Saturday At Middle Grove

 At 7:30 am Braelyn sent a text that anytime I was willing she and the girls that spent the night would be glad to help tack up horses. That worked out well. I went out pretty quickly, had Missy tacked up and put Cookie in the outdoor arena so Missy would realize she was not on her own. Anna arrived about then and took over with giving each of the girls a ride on Missy. I didn't take any pictures, hopefully Anna did. I left then to load up the golf cart with saddles, pads and bridles to take to Middle Grove. Those were loaded into mom's wheel chair van. 

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Mom and I were on the road by 10:00 am. We joined Ruth and Fedi's family including Rebekah, Brian and their 5 children, Joan's family including Jacob and Hannah and Chelise, Bethany, Joshua, William, Daisy and Anni.  Diane and Mike and Dan and Susan were also there. Ruth picked up Nancy last night and she got to stay with Joan in her motorhome. Most were out swimming when we arrived. The jeep was loaded with the saddles then Bethany, Berlica, Diane and I joined Mike in the jeep and we took off to find the herd. We drove all over the winter pasture before we found them.

They tacked up Mika, Blueberry, Sangria and Dancer then Mike fly sprayed all the horses before mounting up.

Three different videos were taken of the trail ride as I don't have a program to splice videos together right now. The first part is as they leave the herd to head to the summer trails. This first video shows how steep the hill is that we must climb when we can't find the horses. Coming down the hill in the jeep my hands were clenched so tightly I wasn't sure if I would be able to open them. Kind of like one of David's mighty men with the sword. 

Part 2 if the lake crossing. While we were waiting for the horses to cross a big bald eagle flew overhead. Joan was fishing and caught 2 bass. Dancer was trying to get out of the lake and up on the shore, lunged more than once and tossed Berlica off. Berlica was fine but I was so glad it wasn't a beginner on her. Mike thought it was the big rocks under the water and wants to map those out so he knows a better path.

And part 3 is a change of riders. Mike riding Blueberry, Hannah riding Mika, Rebekah riding Sangria and Faith riding Dancer. This is the first time Blueberry went on the trails with a rider and the first time Mike has ever cantered this very fast Thoroughbred mare. 

Joan, Ruth and I were able to get mom down the hill and into the pontoon boat and all that wanted to come joined us.

After the boat ride mom we took mom back up to the campsite. Joan took the motorhome over to Tim Meisters to fill the fresh water tank. It is tight trying to turn that big RV around and heading down that steep hill but Joan has no fear.

Then it was time for us to go swimming. Mark had driven in and went swimming with us. The lake water was perfect. Diane took some of the kids tubing. I took the videos from up at the campsite so they aren't very clear.

As a special treat Joan brought out the cotton candy machine, turned on the generator and made cotton candy for all.

Mark and I started collecting wood for the fire for supper. 

Joan grilled hamburgers over the fire and made two big pots of corn on the cob. After supper I took mom home where Karin was waiting with the hot tub all ready. Mom had a wonderful day but was glad to get home to relax in that wonderful soothing hot tub.  If interested in seeing the rest of the pictures (lots of horses pictures along with the rest) click HERE. 

It was a wonderful day with perfect weather. We couldn't ask for anything more!

Gorgeous Sunset

 Our Friday started pretty early. We had to wait for the coffee maker to go off before getting up. Mark feeds the cat before the walk and I feed Valiant his breakfast. Madiera and her colt were up eating off a bale so they were haltered and taken over to the cabin field to join Jewel and Curlin. The colt was very curious about Curlin. 

He got a little too close to Curlin, she went after him and very quickly Jewel got between them and laid into Curlin. You DON'T mess with a foal in Jewel's herd. Curlin was banned from the group for a while.

That is Jewel keeping an eye on Curlin in the picture below making sure she doesn't get to close.

A small amount of grain was put in each of the feeders so they had plenty of room to eat without feeling threatened but even then Curlin stayed away. The colt loves his grain,

Once I was sure all was well I left for the walk. Diane spent the night at Middle Grove so it was just Ruth, Joan and I. After the walk Mark gets his breakfast.  After breakfast I left for Sam's club, picked up a boneless pork loin for our Sunday dinner along with potatoes for mashing, a water melon and grapes as those were marked down and a few other food items Mark wanted. We got a message that a couple was coming over to check out the MiniMax. That meant it had to be moved to the back of the barn and plugged in.

It was easy to level so none of that took too long. It was really hot out so I was glad to get back inside into the air conditioning. Berlica was out mowing with the grasshopper while Mackenson was mowing with the walk behind. The mares in the pond pasture were grazing near the fence.

Mark mowed the mare pasture. Below is looking from the mare pasture through the stallion pasture and to the barn.

The couple let us know they were coming after supper so I went up to turn the air and lights on in the MiniMax and stopped to take a picture of the sky with the sunbeam beaming down.

Braelyn had company come to spend the night at the barn and took them around on the golf cart. One of the guests decided to drive but almost hit the tree so Braelyn had to take over.

Below she is giving them a ride back to the barn.

Mark was spreading gravel with the skid steer. One of the places he worked on was the low spot at the barn parking lot.

The couple arrived as the sky was turning beautiful colors. WE all had to stand around admiring how God paints the clouds. It really was SO beautiful. Each moment was more beautiful than the last.

What a beautiful gift and a wonderful way to end the day. We stayed taking pictures and visiting until it got dark. How can I not give thanks to our Creator who gifts us with these beautiful colors.

The 4th Watch

Last night in church Craig announced we have the older singles group coming to Peoria from all the AC churches over the US and talk to Amanda if you can help. Amanda was sitting right behind me so I turned and said, "I have room to keep people overnight at the barn."  Amanda turned me down pretty quickly. About then I mentioned, "No one wants to stay in the barn and it's really nice." Sarah R who had been listening to the exchange retorted, "it's the way you announce it. Come stay in my barn, it was good enough for Jesus it should be fine for YOU."  I think she may be right.    Beth sent a message this evening on some news of the Goose Ranch, scroll down to the bottom of this post for that.                      I slept SO good last night and woke up refreshed. On our walk this morning Ruth saw a huge perfectly formed spider web with a big garden spider in the middle. She took the picture below with her phone.

We wanted to see it in person. Below Diane is trying to get a good picture as it is hard to see the spider in the one above.

Mike came walking and had a black shirt on so Diane asked him to take it off and put it behind the web so we could get a better picture.

Diane moved one of the branches the web was attached to which stretched it out a bit but did not damage it too badly. We left the spider in peace hoping she gets some good meals and finished our walk. Mark was busy using the road grader on the drives this morning. That big rain yesterday washed out our hill drive pretty badly and as long as he was out grading he graded all the drives.  After breakfast he brought the broken bag game in from the barn for repairs. He used JB weld to fix it which is a very strong glue.

That worked well and once it was dry brought it inside to show me.

The laundry was done, a couple cupboards were organized, the left over chicken was diced up fine and made into soup. Thankfully I had all the other ingredients to make a big pan. That was simmered for a few hours before putting in quart containers to cool.

All of the dishes were done and the stove cleaned up. Today was catch up day in the house. Joan had the co-op picnic today. That was well attended and everyone really enjoyed coming.  Beth sent out a message that the band  The 4th Watch is going to be playing at the Giant Goose Ranch on September 7th and the Goose Ranch will be open to the public on that night.

SAVE THE DATE! If you ever wanted to check out that place this is a wonderful opportunity. This is the address 25369 N Goose Ranch Rd, Canton, IL 61520  Feel free to check out the website by clicking HERE. It is an amazing place. Maybe check out the HUB, the Goose Ranch restaurant. They have good food at very reasonable prices and don't forget to get a soft serve ice cream cone for dessert! Those are REALLY delicious. 

Big Storm

 We had an amazing storm roll through last night. I thought it was in the middle of the night as it was after I had gone to bed but evidently it was just after 10:00 pm. A huge boom of thunder woke me, Mark came in and said we lost electricity and I would need to reset and start the coffee maker in the morning. That didn't bother me at all and I went right back to sleep. I was up around 5:00 am and was pleased to see the coffee was hot and ready. As I had no idea how much rain we got last night and was hoping we got at least a half an inch I decided to go out and check the rain gauge. I was shocked and brought it inside to show Mark. 

I heard it raining a little but didn't dream we got that much rain. Of course the top paddock was full of water. Mark went out before the walk to dig a trench to help it drain.

That big boom must have been a lightning hit very close to Phil and Anna's house as it knocked pictures off the wall. 

Ruth, Diane and I started walking but the rain started back up so we went to mom's house to visit. Mike called needing to get Curlin covered but when he went to cover her saw blood. Hoerr vet clinic was called. They had him bring her right in just in case she tore at her last cover. All was well and she had also ovulated so no cover needed when Mike got her home.  Karin made it home from Florida this morning so Joan had moved back home. I went to the barn to grab some dishes that needed washing and loaded those on the golf cart. As I drove around the building noticed something long and black wiggling and moving in Evan's pasture. I had to get off to see this strange creature.

A skunk family, they had more than likely been flooded out of their home and the mama was on a journey to find them a new home. The babies were swarming around her wanting to nurse but she kept up a pretty steady pace.

When she started coming toward me I stepped back, she saw the movement and went the other way around the barn and toward the drive. 

After dropping off the dishes and making breakfast I went back to move the bouncy house. The wedding happening on Saturday do not want the bouncy house and also want the volleyball net removed. Mark helped move the bouncy house and the mat upstairs into the game room. It rolls up nice and can be set up there with no problem. It is fun for the little kids so the family thought I should keep it. About that time Sarah arrived with some friends from church to give pony rides. Missy and Cookie were used as there were a lot of little kids. 

Below are a few videos:

Below are the children waiting for their turn on the horses.

The golf cart has a balcony viewing area.

Once everyone was done the ponies were put away and the golf cart taken over to the beach for some cool water fun. By this time it was really hot and the lake felt wonderful.

To see more of the pictures from this afternoon including more pony rides click HERE. 

I went back to the barn with more supplies, filled those supplies then worked on windows. When I was cleaning some of the gym windows saw Mark out weed whacking in Evan's pasture. Evan was following him around watching.

We left a little after 6:00 pm for church. Caleb Plattner had this evening's message on Genesis 6. An intriguing chapter, click HERE to watch that. We went to Culvers for a late dinner after church and that was another big group.

It is almost 10:00 pm and we are more than ready to hit the sack. I've much to be thankful for today and spent some time counting my blessings but realized, I can't count that far!

Very Hot

 We were expecting today to be hot and it really was. I think the high for the day was 96 degrees here in Hanna City with a real feel of 118 degrees. This morning I went up to the barn early to feed. Valiant loses weight each summer during the breeding season as he spends too much time showing off for the mares. Because of that he get's grain each morning. 

Evan holds his weight just fine but he still gets a treat, just not as much as Valiant. Below he is waiting for me to arrive with the bucket.

Sally heard the grain hitting the bucket and came over to check if I was dumping any in hers.

Today was my turn with mom and we sat out on the deck watching the birds as the others walked. The hummingbirds were fun to watch as they zoom from flower to feeder and back.

When the walk was over Ruth, mom and I left for the Berean office. We had a lot of fun with the other volunteers. Below are a few pictures of the morning.

After the prayer Marvin gave us an update.

Below Skip is getting the Bibles and the others help get them ready for mailing. 

We are thankful for those willing to give of their time each Tuesday morning to help with this ministry. Each Berean Volunteer is so needed. We left with the Bibles and studies going out today and drove those to the Hanna City post office. It was a very good morning. When we got home the thermometer was already in the 90s and felt like an oven. Mark had gas and diesel containers he had kept even though the spouts were bad. He ordered new spouts and for $20.00 got a kit with 6 new spouts, the air vents, a drillbit that was exactly the size for the air vents so asked if I would clean up the old containers. Below is what they looked like BEFORE I started cleaning.

It was hard work some of that grime had to be scraped off with a knife a little at a time. I took them up to the hydrant with a big bottle of dishwashing soap and a scrub brush and went to work.

Below is the finished project.

They were put on the golf cart and Mark drove around the neighborhood giving them away.

About the time I finished Nolan called. He was on his way back from taking puppies to the vet for their immunizations and wanted to stop by and pick out a kitten for his girls. Of course I had to admire those 3 pound adorable Cavapoo puppies.

They almost look like little stuffed toys but even cuter.  The kitten Nolan picked out looked a little bit like the puppies, as least her coloring did. She is orange and white just like the pups.

Sarah sent the picture below of the girls with their new kitten.

At 4:30 pm we left to meet Ralph and Jamie at the LongHorn Steakhouse. Mark was driving which gave me the chance to admire the clouds. There was one very tall cloud forming straight upwards like a tower.

Before we arrived that cloud was being pushed by an East wind.

We arrived a couple minutes before 5:00 pm and were seated with Ralph and Jamie and didn't get up to leave for an hour and 45 minutes. The food came quickly but we sat and visited until the restaurant started to fill up. It was a nice evening.and a good way to end a nice day. The only picture I thought of taking was of the longhorn on the wall.