The Meister Christmas

 Iris did very well staying with grandma and grandpa overnight. She was happy to go to church with us and loved going to Sunday School. Today was the Sunday school Christmas program and she was enthralled watching it.

When we got home Anna and Phil were working on the antenna on the barn roof, the storm knocked it down yesterday. That is Anna WAY up there.

We left at 4:10 pm to head to the Hanna City gym to set up for the Meister Christmas party. This party is always well attended. Berlica gave the welcome.

Most of the family were able to come. Below is a picture of the food line.

It really was a great meal. We all feasted.

Below are a few pictures of enjoying the meal.

After the meal Dan read the Christmas story.

We sang some Christmas carols then Santa arrived.

Lots of fun gifts were given.

Next came the game. Everyone was given a balloon which was tied to one's ankle and the owner of the last balloon not popped was the winner.

There were two winners tonight and once they were given their special prizes all the kids that participated got a prize. Below Zion and great grandma are showing off their prizes.

There are lots more pictures and videos to go through but right now I am too tired to do that. What a wonderful day!

Tornados

 We awoke to tremendous winds slamming into the house.  Thankfully we didn't have any tornados. During the night 4 tornadoes, one of which stayed on the ground for more than 200 miles did tremendous damage both to life and homes.  This was taken from the weather channel page:  Pray. The country needs to stand United and pray. 83 lives are loss with so many more missing across 5 states. This includes 6 Illinoisans, 70 in Kentucky, 3 in Arkansas, 3 in Tennessee and 1 in Missouri. The devastation is unimaginable, entire towns destroyed and wiped away. Factories leveled, warehouses collapsed, homes off their foundations, cars thrown like toys, trees shredded and lives lost. All of this just two weeks before Christmas. Hundreds of families will be missing their homes, businesses and loved ones this Christmas due to this catastrophic event. Please, say a prayer for the communities impacted and be help of you can whether that’s through donations or volunteering if able to.

The video below is from NPR and shows so much of the damage.

We pray for these people, so many have lost everything including family members.   

It was my turn this morning to be with mom and when I arrived she was awake and ready to head to the bathroom to get dressed for the day. We had a pretty good morning but mom was very sleepy and ended up taking a nap after breakfast. I think this cold is wearing on her and she is needing more sleep. At noon Karin relieved me so I could run to Pekin, IL to go to Jamie Stone's retirement party. She has sold her Merle Norman store and is now officially retired. Mom needed more throat lozenges and Pekin has a Dollar General so I stopped there on the way back to mom's. They didn't have the ones she wanted but had some cough drops so those were purchased.  This afternoon Ruth came so Ruth, Karin and I played a game while mom napped. Rhoda and Lee dropped off Iris this afternoon to spend the night with us. She had chicken and grapes for supper.

We did a fun craft with glitter glue.

She got to play with blocks building towers and knocking them back down.

And of COURSE she had to ride horses.

Thunderstorm

 On our walk this morning we organized the Meister Christmas. Diane is in charge this year but since I was in charge last year and Covid shut us down the Sceggel family will help with all the set up. It will be held Sunday.  Right after the walk I left for Sam's Club to pick up the rolls for the supper Sunday along with the gifts needed and a bunch of other stuff. I bought 12 steaks for Christmas day dinner as they had sirloin on sale and as soon as I got home the freezer was cleaned out and the steaks frozen along with the other meat purchased. Then it was time to start making the Christmas goodies for the Christmas party.  That took the rest of the morning and a few hours of the afternoon. Around 3:00 pm a booking came in for the apartment for today. I went up to the barn immediately to clean the barn aisle and turn the lights on in the apartment along with the heat. Right after I got back to the house the couple that booked arrived.  Sure wish there would have been a little more time to get the heat up but thankfully it doesn't take too long to recover.  It was raining most of the day. The weanling's buckets had to be emptied before they could be fed. Those buckets are not inside their shelter like the stallion's buckets.  Back at the house all the present wrapping was started and finished. This evening it was my turn to stay with mom and provide dinner.  We  had bbq ribs, egg rolls, salad and for dessert some of the goodies I made this afternoon. Mom and Karin both  declared it delicious.  Rhoda posted the picture below of some of the grands on a hike.

We are having a thunderstorm tonight and it is almost 60 degrees. So strange for the 10th day of December. 

Rockaway's Education

 It wasn't as cold this morning and turned out to be a very nice afternoon.  No walk this morning so I stayed with mom until Joan arrived around 9:00 am.  Amy had a very strange vet call. Her dogs went missing and when they came back they were in trouble. Both dogs were wobbly. She took them both to the vet and the diagnoses was they were both stoned. Both had ingested marijuana.  Needless to say Amy was shocked. She sent a video which was too big to share here and the picture below. I think this is her dog Iris, drunk as can be.

The afternoon was perfect for working with the weanlings. They were brought inside one at a time and put in stalls. Wouldn't you know that Rockaway had to manure right in front of the back door of the apartment then Sterling as he was walking in did the same thing. As soon as they were put in stalls to eat their grain I went to work to clean up the fresh manure.

Of course it left big wet stains which will need to be scrubbed later. Thank goodness I don't have guests coming in for a few days. Morgana was put in the middle stall on the left side.  I was trying to get her picture but she was following me too closely so had to tie her up to get one.

Rockaway was put in the first stall. He loves his grain.

Sterling was put in the first stall on the left.

After they finished their grain Morgana and Sterling were put in the far paddock. Rockaway was taken out with the golf cart for more leading practice.  The other two lead pretty nicely but sometimes Rockaway stops and won't move forward.  I took him over to Joan's and had Faith help so I could get a few pictures and a video of his progress.

He thought about stopping to graze but when the golf cart gave a gentle tug on the lead rope he responded well.

All in all I was pleased with how well he is doing with his education.  BTW if you are looking for a future jumper this colt is self taught. He knows how to jump over things and does it for fun sometimes.  He even has decent form. 

Mark arrived home as I was downloading the video.  At 4:15 pm we drove over to Joan's to pick up Mackenson and Berlica. On the way back we got stuck in traffic. Mike was taking Dancer around with the jeep.

We stopped at Phil and Anna's house, traded cars with them and had Braelyn, Taegan and Kensley join us for the next adventure.

Mark took all 7 of us out to a Vietnamese restaurant in Peoria called Thahn Linh. We ordered 3 meals and 2 appetizers and there was plenty for all of us plus we took home 3 full containers. I didn't think to take a picture until we were almost finished. 

Everyone liked the fried rice, the chicken egg rolls and the lemon grass chicken meal. Mackenson liked the spring rolls but we girls did not.  The cashew chicken dish was ok. They liked the cashews and chicken and some of the vegetables. The combo egg noodles Mark and Mackenson kind of liked but again us girls didn't. All in all it was a good experience for the kids to try different foods and we all had plenty to eat. 

 

Vehicle Repairs

 We had another cold morning but Mark had put air in the golf cart tire and I was able to use that to check all of the waterers.  Thankfully ALL of the waterers are working and none of them were iced over.  What a blessing.  Ruth, Joan, Diane and I walked along with the 3 dogs Studly, Molly and Kabur. We were pretty pleased that Molly walked almost the entire loop before heading back to the house.  After the walk I went in to Meisters to drop stuff off for Mark and pick up the Berean boxes.  This afternoon the health papers for travel were arranged for Morgana and Sterling.

They are being shipped out the end of next week and their freedom will come to an end.  The owner believes that the transport company is sending a semi truck and trailer.  Both of them will be going to South Carolina.  The next job on my list was to call Zane's to schedule a headlight replacement for the Prius, the 2003 Ford truck ( when put in park it slips out) and then the 2015 truck and the horse trailer to get the lights repaired. They are going to take the Prius first on Monday morning, once that is done I'll switch out the Ford and when that is finished bring them the truck and trailer.  I made the decision to sell the 2003 Ford.  This is an F250, 4 wheel drive, cab and a half, the ball joints were replaced, a new battery and it has been kept in good repair. It has less than 200,000 miles on it and has REALLY good tires. 

It has some rust but is a very good work horse of a truck that has not been abused. We just don't need 2 trucks now that we are not showing.  If interested in a dependable work truck it is for sale $7500.00. I'll get it cleaned up and place ads once Zane's is done with it.  This evening was church. Tim Funk had the message on Proverbs 16 and Mathew 7. It really was good to be there.

The Last One

 It was really cold this morning and the golf cart had a flat tire. I walked to the walk but not just walked to the walk but had to walk fast to get to mom's in time.  After the walk I left for the Berean office. We had another good morning there. If you would like to read about our morning there click HERE. At Berean we had a bunch of envelopes that were partially sealed. These were taken home to see if I could get them open without ruining therm.

I ended up ripping too many so just decided to use them as scrap paper. Maybe I can have the grand kids decorate them and use them for a craft.  This evening was my turn at mom's and the evening person brings dinner. I made chili, and deviled eggs and served that with broccli salad with pecan pie for dessert. Mom, Rhonda and Karin were playing scrabble when I arrived with the dinner.  After dinner when mom was getting back into the wheel chair a scrabble letter fell out of her lap and it just happened to be an S  the exact letter she needed.  We had a lot of fun teasing her about hiding that S. Tonight Karin put on the movie The Apple Dumpling Gang but the TV blew a fuse twice. Matt and Anni came up both times to help fix it and the last time Karin and Matt plugged it into a different outlet. Not sure why that was happening as a television doesn't usually draw much electricity. It was so cold all day that no one wanted to be outside. We started the day with 17 degrees and when driving home from Berean it was only 18 degrees. Thankfully there is a warm up coming soon. I had 2 calls on Rockaway, both wanted a colt. We will see if either person follows through. Rockaway is the last colt we have available until the next foaling season. He really was a cute colt, pitch black with that big white star.

Lola is now at her new home so this is the last foal out of Lola by Valiant we will ever be offering. Each of her offspring by Valiant were special. They like people and end up tall and majestic (once they grow out of that awkward yearling stage).

Forgetful

 Brrr it was a cold morning with strong winds. Ruth sent a text that she can't walk and Joan sent back, "mom has a walker you can use."  The laugh for the morning.  Diane, Joan and I walked. Crazy but it got colder as the morning went on. I drove to the Peoria post office and from there Aldi to pick up groceries. The wind was bitter cold and loading the groceries without gloves about gave me frostbite. The groceries for mom were taken over then mine unloaded. For Berean tomorrow I made a chocolate cream pie then some cookies and candies. Phil arrived to install our heat pump and stayed for a bowl of chili. I was cleaning up the kitchen when David called to see if I was on the way. I was supposed to be at their house at 6:00 pm to watch the kids and it was already 6:15 pm. When he asked last week if I could babysit I was at mom's and when I got home forgot to write it on the calendar.  When I awoke this morning I thought there was something I was supposed to do but nothing on the calendar. I checked mom's thinking maybe I had signed up for tonight but hadn't. Thank goodness Kristen, Stephanie's sister lives 12 minutes from there. They dropped the kids off there and that is where I went to pick them up.  We had a fun evening stopping at Dollar Tree and buying some crafts supplies then back to David and Steph's to do the crafts. I really do need to figure out how to use my smart phone calendar but that smart phone is much smarter than me.

Wonderful Evening

 When we awoke at 4:30 am we discovered it was raining and it rained pretty much all day. Mark has a cold, was sneezing and coughing so stayed home from church.  So did mom, Ruth and Karin.  Mom had kind of a bad day yesterday and so stayed home and listened on line.  Mike Kaisner had the morning service and Tim Roecker had the afternoon. At 3:00 pm anyone who wanted to go Christmas caroling met at church. There were 3 groups (about 75 people) go out to different places.  The carolers declared how fun it was to sing together with those they were singing to.  They even sang for Bernice Houk now 109 years old.  All met back at church at 5:30 for a feast.

It really was a feast of fried chicken, many dishes of different kinds of potatoes, vegetables, salads, jellos and of course desserts. So many different desserts/cookies/pies/cheese cakes/candies there was no way to try them all. Ruth drove mom and I and the light weight wheel chair as we only came for the dinner. It really was good for us to be there.  What a wonderful evening.                                               Our last airbnb guest left another wonderful review:   The pictures of this place do not do it justice! The apartment is very modern, charming, and cozy. The apartment is set up with thoughtful touches and decor. It was wonderful to see the horses and we were also able to enjoy the hiking trails. I would definitely stay here again and I would recommend this stay to anyone who is looking for a peaceful weekend getaway. Thank you Judy!

Christmas Cookies

 It was colder this morning but with the sunshine was nice enough out on the deck that mom enjoyed another day of sunshine. This morning mom wanted to make another batch of honey cookies. Right after breakfast I started working on those. They were baked before lunch and iced after lunch. Thankfully Berlica came in at the perfect time and was put to work helping with the icing and sprinkling of the decorations.

After finishing the cookies Diane was called to see if she wanted to come over to play games. Karin, Diane, Berlica, mom and I were enjoying the sunshine. At 2:30 pm Diane officially took over at mom's and I headed straight to the barn to get a video of Soul's filly and Jewel's colt for the new owner.  Soul's filly was taken out first. She was put in the round pen and left there while I went back to get Jewel's colt.

They were put back and Rockaway was taken out. He needed a leading lesson so the golf cart was used to take him straight to the outdoor arena then he was asked to follow the golf cart around the arena making circles and figure eights. Finally he was asked to back, trot and canter following and did very well. I took just a couple still shots before letting him go to take a video.

The sun was getting low so it was hard to get any good movement shots.

I didn't have any help so didn't ask him to move much but he still showed off some.

He was led back and put away. This colt is still for sale. He is half Friesian half paint, registered with FHHI, has a current coggins and is priced right at $4000.00 If interested in him feel free to contact me. He has a nice disposition. This evening the laundry was finished and a supper of hamburger covered with sautéed mushrooms and onions and served with a sweet potato was served a little later than usual. We had Pax for the evening as Phil and Anna had company. Pax asked to go outside and took off for the barn. He ran right to the apartment and barked at the door. The airbnb guests let him inside. He was happy to see them happy to have them fuss over him then asked to go back outside. (the guests sent a text asking if he was mine and to let me know about him visiting) He came right back here and settled down for the evening until Phil picked him up. He is such a funny dog. I think he thinks he owns the place.

Sold and Sold

 We had the 3rd nice day in a row and today was a gift. The warm weather lasted a day more than expected. Mom spent a lot of time out on her deck today.

Ruth mixed up another batch of honey cookies and put it in the fridge. Tomorrow I'm staying with mom so it will be my job to bake them. Today Diane and I went to Sam's club. I needed cat food. The cat food bag was empty and her dish was knocked down. I think we had some marauders show up, those masked nuisances do so much damage.  I bought a 38 pound bag and that is now in a secure garbage can.  I'll check tomorrow to see if the coons are able to get into it. Spark came over to try to figure out my electrical problem for the waterers. 

He ended up calling Phil to ask him to bring his tracer home from the shop. We may have an underground broken wire. Our big news is Jewel's 2021 colt by Evan

and Soul's 2021 filly by Evan were just sold to the same buyer. 

They are going to South Carolina and will be picked up in a month. The deposit was sent by paypal. I had a couple picture memories pop up again. The one below was taken 9 years ago. Valiant is just 2 and a half years old in the picture. Steven had taken him to a clinic in Washington.

We took both boys that day. Evan was a little naughty bucking during the clinic but Valiant was a gentleman. The clinician exclaimed, "your stallions are strangely well behaved!"  They stood quietly in the stalls waiting their turns while other horses were milling about. The other picture is Rhoda and Karin riding on the trails. I remember taking the picture and admiring the reflection in the pond.

A Taste of Madrigal

 We had a beautiful warm day, so unexpected for December 2nd.  It was a perfect day to put up Christmas lights outside.  The picture below was taken tonight after getting home from the Taste of Madrigal the Co-Op put on this evening.

 This afternoon we picked up Mackenson and drove to Chilicothe to have dinner at the Grecian Gardens with David, Israel and Elisabet. From there we drove to Calvery Baptist where the Co-Op was putting on their Taste of Madrigal. Faith was the wench in charge of reservations.

The King and Queen were past Co-Op students that married and their children got to come to watch. The king was hilarious as was the queen and the jester. Even the singers got in on the jokes. The singers were excellent. I love madrigal music. Below are a couple of the songs.

Noel

It was a wonderful end to the day.

Big Doors

It was raining when we awoke this morning. When it came time for me to leave the golf cart was not in the garage. Mark had used it and left it up in the barn so at least it was out of the rain. Mom had a good morning and a good day until it was time for Aunt Jinnie to leave. Then she was sad and so were we. Aunt Jinnie has been such a blessing. She needs to go home for Christmas as her children and grand children are missing her.  Mom came to the airport with us to say good by.  When we got back it was lunch time and the sun was out. On the deck it was nice and warm. Mom was able to sit out in the sunshine while wearing her muumuu. 

Rachel came over and baked honey cookies today following mom's recipe. Hopefully no one will tell John. He really likes those cookies and none of the rest of us will get any.  We got good news today, the 5 big doors for the barn have come in and will be installed December 11th.  

Crazy how long that took, they were ordered months ago. The weather was so nice the horses were anxious to get out and run. Below is Valiant waiting for his turn.

Evan gave me a scare today. From the kitchen door I could see him rolling in his shelter.  I was worried he may be going into a colic but it turned out he was just enjoying the sunshine.  Mark came home early to power wash the skid steer before winter and came in full of mud. Before I could snap a picture he was in the shower cleaning up for church. We left for church a little early. David had the message tonight on Psalm 49.