Happy 70th Birthday, Craig & Rick!

These gentlemen both turned 70 in July! Craig had told me he did not want a party so we celebrated quietly at home on July 7, but Leslie planned a party for Rick on July 23 and invited Craig to be a part of it.

We had the shelter house at the Battlefield reserved, but due to rainy weather, we came indoors and used a large room in the museum.

We had pizza from the Battleground Pizza King and cake for dessert. None of our family could come, but my siblings and family were there along with a couple of friends of Rick and Leslie. Rick's brother Chris and his wife came, too.

Happy 70th, Craig!

Summer Storm

Summer storms in the midwest often roll in fast and we had a good one blow through recently. It was a sunny morning and Pepper indicated that she wanted to go outside.

When I stepped out into the back yard with her, I saw this unusual cloud looming over the homes behind us.

A front was moving in, and the leading edge was right over us.

In a matter minutes, these black, roiling clouds followed that leading edge of the front.

Craig and I stood on the patio and watched the storm roll in. It was coming at a good clip and passing over us fast.

When the wind kicked up and began blowing things over on our patio, I took Pepper inside. Then I stepped back out to snap some more pictures.

Storms fascinate me, and this one had really interesting cloud patterns within it.

The rain began to fall and the lightning was getting close, so we headed back into the house.

The storm blew by as quickly as it had come in, and later when I checked the horses, just a few clouds remained as a reminder of the storm we'd had. That, and some greener grass for the horses.

45th Anniversary Celebration: Off to Nauvoo!

Wednesday morning of our family celebration week we all hopped into our vehicles and traipsed together from Iowa City to Nauvoo, Illinois.

That's a lot of cars traveling together, so the Iowa Department of Transportation put out a warning that we were on the road. (Haha, just kidding; but we all laughed about that.)

Sarah had rented a bunch of cabins for us to stay in, and the doors of ours were identified by these signs.

Horsey decor inside - perfect!

We settled in and then went to old Nauvoo. It's a town on the Mississippi River that was settled by Mormon pioneers and there are a LOT of fun things to do. (And all FREE! Just what a big family needs!)

We learned a variety of skills like rope making and pioneer baking, 

and even loaded a pioneer wagon for the trek west to Utah. 

The kids loved the pioneer games area

which had a schoolhouse and a log cabin for fun pretend games.

Susie and Lukie (in the back) spent the entire time playing with the skittles and balls

 while the adults did some hoop throwing/catching

 

and even tried stilt walking.

Wednesday evening, Craig and I spent some time inside the Nauvoo Temple doing ordinance work with Sarah, Curt, JC, and Trinity. (When did JC and Trinity grow up??)

Being with your children and grands in the temple was very moving for me and one of the highlights of the trip.

More to come soon!

Pony Pals Visit the Barn

Pony Pals Ian, Mila, and Lukie and their mom, Vanessa, came out to visit the horses with me a few days ago.

The horses are always glad to see the Pony Pals - Pony Pals bring treats!

Two Socks pushed through the adult horses to see what the fuss was all about.

And soon she was letting us touch her without shying away from our hands. (Meanwhile, Abby tries to get a treat from Mila.)

Two Socks let me pet her first

and then Mila stepped up to the gate and held out her hand. What a thrill!

Two Socks is shedding out some of her baby fuzz - look at her legs.

Abby gets one last treat from Mila while Ian shows Hokey and Sultanna that his treats are gone and his hands are empty.

This photo of Lukie made me laugh - put some boots and chaps on him and he could be a cowpoke leaning on the fence and observing the herd!

Kids and horses together always make me happy. Grateful to have both in my life.

Fabric, Horses, & Music Combined

 Recently I found this lovely fabric and made some haversacks from it. 

Isn't it gorgeous? It reminds me of the ocean and combines three things that I enjoy: horses, fabric, and music.

Wondering how this fabric could remind me of music? Well, when I was teaching, I wrote and taught a unit about the world's oceans and incorporated art into it. (Gyotaku, music, and more.)

Gyotaku in the form of octopus prints drying on the floor of my classroom.

While teaching my Oceans unit, I would play Camille Saint-Saens' Aquarium from his masterpiece, The Carnivale of the Animals. If you have never heard this piece, then you really should take a listen. 

It's only two minutes long but it is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard.

I hadn't listened to Aquarium for a while. Glad that this fabric moved me to do so. (And I hope you enjoyed it, too.)