The Big Surprise

Joan's 50th birthday is tomorrow but we wanted to try to surprise her. Ruth's birthday is today so in all of our planning with the sisters we had an ulterior motive. Get Ruth to help plan Joan's party then surprise HER too. It worked perfect, not only did Ruth get in on the planning, she offered to host the last half of the party at HER house and do all the decorating. Ha, she decorated for her own party.  Karin gave her the black balloons and crepe streamers.
Rachel called Joan to see if she could take her and Ruth out to lunch for their birthdays. When she got to Joan's house she mentioned Ruth had already had plans and wouldn't be going with them. Meanwhile we, about 20 of us, all drove to Ming's in Pekin arriving 15 minutes before Rachel and Joan. When they arrived it was obvious, she was surprised!

 After lunch we all drove to Ruth's then brought out 2 cakes and lots of candles. Ruth was also surprised! She did not expect us to hold a party for her 55th even though it was HER actual birthday. We are thankful sometimes that Ruth is blond.

 They both got a lot of fun gag gifts. We all had a good time but not much cake and ice cream got devoured since we were all so full from that great Ming's buffet.

This was such a fun way to spend a frigid day. It was -3 degrees when we woke up and had risen to 7 by afternoon. Tomorrow will be another below zero night but tomorrow afternoon we are expecting the temps to rise into the 20s.
I have one prayer request. David Obgerfel is having cataract surgery tomorrow. He needs his eyes, we need his eyes, David is a letter reader for Berean Prison Ministry. Each week he and his wife Kathy read hundreds of letters and answer those that need something special. Please pray that the surgery would be successful and healing could be pain free and quick.

The Deep Freeze

We are in the deep freeze, tonight we will have below zero temperatures, this morning the thermometer for Hanna City was at 1 degree by the time we left for church. At least church was warm. Greg Rumbold had the morning service and Tim Roecker had the afternoon. The choir sang at the jail this morning. 

Once home we were trying to work on the computer when it went black and we have not been able to get it to turn on. Hopefully we can get Philip to look at it soon.

Mark went out this afternoon to try to get rid of some of the ice buildup on the drive in front of the garage. He could hardly get the car inside. Feeding today was quite a task. It is just miserable outside with the cold and wind. One of the waterers was running over so the gloves had to be taken off to try to fix it and by the time the glove was back on frost bite had started in on the frozen fingers. Mark had the wood burner burning brightly by the time I got back inside and did that ever feel good. We are going through most of the wood on the porch but it is doing a fine job keeping the house warm. We spent the evening reading while laying in front of the fire. 

Return to Middle Grove

This morning when I fed, Evan didn't want to come into the paddock to eat but fussed around outside then finally realized I wasn't going to bring the grain out to him and very reluctantly and gingerly made his way from the field into the paddock. It was only after they were eating that I discovered why. When Valiant kicked the board off last night he caught the electric fence with it and tore it down into Evan's paddock. Evan must have gotten shocked while inside. Oksana and Evan were locked out into the field so I was able to unplug the fence and restring it. While they were locked out Mark helped move a round bale into their paddock. Just as I was taking the net wrap off  2 brothers and their families who drove down from the Chicago area arrived to look at Walter and Winston. They were shown where the colt's stall was then I finished helping Mark. By the time I got back to the stall they were in the stall with the colts loving on them. They asked to see Valiant and were very impressed then we brought the colts into the indoor to see them move. Both colts were very well behaved. By the time the colts were put away and the families drove away over an hour had passed. They are having a tough time making up their mind on which colt One of the brothers really wanted Walter but the other really wanted Winston. but honestly are not yet ready to buy.
Karin arrived to work horses shortly after but I was just too cold and needed to go inside to warm up so didn't watch. By the time I got back outside she was just finishing up with the last mare.
Mark wanted to work on the solar system today, carrying more of those 90 pound steel pipes from inside the big barn to the outside. This was a three person job today, luckily Karin offered to help. Thankful for that help. We tied the mares up while the job was done.

 They were all so good and of course I think they are all beautiful. Karin was thrilled with their response today. Above right to left is Indy, Ribbon, Ayanna, Zalena, Jenis and Eliza and below is Anna.

The temperature was cold but the sun was shining. Karin offered to help me take Winston and Walter back to the herd at Middle Grove and there was no way I would turn that offer down. When we arrived most of the herd was by the old gate grazing. They came running to see who we were bringing. Prissy and Sangria were thrilled to see their boys back. Prissy was quick to claim Winston then started warning all the others to STAY AWAY this is HER boy! to the right of Prissy is Ella's colt who came running up to see his friends.

 It didn't take long for them to settle down grazing.

We heard the sound of galloping hooves coming from over the hillside when Ripper showed up followed closely by Rosalie with Lily bringing up the rear slowly.

Funny how all of the horses want to see who arrived and who is in the trailer.

There was one thing to report and I believe this has been going on for a while. Lola and Whitney have claimed Whistler (Sheena's colt by Valiant).

 I actually noticed that Whistler was hanging around these two mares when we went to Middle Grove to bring back the Friesians but didn't think too much about it. Today it was obvious these 2 mares were keeping him between them making sure he was safe with all the commotion going on with the arrival of the two colts. Sheena is content to let them care for him, and both Whitney and Lola are very motherly.  Below is Hadassah, she was bred to Evan, confirmed in foal by ultrasound and due July 18th but doesn't look like she is pregnant. She will need to be brought back in March after the IL Horse Fair and preg checked.

The other 3 we will need to bring back right after the fair is Star who is due March 23rd,

Lily is due April 14th but has a history of going early, and Lola who is also due April 14th.

Rosalie was a pest today. I was trying to get a decent picture of her but she wouldn't stay far enough away. Finally I asked Karin to call her, ran away quickly and snapped the picture below as fast as possible just as she was turning her head to try to follow me. Rosalie turns 3 years old next month.

On the way back we saw something big and black by the side of the road. Our first reaction was, "what IS that?" When we got close enough this is what we saw.

Karin said she knew the dog, this was Chuck's dog out of Beth's female. Chuck was working in the area and must have let his dog come with him.  We had one more stop to make, Karin wanted to check out the progress on David's new to him house. The workers must have quit for the day when we arrived no one was there but we looked into the windows and were surprised at how much had been done. Two inside walls had been removed and lots torn out.

 This little house has a nice roomy fenced in back yard with a 2 stall garage. This will be a nice place for David and his dog. Rachel is trying to talk him into taking both dogs so Zero won't get lonely. 

I'm sure the neighbors were a little worried when we arrived with the horse trailer. Just exactly what kind of dogs was he bringing?
A blast of Arctic air will be arriving tonight, tomorrow's high is only going to reach single digits then drop below zero Sunday night. I'm glad all the horses have good big bales of hay and very glad all the automatic waterers are working well.

The Hound of Claskerville

Emily had the tractor loaded with a bale before 7:00 am this morning. The fatty paddock needed a new bale. The fatties are Ribbon, Ayanna and Indy. Right after that Emily and Mike took the trailer to Middle Grove to pick up Walter and Winston. We have someone coming tomorrow to see the colts. The colts came right up to Emily and practically stuck their noses in the halter impressing Mike with how well behaved they were. They put bales out while they were out there. Even though we now have 14 horses at the Hanna City farm the herd at Middle Grove is still impressive. I think we have 40 or so horses now but no one wants to take the time to count them.
Jack and Jace came to visit grandma today. Emily brought Timmy over to play with the boys and they had a good time. Jace decided to measure Emma with a chain.

 Pretty obvious Emma is not at all concerned, she was careful not to move. 

 The boys played with blocks, toys, horses, shoes, pillows and finally the big balls. 

 There were 2 balls in the house and one outside on the other side of the fence in the sticker bushes. Timmy was told if he would go get it he could keep it. That didn't have to be said twice that boy was out the door quick.

 The boys spent a lot of time bouncing on the balls then started bouncing the balls off each other. 

 This evening was the much anticipated co-op play, The Hound of Clackerville. We had a big group go from here, Diane took all but one of her grandchildren, Ruth, Rhonda, Karin, mom and I went in our car  arriving a half hour early. Joan had saved some seats for us thankfully, even a half hour early the room was almost full. This was held at ICC and the place was packed, standing room only and the whole front of the theater, in front of the seats all the children were asked to sit on the floor to try to get enough room for the adults to have seats. The overflow seating was quite creative. This play was very entertaining and the word must have gotten out about how good the actors are. We truly had a top notch evening. The audience was so into the play that loud belly laughter kept escaping from just about everyone. These kids were THAT funny.

 Above is the cast and the director, below is during the play. Hannah was Ma Clackerville and played the part to perfection. She was so convincing as an old lady guarding her howg jowls and chitlins recipe from the big city spies.Watson and Holmes the 'terminators' were hilarious. The 2 fumbling bumbling cops even funnier. You get the picture! This play was well written and very well played.

A VERY HUGE thank you to the entire cast. WE can't wait for the musical which will be done next. Hopefully they can find a bigger theater, 

While working on this post the dreaded sound of boards being kicked accompanied by loud squealing meant quick get the winter coat on and find a flashlight. This had to be a stallion and sure enough, Valiant's gate was wide open. I'm walking around gingerly on the ice in my Sunday shoes, in a skirt and the barn coat trying to find the missing stallion. Valiant had gone right over to Evan to challenge him but was dissuaded by strong fences, heavy gates and most of all a STRONG electric fence. Valiant had kicked one board down into Evan's paddock but Evan and Oksana were out in the field. After Valiant was put away Evan and Oksana were called and they came at a gallop to make sure they were in the field and not outside. Of course all I could hear was the thunder of galloping hooves and see was the 2 sets of eyes reflecting the flashlight but they were right where they belonged. It was too dark to check them over and I didn't want to climb through the front fence because I THINK Emily electrified it. Some day I'll have to ask her.

The Fatties

Today we had the promise of a break in the frigid cold but that came a bit later in the day, the morning was still well below freezing. Diane picked up the mail today for the Berean office giving me a little more time to get a few things done here before heading there. To read about our successful but hard morning click HERE.
Once home I actually stretched out on the couch for a short nap, at least I was going to try to get a short nap but heard neighing and realized Karin must be here working horses. The driveways were filled with slushy snow and wet soft ice and I didn't want to put heavy boots on so just jumped on the golf cart to drive up to the barn. This went well until it was almost to the top of the hill when the golf cart stopped working. Oh well the tennis shoes are now soaked through. Karin had 7 of the mares in the indoor. By the time I got up there she had already ridden Zalena, Jenis, Anna, and was just finishing up with Ayanna. Below Karin has removed the saddle from Ayanna and is putting it on Eliza who is standing patiently waiting. Check out those snazzy tail bags. Ayanna has such a huge rear end the bag is not at all flattering. Now that's not all fat, Ayanna is expecting an Evan baby and is due April 17th, 2016.

Jenis was over enjoying some hay after her work out. 

 Karin started riding Eliza when Emily noticed one of her braids had come loose. Like a good girl scout Emily is always prepared and pulled a hair tie out of her pocket to tie it up.

 Below is Karin working Eliza. Eliza is expecting a Valiant baby and is due May 30th, 2016.

 Below is Anna, She was so funny following me around then standing right in front of the camera. She was really hoping I'd give her a good scratching. She loves to be groomed. Too bad she lost her foal, she is such a big barque mare. 

 The next mare to be ridden was Indy. Indy is our tallest Friesian mare, Emily thinks she is around 17 hands but probably more like 16.3.  She is going to be 6 years old the 4th of July and is expecting an Evan foal May 10th, 2016 

 Below Ribbon is heading over to join 3 other fatties, Anna, Eliza and Ayanna.

 Once all the mares were ridden she brings each mare out for a bow, below is Zalena. Zalena was full of energy today. She is expecting a Valiant baby and is due April 29th, 2016.

 Eliza was called next for the bow, check out those huge rumps next to the left of her, is first Ayanna, then Indy and Anna is standing next to the 4 wheeler. Funny we use to think Ribbon was huge. She doesn't look that big to us any more.

 Below is Eliza bowing for Karin. 

 Below it is Ayanna's turn to bow. 

 Below Anna is waiting for her turn to bow. Anna is not very graceful at this exercise. 

Karin felt today was excellent, the mares were all good, all trying hard to please, and all responsive to her cues. The very best part about the day is the air didn't make our faces hurt. It had warmed up to 47 degrees. When Mark got home we pushed the golf cart back into the garage. No sense in trying to use that for a while.

Welcome Surprise

No wind this morning which meant even though it was cold we could still walk. After the walk Emily and I drove to the Berean office to finish reading, sorting and start entering the letters only to find they were ALL read and sorted. That saved us at least an hour. We finished the last letter before noon, stopped at Sam's club for groceries then headed home. Yesterday Emily finished washing, braiding and wrapping the mare's tails. She is still to sore from the accident to ride. The doctor told her she has been doing too much and needs to take it easy.
Today for dinner I made a big pot of creamy chicken and rice soup which will also be served tomorrow for the Berean volunteers.
Today is Hannah and Mackenson's birthdays. Hannah is 16 and Mackenson is officially 8 years old. It was on this date he was taken to the orphanage in Haiti so this is the date they claim is his birthday.
After church tonight we went with Joan and the kids to help celebrate the birthdays at Avantis restaurant in Peoria. This is a very family friendly restaurant with a very good child's menu and lots of good options for the adults. Below Sarah is taking the picture of our meal.

A call came in from a lady wanting to come on Saturday to see Winston and without thinking I told her, "Saturday is good." Then I remembered Winston is at Middle Grove. We will just have to bring him home before then. 

2016 First Deep Freeze

The temperature was holding at 10 degrees this morning actually warmer by 7 degrees from yesterday but the wind was fierce, howling through the fields picking up snow and twirling it upwards, slamming into the doors and windows making this old house groan. Today I was the first to wimp out of the walk using the excuse I needed to leave early for Berean but it didn't take long for others to come up with better excuses than mine. Diane sent a text that it is Mike's birthday and he wanted her to stay inside. Mom was more than willing to skip the walk, Rachel's text was "now you are finally getting smart."
Driving to Berean was interesting, the gusty wind would actually move the car sideways while driving along the interstate. The  wind was blowing the snow off the fields and piling it up into pretty deep drifts. By the time I arrived the far driveway which had been plowed was drifted shut. Eva Jean didn't see this, turned in and got her car stuck. It was too cold to work on getting it out so she just left the car and came inside believing someone would get it out later. She was right, Marvin got the car out of the drift and parked not too much later.
To read about our day click HERE.
I had 2 stops to make on the way home, the first was the Hanna City post office where two tubs of mail were dropped off and the next was to Ruth and Fedi's house to drop off a tub of studies for the Roanoke church to grade. Rebekah, Ruth and Fedi's oldest daughter lives in Roanoke and offered to take studies there to help Peoria out.
Once home the fire needed to be started in the wood burner. Just about the time it was burning hotly and warming up the place Mark arrived. Anna, Braelyn, Taegan and Kensley showed up just a few minutes later and joined us for dinner. After supper the girls got the markers out to decorate some papers for their fridge.

We are always happy to have visitors in the winter around here.