Yankee Ridge Vandalism

This happened June 19 and saddens me so much!

Police: 5 children break in to Yankee Ridge Elementary, cause variety of damage

URBANA — Police are still waiting for a report from school district officials on the damage done by five children who vandalized a grade school earlier this month.

Urbana police Lt. Dave Smysor said four boys and a girl, ages 9, 9, 9, 11, and 13 respectively, were all turned over to parents or guardians on June 19 after being caught causing damage at Yankee Ridge Elementary School, 2101 S. Anderson St., that day. Because of her age, the 13-year-old was referred to the Youth Assessment Center for services.

Smysor said police were called to the building about 5:15 p.m. by cleaning staff, who discovered a window had been broken to gain entry.

Once inside, the children went to an art room and reportedly threw paint around, then went to the cafeteria, where they broke a computer, tossed milk crates about and stole food.

When confronted by cleaning staff, they ran from the building. Smysor said the building workers chased them to the area of Vawter and Silver streets but lost sight of them.

The staff called police, who came and took a report then left.

Some 17 minutes later, the cleaning staff called police to say the children had returned. They were found outside the building, one with paint on his shoes.

The group initially denied being involved in the damage but eventually admitted what they had done. Smysor said they said they took the food because they were hungry but offered no explanation for the other conduct.

The children were taken home by police to their parents.

Smysor said the officer who took the report estimated damage in excess of $500. Police had not received video surveillance or a damage tally from the school district as of Friday, he said.

More Rodeo Prep

I got my first pair of cowboy boots when I was about thirteen. It was a HUGE deal for me, especially since I had worked to earn the money for them.

Well, since Cambria andTitan are going to be rodeoing this summer, I figured they had to have boots for that, right? So I texted Jessica, got their sizes, and together we picked out some boots online. I ordered them and they were delivered Monday afternoon.

The kids had no idea that the boots were coming and arrived home from the swimming pool to find mailing boxes waiting for them. Jessica FaceTimed me so that I could watch the kids open the boxes and hear their squeals and shouts when they realized what I'd sent them. 

Titan quickly disappeared with his boots into the bedroom only to reappear with jeans on and sporting his new boots, too. Not to be outdone, Cambria ran into her bedroom and grabbed her cowgirl hat. (She didn't want to take the time to change from her swimsuit, so she just put a shirt on over it.)

Jessica sent me this text the next morning.

As you can see, they slept in their boots and were still wearing them when she left for work early that morning.

Then, I got this text this morning. The excitement was still there.

Now I need to get back to work on their shirts. I had a bit of a setback - I asked Ian to try on the shirt, and it was a disaster!

Ian and Cambria are the same age so I thought the fit might be comparable, but the shirt was WAY too small on Ian - we couldn't even snap it closed!

It was too big on Mila, but I expected that because she is smaller than Titan.

I grabbed my tape measure and measured Ian and Mila.

Then I asked Jessica to take her kids' measurements so that I could compare them. 

Her measurements reassured me that the pattern I was using would work and that the shirts would fit.

The past couple of days have been consumed with getting my entries into the Breakables at BreyerFest Virtual Show, and I wrapped that up last night. Now I will turn my attention, time, and energy back to the sewing machine and get cracking on those rodeo shirts.

Reuniting at the Barn

Some of my former students have remained in contact with me over time, something that I treasure and find an honor. Angelina, who just graduated from high school, is one of those students.

Angelina is a fellow horse lover. A year or so after leaving elementary school, she visited me while in middle school. She was very comfortable being in the middle of all the horses and happily fed carrots and peppermints to them all.

When I retired in 2018, Angelina came to the surprise retirement party that a bunch of my former students planned for me and held in my classroom at the end of the day.

 That's Angelina standing on the right with other classmates that just graduated this year.

She and I had been texting recently about her post graduation plans and I asked if she'd like to come see the horses again.

 Angelina was thrilled about that! She hopes to own a horse herself some day.

After some hugs and tears, we headed out into the pasture to visit the herd.

 She found Hokey's favorite spot - he was so happy!

 Although she did have to prove to him that she did not have any treats left.

 Hokey is a sweet boy and he enjoyed having all of Angelina's attention. (Look how loose his lips are - that boy is in heaven!)

 We toured the new barn and Tim's wagon collection...

... and then we sat outside on the hay wagon and chatted. I wanted to hear about her plans (going to Purdue to study Biology), hear how her family was (stepmom is undergoing cancer treatment so we made sure we wore masks while we were together), and we just generally caught up on each other's lives.

She also baked me the YUMMIEST cookies! And packed them in a pretty box with a gold ribbon!

The biggest treat, though, was not the cookies or the horses. It was the opportunity to reunite with a young woman that I've known for many years and who I care about very much.

Rodeo Prep!

The Santaquin Little Buck-A-Roo Rodeo is fast approaching, and I am sewing up a storm! Pony Pal Cambria is entered in mutton busting while Cowpoke Titan is doing cash cow. Cambria is hoping to win a belt buckle and Titan is looking forward to grabbing dollar bills off the loose cow running around the arena.

Cambria surprised us all last summer when she asked to enter her first rodeo. She chose to ride the sheep backwards (apparently it is easier to hang on to the sheep that way) and she rode a good long time. 

This year I asked Jessica if I could help outfit the kids for the rodeo as a surprise for them. Between the two of us we found some boots for the kids and then fabric and a pattern for me to make them matching western shirts.

 Santaquin's colors are red and black, so Jessica chose a black gingham fabric with a red paisley accent fabric. (I love JoAnn's curbside pickup - it means I can still sew while I am sheltering at home!)

The patterns carried by Simplicity, Butterick, McCalls, etc. all were costume-style, and I wanted to make the kids a real working western shirt, maybe even a retro one.

 I finally found a DIY pattern online that was a free download, and so far it is working pretty well.

Jessica measured the kids so I could be sure the pattern fit. I am a little worried - in real life, Pony Pal Cambria wears a 6 and Titan a 5, but according to the measurements on this DIY pattern, I should be making a size 4 for both of them! I'm going with my gut feeling and making the size they wear in real clothes and hope the shirts fit.

I'm also personalizing the shirts for each of them. Pony Pal Cambria, like Pony Pal Mila, loves unicorns, so I am going to put one on the front yoke of her shirt.

Cowpoke Titan loves Star Wars and so I bought these two patches from an Etsy seller. I am going to swap them out for different ones - these are flimsy and are iron-on only which I did not realize when I bought them. 

I always stitch my patches and appliqués down, but the directions that came with these two patches are very clear that they should not be stitched. (As I examined them closely, I realized that they were just pictures printed on fabric, not real appliqués or patches. I think the sewing needle would shred that fabric.)

My goal is to finish the shirts and have them in the mail to Utah by the middle of next week. I can't wait to see how they look on the kids!

Take a Deep Breath and Create Memories

Pony Pal Mila dropped by yesterday - what a breath of fresh air! I had not seen her in weeks due to the pandemic, and while technically I should still keep my distance from her, I just couldn't say no when she called and asked if she could come see me.

As she walked through the door, I complimented her on her horsey dress. Mila replied, "You're just too far away to see the horns. These are UNICORNS!" and she came over and pointed out one of the horns for me.

I do believe that Mila has the horsey gene. Right away she climbed up beside me on the couch and asked if she could see the horses in the china hutch behind it - the Designer Workshop Hagen Renakers, the Animal Artistry pieces, the Breyer porcelains, Mortens Studios, North Lights, Beswicks, and so on.

Taking a deep breath (a VERY deep breath), I said yes.

I pulled out a Joseph Original that I really liked but that I'd only paid fifty cents for at a flea market. He's super cute so I knew he would appeal to her, and if he got broken, well, I would be sad but it would not be a big deal.

She asked if he had a name, and when I said he reminded me of a candy bar and had called him Snickers, she asked if we could rename him to Rainbow Wing. Alrighty, then, Rainbow Wing it is!

Pony Pal Mila really liked that little foal. She liked it so much so that when Pepper began trying to entice her to play, she chose to stay on the couch and hold the foal! (As you can see, Pepper used her best puppy eyes on Mila.)

Then my Pony Pal asked if she could see the "pink horse." Again I held my breath - that piece has such spindly legs, and it's my favorite of all the colors it came in, but Mila was very gentle and nothing happened to it.

After telling me about her horse from her other grandma that has hair (it must be a My Little Pony), Mila asked if I had any horses with hair.

One Rubbernedz coming up! That was an easy one to let her see, and she really liked it. (So do I.)

 She looked at my Designer Workshop Hagen Renaker Fez...

 ... and my Animal Artistry Circus Horse, and then I pulled out something that I thought she would find interesting. I asked her if she knew what a stirrup cup was and took out the one I'd won at Breakables in 2012.

Sculpted by Kristina Lucas Francis, it has been sitting in my china cabinet alongside the Hagen Renakers. It's pretty cool - if you flip it over, the ears and the forelock of the mane serve as three legs and balance the cup on the table.

I filled it with some water and handed it to her. She took a very cautious sip,

and a big smile broke out on her face. It was a hit! 

I know some people would think it crazy to let a four year old hold expensive models. Believe me, I considered that when I first began letting Pony Pal Mila hold some of my collection. And there are some that I tell her we will look at "some other time." But I do let her look at them for two reasons:

First, I was a Mila. Any opportunity to do something pertaining to horses, even when I was little, was a huge deal for me. Those opportunities nurtured and helped me grow into the horsey gal I am now. They made my day at the time and many have remained as fond memories. I want her to have that same experience, and I can easily provide it by throwing open the cabinet door.

Second, and even more importantly, is that Mila and I are connecting through a common love. I won't always be here on earth, and I like to imagine an adult Mila smiling fondly as she holds Rainbow Wing and remembers the times we spent together looking at the pieces in my collection, the thrill she felt at holding the glossy pink horse, and how fun it was to drink from her Grammy's stirrup cup.

We are building bonds between us along with our mutual love of horses, and we are making memories. Mila may even be the one who asks to have my collection when I am gone, and cherishes it for what it represents to her.

And that is why Pony Pal Mila gets to hold my chinas.

Done and Over

I'm home from my surgery and recovering. To say that I am thankful would be an understatement. I did not look forward to having a second surgery in less than a year.

I did all the surgical prep as asked, including getting a COVID-19 test. I am negative, no surprise since I have been sheltering at home (er, and the barn) since March 17.

The hernia was massive - the size of a softball according to my surgeon. (No wonder it was uncomfortable to snap my jeans!) And when he tried to push it back in, he couldn't, and discovered a second hernia was blocking the repair. That needed to be fixed, too, so I ended up getting a two for one deal.  

 I got the horsey leg wraps again - they really are a way of preventing blood clots by squeezing your legs to encourage the blood to circulate...

 ... but in so many ways I feel like I am getting leg wraps when they put those on me.

My surgeon said that this surgery would be much more painful than the pancreatectomy/splenectomy I had last August. Honestly, I feel the hospital did a terrific job of keeping my pain under control and it has not been too bad.

Enough so that I was glad that I had brought my laptop and could get online in between naps. (I must've take six to eight naps a day!)

Tim was great about sending texts and photos of Abby. That daily dose of the barn and outside world made a big difference to me. While the hospital staff and care was top notch...

 ... I was in a hospital in downtown Indianapolis, and so the view out my window reflected that.

 Late Thursday afternoon I was told I could go home. While I waited for Craig to make the drive from West Lafayette to Indy, I got all my tubes out, got rid of the heart monitor, was tutored in how to empty my drains, and then I packed my things and got dressed.

Those drains! I have never gone home with them in past surgeries, so this is a first. I'd brought a dress so that there would be no waistband to press on my incisions, but the drains and their tubing underneath it made the dress stick out in unusual places. Even when clipped to my undergarments, the tubes looped outward. And if I didn't clip them up, they dangled below the hemline. Oh well! In the grand scheme of things, dangling drains or a bulging dress are no big deal.

Since I'd had such good care, from Dora, my daily cleaning lady, to the techs, to the nurses, food service, and beyond, I left a final note just before Craig arrived to wheel me out. 

Even Ashanti, my favorite nurse from last August made a special trip up to my floor (twice!) to come see me! I was really touched since she no longer is assigned to the surgical floor. Seeing her again was just the best.

It was so good to see Craig; he had had to leave after I was settled in my room and was not allowed to come back until it was time to go home. (COVID-19 exposure.)

Pepper is so glad to have me home. Lisa kept her while Craig traveled to get me, and when we stopped by to pick her up, she was so happy and could not get close enough to me. We even let her up on the couch -something  she is not allowed to do - but that also made it easier for me to cuddle her.

It's a good thing I placed a pillow on my belly to protect my incision and drains - she could not seem to get close enough!

She was so happy, she flipped onto her back by pushing against me (OOF!!) and asked for Craig and me to give her a belly rub. It's hard to see since she is so dark, but her head is hanging over the edge.

I'm home now and doing well in my recovery. Finding out that I have been on an all liquid diet for a week already and will continue to do so until at least the next four days, Loni made me some potato cheese soup that she blended smooth. It was delicious and so filling! I slept eleven hours after drinking it last night.

Whew - the surgery is over, I can relax at home and begin to heal, and it feels like summer has finally begun for me.

The Gillespie Horses

Down the road from my parents' home was a double pasture with a two stall barn tucked up against the moraine. High above on the moraine was the home of the Gillespies, the family that owned the barn and pastures.

Susan Gillespie was about eight years older than me and attending college at the time. Since she no longer lived at home, I was hired to come over twice a day and check the horses, fill the trough, and toss down hay and grain.

I loved it. (And it was much more fun than my other job, babysitting.)

 The double pastures looking from the barn down to the Wabash. When the water flooded and poured into the bottom pasture, I would close the gate and keep the horses in the top pasture. 

The barn with the Gillespie house behind it up on the moraine. Their home was accessed by a road up there and they used a path through the woods to get down to the barn.

When I began caring for Susan's horses, there were two mares who were sisters - Sycamore Lass and Scojeadon. Scoj's name was a combination of Susan's nickname (Scottie) with the names of her two best friends, Jean and Donna. 

Sadly, early in my time of caring for them, Sycamore Lass caught her leg in the slats of the divider between the two stalls and broke it. Susan was home at the time and is the one who actually found her. Lass had to be euthanized and I still remember the tears streaming down Susan's face when I arrived on the scene and she told me what had happened. The divider between the two stalls was removed immediately.

To keep Scoj company, the Gillespies purchased a donkey - Jose. He was a fun little guy and lived up to everything I had ever heard about donkeys. Sassy and smart, hard to catch, a loud brassy bray... I loved him!

Scoj was bred and foaled a colt one spring morning after a nighttime storm. It was the first foal I had ever been around, and I discovered him when I arrived for the morning check. I remember excitedly running home and calling Mr. Gillespie to let him know that the foal had arrived. The Gillespies named him Stormy and I got to watch him grow up. 

Stormy as a yearling with Scoj in the background.

 Scoj and Stormy in the winter.

Naturally, I did name two model horses after the Gillespie herd.

This is Sycamore Lad.

 And this is Scojeadon. 

When I went off to college, Leslie took over for me and began caring for the Gillespies' horses. I do not remember what happened to Scoj, Stormy, and Jose but I will ask her and find out and post it here.