Pictures from the last 4H Horse Show...

Junior English Fitting and Showing




Junior English Fitting and Showing 2nd Place



Junior English Pleasure




Junior English Pleasure 3rd Place

Junior English Equitation

Junior English Equitation 3rd Place

Junior English Command 1st Place

Serene is ready to go home.

Sewing Class Project: Mr. Frog

On Tuesday, Carolyn took her first sewing class at a local sewing center, Aurora Sewing Center. She made Mr. Frog. He is so darn cute. She named hers Skipper. He will be part of her county fair entries.

The horse show...

Natalie and her dear friend, Sara, were up bright and early yesterday morning. They had a light breakfast. Mom had coffee. I did Natalie's hair in a bun for the first time. I think I learned some things. The biggest was that I had to make it lower next time. After packing up the car, we headed to the barn where we met another friend and her mom. The two riders got their horses ready, cleaned their stalls, and packed their hay bags. Soon, our horse trainer extraordinaire arrived to help the girls load their horses, and then we were off.

In this picture the girls have Serene tied to the trailer and are attempting to figure out the new bridle.

Taking pictures in the indoor arena was a pain in the neck. When I used my flash the pictures were too dark. When I didn't use my flash the pictures turned out blurry. In the morning the riders had one hour clinics in the classes that they would be entering. Natalie had a clinic in equitation and pleasure which was really just like a lesson. Next Natalie went to the outdoor ring and had a clinic in fitting and showing. She had never done it before. In this next picture, Natalie and her friend, Catherine, are in the equitation/pleasure clinic.

After some down time and a little lunch the girls got ready for their classes. This is a picture of Natalie ready to enter the show ring for the fitting and showing class. This was just before the weather turned for the worse.

While she was in the class a nasty, nasty storm blew up. The wind was blowing the rain straight sideways. The rain was coming down in torrents. There were even a few claps of thunder. When her class was over I lead her to the quietest part of the barn where we could wait out the storm. We met some very nice people who allowed us to stand by them and their horse until Natalie's friend, Sara, could eventually make a run for her saddle. The storm did pass. The sun came out and a horrible wind kicked up. Thankfully though it didn't rain any more. She was able to get through all the other classes. I didn't get any picture of the pleasure and equitation classes because of my technical difficulty with my camera. I think I will be able to get better pictures at the next show in June.

For her first show she came home with a 3rd place ribbon in fitting and showing, a 2nd place ribbon in equitation, and a 2nd place ribbon in pleasure. She competed in the junior division which was the perfect division for her. I think novice would have been too easy for her. We learned a lot, and it was fun.

Getting ready for Saturday...

On Saturday, Natalie will participate in her first horse show. This is a training show. In the morning she will have clinics in fitting and showmanship as well as equitation and pleasure. Since I am still learning, I have very little idea what all this terminology means, but I expect to find out this weekend. In the afternoon they will actually have a show. I still have to find out if they will earn points from this show or not.

In order to finish our preparations for the show, we drove down to Stagecoach West on Sunday afternoon. It was a very pleasant drive. We picked up several items that we still need. She is working coordinating her horse, so there is a definite orange theme there. Today she has her lesson. We decided that she would ride in her show clothes in order to get a feel for what it is like to ride in everything.

Here is a look at our latest purchases.

She got a saddle pad, water bucket, bucket strap, polo wraps, lead line, hoof polish, saddle soap, fly spray, curry comb, braid bands for the mane, and stirrup pads which she desperately needed. We purchased the halter a few weeks ago from a different store. She has been saving it just for shows because it would be caked with dirt and mud if Serene wore it in the pasture.

Last Saturday...

Carolyn had her textile review for 4-H.

The sewing advisors examined all of her sewing projects. In this picture they are looking at her apron.

Now they are looking at her little bag that we whipped up the night before at our 4-H meeting. Waiting to the last minute is pretty typical for me, but I really do prefer to avoid it. I am getting better at it as I get older.

Finally she is ready for the fashion show.

Carolyn's 4-H Projects...some, but not all...

Plans for the week...

My seed order came in a week or so ago. I purchased from both Johnny's and Seed Savers. I have had good success with the seeds from both places.

In my pile of seeds are:

Trophy Tomato
October Bean
Charlevoix Dark Beans
Butternut Squash
Detroit Dark Red Beets
Premium Late Flat Cabbage
Snow Fancy's Pickling Cucumbers
Negovia Carrots
Butterhead Lettuce
Yellow Onions
San Marzano Tomato
Provider Bush Beans
Jade Bush Beans
and...

Conquistador Celery. I have never planted celery before, but I sure do use a lot of it. These seeds must be started this week in order to be ready to plant outside at the end of May. This is the earliest I have planted seeds indoors.

In light of our discussion on the economy and surviving a depression, I don't think we can ignore the importance of growing some of your own food. I have been gardening on one level or another for about 15 years. This will be my third year for starting my own seeds. I learn a little bit more about it each year that I do it.

If you have never planted any vegetables before, I always recommend starting with crops that are easy to grow and that you like to eat. I discovered that there is no point in growing zucchini if I am the only one who will eat it no matter how prolific it is. Also, if you are planning on planting peppers or tomatoes, find a local nursery or garden center that has what you want and buy your transplants from them. Your first year is probably not the year to try growing your own transplants. I was not planning to take the time today to get into a lengthy discussion about gardening, but I will be writing about my progress as the season progresses. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about the topic. I am not an expert, but I will try to answer your question to the best of my ability.

We are winding up the hockey seasons. Next week are the championship games. Then I can start sleeping in a little longer on Saturday morning. The 4-H season is just coming into full swing however. Carolyn had a great public presentation yesterday. In two weeks, Natalie has her horse bowl regional competition. We will have a couple more practices between now and then. I will try to remember to take my camera with me to these events. I forgot it yesterday.

Lastly, I am knee deep in planning next year's curriculum. My planning process begins in January and is usually completed by the end of March before the catalog prices increase.

I will keep you posted on how my seed starting activities progress this week. Also look for more discussions on preparedness.

Busy Days...

I hate to have these big gaps of time between blog posts. I have had so much running through my mind lately, but nothing was forming together into anything that I could actually write down. I wake up, make Dave's lunch, hop on the computer, read my Bible, get ready for the day, and teach the children. Then I drive kids to hockey practice, friends' houses, the barn, 4-H, youth group and church. When I am home and have free time, I have been planning my curriculum purchases for next year. I am trying to find a good writing program for my struggling 9th grade writer. Thankfully, I think I may have found something. I have been studying some about the Depression of the 1930's. Finally, I placed my seed order for this year's garden.

So, I have been doing a lot of little things here and there, but nothing much to write home about.

I do appreciate all of you who stop by to see what is going on here. Please keep coming back. I have some articles in the works.

County Fair

Just those words...County Fair bring to mind Almanzo Wilder's milk pumpkin from one of my favorite books, Farmer Boy. The children and I headed out this morning under beautiful sunny skies to get in during the early admission time. The street traffic and people traffic was heavier than I anticipated, and we cut it right down to the wire. In the process of getting in and getting the tickets two of the children went missing. Never in my life has this happened before. All is well that ends well, and I don't desire to rehash the whole thing. So, suffice it to say that after a 20 minute panic attack we were all together and off to enjoy the fair.

Natalie and Carolyn were very excited to see the hunter/jumper competitions. We walked through the horse barns and saw some very impressive draft mules and Percheron. I wouldn't want one of those Percheron to step on my foot. They have some mighty hooves.

We took a walk through the grange building, the historical building and the 4-H building. I picked up some information about getting the girls involved in 4-H. I was not in it as a child, but all the things that they do (sewing, canning, cooking, etc.) is right up my alley. I am going to call tomorrow about clubs in my area.

We also went through the livestock buildings. The children and I toured the Moo-terity ward and saw the little calves with their moms and the piglets nursing on their mommas. It was so sweet. I enjoyed the rabbits. Some of those rabbits were bigger than my cat.

The last event we attended was the pig races. It is a cute little 15 minute show consisting of 3 races. The last race, if you want to call it that, was the pot bellied pig race. These guys were funny. We ended the day by sharing two pieces of fried dough. They cost $5.00 a piece. I couldn't believe how expensive the food was. I know fair food is always expensive, but this seemed quite a bit. In all I spent $35 for our day at the fair. We stuck to traditional county fair activities.

Wouldn't you know that I forgot to bring my camera. I love a blog post with pictures. I wish I could give them to you, but alas, I can't. You will just have to imagine with your mind's eye all the fun things we did and saw.