End of the Innocence?

The other morning I had gotten up early to see off my husband and son, and decided to go back to bed for just a little bit... just because I could. After a few minutes of slumber, my parents called and my mom gave me the bad news that an old friend of mine, JM, had died. The obituary she'd read was short and generic, so I called his mother in a little bit of denial and she confirmed that he had passed in late May, likely from an accidental overdose of medication.

We'd been friends and neighbors in junior high and high school (I'd had a crush on him when I was about 15 and he was 14), and then he'd befriended me again in college when he transferred to my school. JM was smart and good-looking but socially awkward in early adulthood, and I found out several years later that he had been diagnosed with a serious mental illness and was living out of state with his parents. I hadn't heard from him for about 20 years when he wrote to me out of the blue about a year and a half ago, and we corresponded by handwritten letters every few weeks during that time.

We wrote about our pets (he especially liked cats), and he expounded about how much he enjoyed living in Florida, "paradise." I told him about our farm life, and sent him pictures of our chickens, cats, and alpacas. He sent me a photo of our old house, and we reminisced about "the good ole days". I sent him a postcard the day we headed for Florida this spring with my cell number, and told him to give us a call if he wanted to get together since we would be near his home. He called, and my husband, daughter and I met him for lunch. Still friendly and funny, we were mutually glad to see each other and we had a really good visit.

Hearing the news that just six weeks after I'd seen him JM was gone, especially on the heels of another close friend's inexplicable suicide, filled me with sadness. I started to lay my head back on the pillow, but instead jumped out of bed and literally shouted, "CARPE DIEM" (Seize the Day!). I was overwhelmed with a wave of gratitude for my own life and truly felt that I should not waste a minute feeling sad!

I heard this song later that day, and it has been swirling in my head ever since:

Somehow it seems connected to my feelings about losing my old friend, but it is also now linked in my mind to our expedition yesterday, one of the absolute BEST days I've ever had riding and sharing with my girlfriends.

"I know a place where we can go, still untouched by men... We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by, the tall grass waving in the wind".... That's where we went, or at least it seemed like it at Red Hill in Livingston, KY and the Daniel Boone National Forest. I know that only MB and Marti (and our 3 horses) can truly understand what a special day it was....

The challenge of the rugged trails (indescribably scary in spots, sloppy-muddy in others), the amazing conversations and laughter, the beauty of the surroundings, and the awe and appreciation we held for our sure-footed horses.... all contributed to an especially gratitude-filled, happy day. AND, to top it off, we FINALLY found Moonbow Rock, a natural arch which we had sought in every prior ride at Red Hill and never could find. (We had begun to doubt it's existence). And we didn't get lost like on last year's epic ride there with my daughter.

So, well into my middle years and having survived longer than some who were precious to me, I am attempting to find meaning and connectedness in the people, places, and experiences in my life. I am trying to see beauty and significance in the small and large events. I felt drawn to this plant I spotted by Moonbow Rock... which I realized today symbolizes the love and connectedness I have with Marti, MB, and our horses.

And yes, once again, I do know how very lucky I am.....

Creative happenings... of all sorts!

Marti and Gringo, Eastern Kentucky, 2009

My creativity has been able to manifest itself in ways other than dressing up my horse... time to move on from all of the equine emphasis here and back to some of my other outlets.I've actually been on a roll in the studio, with tons of felting, dyeing and other crafting going on (more on that in a few days). In addition, I'm still trying to learn Adobe Photoshop Elements, and recently came upon a fantastic site and free online class.

It's still not too late to get on board for this session, follow the link from the Kim Klassen Skinny Minnie class button on my sidebar. These are some of the fun photos I've produced lately (the frog was the result of my first "homework" assignment in Kim's class!) Mirian is doing the class as well and is having a lot of fun with it; she's a very good photographer!Kentucky Horse Park, October 2010

The digital photo work is really addictive, just what I need- another distraction in my loco life!

Wonderful WEG (World Equestrian Games)

The countdown clocks that have been up all over Lexington for about 3 years finally wound down, and the Opening Ceremonies of the World Equestrian Games finally came about with the most beautiful displays of equine pageantry and variety. Paul and I were blessed with free tickets to the Opening at the last minute, and Mirian got to attend with a friend. (Robert is not into horses!)

My pictures won't do it justice, but let me just mention some of what we saw and heard at the Opening: Hundreds of horses representing dozens of breeds, a parade of athletes from 62 countries (much like they do at the Olympics), Wynona Judd singing My Old Kentucky Home as beautifully as I've ever heard it, Mohommad Ali in a glorious antique caddillac, William Shatner driving a buggy, drill teams, horses dancing with the Lexington Ballet, glorious opera singers, governors and mayors and other politicians, a real princess (HRH Princess Haya, president of the FEI), a dozen Fresians "dancing" to New York, New York, a mini horse race with famous jockeys riding, precision drill teams, trick horses, and million dollar circus carriages. It was a display I'll never forget.
There were so many different breeds and styles of horses on display throughout the Games (not just those competing), and it truly was an international event of excellence and diversity with the best of many types represented. All were groomed and trained to the hilt, and I was completely inspired.
Not only REAL horses, there was the most beautiful horse art and sculpture at every turn.Mirian got to meet the actor who played the jockey in the Secretariat movie (just released this weekend, and I got an autographed Breyer model of Secretariat, signed by Ron Turcotte, his real jockey! Painted horses remain all over Lexington, and I still hope to check them all out.
There is more to come, I can't say enough about what a great time I had at the WEG, and like many of my friends I feel that it's come to an end too soon... but we're so lucky to have had it at all.

Equines on the Equinox

MB and Marti and I headed out to Shaker Village on the first day of fall, though the weather was a far cry from"fall-ish" at 94 degrees! We've ridden the trails of Shaker Village before, but were especially drawn there this time because the United States Equestrian Team's Endurance Team has been training there and we hoped to watch a bit.We didn't get to see much training going on, as apparently this last week before the competition the team mostly just tries to maintain fitness, letting the horses rest up for their 100 mile ride against other mostly Arabian horses and riders from around the world! I'm excited that I'll be volunteering on Endurance Day (Sunday), and hope to have more to report. Yeah, there's going to be a lot of horse activity on this site for a while with the World Equestrian Games countdown at just one more day!They couldn't have picked a nicer place to train, as the trails of Shaker Village are just beautiful! As always, the best parts were being with my good friends and my favorite mount, Sunday.
We always enjoy telling lots of good secrets and stories...lunch and fellowship....
a few good canters...
meeting other horse lovers out on the trail...cooling off in the creek (though there wasn't much flowing water to be found since it's soooo dry)
and giving my sweet boy Sunday a kiss on his soft nose from time to time. It was a hard day to beat!

A Horsey Time and a Horsey Place!

Lexington, Kentucky... Horse Capital of the World! Yes, that's what has brought myself and so many good friends to this area, and will soon be bringing hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe for the World Equestrian Games! (September 25- October 10th at the Kentucky Horse Park). It's the largest sporting event of any kind in North America this year, and will include athletes from 62 countries! Many of my horse friends and I are volunteering (there are, after all, something like 6,000 volunteers being utilized to help things go smoothly), and we've been attending trainings, picking up our uniforms and credentials, and navigating an online system to schedule our volunteer shifts.
As fun as it is to anticipate the world-class equine activity that will soon be on our home turf, there's just nothing that beats a Sunday afternoon trail ride on our own steeds! We trailered to a neighboring friend's farm the other day. Although she raises and sells exquisite racing thoroughbreds, Rosilyn's preference for a casual ride is the horse she can hop on in just a halter and lead rope... Okie, the farm's "pony", a calming influence on yearlings in training.

Horse tales are freely shared, and the valuable equine athletes in high-end competitions make no better stories than those we tell of our own horses- of those that won't get in a trailer and will instead jump into the back of a pickup truck (as one of Paul's old show horses would do when he was a kid), their sicknesses or injuries, funny personality quirks, or of a particular fall or foible. It's pretty hard to beat the accounts of horse adventures told by Debra, our other neighbor friend that comes along. She's been on several international horse treks, and a recent blog post on her beautiful blog, Foxlily, about her adventures in Tibet make our story of getting lost along Horse Lick creek earlier this summer seem quite lame!
We cross over parched cow pastures that were just 6 weeks ago unseasonably green- Central Kentucky is now in a severe drought.We stop at beautiful Glen's Creek to water the horses; fortunately it's still running, though its much more shallow than usual.
We're visited by curious horses at a neighboring farm. Our own horses pick up their heads and try to look lively, and they all quickly bore of each other as we amble by.
Although I still love the equine activities at the Kentucky Horse Park and racing at Keeneland, on a day like Sunday I know that THIS is why I came to Kentucky.... to enjoy my own horse on a lovely day with friends and family. I know I'm very lucky.

A Kentucky Favorite

The person who put together this slideshow describes the song as " a love song to a place, a home, a way of life and the people you know" I agree.

This time of year, I often find myself humming "My Old Kentucky Home". It's not only because of the great pre-Derby tradition (which normally brings tears to my eyes), but about another springtime tradition, the one that brought me to Kentucky in the first place.The Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event, especially the Saturday Cross Country day, is one of my favorite spring events. I first attended this when it was the World 3-Day Event in 1978. I was a horse-crazy Ohio girl, and my parents brought another horsey friend and I to Lexington for it. I had also been to Keeneland Race Track the year or two before, and the seeds were planted in my soul for a future life in Kentucky on that trip.
Watching horse and rider negotiate the huge fences is exilherating, and I find myself holding my breath as they near the giant obstacles at a full gallop, with raw determination showing clearly on their faces.Yes, it is a dangerous sport (though many measures have been put into place to make it safer for horse and rider, as there have been fatalities in the past), and there is an occasional crash.The very first horse we watched negotiating The Head of the Lake series of water jumps hit a solid-looking log and it made a sharp cracking sound. Fortunately, the log was made of styrofoam and after being checked okay, the horse and rider did the entire series over and went on safely. They replaced the log with a spare, and we noticed 5 more spares on reserve!There is a lot of artistry and creativity that goes into the fence designs, as well as engineering for safety and challenge- it's a beautiful sight to see and to feel the hooves pounding since you're so close to the action.I love it, and although I wish I was closer to my family in Ohio I'll never regret moving to The Bluegrass State.

Cheep Thrills

I love spring on the farm when I can take the time to smell the flowers and admire the babies (and I'm trying hard to ignore the knee-high grass in places!). The other day I picked up 4 Aracauna chicks at a feed store to add to our thriving little flock of laying hens. Aracaunas are one of a few types that lay blue eggs, and I've always wanted some!
Of course, Mirian needed to get acquainted with them and give them all names.We're enjoying Mirian's sheep- her ewe is Pepper and the lambs are Shelby and Pepe. Pepe apparently got stepped on by his mother and has had a bum leg, but the vet ruled out a break and he finally seems a little better today.We had a beautiful cria (full Accoyo fawn male) born while I was gone to the Futurity Alpaca Show and Auction in Oklahoma City (read about it here), and Paul and the kids did a fabulous job with the extra care he required due to being a little small and weak and a few weeks early. Mirian even tube-fed him before he was strong enough to nurse on his own. He's doing fine now, and has tentatively been named San Francisco.In other news, our horse Gringo has foundered. This is my first time to learn first-hand about this somewhat common but serious equine ailment, and all indications are that he'll be okay but will need lots of TLC, stall rest, vet care and a set of $275 shoes which he got today...... um, yeah.

Tomorrow is one of the best days of the year to live in Kentucky, Cross Country Day at the Rolex Kentucky 3 Day Event! Can't wait and will report back with pictures.

A Full Week

It's continued to be a challenging time on the farm, and I've had a hard time even talking about some recent losses. I hope to share some of those things soon on our farm blog.
As always, spending time with fiber, friends, family and horses has been my greatest therapy. I was able to finish this shawl after much fussing and many changes throughout the process. I am both a process and a product artist, enjoying both equally- how about you? You can see more photos of the shawl or purchase it from my Etsy store.

I had intended to add some beading detail to the shawl, but after spending about 2 hours and completing only about 1/2 of one spiral, I decided that beading was for the birds and ripped it out. Oh well, that's all part of finding out if something works or not!

Yesterday I did make time for a break with my Gallop Girl friends, and we took the horses for an expedition at a fellow alpaca breeder's farm in Northern Kentucky. I rode Strawberry, my husband's mare, and she really rose to the occasion having been ridden only once this year. We had lots of good talking and laughs as is typical, and we loved seeing Deb's gorgeous farm and exploring the trails around her property.

We stopped at a beautiful overlook and had a customary nip of wine, feeling like we could have been in remote Montana with the rest of the world hundreds of miles away. It was exactly what I needed.

It was very relaxing to sit back and enjoy the scene, taking in the lovely late-summer weather and enjoying our beautiful horses. (I loved Deb's Fresian cross mare). Her guardian dog escorted us along and enjoyed cooling off at the creek.

Deb and her husband Jim served us a great dinner afterwards, and we enjoyed their company and their beautiful setting, a day to remember.