Paige, Pepper's Sister

Note: The woman named Kathy in this blog post is not the same Kathy who had Nacho and now Tate as her guides.

Sara, the woman Pepper guided, called and shared some sad news with me yesterday. Paige, Pepper's sister, had passed away.

Paige at The Seeing Eye in Morristown, New Jersey in 2018.

Pepper and Sara at the Morristown training center.

Kathy and Paige were in the same training class as Sara and Pepper. (They call this "the sissie picture.")

Pepper guided Sara for a year - taking her around campus for her university classes, to church on Wednesdays and Sundays where Sara was an associate pastor, and to other places she needed to go. 

And then suddenly Pepper became seriously ill with a mystery disease and nearly died. Fortunately Sara quickly got her to a vet and then on to a specialist where it was discovered that Pepper had Addison's Disease and that the stress from guiding Sara had triggered an Addison's crisis in her. It took a while, but a balance of medications and rest from her duties stabilized her and Pepper was released from the hospital.

Sadly, she also had to be released from guiding Sara as the stress from continuing to guide would literally kill her. Craig and I were chosen to be her retirement home and we continue to manage her disease with daily pills and monthly injections. We also have to be careful to not put her in situations that might stress her and trigger another Addison's crisis.

Retirement is enjoyable for her - Craig and I are pretty quiet people and her life reflects that.

Craig fixes her a scrambled egg every morning, I fix her a peanut butter treat in the afternoon, we play frisbee in the park daily, and Craig walks her in the evening. 

Pepper is stable in her disease management and she is a happy girl.

Sadly, Paige's story is different. She was still in harness working as Kathy's guide and suddenly became very ill. Kathy and Sara talked and Sara shared with her about Pepper's Addison's Disease and how Paige's symptoms were the same. I do not know how things unfolded after that, and neither does Sara. 

But, Paige did not make it. She passed away. 

That's two puppies from the same litter who have had significant health challenges and I can't help but wonder how the other siblings are faring.

Pepper's ear tattoo indicates that she was the fifth-born puppy of the litter so there are at least three more siblings somewhere. (The first number is her mother.) Do any of them have Addisons? Or will it raise its ugly head suddenly and take their lives like it did with Paige and almost did with Pepper?

A recent ultrasound on Pepper discovered that she has no adrenal glands, a genetic defect. And that is why she has Addisons's (although not all dogs with the disease are missing those glands; their adrenal glands just don't produce enough cortisol and aldosterone.) Was that genetic flaw the case with Paige and the ultimate cause of her early death? Are Paige and Pepper's living siblings at risk for a similar experience?

It's awful to lose a dog you love, but when that dog is also your guide, one who looks out for you and keeps you safe, it is even harder - there is bond between a guide dog and their partner that is almost like a marriage when it comes to knowing one another, working together, and caring for each other. I've witnessed that bond in action among my blind friends, and it is powerful.

Rest in peace, sweet Paige. I cried many tears for you yesterday. If you were anything like your "sissie," then you were a wonderful girl and no doubt you will be missed.

Thank you for giving your life to guide Kathy and enrich and empower hers. I honor you for your selfless service.

Godspeed.

Making Maple Cakes

The Kalamazoo Living History Show is coming up in just a few weeks. Sewing-wise I am in good shape and anything I make between now and then are extras that are nice to have but are non essentials. 

Last year for the first time ever I sold maple cakes, an 18th century delight. (A 21st century delight, too. Trust me on that.) I have 35 dozen on order from a friend who makes them, but I wondered if I might be able to figure out how to make them, too.

It was surprisingly easy.

Maple cakes have one ingredient - pure maple syrup. 

You pour two cups of pure maple syrup into a heavy pot and bring it to 235 degrees, stirring occasionally.

I tested and then used two candy thermometers - the temperature of the syrup is very important. Get it wrong and you ruin the batch. I wanted a back up candy thermometer to make sure that didn't happen - that half gallon jug of maple syrup cost $34.

I also used an old, heavy, and rather ugly cooking pot. But, it's Club Aluminum and cooks things very evenly. I often prefer to use it over my shiny, modern cookware.

I also had my silicon molds ready to go. When the maple syrup was ready to mold, I would have to move fast because it would harden quickly.

The syrup came to a roiling boil and climbed the sides of my pot. I was a little concerned that I should've used a bigger pot - I did not want it to boil over and onto the stove. What a mess that would be to clean up!

By stirring more frequently I was able to prevent the boil over and soon the syrup was ready to cool. It needed to sit until it cooled to 175 degrees, and then I had to beat it with a wooden spoon for five minutes. That was the tricky part - beat it a shade too long, and it would harden before you could get it into the molds.

Which is what happened. I felt the syrup suddenly stiffen and I frantically began pouring it into the molds. Just by looking, you can see how quickly it hardened and that it became very difficult to pour. I ended up scraping it out of the pot in bits and pieces at the end. 

Maple cakes should be flat disks about a half inch thick. These are not flat and they are most definitely thicker than that! But, they tasted just as they should and were the right consistency (translate that as, not going to break anybody's teeth.) 

I've got enough maple syrup to make three more practice batches. At this point, I don't plan to make them to sell; by making this batch and seeing the yield as well as the time it took, I would barely break even if I did start selling my own. But, in a pinch and with a little more practice, I could make them if need be.

Now I need to make some more blackened beeswax ornaments. Like the maple cakes, they too have proven to be big sellers. (Photo by Brooke Sauter)

That may be today's project or I may wait until next week. I'm in the middle of making another wool cloak (hunter green this time) and some 18th century pocket hoops.

Me with Teacher Daughter Lisa's class demonstrating pocket hoops and explaining why women wore them. (I have them on, too.)

Finally, and just for fun, here is a picture I took yesterday morning around 4:00 AM.

Isn't that moon pretty? One of the perks of being an early morning riser!

Kathy's "Beginners" & Her Blue Horse

Like so many of us, Kathy Bateman's collection began with a gift. For her, this gift was from a very special lady. She writes,

And here are the horses that started my collection. Sent to me by my

great grandmother when I was about 6 years old. 

The one with the rider has JAPAN inscribed in the grass on the back side, the others have no makers mark.

She and I agree that the red one looks like it might be from the Art Deco period. As I looked at it as I write, it occurred to me that it might be a bakelite piece. The time periods for both overlap, so maybe?

(If anyone has information on these pieces, please post it in the comments or email it to me at horsiemama8@gmail.com. I'll see that Kat gets it. Thanks.)

Then there is her beautiful blue horse. The first decorator I ever saw in-hand, he was a beautifully shaded wedgewood with pinking and hoof pads.

Another piece Kat received in childhood, here is his story from her.

I had a good friend in the house behind us across the alley, Ricky. He was a year younger than me. I was a tomboy and we would play with cars or army men or whatever in the rock driveway, smoothing out roads and such. 

Well, one day we were playing cowboys or wild horses or something and he came out with the most beautiful model horse that I had ever seen ! A shiny, realistic palomino stallion rearing up on his hind legs. That deep color with gorgeous shading. I was beyond smitten. 

When we were done playing I went home and told my mother all about this wonderful horse and how much I *really, Really, REALLY* needed to have one ! (As an aside, I don't know if Ricky's sister ever knew that her horse was out "in the field" but it never made another appearance outside). 

Christmas morning I open a present and there is the Fighting Stallion ! But, but he's blue. Whoever heard of a blue horse  and he has these stupid foam pads on his hooves. Even at that age I knew to be gracious but I was sooooo disappointed. So he just stayed on the shelf and never got to come out and play. 

Then I met Lynn and Blue Thunder finally got to strut his stuff at shows and was featured one year in JAH as a winner in a photo show. He is no longer a part of my herd but I keep an old, dark honey glossy FS as a reminder.

And in all fairness, I know that my mother talked to Ricky's mother about the horse and can only imagine that when she went to buy it, all they had was the blue and she just hoped that it would be good enough.

How many of us who were collecting during Breyer's early years received a horse as a gift and had a similar reaction to Kathy's? I did - when my dad got me a woodgrain Running Foal after I got my braces on, I, too, "knew to be gracious," but I did wonder at that coloring!

There is still a little more to Blue Thunder's story and that is that I offered to buy him. I was throwing newspapers to earn money for our big family, and I could not offer a lot, but I offered Kat what was a huge sum of money to me, $75.

Almost immediately, I felt badly about that offer. While it was a lot of money to me at the time, I knew that there were hobbyists who could pay Kathy much more for Blue Thunder. She was still very new to the formal hobby and I was being unfair in not telling her that. 

So, I did tell her that he was worth far more than I had offered for him and he remained in her collection for some time after that. He came to shows with us and did well both in live and photo shows. It was always fun to see her unpack him, set him on the table, and see how people reacted to that beautiful, blue boy.

I learned a big lesson from that experience, one that still guides my actions today - a friend is far more important than a model horse.

Kat, thanks for letting me share about our friendship and your beautiful collection. Most of all, thanks for the gift of a life long friendship. How grateful I am that my old newspaper route brought us together. Who'd a'thought, right??

Andrea Gurdon, Breyer History Diva

Andrea Gurdon, also known as the Breyer History Diva, passed away after a brief fight with cancer on Saturday, February 17, 2024. Her family posted a note on her blog that she went peacefully in her sleep and that she had family with her when she went.

A fellow blogger, Andrea's Breyer History Diva blog was popular with collectors and over time she published 1,820 blog posts that were not only chock full of hobby history, but were often sprinkled with her sense of humor and wit, too.

Andrea (far left), Shannon Call, Kelsey Kramer, and Steff Bodamer at dinner after Indy Blooms in April, 2022.

Last November she began mentioning that she was not feeling well. She was struggling with insomnia and back pain, and nothing seemed to help despite consulting with medical professionals. On December 16 she wrote that she was "sick of being sick" and added gastrointestinal issues  to her list of things that made her feel unwell.

In January she wrote of having debilitating pain and being unable to eat, and then inserted that dry wit that she had and noted that her jeans were fitting again.

Andrea shared in her next post that she had been admitted to the hospital for testing. She was able to go home briefly after that, but she soon returned to the hospital, writing one last blog post before she did.

It was in her second to the last blog post titled Back Again that Andrea mentioned that she would be celebrating her 50th anniversary of collecting this year and that she had been looking forward to celebrating "with yellow cake with gold frosting and maybe a Traditional Man O' War on top."

Andrea, Kelsey, Me, Steff, Jamie, and Liz Cory.

I am going to bake that yellow cake, figure out how to make gold frosting, and then top it with my carpet herd Man O' War sometime during BreyerFest week this July. As I eat a slice (or two) I'll remember her contributions to preserving our hobby history and read snippets from her blog entries.

Rest in peace, Andrea. And thank you for all you did for our hobby. You will be missed.

Kathy's Collection

Today we are going to take a peek at Kathy's collection, but first, a clarification. I goofed in what I wrote about when I first realized that she was a collector. She writes,

Actually, Lynn saw a black china horse on my piano and commented that she had the same one. I said I have some more upstairs, would you like to see them ? Not knowing about "the hobby" I had no idea why she got so excited over my blue horse. (That horse has its own backstory). Anyway, it was the start of a life long friendship and I count myself fortunate that we were brought together 💕

So do I, Kat, so do I. (And she is going to share the back story about the blue horse tomorrow.)

Now, a little background about her current collection. When Kathy and her husband moved to Tennessee, my understanding was that she had sold her collection, maybe keeping a sentimental piece or two. And that made me sad because I knew how much she loved them. Having said that, I also understood the need to pare things down - I'm doing it myself at the moment.

It turns out that that was a misperception on my part.

Fast forward to a week or so ago and Kat mentioned that she kept her Breyer ornaments out on display year round. I asked if I could see a picture of them them 

and discovered that that horsey Christmas tree

was only a part of the horses she had on display.

I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped when I saw this picture! Do you see what I see? (Kat, that is a gorgeous display unit!)

The Clock Saddlebred from Breyer's 50th anniversary!! 

The 50th Anniversary Carousel Horse! 

Early porcelains!

Animal Artistry, Hagen Renakers, 

Beswicks, Japans, and others whose names escape me. (The lying Clydesdale mare and foal are old favorites of mine - they're resin if I remember right, but the company's name escapes me. (Corlette?)

North Lights! Metals! Misty! Stablemates!

I was so happy to discover that Kat had kept more than just one or two pieces from her collection - she had kept a lot!

Tomorrow we will take a look at the models that started it all and then hear the story of her marvelous "blue horse."

Stay 'tooned!

A Hobby Bestie - Kathy Bateman

I've written before that in our "lean years" (when we had six kids at home and I was a stay at home mama), I did paper routes to earn extra money for our family. Craig and I shared an early morning vending box route and then I had an afternoon neighborhood route that I did by bicycle. 

One of the places I delivered to was an apartment complex of townhomes, and the manager subscribed to the paper. I had stopped by her home one afternoon and as we were chatting on her porch, I spied a shelf FULL of model horses just inside her door. Of course, I asked her about them and she invited me in to see her collection.

My jaw dropped when I saw what she had. And as you might imagine, thus began a lifelong friendship with my hobby bestie, Kathy Bateman.

Kat wasn't aware of the formal hobby but I introduced her to it and soon she was doing some amazing things.

A talented tack maker, she created this piece for Kay Biberstein in the early 1990s. (Photo by Kay.)

We began attending live shows together  - she'd stop by my home at 5 in the morning, we'd put my tubs into her truck next to hers, and off we'd go for a day of fun, talking all the way to Indy and back. We had so much fun!

Kathy quickly began having a lot of success and we soon we were on our way together to the very first NAN.

The inaugural NAN was quite different from what it is now - it was smaller but the competition was still fierce.

Kat's live show success continued on at NAN. (Sorry for the picture quality - these pictures are in an album and getting fragile, so I photographed them without taking them out.)

We met up there with another long time hobby friend of mine, Beth Dickinson. (Beth and I met in the early 1970s when we were teenage pen pals), 

 

and we spent time together at NAN and then at BreyerFest.

Kat and I went to several BreyerFests together. (Stephanie Clift, Kat, and Beth.)

She and I even put on three live shows - Lincoln Land I, Lincoln Land II, and Lincoln Land III in Champaign and Urbana, Illinois. Those days were so much fun and Kat became one of my dearest friends. 

Fast forward to today - Kat is retired and she and her husband live in Tennessee and summer at the "wee house" in the North Carolina mountains. I moved back to Indiana and my days of hopping on my bike and heading to Kat's home are long gone. But we have stayed in touch through email and social media despite the passage of nearly thirty years.

Tomorrow we will take a look at what's currently in Kat's model horse collection. (You might want to have a napkin handy; it's drool worthy!)

Stay 'tooned!

 

The Conner Longrifle Event

When you walk into a living history event and see a saddle in the first booth you walk by, that portends a good day, right?

And look at all that block print fabric! And the trade beads! But that saddle, those trade beads, and especially the fabrics were already very familiar to me.

Believe it or not, we'd happened to come in through the door right by Leslie and Rick's business, Chien Noir.

Unlike The Feast of the Hunters' Moon, this event spanned the 17th through 19th centuries, so Leslie was able to bring out her Civil War riding habit.

Craig and Rick chatting, with a display of trade beads and a rack of my clothing hanging beside it.

Unfortunately, the weather had cut down on the number of vendors who'd been able to come as well as the number of people in attendance.

This display of fischus (scarves) caught my attention. They are made from block print remnants, something that I have every time I finish a garment.

I fold those remnants up and tie them with string, pin a note with their measurements under the string, and then take them to The Feast and Kalamazoo to sell.

I sell out of remnants every time but only once have I gotten to see what someone made from them.  

The woman in the middle always comes to see me at both The Feast and Kalamazoo and buys lots of my remnants. The fischu around her neck is made from a remnant of mine. 

I walked around looking for women's clothing. I really wanted to see what other  people were sewing, and what they were charging for what they'd made. But I found very little - this event was a historical event but it targeted a woodsman/musket and long rifle bearing audience more than the general population of the time.

I did run into friends, include one of my favorites, Carol Jarboe.

She portrays Maggie, an indentured servant, and she is good at what she does - she stays in character the entire time.  She is also a retired teacher like me and has horses. We are kindred spirits!

Craig and I wandered around for a couple of hours, chatting with friends, then went back to Chien Noir to say goodbye to Leslie and Rick.

Leslie told me that someone was looking for me. When he had seen her display of my voyageur shirts, he asked about who'd made them. He runs an event in Ligonier, Indiana and wanted me to bring my clothes there.

In the re-enacting world, that is a huge compliment on the quality of your wares. But, his date conflicts with Midwest Mini Mayhem, a live show being put on by Kerri Johnson, Shannon Rodgers, and Kerry Walsh, and I've already entered their show. So, maybe next year I will take him up on that invitation.

On that happy note, we headed back home. I'm glad I was able to go, but I don't think I will go again as the event's focus is different from mine.

Tomorrow, I will tell you about one of my hobby besties and the unusual way she and I met.

Stay 'tooned!