WeDNESDAY, THANKSGIVING EVE

Wishing you all a wonderful and thankful Thanksgiving. We all have much to be thankful for even if things aren't just what we like. I am most thankful for the love of family both near and far away, for friends, for our church family, for our Horsey connections, and for every good and perfect gift from the Father in Heaven.

Tuesday

This was the beautiful sight for us tonight. I wasn't quite that dark and I didn't think about lightening it up until this minute. I am so thankful that God loves us enough to paint the skies to please us. They are farther to the south this time of the year but still so visible for us. I am thankful for sunsets. Sometimes I feel like they are just to cheer me up when I have had a down day.

When I went to put the barn horses out this morning all three of them greeted me with the sweetest whinnies. I told them good morning and they each got a kiss. It is amazing how different their whinnies are. I can tell who is who without seeing. Love those ponies.

Monday

This is our Raven. She was given to us by a lady who said she bucked but she doesn't buck. She is a little shy of things on the trail if she thinks she can get away with it. Bob has primarily been the one to ride her but anyone can. She is boss mare in the pasture and the other horses respect her. She is truly a great horse. She was adopted from the Ravendale HMA in northern California. We love her and if you go into the pasture with a halter in your hand she will try to get her head in in whether its her you want or not. The picture was taken last week before the snow fell.

Was walking to the barn this morning to put Pepper, Ditto and Amelia out and the squeak of my boots in the snow made me smile. Love that sound. No new snow but what we had is still here.

I went to the auction to look if they had any ponies or donkey's going thru but they didn't so I came home. Cattle was down and I was glad Bob wasn't there. We don't need any more over the winter. They sold a bunch of 2 day old dairy calves. I hate that. They don't survive the auction usually.

A good day, the sun shone and I am almost all ready for Thanksgiving.

A Snowy Sunday

Bob getting us ready to leave for church. This first real snow was pretty but it can quit now. Last winter we got, I think, 97". We didn't go much in our little car. The lower elevations got snow but by the time church was out it had pretty much turned to rain. Not here but that was OK.

I am having a sentimental day. On this day in 1963 President Kennedy was assassinated. Nikki was 5 months old.

6 years ago on Thanksgiving Day was the last time our whole family was together before Scott died the following February. Do you ever get over losing a child?

Next week would have been my special sister in law's birthday. She died about 25 years ago at 55 years old. I have missed her alot.

I remember Thanksgivings when I was a kid and the whole family came, we dressed up and it was a wonderful day. Now its hard to get everyone together. Even as a young family the Williams family ALL got together. Loved it.

Enough thinking back. I don't know why that is filling my thoughts today.

Saturday Smiles

The itty bitty barn kitties. Six in all.

Friday 11-20-09

Can hardly believe November is almost over. My goodness gracious. I have hardly started my Christmas shopping. I am making some things.

Today our son Steve came out with the deer he got the other day. A nice 4point. He cut it up today. Its a nice rack and I know he is proud of it. When Bob got a big one, I remember how excited he was. I took some pictures but I know some are offended by dead animal pictures so I won't post them.

I have been working on our Christmas letter today. Its not real long and I am including a bunch of pictures. Can't find a picture of Joel though. I need to put in another flash drive and see if I can find a small one.

Not much else going on around here. Bob trimmed Cody's feet today for Bonnie. He stood very well. She said he would be I am not sure he believed her. Tomorrow Wrangler is in line and I will be the one holding him. I must clean stalls too. I thought Katie was coming today but she stayed up half the night watching the vampire movie and had a math test early. She probably is recovering. None the less, the stalls are in dire need of cleaning.

Thinking Thursday - my reminiscing

Having raised five children - Steve, Scott, Nikki, Christyn, and Tom - been an office manager and a lot of stress in my life plus approaching an age that I felt was life as I knew it was over - 50 - Wasn't that silly. I had a breakdown of sorts. Could not make a decision even to live for the life of me. Bob asked what he could do to help me get my bearings back. Guess what. It was a horse. Tikki was a red roan appaloosa. She was just what I needed. We rode many miles up hills and down. On a ride along a trail, I found barrels set up in a little field. I started out to trot then barrels. At least I started at a trot when she took off like a rocket. She knew the pattern. I got it, she had been a barrel horse.

I had a dream about having a horse to show and because Tikki had been a gaming horse and did not want to go slow around the arena, just fast around the barrels, I sold her to a young woman who needed a friend. Then.....along came Ditto whose registered name is Cuttin Loose. She was the most beautiful paint horse. I did start to show. She and I accomplished wonderful things. She was high point paint horse in Washington State Horsemen several times. She is still out in our pasture and is 28 years old. The is grey around her muzzle but still full of energy unless she thinks you are going to ride her and then she drags around. Funny girl.

There were several horses I had after I retired Ditto. Mel - Mellow Gold - who was a palomino appy with a blanket, Sunny - can't remember her registered name - who was a red dun quarter horse., Dun in Glory -Glory- who was a minimal white paint. They all came and went because they could not meet Ditto's standard. Rosie - Wild Rose- came for our grandkids. I drove her in a cart. She is an awesome 13 hand pony. Bob has used her to pack in the back country, pull logs around, she totes around grandkids and just loves to be loved on. She is a bay and white pinto with half her face white and half dark. "She will also live out her life here. I think she is about 19.

The how we came to have primarily mustangs and Peppers story will be for another day.