An Unexpected Distraction

Our church held a conference this weekend and there was a special Saturday evening service that I attended with Craig last night. Tim and Loni were there, too and when we chatted with them, I had an interesting conversation with Tim.

Tim: Been out to the barn recently?

Me: No, I just can't. Well, actually, I have gone, but I just can't bring myself to drive down the lane right now.

Tim: You need to go to the barn. (Big smile.) There's something you need to see.

Me: What? Why? Is Sultanna back?

Tim: No, not yet. But it does has four legs. (Even bigger smile.)

Me: Did you get a new horse??

Tim: I sure did. Hokey needed a friend.

Me: Really?? Wow! What is it? 

Tim: It's a three year old gelding.

Me: So, what's its name?

Tim: Well, that's a long story and one I want to tell you in person when you see it.

Someone else stepped up to talk to Tim at that moment and pulled him away, so Craig and I sat down in a pew, my mind spinning with the news. A new horse! I could not wait to see it.

The meeting started and I was SOOOO distracted.

My mind: Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse,  listen to the service, Lynn! Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, concentrate on what's being said, girlie! Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse. (Turning and whispering to Tim and Loni who were sitting behind us, "I am so distracted now and it's all your fault! Stifled laughs from them.) Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse...

That distraction went on the entire meeting. All I could think of was the new horse at the barn. 

I'd planned to run out to the barn after the service, church clothes notwithstanding, and something that we've done before.

Craig helping me check Snickerdoodle (Sultanna's brother) and Sultanna after church a few years ago when Tim was out of town. (Snickerdoodle was a bit of an escape artist and needed more frequent checking.)

But, on my way to my car, a very dear friend intercepted me and asked if I had a minute. She is moving next week and wanted to give me my birthday present before she left. By the time we finished, it was too late in the evening to head to the barn.

(Her gift was a very special gift, one I will share here soon.)

Today's plan is to squeeze in time to go see Tim's new horse, hopefully with Tim there, so I can learn his name and the story behind it.

I think I may finally make it down the lane to the barn today.

Stay tooned! 

No Horses?

Second Post of the Day

Are you wondering why, despite the blog's title, there isn't much about real horses currently being written here?

Well, it's because I am still struggling to go to the barn. It no longer feels the same - one of my happiest places on earth now feels empty and sad. No one nickers and comes running to see me, no one is there who likes to tag along and follow me. Abby had a very big personality and presence, and without her, the place is so still and quiet. All I feel is Abby's loss when I am there.

While I am so thankful she and Two Socks have been buried on the property and that I can visit her grave, it's a long walk across uneven ground to get to it. That walk has become a physical struggle for me.

Even worse, I have to walk past the tree where she died and see that splintered, broken, and burned wood. It brings back the terrible shock of finding her and knowing that she was gone.

I'm sorry but I just can't do it right now and my blog is reflecting that. 

I miss my sweet girl so much.

Friday Night Lights Begin

First Post of the Day

What a way to begin our Friday Night Lights season - my alma mater playing Craig's!

We are ready for some high school football!

As always, we found seats at the 50 yard line. It was a bit of a challenge because both teams were local and so a lot of fans were present, but we found an open space near the top of the bleachers and settled in.

School has just begun so the West Lafayette marching band did not take the field for a show; instead, they played on the track in front of the bleachers.

I really enjoy watching high school and college bands play. I played the flute in high school but I rarely marched with the band - I was a baton twirler and performed that way. (Bet you did not know that about me!) Believe it or not, I can still twirl most of the routine to Harrison's school song.

The game progressed and Harrison was in the lead the entire time. I am happy to say that there was not one single foul called against either team - both sides played fairly the entire game. Way to go, guys!

I have two former students on Harrison's team but only one took the field last night.

Quinn, #7, was a starter for the offense and made some good plays for Harrison.

Here is Quinn (far right) as a 4th grader in my class. He and the two other boys are reading to one of our Reading Buddies, the boy in the Purdue tee.  

In the end, Harrison won by 8 points. I was glad my high school team won, I was glad that football had begun, and I was glad to be sitting outside on a beautiful summer evening with people I love.

It may be late August, but it feels as though Fall has begun. And that makes me happy.

All it Took...

All it took was a little fortitude, and...

... look who I got - Fortitude!

I set two alarms on my phone yesterday to remind me of Breyer's Second Chance Sale, and I ordered this year's crystal as soon as the site opened. I didn't even look at anything else; I was determined to get one before they sold out.

That done and a confirmation notice sent to me by Breyer, I went back and looked at what else was in the sale.

The Quagga?? I'd forgotten about it! I immediately put it in my cart and bought it, too.

So, I am paying two different shipping costs but I'm okay about that - I got the two other pieces I'd really wanted from this year's BreyerFest but had not gotten before they sold out. 

I checked the sale when I got up this morning and several things that were sold out yesterday are back in stock. That's a bit of a surprise, but good news for those who still want them and don't have them. (I am eyeing a second Indian Pony.)

I haven't seen the models Liz got me at BreyerFest yet. She gave them to Barn Buddy Kelsey at Marilou's show last weekend and Kelsey and I need to make plans to get together. I'm waiting for a good time for her - she works full time and doesn't have the flexibility I do. Besides, I truly do not mind waiting. She and Liz both did me a huge favor by getting them for me.

On another note, Friday Night Lights begins tonight for Craig, Lisa and me. The season opener just happens to be my high school (Harrison) versus Craig's (West Lafayette)! Lisa and I both have former students on Harrison's team, so our loyalties are mixed tonight. 

But then, that means she and I will be happy with the win regardless! Craig? Maybe not so much, haha!

It's the Size of the Heart, Not the Body

Special Note: Don't miss the Breyer Second Chance sale today at 1:00 Eastern Time! It's for those who had VIP, All-Access, and Online tickets to this year's BreyerFest.

Ticket holders can purchase up to two Special Runs along with special, BreyerFest only, tee shirts, a mug, and other things.

I am looking for the crystal, Fortitude, so you can bet I have got my alarm set.

----

There are three Guide Dogs, all Labrador Retrievers, in this photo (and one something-doodle. Look closely.) All three who are trained to do the same thing, all who performed well and made differences in their partners' lives. And all very different size-wise. 

Pepper is quite petite for a Lab and is on the couch next to Marianne. Nacho is the yellow Lab on the bottom right. He is retired and lives with Marianne and Bill, Kathy's parents. Nacho is a medium sized Lab.

By Marianne's feet is Tate, Kathy's current Guide. And he is absolutely enormous.

Just look at that massive head!

Pepper and Tate nose to nose.

Kathy and Tate when they were first paired together.

Kathy and Nacho when he was her guide. He is brilliant and to watch him in action was, at times, jaw dropping. There were times Kathy had no idea what challenge he had guided her around or through until someone who had seen it happen told her.

Kathy, Nacho, and I being interviewed by Korean radio station eBUSAN-FM. Culturally, blind people and others with disabilities are not considered as someone who can contribute much to Korean society. 

Interested in exploring that and maybe even changing that perception, the radio station was doing a series investigating how other cultures treated their disabled. They had flown two reporters to the USA to interview Kathy about being a teacher who was blind. I was invited to offer my perspective as her colleague.

Nacho, of course, did his usual exceptional job of getting Kathy there for the interview. He made a striking impression on the interviewers as to what a Guide could and would do in facilitating a blind person's abilities and empowering them for the work force.

Originally this blog post was going to be a humorous look at the size difference between the three dogs. But as I wrote, I was struck again at how much these three dogs, regardless of their physical size, have contributed - both to the person they were partnered with and to those that their partner impacted in turn.

In Kathy's case, it was hundreds of high school students early in her career, and then later it has been as she oversees, instructs, and mentors 75 - 100 new teachers annually. Both Nacho and Tate facilitated that along with Elias and several other Guides before them.

Kathy and Elias at the White House after meeting with President Obama (and Bo, who shared his water bowl with Elias.)

For Pepper, she enabled Sarah to get her doctorate in divinity and become a minister, then guided her as she ministered to her congregation at her church. 

Pepper meeting Sarah's mother, Cindy for the first time. 

More than once Pepper has gotten all "guide-doggy" with me. "The smoke alarm is ringing; get out of the house!" "There is a car coming and you are too slow to beat it across the street so I am going to stand in front of you so you can't move forward. There, it's passed by us. You may cross the street, Lynn."

Clearly, the size of the Guide doesn't matter - it's the heart they have and how much they love and want to protect their partner from harm.

Guide dogs' hearts are huge. They make a difference in many, many ways. How lucky our society is to have them out and about, making life better. And not just for their partner, but for us all.

As Kathy once said, "Two (feet) + Four (paws) = 1 (heart.)

How right she was.

August Give Away Winner

It's time to spin to win! There will be two winners with the first winner getting to choose which set of beadwork she wants and the second winner receiving the other set.

I have the mailing addresses of both winners already, so no need to contact me with your addresses. (Although the first winner will need to let me know which set she selects.)

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all who entered.

Just Some Doin's

Not much horsey-wise is going on right now. At least for me. Yesterday Breyer made a big announcement for those who are waiting on Blue Zeus. Enjoy your $20 gift card and that enameled pin!

I was supposed to be at Marilou Mol's show this past weekend but my car was still in the shop getting that parking brake alarm fixed. (Finally.) Even if my car were not in the shop, I would not have gone. Usually I am fine walking around inside my home, but I've been needing my walker, even indoors recently. I'm not sure that I could haul my tubs into the show hall and then get models on and off the show table while using a walker. 

Liz brought my BreyerFest models to the show and gave them to Barn Buddy Kelsey to bring to me. I can't wait to see if I got a glow in the dark Athenian Lady (fingers crossed on that!) or what variation of Can't Hold Us Down (Indian Pony) - the brown or the white brindle. I also got the candy striped Better than Revenge.  I will text Kelsey later today and make arrangements to pick them up. I'm super excited to see them!

Double bonus for me! I ran into Ben, a former student of mine, shortly after Abby's passing. Then, this week I had lunch with Sophie, another former student who also happens to be Ben's sister.

Sophie and me.

And one of Ben and me, just for fun.

As I wrote in the blog entry about Ben, seeing former students and getting an opportunity to catch up with them is a big deal to me. I loved teaching, and I loved my students. Sometimes I miss being in the classroom so, so much. (And then other times I go, "Yeehah! Retirement!!")

Sophie graduated from Emory University this spring and is moving to South Africa. She is passionate about helping people and is going there, newly minted Public Health degree in hand, to see what she can do to help others. As I sat and listened to her plans, her hopes, and her dreams of making our world better, my heart swelled. She was a very caring girl way back in 4th and 5th grade; I can easily see her impacting others for good and making a difference in their lives as an adult. Talk about a proud teacher moment.

At home, I continue to focus on sewing 18th century clothing right now.

I just finished two men's voyageur shirts

including one with the elephant fabric. I was able to cut it out so that the band of elephants not only borders the bottom of the shirt, it's on the sleeves, too. 

Finally, some cute doggo shots. This is Pepper with the all time favorite toy in the basket, a squeaky three foot snake. This toy is so popular with the dogs, we have six of them - two longs like this one (the other is orange), two mediums, and two short ones.

Pepper has won a tussle with Tammo and is preventing him from getting the snake back by curling it up and then lying on it. (Right paw placed firmly over it for even better theft prevention.) Smart doggo! And yes, there are still five available for Tammo to play with, but of course he wants the one Pepper has.

Although you really can't blame Pepper for being so protective. Remember this video?

Tammo is very cunning when he wants something! (That's the orange three foot snake next to him.)

Tammo keeping a vigil outside my sewing room. He plops himself there so he can monitor my movements ("Just headed to the bathroom, buddy. Don't get excited!") as well as keep an eye out for Craig if and when he comes out of his office. Those things could mean play time, could mean a trip outside and then a treat, it could mean a lot of good things if we come out of our rooms, so he is ever watchful. Smart doggo again!

Last day to enter the August give away! Leave a comment on any blog post from Sunday, August 18 through today by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. I'll spin to win tomorrow or Thursday.

Stay 'tooned!