A Really Cool Raffle Donation

Second Post of the Day

Amid all the planning for The Feast of the Hunters' Moon, I am also preparing for Happy Trails V - The Dan Patch Show. (Note to self: holding a live show a few weeks after the Feast is not the best idea!)

Donations have been arriving, including this one from Marilou Mol. She saw it at BreyerFest and thought it would be perfect for the show. (She was right.)

Cheryl Erickson's new book about the Standardbred, Greyhound.

To commemorate the 100th running of the Hambletonian, there were 100 special slipcases made for the book.

and Marilou's book has one of the slipcases!

The back of the slipcase.

The book itself.

The book is signed by the author, includes a bookmark,

and has tote bag to keep everything in!

What a generous donation! Thank you, Marilou! Whoever wins this in the raffle will be a really lucky person!

"What Do You DO All Day??"

When I was a stay at home mom, people would often ask me, "What do you DO all day??" as though they thought I just sat around painting my nails, taking bubble baths, and watching soap operas all day. 

And most who asked that question would then add, "I would go crazy if I had nothing to do." 

Nothing to do?? Really? I never could understand that question and response, especially when it was asked while my six kids were standing around me.

Sometimes I really had to bite my tongue when I responded. 

Now that I am retired, I get those kinds of questions again, and they are still coupled with something along the lines of, "I think I'd die of boredom." 

My answer has not changed because I am just as busy now as I was when I was a stay at home mama or during my teaching career.

Current things that keep me busy:

~ Dogs, including watching the pack several times a week while Lisa is at work.

Honestly, this is Pepper's favorite sleeping position.

~ Sewing clothing for the upcoming Feast of the Hunter's Moon.

A just completed trade shirt

with sleeve buttons.

~ Preparing to make a regency gown for Vanessa to wear to a Jane Austen event. (Pics of that project to come another time.)

~ Making haversacks, to sell and to donate.

The circled ones just sold, but if you need any Stablemate, Curio/Venti, or Classic sized haversacks, these are available.

~ Piecing together the BreyerFest history series.

This outline has been completely blown out of the water now that I've gotten so much research done!

~ Having Ian, Mila, and Lukie over to help do yard work and clean the garage, etc. 

Taking a break together while working on the garage.

Weeding and then laying fresh mulch in my stepping stone garden. 

When we've finished, I pay them and we get some fast food for lunch 

and then we play games around the dining room table for a while. I love those days.

~ Volunteering in Indianapolis and here in West Lafayette.

~ Medical appointments, tests, treatments, and more.

As always, there are things going on that need to be addressed.

But I have a great team of doctors who care for me.

~ Planning Happy Trails V, the fun show/pony party I hold.

Of course, there are other things that keep me busy, things that I enjoy doing, that crop up during the day or the week.

The next time someone asks me what I do all day, I'll just refer them to this blog post and continue on doing what I am doing. It's all good! 

(And by the way, suggestions for classes for the Happy Trails V show are welcome! Put them in the comments or email me!)

 

Another June Mish/Mosh Post

There is so much going on around here; I need to write a second mish mosh/what's doin' post this month. (Or is that the third??) Five topics that are not big enough for a solo post, but which work together when brought into one.

Ella Noise!

Most people from Illinois, including my own children who were born there*  pronounce the name of the state with a short e, not an i: "ellinois".

And so, when Ella Masar was playing soccer for the University of Illinois, the crowd would chant, "Ella Noise! Ella Noise!" to cheer her on. She's gone on to play professionally including on the US National Team, and now is coaching the Chicago Stars as well as is an assistant coach for the US Women's National Team. 

The Chicago Stars recently honored her by posting a milestone memory on Facebook. It was one I did not know.

Look closely and you will see that both Curt and Cole took notice of the post, too. 

Ella - Noise indeed!!

*Sarah was born in Michigan but came to Illinois when she was two. Yep, she pronounces it, "ellinois," too! (Craig and I do not.)

The BreyerFest Blog Series

I knew it would take a lot of time and research to write this series, but never did I think it would be this involved! I have so much to share and BreyerFest is rapidly approaching. 

(Whoohoo! I've been waiting for a chance to use this clock again!!)

One post has been started but is so long it needs to be split into several posts. The original outline I'd made for the project is not even relevant anymore and needs to be redone. I was planning to go year by year, but there's simply too much to share. (Not that I am complaining.)

Here is a sneak peek of something I found as I went though boxes.

Early NAN cards! Look how they were typed out and signed by the show holder. That would have been a lot of work to do, and then the show holder would have needed to sort them all and mail them to the entrants.

 These two models were not entered in the 1995 NAN show, and I had put their cards away when they expired. A piece of historical ephemera I am glad I saved.

Happy Trails V Update

The pony party isn't until November, but I am still working on it when I get a moment. A Facebook page is up and people have been invited. 

Swag bags for the entrants to be filled.

Happy Trails has always been simply a fun show/pony party, and the fifth one will continue that tradition. 

The difference is that it is being held in the Dan Messner building (breeder and first owner of Dan Patch) in Oxford, Indiana. (About ten miles from me.) I am so excited about that opportunity and to be there and share the Dan Patch sites with hobby friends!

Tim's Tornado - an Update

It's been confirmed, it was a tornado that took out Tim and Loni's trees.

It passed right alongside their home and luckily was an EF0.

Our vet is also out by the barn, and as I was driving home after Pepper's appointment Friday, I got some photos of the damage. It was sobering.

One side of the road as the tornado approached the Gibbs' home. 

The hole in the tree line is where the tornado plowed through after crossing the road. Tim and Loni's home is just to the right.

If this is what an EF0 can do, I'd hate to be hit by a stronger one. The Gibbs were very lucky. (So were the folks who lived on the other side of the road. Their trees were badly hit, but the house, just out of range of the pictures, did not sustain any damage.)

Hard to Believe but True

Craig looked at me yesterday and said, "This is unbelievable!" He had just gotten home from a funeral in Illinois for a friend, checked his email, and discovered notices of the passing of two more friends.

Truth be told, I had not shared here on the blog that we'd lost three more friends since the passing of Alice, Bob, and Neil.

Tom worked for Craig when we lived in Illinois. He'd been battling cancer for several years.

Ann Taylor, who volunteered with us down in Indy. She also had been battling cancer.

JoAnn Guntrip, a church friend, who died of old age at 94.

The notices Craig received were for people I did not know, but still... I've lost six friends within a month, and Craig has lost eight. 

"I have never lost so many friends in such a short amount of time," Craig continued, still shocked to have returned from one friend's funeral only to get the news that two more friends were gone.

Maybe it's the stage of life we are in; the time when you and your friends are getting older and life is growing short. Regardless, we are saddened by so many losses and are hopeful that the tide of passing friends will slow down.

And on that note, that's the mish mosh happening for now!