The Aftermath

First Post of the Day

I am working on another Collections within my Collection post. If I can get it done, it will be posted by 11 AM this morning. If not, look for it tomorrow.

In the meantime, we are still hunkered down. Everything is closed today (grateful for the kids who wait outside for buses!) and it is still and quiet. Well, except for a neighbor's snow removal service who showed up at 4:30 this morning and loudly ran their snowblower. But you have to cut them some slack - I am sure they have a lot of places to clear today.

All in all, we got lucky snow-wise. We got 7" or more but the blowing and drifting has not been as bad as it could have been.

I feel for Pepper and Tammo, though. The snow is so deep that doing their business is problematic - their backsides get into the snow when they squat!

And poor Tammo went from tree to tree to bush to mailbox trying to find a place where he could lift his leg and not be "be buried"in the snow when he did. (Ahem!)

We have snow piled up our windows

And the snowplow that did our neighborhood took out a bunch of mailboxes in addition to the snow.

But what we are experiencing is nothing compared to what Cole and Emily are going through in Tennessee.

When we drive down to visit them, we drive right past Nashville Top Golf. You can't miss it; the nets must be 5 - 6 stories high.

The ice they have gotten in the Nashville area took them down.

Todd's parents, Craig's sister, her kids and spouses, and their children all live in the Nashville metro area, too. They are taking a beating. 

Todd shared this picture that his mother had taken of her neighbor's home across the street.

Emily sent us this video Sunday afternoon of their front yard.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IFuwbGKUtJo

She said the noise that you hear is the ice crackling in their trees.

Back here in Indiana, the storm is not yet over. Currently we are under an Extreme Cold Warning. That changes at noon to a Cold Weather Warning. Then, it changes back to an Extreme Cold Weather Warning for tonight until Tuesday mid morning.

And then... another storm, one worse than this one, is predicted for this coming weekend.

Go away, Winter!

The Hobby is BUSY now!

There is a LOT going on in the model horse hobby right now. First, it's time to register for NaMoPaiMo.

Think you can't paint? Have no artistic bent? Those were my own thoughts for years until I took my students' advice and gave it a try.

I painted Sultanna in 2020,

and Hokey in 2021.

I even received a NaMoPaiMo medallion for my efforts!

Don't let doubts about your artistic capabilities keep you from participating. NaMoPaiMo is not about being the best. It's about enjoying the process, learning, making new friends, helping others, and so much more. Give it a try!

BreyerMidwest is taking place this weekend in Topeka, Kansas.

When the dates and location were announced months ago, there were some raised eyebrows and concerns voiced by people about having such an event in the middle of winter in the Midwest.

Those concerns were justified. Fortunately, the heavy snow part of the storm is coming in after people arrived. It will be heading home when the event finishes that will be problematic. (If you're there, have fun and safe travels!)

As always, BreyerMidwest is where two of the three ambassador (formerly volunteer) models are introduced.

Vegvisir on the Georg mold! Palomino and sooty buckskin are being handed out at the event, and the third color will be introduced at BreyerFest. (Photo from Facebook.)

Georg is a very popular mold and so I think prices for him on the secondary market will be very high. 

Breyer has introduced the first Exotic Destinations Series model of 2026.

Lisboa (Portuguese for Lisbon), a Lusitano stallion in glossy dapple bay. 600 pieces are being made and entries close 1/25 at 11:59 PM Eastern.

And, Breyer has a sweepstakes going on, too!

Enter by January 28, 11:59 PM to win Cupid, the 2026 Valentine plushie. Six winners will receive him for free.

I haven't covered any of the releases for BreyerFest yet, but that will have to wait for another blog post. In the meantime, here's a "before the storm" photo from the barn.

Eazy, Penny, and Bogo at the hay racks. Eat up, ponies! The snow is coming!

Stay warm and stay safe, all!

 

A Snowstorm Blows In

We got walloped with a winter storm yesterday. Am I grateful that all my kids left for home on Friday! This storm was heavy duty and even closed the bridge over the Wabash for several hours due to ice and stuck cars.

 Soon it was deep enough to cover our front walk so you couldn't tell where it ended and the lawn began.

Footprints, human and doggy, filled in quickly, too.

It didn't help that the snow was coupled with strong winds.

I braved the storm a couple of times to measure the depth of the snow but quit after we hit 8 inches.

It was a heavy, wet snow so, despite the winds, the drifting wasn't too bad.

Our front door and walk are pretty sheltered from the wind, but even there the snow was accumulating.

Rural roads are tough to clear when there is heavy snow and winds. This is the road in front of Leslie's farm.

Fresh Pepper tracks next to her earlier ones that are nearly covered over.

Florida Boi Tammo did not want to go out into the storm, but finally, he had to. And he discovered that the snow was fun to play in.

It helped that Pepper had brought a toy out. I'd missed that she had one in her mouth until after she was out in the yard. Of course, she dropped it in the snow and it disappeared.

Tammo had known she'd taken it out and was looking for it as he bounced around. I'm so glad I caught part of his glee on film!

Temperatures briefly rose during the night so we had a little melting but then an arctic front came through. Temperatures are plummeting and the high winds have returned.

The melted snow has frozen and there is a lot of ice everywhere.

Remembering Craig's falls and head injuries the past two years, this year I gifted him with a shoveling service. It was a good gift - that snow was so heavy, there is ice, high winds...  No runs to the ER this year! (Well, at least not due to shoveling snow.)

Church is closed today as a result of the slick roads. We will stay safe and snug here at home with the dogs for company. I have begun decorating for Christmas and may even do some baking.

More on all that tomorrow. Stay 'tooned!

Doin's on a Cold Winter Day

Well, the snowstorm was a bust for us here in the Lafayette area. All over Indiana, the roads are terrible, schools are closed, and the snow is still falling, blowing, and drifting.

But not in Tippecanoe County. We ended up under a "tongue of dry air" as the local meteorologist put it, and all the snow that was over us dried up before ever hitting the ground. 

Although I do hear a snowblower as I type. Not sure why - I've been out with the dogs and while there is a dusting of snow, it's nothing. I could (and I will) sweep our walks off - no shoveling or snow blowing needed. 

Anticipating being stuck indoors all day yesterday, I spent a lot of time packing up the last remnants of Christmas.

I sorted the ornaments into piles

and then am putting them into clothes baskets to carry upstairs to Craig's library where the Christmas closet and tubs are.

It's currently in a state of chaos, but it is organized chaos, a chaos that is going to pay off in the Christmases to come. I am going through every single tub and box (10+ of them) and repacking each one. 

A list of what's inside is taped to each lid, and a note as to whether or not to use the things in that tub for future Christmases.

My goal is to have the things I want all grouped together and in clearly marked boxes so that I grab only the tubs I want in the years to come. Much better than opening every single tub and box and digging through them, year after year.

It's doubled the work of packing up for this Christmas, but it will make Christmas decorating (and packing up) so much easier in the future.

Yesterday I mentioned that I'd received new models, but horses are not the only thing that's come in the mail for me. Check out this pretty bluebird.

Marilou Mol and Linda Shawhan sell collections for people on Facebook.

In December they listed this very old Hagen Renaker Bluebird. The earliest HR birds had wire legs like this.

We have bluebirds in our neighborhood and they do not migrate - they remain here year round. For three years, some of those bluebirds wintered in a barn swallow's nest that was over our front porch. It was a treat to watch them come and go, and to know that they had chosen a very safe, secure, and warm shelter.

So, when I saw this piece up for auction, I took a chance and bid on it. I am thrilled to add it to my HR mini collection!

I don't see any BreyerFest or other news posted on Breyer's web site this morning. They do have the 2025 releases, and the dealer's catalogue can be found here. But the Christmas horses are missing. Triple Mountain Model Horses shows many of the Christmas horses and this box is a must have for me.

A 75th Anniversary Advent Calendar of 12 days containing Mini Whinny versions of Breyers and vintage colors!  (Screenshot from Triple Mountain website.)

I was disappointed to see that the 2025 Breyer Advent Calendar is a mix of horses and unicorns. I will probably skip it this year, especially since I will have that 75th Anniversary Advent Calendar as I've already pre-ordered it from Triple Mountain. (Screenshot also from Triple Mountain.)

Today's plans? Keep on keepin' on in the grand Christmas decoration sort-out. Spend some time sewing - Kalamazoo is coming up in ten weeks and I am woefully low on inventory. Get Pepper and Tammo to the park for some frisbee time (I think I can get my walker through what little snow we got. Fingers crossed.)

And chili sounds really good for dinner on a cold winter day.

Stay warm, all!

Chilly Winds are Blowing

The storm has begun. The snow is falling and those winds truly are howling. Look at how it blows the snow that is coming down in this video that I filmed early this morning. (The non-wind sounds you hear are Pepper shaking her collar and the front door opening. She did not like those winds!)

Already power lines are down in town, and the temperatures are in the teens and dropping. Wind chill at the moment is -6. 

Those winds were so strong last night that, as I was getting ready for bed, I heard a bang in the laundry room. I went to investigate and the door between the garage and the laundry room had suddenly blown open!

The winds were really blowing hard when I got up this morning, and Pepper wasn't too excited about going outside, front or back yard.

But while she was warm and out of the blowing snow indoors, she couldn't escape the sound of those winter winds.

I found these winds pretty distracting myself. (Plus they REALLY made me want some hot chocolate.)

Yesterday afternoon I went out to the barn to check the horses before the storm blew in. They were fine and munching hay, and they had the old barn and the loafing shed to choose from for shelter when the weather turned. Tim was coming home that day, too, and would resume his daily checks. (Nothing like coming home from a nice, sunny cruise to this weather!)

Meanwhile, Sarah reported that they got another 5 inches of snow yesterday (they're at 20+ inches currently), and that all of Iowa was essentially closed down. 

The view from Sarah's front door in Iowa City.

She was concerned because Todd had had to attend a surgery up in Mason City in the northern part of the state and was fighting his way home through the blizzard. (He did make it home late last night, thank goodness.)

A snowstorm is a good time to work on indoor projects. 

I've been pulling models to sell,

and gathering various packing supplies to cushion them.

Lisa and Curt have been coming through on my (near frantic) request for "Boxes! I need boxes!" (Note to self: before you announce that you are selling a bunch of models, be sure you check your box supply first.)

I've been in the sewing room, too, preparing for The Kalamazoo Living History Show in March.

My current focus is restocking my supply of 18th century chemises. 

They sell well as you can see here by the empty wooden hanger - the show had not even opened to the public yet as we were still setting up.

I sold all but one of my chemises at The Feast of the Hunters' Moon in October, and I like to have at least one of every size available to customers at shows. I will finish the last of the re-stocking chemises today and next week will begin making woolen capes. I haven't made a cape in a long time and am really looking forward to it.

As for Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile, it is in good shape, and not requiring "snowstorm attention."

I spent November and December sewing haversacks like crazy, so I feel well prepared for my first model horse event of 2024, the Great Lakes Congress show in March.

Off to make that hot chocolate and head on in to the sewing room and watch the flakes fly as I stitch.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Recently a pretty significant snowstorm made its way across the USA. Our family GroupMe chat began filling up with photos as the storm moved across the states.

Santaquin, Utah

That's some heavy snow coming down on Cambria!

Iowa City, Iowa

Sarah loves snow, so it was no surprise that I began receiving pictures and videos of her home almost as soon as the flakes began coming down. (15 inches in the first snowstorm, and then more a day later!)

Until Sarah and Todd moved to Iowa, I had no idea just how bad the winter weather there could be. (Ever seen snow potholes? Where the snow on the roads becomes so thick and compressed, turns to ice, and then begins developing potholes in that ice? I hadn't and nearly broke an axle hitting one once!)

The snowfall may be heavy, but dogs gotta do what dogs gotta do, right?

I love how Blue takes a bite of snow while Rhett struggles to reach the trees.

I had to laugh at this video, too, because Craig also scoops a path for Pepper when there is heavy snow.

Rexburg, Idaho

JC may not love snow like his mama does, but he joined in and sent the family a video of the snow that was falling outside his place of work. Idaho generally gets a lot of snow, too.

Thompson's Station, Tennessee

No snow there! The white tablecloth under the Christmas, 2023 Lego Village had to do.

A detailed tour from Julie and Cole of this year's village.

West Lafayette, Indiana

That same storm was supposed to give us 3 inches, but we only got an inch which melted quickly.

Still, it was a pretty snow, and I always love it when our outdoor lights get buried and then glow underneath the snow.

We expect more snow and some ice this weekend from a second major storm that will be coming through. Sarah and her family and dogs are planning to come for a visit, but we shall see what the travel impact is. 

Fingers crossed that it won't be too bad and that they can get here safely.