Sultanna's in Foal!

Whoo hoo! Look at that belly! Yes, that is an in-foal Sultanna.

So, why haven't I said much about her pregnancy? Because late last fall I'd seen her squealing at Trouble, snaking her neck at him, and then turning and presenting her backside to him - signs of a mare in heat. I'd figured that the breeding had not taken and that she was an open mare again. (That had happened in 2021 when she was bred, too.)

Sultanna is a big-boned mare and although I'd had thoughts that she'd really "wintered well," I had written off pregnancy in my mind and thought she was simply putting on weight. But yesterday that belly line was unmistakable and a text toTim confirmed what I suspected. 

Yes, Sultanna is in foal after all. She is due in early April and I am thrilled.  

We're gonna have a baby!

Nacho is Retiring

 After over seven years of serving faithfully, Nacho is retiring.

He's getting older and slowing down, and Kathy is mindful of his needs (not her needs; she'd keep him as her partner forever if she could.) Kathy is getting a new guide next month from Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

I've been lucky enough to travel with them to a few of their speaking engagements and know Nacho well.

When I drive them, they sit in the back and Nacho often reaches over the seat and sneaks in a lick or two on my cheek as he settles in.

Truth be told, I get a lot of kisses from Nacho.

He has worked hard and faithfully guided Kathy all over the country.

He was with her when she won Dolly Parton's Chasing Rainbows award (and Dolly gave him a pink rhinestone collar made just for him!) Go to 3:35 to see Kathy receive her award.

But Kathy knows her boy well and feels he has done enough. He will still be close to her - he will be living with her parents and they live in the same neighborhood as Kathy and me.

It was because of Kathy's recommendation that Craig and I were selected to be Pepper's retirement home when her own guiding career ended. Now the two of them will have a lot more play dates.

Nacho, you truly are an exceptional dog. 

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

- Matthew 25:21

Facebook Surprise

I was looking through a Facebook group today, scrolled past this photo, and then scrolled right back up to it when something caught my eye. This lady is a brand new re-enactor and wanted to show off the outfit she was putting together and get some feedback from group members.

Something very familiar was poking out on her hip.

A pocket that I made and sold to her at Kalamazoo!

She wrote that she knew it was supposed to be under her petticoat, but she'd used her Christmas money to buy her clothes and wanted to show her father-in-love what she'd bought with his gift. (That is so sweet!)

Here it is in an inventory photo I took while packing.

It really makes me happy to see someone wearing period clothing I'd made, and the story behind hers touches my heart.

Early Spring at the Barn

With Diablo and Trouble in new homes, Abby has become the alpha of the herd. 

Here she is leading everyone up to see me and clearly telling Hokey that he is to stay back. ("Those are MY treats that Lynn has!")

The herd has wintered well and especially enjoyed the addition of grain to their diets in January. 

Not atypical for spring, Abby has a bit of a weepy eye that I am watching. But besides that, she and her herd mates are doing well.

Dolly has settled in and she is the horse with the lowest status, but she still gets her grain and her treats. (She's a sweet mare.)

Early spring is wet and muddy, but we are still glad it is here.

Kalamazoo Living History Show - Part 2

For the next day of the Kalamazoo Living History Show, I wore the riding habit I'd made last summer.

Leslie also wore one of hers, and we posed for a photo together in front of an artist who just happened to have a painting of horses on display.

In a nod to her Grandma Martin (my mom), Lisa combined the jacket and petticoat of one of Leslie's habits along with a waistcoat that was from one of her grandmother's habits. The hat was also my mother's. 

Jolis Chevaux had been too busy the first day for me to get away and shop or see the show, but I was able to walk around a bit the second day.

The Kalamazoo Expo Center had four gigantic rooms and they were filled to the brim with participants in the show. It was so massive, I only got to see one room beside the one I was in!

The array of goods and acoutrements on display or for sale was overwhelming. (Look closely - see the horse? Doesn't it look like the horse on my quilt block?)

One thing I discovered while walking around was that I had priced my clothing too low in comparison to what was at the show. 

I'm more of a hat girl than a frilly bonnet gal, but I wouldn't mind having one of those market bonnets on the top left.

Every year Leslie puts together some sort of Peeps display (which has nothing to do with living history and everything to do with stress relief) at the Information Desk.

This year she did a Peeps tribute to Ukraine.

Romantically Bent's display was my favorite and I spent some time looking at Cristine's work. She is the best of the best, and her work was stunning.

Another gorgeous riding habit. 

By the end of the show, I only had a few articles of clothing left on the clothing rack. I'd also been asked if I would sew 40 (FORTY??) military uniforms that would be needed in 2023, had a query or two about custom orders, and a most unusual request to make a loin cloth. (Not even going there, although it was a legitimate request and not just a guy trying to play or rattle me.)

 I was so worn down that, after we packed up and loaded the car, I hopped in without changing my clothes.

Such a fun time, but it was so good to be home again. 

Kalamazoo Living History Show - Part 1

 The 2022 Kalamazoo Living History Show is in the books and what a show it was.

I took Jolis Chevaux on the road for the first time and set up adjacent to Leslie and Rick's booth (that's Rick in the top hat talking to author Eddie Price.)

Since early January, I'd spent hours sewing 18th century period clothing - from left, a bedgown, five shortgowns, two pinner and drawstring aprons, and pockets. (Doesn't Shelly's quilt block look nice on the clothing rack?)

A capote (I did not make that), chemises (also called shifts), men's shirts, and petticoats.

In my embroidery work I had discovered a brand of towels that also had colors and patterns that were 18th century period appropriate and so I decided to sell those.

Beeswax sewing cakes were especially fun to make and an entirely new venture for me. The smell of them is heavenly! Pin pillows are on the left. 

Not only were Leslie and Rick vending, they also own this event and this was its 46th year. 

It's well established and was a good place for me to set up for the first time to see if I could make clothing that folks would buy.

Lisa is on spring break and came with me. She is wearing a 19th century/Civil War period riding habit.

Participants were allowed into the venue at 7:00 AM to put the final touches on their displays and set ups.

By the time the doors opened at 9:00 to the public, there was a line of people wrapped around the expo building. A second door was opened on the other side of the venue and soon its line did the same thing!

Those long lines were harbingers of how the day would go. Instead of worrying that folks might not buy my clothes, I should have worried about having enough clothing to sell - by the end of the first day, I had sold 3/4 of my inventory. 

Because I was so busy, I did not get any more photos taken that day. The next day, though, was not quite as hectic and so I did get some then.

Stay 'tooned!

Welcome, Spring!

 Happy Spring, all! 

A late 1960s photo of our apple orchard in full bloom.

The perfect place for a picnic with Grandma and Grandpa Honeywell, my parents, siblings and dog Benny.

I can almost smell those blossoms as I type!

The Story of Molly

 This is the beginning of an intermittent series titled, The Story of... where I will write about some of the dogs that have graced our home, both past and present. Today I will share the story of Molly.

I haven't written much about the dogs recently but they are very much a presence in our lives. I took this snap of Nash, Pepper, and Molly at Lisa's home earlier this week.

Molly was originally our dog, not Lisa's. We got her from a rescue and she had come from a situation where she had been used as a breeder for puppies. Was it an actually puppy mill? We are not sure. But it had similar conditions to one.

Molly as she looked when she arrived at the rescue. She's dirty, she's stressed, and she's very, very scared. This photo breaks my heart. (She'd also just had a litter of nine puppies taken away from her.)

She came to us with terrible fears and anxieties - we have no idea what happened to her or why she was (and still is) so terrified of things, especially men.

We struggled to make her feel comfortable. She got to the point where she would let me approach her and pet her, but would leap in alarm at the slightest sound or if I moved too quickly. She also began to relax somewhat around Craig, although she did not want him to touch her.

Enter Lisa and her dog, Millie. Lisa teaches school and so a couple of times a week, she would bring Millie over for the day, just so she would have some company and get out of the house. 

Lisa and Millie. Photo by Vanessa Isenbarger/Pearl Photo and Design

Millie was an older dog and we noticed that Molly would relax and was more comfortable when Millie was visiting. She enjoyed having the company of another dog and had more confidence when Millie was around.

We also noticed that Molly ADORED Lisa - she would run to the door and greet Lisa when she arrived to pick up Millie, and then sit by her side if Lisa stayed and visited a while. Molly was a different dog around those two and clearly much happier with them than she was with us.

After nine months, Craig and I finally made the difficult decision to let Molly go and be Lisa's dog and not ours. I cried and cried after she left. But that turned out to be the absolute best decision we could have made for Molly.

Molly had found her forever home. She was deliriously happy and stuck like glue to Lisa's side.

Millie and Molly were companions for three years and then, sadly, Millie passed away in February, 2021. Knowing that Molly needed a companion dog, Lisa rescued Nash.

Big, goofy, still-puppyish Nash, young enough to be Molly's great-grandson and big and gentle enough to make her feel safe and secure.

In less than a day, they had bonded and Molly was cuddling up with him to sleep.

It's been a bit over four years since her rescue, and Molly is doing really well. While she still can startle easily and is very hesitant around people she does not know, she has accepted Craig and me and is not afraid of us anymore.

Me giving Molly a good skritch under her foreleg a few weeks ago. Her toes are splayed in delight and her ears are in happy position.

Snooze buddies - Craig petting her as he falls asleep in his chair. (She had approached him and asked for some attention.)

Enjoying some Skinny Pop with me while Lisa is at school. (Molly got the first piece and is chewing.)

Checking me out recently when I was trying to nap on the couch. She was hoping I'd pet her instead of sleeping - what a change from the days when she would run from our touch!

Look at the love in her eyes! She is sitting up on her hind legs and has placed her paw on Lisa's arm.

Trusted to be off leash and enjoying the summer grass in our yard.

It took the first eight years of her life, but Molly now knows she is safe and loved. And she loves right back. 

Deeply.