Long Trip Down

Mom and I were on the road around 4:00 am. The Prius's gps system must need updating, it made a few mistakes and we spent a few minutes correcting those mistakes but the biggest mistake was when we were looking for a Waffle House and ended up in a Walmart parking lot with thousands of last minutes shoppers this Christmas Eve. We eventually found the Waffle House, ate breakfast for lunch around 11:40 am then continued driving. We almost got in a bad accident. A lady driving a car in the far right lane must have fallen asleep and started drifting into our lane. We slammed on the breaks, the car continued drifting across our lane and the left lane until it slammed into the concrete barriers, bounced off out of control careening across the 3 lanes of traffic all going 70 miles an hour. No one hit her, all were able to slow down in time. Then instead of pulling off she kept driving at 70 miles an hour down the highway until her car started overheating. Of course by this time we were all hanging back scared to get too close to the car and were relieved when she finally pulled off at the next exit. A bit later we were on a smaller road when a small 2 engine plane flew right in front of us coming from a field to the left of us and heading across the road to another field. Both mom and I jumped and exclaimed, "what WAS that?" This plane was barely 15 feet in front of us and not high enough in the air for us to safely go under. Thankfully the pilot was going fast enough we missed hitting it. One does NOT expect a plane to zoom across the front of the car when traveling 65 miles an hour.
By the time we made it down to Gulf Shores all the grocery stores were closed until Monday including Walmart. Mike found an open Walgreens and got enough food for this condo to make it until the stores open again. Mom brought down enough food for her condo. Beth has plenty for her 2 condo's. I think the only one needing food is Spark and Rhonda.

2016 Meister Christmas

Oh we laughed and laughed. Mom could not figure out who Santa was until the great reveal at the very end. She was just sure it was Chad until Chad stood up, then decided Justin must be Santa until Justin stood up. Her next guess was Brett, Kari's husband, then Jacob.  Toward the end of the evening she was sure Nolan was Santa but all of those guesses were wrong. The rest of the audience knew exactly who Santa was as soon as he walked in. About half way into the opening of the gifts Santa asked her again, "Who AM I?" and when mom  responded, "I just don't know." Spark yelled out, "time to put her in the home."
The camera was packed for the trip tomorrow but here are a few pictures taken with the phone.

Above Nancy is singing 'her song' Into My Heart.

 Above they were passing the microphone for the special numbers, below Jordan decided to 'help' Michelle play Christmas carols on the piano. Spark had to rescue her from his help.

 Above was the singing of Heirlooms and below Spark is reading the Christmas story. The kids have to pay special attention just in case he makes a mistake and Spark must need new glasses, he made a lot of mistakes which they were all glad to yell out the correct answers. 

 Below was opening of gifts. 

 Santa giving out the gifts.

 And below was the big reveal. Santa was DANNY. Mom was shocked. She even at one point, after going through all the guys she thought it was said, "well it couldn't be Dan, he isn't tall enough." That's what happens when you put on a lot of weight, you shrink. 

WE had 2 announcements. Kari and Brett announced they are expecting and Chad and Julie announced they are expecting. These couples are both due in July just 2 days apart. 

Rhonda posted the picture below of her current 14 grandchildren.

But now this will be outdated come July.  I think Beth and Greg are giving up on posting any family pictures since they can't keep up with the current Herman population explosion. 

The rest of the day was good. Mark came out to feed with me early so he could learn how to care for the horses. The laundry had to be done before I could pack for the weeks vacation down in Gulf Shores. There is not near enough clothes on hand without doing laundry first. As today was the Meister Christmas and Rachel would not be able to come and bring her desserts,  I baked 2 pies and made a couple dozen Christmas cookies. Once the  house was semi clean enough to leave the wild rice was started for the dinner tonight and as soon as that was done I picked up mom and we left for the fellowship hall. I'm tired and we are getting up around 3:30 am to leave for that long drive down.

Surgery For Rachel

They took Rachel in to surgery at 9:00 am. Mom drove to the hospital taking Luke with her. The rest of the family had already arrived and kept us all informed. Mom called after surgery to tell us that it WAS appendicitis but the surgery went well and they were going to be able to see Rachel in about an hour. Hers was quite enlarged and inflamed. The picture below is not Rachel's appendix but brings back a lot of memories from when I worked in surgery.

 It is amazing to think how much pain one is in when this little body part becomes angry. Rachel said, "I used to say Luke was my longest and hardest labor... But the last 36 hours has topped that one.. And no cute baby at the end of it... Thankful it's over!!"
Hopefully she has a quick recovery. They are keeping her in the hospital again tonight but if all looks well tomorrow she will get to go home, just in time for the Meister Christmas. She HAS to go to that, she is in charge of bringing desserts! Well maybe we have that covered by now. No one wants to have the Meister Christmas without desserts.
I left early from the walk to stop at Sam's Club for dog food then over to the Berean office where we had a good morning. To read about that click HERE. After running the Bibles down to the Bartonville post office I drove to Pekin to pick up 7 bags of grain then home to unload. Mark will be caring for the dogs and horses here while I'm in Gulf Shores and wanted to make sure there was enough food for both the dogs and horses before I leave on Saturday.
Mike is taking Matthew Ricketts, Emily's brother, out to Middle Grove to care for the horses there while we are gone. Other than Mark, all of us living out here will be in Gulf Shores except Rachel and her family. She has to stay as she is the photographer for Emily's wedding. Karin should already be down there and just for her so she can get her horse fix I'm posting some of our videos of the past.
The Pirate Play:
And of course we need to post Evan at Liberty since Karin actually took this video:

Can't leave Killian out, Below is Emily showing Killian at Liberty:
Oh we sure do have fun with these horses.

Appendicitis?

Rachel's husband David stopped in at mom's early this morning to tell her Rachel was sick and he asked if mom would stop in to check on her. Well she didn't get better in fact when David asked how she was she moaned. He asked her if he should take her to the hospital and she didn't say NO. That is always a worry as most of us girls are considered pretty tough. David took her to Pekin hospital where at first they suspected pancreatitis but as the tests went on they discovered an enlarged appendix. They haven't done surgery yet, but the doctor told David he wouldn't be surprised if that was done tomorrow morning. They kept her overnight trying to get the pain and vomiting under control. Karin and Jessica went up to the hospital this evening to stay with her while David ran home to get a few things.
We had a nice sunny 44 degree day here melting most of the ice. Karin stopped in to work a few horses before she leaves for Gulf Shores. Foxy was taken out first.

 This mare continues to impress us with her huge gaits. 

 When Karin finished with her today we decided to put her in the pond pasture with Jenis and Eliza hoping this help settle her down. 

It didn't work, she went right over to them and started mule kicking. She was taken right out and put in the paddock next to Evan. We will probably end up taking her to Middle Grove for the herd to teach her that she is not the boss around here. Valiant was taken out next.

 He was excellent today. Listening and wanting to please. He was taken back and Evan brought out.

Evan was so low key today he jogged around like a quarter horse. No kicking or bucking, no impressive huge trot.

Karin was well pleased with both of the stallions. Each session was kept short as they were both well behaved. 

Joan, Sarah and Anni made it down home from that long 44 hour trip to pick up Kabur. Anni posted this picture from Florida after they got down there.

 And this was a picture taken of Sarah on the drive home. 

They are exhausted but glad to have made the trip successfully and safely. Mark drove mom and I to church tonight. Greg Rumbold had the service.

Kabur

The big news today is Sarah's dog Kabur is back in the states. 

loaded and on the way home.

Sarah writes: Kabur is back in the States! So very thankful to be reunited with him, and for everyone who worked to make it possible. AGAPE did a fabulous job bringing him safely and even getting him through customs for me. Thank you!!! 

 This ALMOST didn't happen. Joan, Sarah and Anni were 18 hours into this trip to the Palm Beach International airport when Joan got the call that Kabur was covered in ticks and the people arranging to get him here did not think the vet would allow him into the states. Well they all must have worked hard and had the ticks removed before the vet saw him. Kabur was allowed to fly and was happy to be reunited with his owner Sarah. They are now on their way home with him happily riding in the back of the car. 

The morning here felt almost balmy at 16 degrees. This was a 20 degree swing from yesterday's -4. The horses were fed early, it was nice to see that all the ice was off the top of the waterers. The last few days, even with the heaters running a thin layer of ice formed on top. 

We were all glad to get out to walk and talk catching up on everyone's weekend. Ruth reported Fedi is doing very well since his shoulder surgery last week. Mom caught another mouse and Diane was a little late as she forgot to put Ebby's coat on and went back for that. 

We had a very good morning at the Berean office. To read about that click HERE. We didn't quite finish with the studies but another group is coming in tomorrow to do that. As soon as I got home Evan was taken into a stall and a new round bale put in his paddock. Karin worked horses at Middle Grove and reported Star is looking very pregnant along with Anna. Star isn't due until April 17th so I don't think we need to worry about bringing her in right away. Star is a pretty mare, she has such a thick mane and tail that her half Friesian foals end up about as hairy as a purebred Friesian foal. 

There are 4 mares due to foal ahead of her. Anna is due March 18th, 

Whitney and Hadassah are both due April 5th,

Ayanna is due April 16th.

Lola is due April 19th and went 3 weeks early with her first foal

so she could also beat Star.  Soul is due April 19th

and Zalena April 23rd.

I'm thinking we may be just a little busy in April. I may have to set up temporary foaling stalls in the indoor arena if they all decide to deliver at once.

Warm House

It was 4 BELOW zero this morning so we cancelled the walk. Mark got a ride in to work with Philip and as soon as he left I went out to feed then bring in wood for the day. Enough wood to keep both wood burners burning brightly. Not only were both going full blast, the oven was on as today I baked pies and big pot of corn chowder was simmering on the stove for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's Berean meal. This house was WARM.
Joan, Sarah and Anni left for Florida this afternoon. This will be a quick trip as they are just going down to Palm Beach International airport to pick up Sarah's dog Kabur. He has been living in Haiti ever since the family left. They have been working on bringing him home and now finally were able to make it happen. If the timing goes as planned they are going to stop in for a short visit with Aunt Sandra and Uncle Dave who live in Jupiter, Florida.
The weather is predicted to warm up to 31 and sunny tomorrow which will help melt some of this thick ice. The snow on the ground made me think of all the fun we have had in the past with horses and snow.  Below is my favorite picture. This is Rosalie, her first time out in the snow. She is just a few days old. Rosalie is out of Lily by Raven, Raven's last daughter.

We are so very glad we kept her. 

The picture below is Rhoda and Lily taken after a 12 inch snowfall while we were living at Pleasant Home on Baer in Peoria. This was in the days before I had a decent camera. 

To see the rest of the horses and snow pictures click HERE. 

Sceggel Christmas

Below is a picture of Rhoda and Sarah's new puppy. He is the puppy on the left, his brother the red and gold one already has a new home. 

We awoke to -4 degrees and a fresh layer of snow on top of all that ice. Mark is still not feeling well so stayed home. Mom, Emily and I drove to church. The drive in to church was bad. The washer fluid was frozen and as each truck passed us the front window became more smeared and filthy making it hard to see the road. We had 2 visiting ministers today both named Brad. Brad Eisenmann the beginning of the morning service followed by Brad Bauer. The afternoon was our Sunday school Christmas program. Mom and I sat up in the balcony so we could see everyone. They were so enthusiastic.  

Molly's daughter Eden and Joan's daughter Faith sang a special part for the Bible class.  After church was the Sceggel Christmas which was held at Phil and Anna's house. The puppies were a huge hit. 

 Today is Nolan's birthday so Sarah brought a cake and candles. 

 The opening of gifts is always exciting and fun to watch. 

Trying to get a picture of all 9 of my grandchildren at the end of the evening didn't go very well. For some reason Taunya didn't want to put her baby bump in the picture. You see number 9 is due in April 2017. The rest of the grandchildren cooperated pretty well. 

We sure all had a good day. To see the rest of the evening's pictures click HERE. 

Slip Sliding Along

We have about a 10th of an inch of ice coating trees, roofs and our driveways tonight with snow predicted later and by the time we awake tomorrow it is suppose to be negative 3 degrees. This morning the shoes were fitted with the ice skids but even with those on it was hard to walk. Poor Darcy trying to get from the patio to the grass, her legs kept sliding out from under her. Mark had to help this old dog. The fire was kept burning all night and all day. A roast was stuck in the oven for supper. By the time it was done we had some, then sliced up a bunch and took it over to mom's for whoever shows up. It didn't take long for people to start arriving. Karin, mom and I started a game of Mexican train. Mark joined in when he made it over. Diane joined in when she and Mike came over then Rhonda joined the game when she and Spark finally made it. The last to arrive was Joan's daughter Sarah. All enjoyed the beef roast and mom's cookies. Mike took a trip to Middle Grove to move bales in and discovered Abigail on the wrong side of the fence. He said she was sensible and he was easily able to put her back with her mom. She immediately started nursing so we aren't sure how long she was separated. She is old enough to wean but we still don't want that to happen. Mike snapped a couple pictures of the horses waiting for him.

 Notice Abigail nursing on Rosalie in the picture below. Abigail is the only foal left at Middle Grove.

When the weather improves next week we will be bringing Anna, Rosalie and Abigail home.  The puppy buyers sent Karin a picture of the 2 puppies they are bringing home. They did not buy the Pug puppy. That puppy did not have any of his shots and Rhoda and Sarah cannot take a chance on bringing home Parvo as they bought the other two puppies. I haven't seen them yet but according to Karin the puppies are adorable. This evening trying to drive the golf cart back from mom's I was slip sliding along going sideways, doing donuts and even slipping backwards a few times. I was able to get it into the garage and on the charger but it wasn't easy. Not sure what tomorrow morning is going to bring but for sure this ice is not going to melt at below zero temperatures. 

Ice Storm

We are under a winter storm warning tonight and tomorrow and by the time the ice and snow is over Saturday night the bitter cold will be moving in with lows predicted below zero and wind chills of -20 to -30 below.
That meant all the waterers needed to be checked and better insulation put around them. Mike went to Middle Grove to check the one there and put out more bales. He decided we need to bring Anna back soon. Anna is just looking huge. This is what she looked like last time right before she was due.

She almost looks this big now but isn't due until March. We need to have her home to keep her under close observation. We are having freezing rain now which seems strange as it is a well below freezing mere 24 degrees outside. One would think we should be having snow. The ice is covering the roads making them dangerous. Rhoda, Sarah, Emily, Anni, and Jessica left this afternoon for Ohio to pick up a puppy. They booked a hotel around Indianapolis for this evening and hopefully by tomorrow morning the roads will be ok for them to finish the trip. They were going just to purchase a male red Maltipoo  but the breeder also has a litter mate that is chocolate. If these puppies are healthy and ready they may buy both as there are people from this area looking for quality non shedding puppies. There is also a  male black Pug puppy for sale in Ohio they may bring back.
We spent the evening over at mom's playing Mexican train. Joan's family, Karin, mom and I had a fun evening with lots of laughs.