend. She wanted to use it in the decor of her home, and I was not using it so I was happy to let her have it for as long as she wanted. And actually, I forgot about the saddle.

Luckily, my friend to whom I had loaned it did not, and last weekend she returned it. She's downsizing and could no longer use it.

She's taken good care of it and kept it in a climate controlled room.

I don't know a lot about the saddle - not even where I originally got it. It may be something I picked up in the 1980s, either at a flea market or from some of my other horsey friends while I was living in Illinois.

I have done some research and know that they were made in the late 1850s and used by the US military through World War II. Apparently they are still made and used by endurance riders.

I wonder what the history is behind this old saddle.  Was it ever used in battle? Who were the horses and people who used it? Just how old is it?

Questions I will probably never have the answers to.

B Stamp Proud Arabian Stallion

While out poking around for HSOs, I had seen this dirty, yellowed Proud Arabian Stallion on a vendor's shelf for several weeks and left it behind every time.

Then it occurred to me that I might want to check it for a B stamp instead of just browsing past it time and time again. So I went back Thursday after school to check.

Bingo!! It had the old B stamp!

He's now home with me and going to get a bath later today and then be set in a sunny window for a few weeks.

He'll be a nice addition to my PAS conga!

Sure am glad that I went back and took a closer look!

Halloween Horse

Breyer has done some beautiful Halloween horses, but I do not have any of them. Except this one.

Cryptic - the Big Ben mold made to look like a concrete graveyard statue. And, he glows in the dark!

Decorating for Halloween is, to me, the kick-off of the holiday season - from now until post New Year's Day there will be holiday decorations of some sort displayed around my home.

Putting Cryptic out on my antique player piano alone is the first thing I do as I begin pulling out the tubs of holiday decorations. As I go through them, I usually add a few small things, but I want Cryptic to remain the focal point.

Breyer began making Halloween horses in 2001, but only one of them looks like it was poured concrete.  He is delightfully unique as a result. One of my favorite pieces in my collection, he has the added honor of being the very first decoration set out each year as the holidays approach.

JAH Unpainted Clydesdale Mare

I went back and bought that 1980 JAH unpainted Clydesdale Mare. The more I thought about her, the more I felt I ought to go get her - even if it is not one of my favorite molds (and I do love the vintage ones) this way I could get her into the hands of a collector rather than having her lost to the hobby.

 I gave her a quick bath and she cleaned up pretty well. A more thorough cleaning needs to be done, but that can wait.

Those black marks will come off, but the blue splotches are actually embedded within the plastic. Maybe from regrinds that did not fully melt? I don't know, but my 1980 JAH unpainted Black Beauty also has a similar spot or two only his are brown.

She's for sale, and I'll sell her for what I paid for her ($20) as my goal isn't to make a profit, it's to rescue collectible models and get them into collections.