I want to start with an apology - I left a very big Brighty spot off yesterday and I was pretty smack-the-forehead chagrined when I realized it. So, to rectify that, a huge thank you to those of you who contacted me to wish me well or prayed or sent good thoughts my way. That was very much appreciated, and truly, a Brighty spot in my life.
I spun for the February Give Away winner this morning.
Congratulations to the winner and if you didn't win, there are ten more Give Aways coming up to enter!
I sometimes have little things that aren't enough for a complete blog post, but knit together nicely for one. Here are a couple of things I thought you might enjoy.
~ Often we share about finding HSOs (horse shaped objects) in the wild, but yesterday I found a Breyer collector in the wild!
I had gone shopping for candy and cards to send to my kids and their families for Valentine's Day, and the woman checking me out commented, "I like your jacket."
I was wearing a BreyerFest jacket at the time. (Photo by Breyer) Then she continued.
"I collect Breyers and I also enjoy customizing." I think my jaw had dropped at this point and I was wondering, "Why have we not met before?"
We chatted model horses until another customer needed to check out, but I got her name (Shelby) and plan to go back with some hobby information for her. She is not (yet) connected to the hobby on social media nor has she ever been to BreyerFest.
I went home and spent a good chunk of time packing those cards and Valentine's Day things I was sending to my family. All those boxes are going out today along with the book to our Give Away winner (on top of the stack.)
~ I've mentioned before that Hawkeye Sarah is a wildlife photographer. Here's a recent video that she took from her truck as she drove through a bison preserve.
My guess is that the cow has learned that there is salt on vehicles in the winter. I'm not sure I'd be as calm as Sarah as the bison licked away - I'd be hoping against hope that she did not use those horns on my car!
~Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch Nacho, my friend Kathy's guide dog who is now retired and living with her parents. I love Nacho. When he was guiding, he was in my classroom many times as Kathy and I did a lot of co-teaching together.
I was privileged to watch him guide many, many times and he is incredible at any and all challenges.
He is happy in retirement, but he's slowing down some and his face is getting whiter. (He probably looked at me and thought the same thing.)
This is the dog who guided Kathy to 275 speaking engagements (in just one year!) all over the United States when she was named the 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year and then as one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year. He can (and has) handle New York City, Chicago, LA, and our biggest cities, travel on planes and subways, and keep her safe while he does it.
When Kathy met Dolly Parton and received her Chasing Rainbows award, Dolly also honored Nacho for his service with a rhinestone collar.
Dolly Parton gives Nacho his rhinestone collar starting around 7:00. (I know I've shared this several times before but I also happen to be a Dolly Parton fan, too!)
Nacho is the best of the best when it comes to guide dogs, and it will always be a pleasure to spend time with him like I did yesterday. But for the first time ever, I felt the passing of time for him and that made me a bit teary. (For more on Nacho, just do a search - I've written about him many times.)
Speaking of dogs, Nashie and Molly are spending today with us. That always livens the house up for us! I never get as much done as I normally do (and Pepper never gets as much sleep, haha!) but it's going to be a good day.
Even when things don't seem to be going well, I believe that you can always find a bright spot or two in life. I've done a little looking at my own challenges and was able to find some bright spots among mine. Here they are:
Bright Spot 1 - Craig
Craig is feeling better and was able to eat a bit yesterday. He is no longer dizzy and can stand and walk around without pausing to catch his equilibrium. He even took Pepper for a walk around the block last night!
Bright Spot 2 - Tsao's Kindness
Because Craig was so much improved, I felt comfortable keeping an appointment I had with my friend, Tsao, for a pedicure. She and I have been friends since 2006 when I first walked into her nail salon. Tsao had spent the last month visiting family in Vietnam and had brought me back a gift, a red swan pin. Of course, I put it on and we had to take a selfie together. (Bright Spot 2A. LOL)
When she finished my toes, she went back into the storeroom for a moment, then came out and held up a small bottle, asking if she could massage that knot on my shin. She wanted to see if she could get the swelling down. (Bright Spot 2B.) Tsao was gentle, but it hurt, and so she stopped. (I have an appointment later this morning to have that lump checked.)
Bright Spot 3 - a New Iron!
My new iron arrived and I was able to get back to the sewing table.
I was very pleased with how the new iron worked and in being able to finish this order for a customer.
Bright Spot 4 - Heath's Availability
As of this morning, Heath is still available. The Othello mold is one of Breyer's most popular, and the fact that he is not yet sold out means that Breyer has increased production numbers so that more people can add him to their collections. I love that.
Bright Spot 5 - Brighty!
Aside from the 2021 Vintage Collectors Club Nugget, I have never had a Brighty in my collection. That changed when I went antiquing last week. Not only did I find the HR cat, Quan Yen, and some Nancy Drew books for Lisa, but I found my first Brighty.
He sat there on the shelf like he was saying, "You're not going to leave me behind, are you?" (Those ears! Those eyes!)
He wasn't chalky; he was just a plain old regular little Brighty.
And I kinda fell in love with him. For the first time ever, I could see why collectors love him so.
Besides, he reminded me a bit of the donkey I took care of from 7th grade until I graduated from high school.
Jose was a stinker, but he was a cute stinker, especially when he cantered around braying.
Bright Spot 6 - Finishing the Give Away
The Give Away will end tonight (Thursday, February 8) at 11:59 PM Eastern.
You can enter by posting a comment on each blog post since (and including) Friday, February 2 when the Give Away was first announced. You can comment on just one blog post or on them all, the choice is yours.
I will draw tomorrow or Saturday and post the results that day.
Some of these bright spots may seem odd to you, but they truly were things that lifted my spirits or made me smile. If you are down or blue, I hope you can find some of your own "Brighty" spots, too.
I'm back. I'm tired and feel out of touch. But I'm here.
A short run down of what's been happening:
Saturday I was present when my sister, Leslie, won a major award for her service to our community.
The Ball-Sholty Award is given for meaningful service to the historical preservation of our community.
Even more meaningful, to her and to me, was that our mother, Fern Martin, received this award in 2012.
Things went downhill after that.
Late Saturday night I suddenly became very ill with a bug that kept me up all night and through Sunday. It's Wednesday and I am still nauseated and weak, but I am better.
Our internet went down Monday just after I'd posted here that I was ill. Craig can usually figure tech things out, but this was bigger than his knowledge and so we had to schedule an appointment for service to come out and get us back online. Their earliest appointment? Wednesday afternoon. (Thank you to Nancy Kelly for posting a note in the comments as to why I was not writing!)
But wait! There's more! (As the old commercial used to cry.)
Our hot water heater (just purchased in November) suddenly stopped producing hot water. You don't realize how much you use it until you don't have it - no dishwasher, no showers, no laundry. We settled in for a wait on a repair to that, too.
Feeling a little better, on Tuesday I finished the work on a men's 18th century shirt I was making for Kalamazoo. This fabric is so cool - can you see its motif of elephants?
It was while I was doing a final ironing of the shirt that my iron gave up the ghost. The heat control dial has a plastic piece that allows you to turn the dial to adjust the iron's temperature. That piece, heavily used for years, broke and could not be repaired.
I use my iron near-daily. It gets lots of use and as such, is made for that. Which means, I can't just run to Target and get another iron. Stores like Target, Walmart, and JoAnn's don't carry this kind of iron. So, I had to order a new one. Which meant another wait.
Our run of "what could happen next?" still wasn't over. Craig came down with the same thing I'd had. Like it did with me, it came on suddenly and it came on hard. He is not one to get sick and the rare times he does, bounces back quickly. This illness knocked him flat. I think it is the sickest I have ever seen him. He's a little more alert this morning but he is very weak and still not able to eat. I'm keeping a close eye on him.
While the scrapes are healing and the bruising is fading, there is a hard lump on my shin that hurts constantly. I am going to call my doctor and run this past her as I am wondering if I have a bone bruise or even a crack in the bone.
I did that once before - I fell (imagine that!), but waited a month to see a doctor. It turned out that I'd cracked the bone and had to be in a walking cast for six weeks. It has crossed my mind that it's possible I may have done that again.
January was a tough month for us, and looks like February may be more of the same. We're both a bit down, but we're not out. At least, not yet. (And we do have hot water and the internet!)
More tomorrow on the Give Away and other horsey things.
I have been quite sick (not Covid, hooray!) and have been since Saturday night. Hope to be back tomorrow. Will sort out the Give Away then. Thanks for the texts etc. to check on me. Much appreciated!
I'd gone antiquing to a store I rarely visit to look for HSOs. After all, I have lots of new space on my shelves, right? (So much for the talk about paring down the collection!)
I found a lot of things that tempted me.
and things for other people.
Like two shelves chock full of Nancy Drew books.
Teacher Daughter Lisa collects and reads Nancy Drew books.
I found six that were on her list and brought them home for her.
This book plate was inside the cover of several of the books that I brought home. It figures, right? But the books went home with Lisa and so I don't have to look at those unicorns again.
And then I spied a familiar gold and black sticker.
Tucked in with some other Siamese cats that were clearly not Hagen Renakers was a Designers Workshop Quan Yen.
I don't collect Hagen Renaker cats, but my friend Liz Cory does, so I snapped it up and bought it.
It was carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and I kept it separate from the books I'd bought when I put it in the car. I did not want it to break!
To say I was excited was an understatement. To find a Designers Workshop Hagen Renaker in the wild is always fun, and this piece was old and in perfect condition.
Or rather, it WAS in perfect condition.
I broke it after I got home. I set the Quan Yen on top of the other package as I was unpacking and it slid off. I heard that "clink" that all china collectors dread, and my heart sank. I knew I'd just broken a beautiful piece that had survived unscathed for decades.
Liz was super nice and understanding about it. She told me that these things happen (she's right) and she'd still like to have the piece. I've already got it packed in the L bag and we will work it out at the March GLC show.
I'm still feeling a little sad this morning. Such a beautiful piece! I hope that Liz can either repair it herself or find someone who can fix it and get it back to its former beauty.
I did bring something else home that is going on one of the newly cleared shelves. It makes me smile, and I think you will see why when you see it.
Stay 'tooned!
Don't forget the Give Away! Entires are accepted until 11:59 PM Eastern Time Sunday, February 4.
Enter by making a blog comment or emailing me at horsiemama8@gmail.com. One comment per day only, please.
Yesterday morning started out frosty cold. The moon was up and it was still dark when I got up and took Pepper out to do her business. Deciding to take a photo of that pretty moon, I snapped a few shots. It wasn't until later in the day that I noticed that I had snapped at just the right moment.
I caught a shooting star!
And the day just kept getting better. The sun came out for several hours and things began warming up outside.
Pepper and I play frisbee daily in the park (unless it's dangerously cold) and the ice on the lake was thinning and breaking up. We could see open water! I ended up sitting on a park bench while Pepper lay in the grass, both of us enjoying the warmer weather.
Abby was enjoying the sunshine, too. (Fortunately, not the mud spa. Yet.)
The obligatory lick of the bars.
Temps in the 50s means the snow has melted away and the areas that the horses frequent most are a muddy mess. (Two Socks and Sultanna were not hesitant about indulging in that mud spa.)
After several weeks of grey and bleak winter days, having some sunshine was a real plus, lifting the spirits of both animals and people. It was a taste of Spring, and I am so ready for it!
It's Give Away Time!
My plan for 2024 is to offer a Give Away every month. It may be at the first of the month, it may be later, but there will be 12 giveaways this year. Same rules as always - you can enter once a day by commenting on that day's post or by emailing me at horsiemama8@gmail.com. A drawing will be held the next day or so after entries close.
February's Give Away is a book, Everygirls Horse Stories.
Published in 1956, it contains short stories by popular authors of the time.
The book jacket has a little damage at the base
and it is part of a series titled Everygirls that was published by Grossett & Dunlap.
It's not a book from my childhood; I found it at an antique shop. But I've read the book and enjoyed it.
Entries begin right now and will end Sunday, February 4 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. NOTE: If you don't want to sign your name to your blog comment, please put your initials. Sometimes I have had a hard time figuring out who made which comments. Thanks!
It's February 1, and most hobbyists know what that means - NaMoPaiMo begins today!
I seriously considered entering NaMoPaiMo this year, especially when I unboxed my paints and brushes when I cleaned out the closet.
I have several blank models and all the tools that I would need, but I was too busy with cleaning and sorting my collection and the horse closet to prep anything. Maybe next year.
In the meantime, best wishes to all who will begin painting their models today! Have fun and enjoy the process. To echo my former student Can Do Gracie, you can do this!
While I may not be participating in NaMoPaiMo, I have plenty to do here at home.
My sales models have been packed away for the March Great Lakes Congress show - finally. That clears some space in the horse room, space that is rapidly beginning to fill with things for my other hobby, living history.
Kalamazoo isn't until mid March, but the Conner Longrifles is in two and a half weeks.
I'd forgotten about it - I'm not going, even though it is less than an hour's drive from my home. But Leslie and Rick are. They are setting up their 18th century business, Chien Noir, and Leslie called and asked if I'd like to send some things down to sell with them.
A quick check of my records show that my men's shirts sold very well last year. That's good. But the downside is that sales like that would take a big bite out of what I've already made for Kalamazoo, which is just a month later. It would be a challenge to sew enough shirts to restock for that.
So... I'm heading back into the sewing room this morning. I've got a really neat elephant block print fabric that I've been saving. (Elephants are period correct for the 18th century and are a very popular motif among living history folks.) I'm going to try to get a couple more shirts done, either for Conner Longrifles or for Kalamazoo.
After those are done, hopefully I can cut some haversacks out of the new fabrics that I just got and stitch them up!
Finally, thanks for all the well wishes that so many of you sent after I wrote about my fall. Compared to Craig's, my fall was very minor. He was badly injured and is still healing several weeks later. (A big lump over one eye and a tender knot on the bridge of his nose remain.)
I'm bruised and scraped, with my own big, tender knot on my shin, but it wasn't a serious and concerning injury like his. (No head injury protocol for me!)
An announcement is coming tomorrow! I think you will be happy with it.
