Shivery horse this morning - Changes this Fall

Fall may not be here according to the calendar, but the weather sure felt like it this morning. Poor Chance was shivering quite a bit when I went out to feed breakfast and Pi was not his usual cheerful self. He tossed his head and grunted when he saw me coming. I think he was telling me that it had been a cold night and breakfast couldn't come fast enough. Pi is Jaye's standardbred who is now living here to keep Chance company. I love having him here. He has such a pleasant calmness about him. My barn is so peaceful. The horses get along nicely and can be separated without anyone getting too upset. Well, Chance isn't crazy about being left alone and whinnies but there doesn't seem to be a big risk of him running through the fence. That's the hard part of having only 2 horses here, somebody gets left behind.

So many changes this year. Derek is in college and living in Westbrook. He may be home next month though, he is getting a wonderful education on the value of a dollar. Having an apartment without a job is not working out for him. I hope he finds one. It has been fun watching him in this new phase of his life. And I'm glad he isn't far away. He is close enough to come home a couple of times a week but just far enough to spread his wings and live on his own even if it is just for a short time.

Marissa is enjoying school this year. She didn't want to go back but now seems to be jumping right in and embracing the challenging classes she is taking this year. She is the stage manager for drama again, her 3rd year and starting to talk about college. Wherever she goes drama and theater is a must for her. Not acting, she enjoys all of the backstage excitement. Maybe directing? She isn't sure yet.

I am starting a new job (again). Driving a school bus. Getting a job that offers health insurance is a priority right now. And the hours will allow me to work in the office at home (for the plumbing & heating David does), bake dog biscuits, clean the house and ride my horse. I'm in the middle of my training right now, I parallel parked the bus yesterday! Twice! This is a job I never thought I would want to do, not in a million years. But I am actually having fun with the training and I think there might be hope that I will enjoy this. I have not found a job I have enjoyed since giving up the preschool and daycare. That I loved and will miss it for the rest of my life. Driving the kids to school is a completely different way of working with kids but I am hopeful that I will enjoy it. I won't be driving for a couple of months.

I have been baking Boca's Biscuits for 1 year now. That is going well. I bought a new commercial oven (which isn't working right now) that will bake approx. 200 large biscuits at a time. This is going to save me a bunch of time! Hopefully it will be working next week.

I think it is time to go to bed now, I love my flannel pajama pants and wrapping up in all of the blankets with the window open a little this time of year. The air is cold and smells nice, and sometimes if the it is very quiet I can hear the horses at night. That makes me smile.

HEP

Chance and I went to the Hollis Equestrian Park this afternoon with A and Val. I was a little nervous about getting on after 2 months so we started with our ground work. The other change I have made is using a bosal instead of a bit. Tacking him up with the bosal has made a big difference. So much less stress in him. So today was the 1st ride with it. It was awesome. It was the final piece to the puzzle in helping him feel good about being ridden. He was so light and willing to go all over that ring. He wasn't glued to Val, he wasn't worried about anything and wanted to go. He is the horse that in the past felt like a rusty tin-man. He didn't want to go anywhere and never at a trot. Not today. He was trotting all over that ring and never once tripped. Now I can remember why I have a horse again. I am really looking forward to this weekend.

Started over again

I can't believe that it has been 2 months since I have ridden Chance. There are lots of reasons, summer with kids, Chance's lameness, my illnesses, the heat, a very rainy summer, and honestly I just haven't felt like it. So regardless of all that I am starting over again with him....once more.

I have worked with him on the ground twice in the last few days and we are making progress very quickly. He really didn't feel like doing anything at first either. And I wasn't sure where to start. I went into the paddock with no idea of what I wanted to do and in a few minutes things just started rolling along. It felt really good to see that we haven't really fallen behind and that all the work we did in the Spring was good quality work. It all came back to us quickly, he even had a spring in his steps and before I knew it we were both having fun.

If all goes well we will be going to Libby's clinic this weekend.

Marissa's Rat Idore

One of Marissa's pet rats died today. He had been sick for a couple of months with either an upper respiratory infection or a weak heart. I have never seen anyone work so hard to try and save a rat's life than Marissa. We took him to the vets and put him on antibiotics, she worked so hard around the house to pay off the vet bill. She kept the cage spotless and never forgot to give him his medicine. On the days that his breathing seemed more difficult she would take him outside for fresh air and sit with him. On the hot days she would keep the fan on him and do everything she could think of to keep him comfortable.

My heart is breaking for her tonight. She has gone to bed and I can hear her sobbing. Little Idore isn't suffering anymore and as we all know in time the pain will ease for Marissa. And we will continue to get more pets, small & large ones, and fall in love over & over again because we can't live without the joy they bring us while they are alive.

Emma at 2 months old

The N.Irish have gone home

Actually they are on the plane as I type. I hate goodbyes, I fall apart every time I have to do this. It was tough knowing that Jordan probably won't be back again. The teens are in the group for 2 years and then they have to be finished to make room for more. Jordan would like to come back during the winter months to see the snow, but money (the lack of) may not allow for that. And I would love to go there in February when the group from Maine goes over. When they 1st get here 5 weeks seems like a long time to bring somebody into your home to live. We are adding another person to the family who we don't know, they don't know us and they are in a foreign country. In our case this year we already knew Jordan from last year. But it had been a year. It didn't take long for him to jump right in where he left off last summer and we were all very glad to have him back. This is an experience that has lots of ups and a few downs. It throws a wrench into the entire household, schedules are off, another mouth to feed and will he like what I am serving? More laundry, not much time for office work and no time for horses. As if life wasn't busy enough! But with all of that said, this experience brings so much more to our lives than I ever expected. After 2 summers with Jordan, he really is a member of our family now. This has made me stop working, make time for fun and laugh at the things that really aren't so important. I hope we have been a positive impact on his life, giving him an experience he will be able to remember for the rest of his life. I've been asked how I can give up 5 weeks of my summer for this. I don't feel like I have given anything up, just the opposite infact. And to give the teens the credit they deserve, it can't be easy to leave home for 5 weeks and to move in with total strangers! They are pretty awesome kids.

New York City

David and I took the family to New York for a 4 day vacation. We were tourists in every way visiting as many sites, monuments and walking as much as we could. I loved visiting New York, although it took us a couple of days before we felt comfortable getting around without feeling lost. I would love to go back for another visit to see more, maybe to peek in some of the shops. There was no time for that on this visit, but we did see a lot of the city, including eating New York style pizza, riding a subway, taking a taxi, and lots of waking. We had a great time but after 4 days of all those exhaust fumes it was time to come home. The 1st thing I did when I was home was to run outside barefoot in the wet grass. You can't do that in New York City!