Senior Lunch Bunch

I went out early this morning to get everything done before the walk. Patty's paddock got a new bale, Rosaleigh was teased and when she showed covered, and Eliza & her colt were taken into the barn for feeding. The rest of the horses were fed before going back inside to cook breakfast for Mark. He  loaded the golf cart tire in the car. It was leaking air through the sidewall from dry rot so we made the decision to take it to Mike Rieker's place East Peoria Tire in hopes they could put a tube in and we could continue using it. As we were getting ready to walk we had to check out the packing job done by Karin, Rachel, Jessica, Anni and Hannah who were all getting ready to leave for their trip to Current River. They had the car packed, the trailer hooked up and were strapping down a full to the brim with food topper for this trip. Rachel said Karin packed enough food to stay a couple weeks. When we heard the Sauder boys were joining them we agreed with Karin, one needs a couple weeks worth of food to last for 6 days when the Sauder boys are along.  No pictures yet from them so they may not have internet.
We had an interesting day at the Berean office with the computer. To read about that click HERE. Once we finished the last label of the day I drove to Bob Evan's to join the senior lunch bunch for lunch.

Did you notice they weren't all seniors? These people are so nice they don't even care if we crash their party.  From there I drove to East Peoria to drop off the golf cart tire. Jim Rieker took the tire, told me they would fix it right away. After the tire was repaired and back in the car I drove to Big R in Pekin to pick up another 12 bags of grain then over to Aldi for a few groceries. The horses were all waiting at the gate watching me unload the grain just hoping they would get an extra feeding but the only mare taken out and fed was Eliza again. From there I went over to mom's to snap green beans then to our garden to pick some tomatoes all for our dinner tonight.
Mark drove to church. David Obgerfel had the service. We are SO blessed. I mentioned today to someone that I am rich but I really should have said blessed. I'm not speaking monetarily but in every other aspect of life here from the beautiful morning sitting on the front porch with my Bible and a cup of coffee to the ending of the day in church listening to gifted speakers explain the Scriptures. Yes I am blessed and so very thankful.

Finally Indy

Today was Berean day. I was not sure exactly what to expect after missing a week but Joan and Ruth had done a wonderful job keeping everything going and looking good. To read about our very productive day there click HERE.
When I got home Eliza and her colt were brought in for her extra feeding then mares teased. I noticed Indy had been hanging down by Evan yesterday but when she was teased yesterday she did not show. Today she showed and was covered. Indy loves the water and today was over heated so hosed off. If she was at Middle Grove she would be spending a lot of time in the lakes and ponds there but she can't go there until she is confirmed in foal. Today for the first time since her foal heat she showed!

Rosaleigh, Jenis and Jewel all should have been teased but all 3 of those also need to be covered by Evan so were skipped. Tomorrow morning Rosaleigh will be teased and hopefully covered.
Tomorrow morning Patty, the outside mare will need a new round bale. This evening Mark got the flat tire off the golf cart and put some air in it but I was not able to find any leaks. The tire was filled to 24.5 and left off. If it is flat tomorrow I'll take it in to Frenches.

Miracle Steer

Karin and Emily took the truck and stock trailer over to Gary Unsicker's farm, loaded up his bull and took it to John's place in Farmington. Funny story about John's cows. He bought the first 2 pregnant heifers at a sale and they are as wild as can be. Each of these had heifers. John got the bull from Wild Life Prairie park and that bull bred all 4 of those cows and John was pleased to see at last he got a bull calf to raise up for meat but because the bull from Wild Life Prairie park now had daughters John sold that bull so needed to borrow a bull. Remember John's cows are still pretty wild for the rest of this story. They had help changing that bull calf into a steer then this year got it into the feeding pen to start fattening it up which was working well. That steer kept getting fatter and fatter then yesterday (thankfully BEFORE they took it to be butchered) that steer gave birth to a heifer calf. They had been fattening the WRONG cow! I guess he is going to have to wait a bit longer to stock his freezer with that home raised beef.
Right after our walk Eliza was brought inside the barn for her feed, the stalls were cleaned the stall and barn doors left open in hopes that once Eliza finished her grain she would go out to graze. Sangria was taken out and teased and again we were disappointed to see she was out. That is the 3rd cycle that has passed and we haven't covered her even once. She was suppose to be taken to Chery Thompson's Andalusian stallion Neo but we can't seem to catch her at the right time. She would have needed to be taken there on Saturday but we were in Michigan and Neo was at a horse show.  I may need to give up on that and just breed her to Valiant again. After that I took off for Meister's to make a deposit and pay a few bills. From there Sam's Club needed to be visited to restock a few items in the fridge which seemed very empty after our week at the Lake House. There we were feeding 19 people 3 meals a day plus snacks and the fridge was full, the freezer was full the cupboards were full and so was the pantry. It was 11:30 am by the time I got back. Eliza was waiting in the circle drive and since it was near noon she was taken back into the stall for her noon grain. Eliza loses WAY to much weight when nursing and last weeks heat didn't help that at all. Emily picked up a weight building supplement this afternoon and Eliza was started on that but she decided she doesn't like it. Tomorrow I'll mix it better we don't want her skipping any meals.
The teasing of the mares was next. Jewel said no, Indy said no, Jenis said no but Rosaleigh said maybe then ok, so I think she is just coming in. She was covered by Evan and stood well.

A foal out of Rosaleigh by Evan will for sure inherit the mega hair. Rosaleigh is a tall mare with great movement so if we can get her pregnant the foal will be amazing! This evening Indy went over to talk to Evan so she may be coming in and will be teased again tomorrow.
Jaclyn came over to fill out some paper work. It was good to hear everything she did while we were gone. She took care of everything very well. Karin stopped in to tell her she would take her riding once it cools down a bit.
Dennis and Gertie came over this evening bringing their wonderful riding lawn mower. Dennis promptly jumped on started mowing our jungle of a yard. Mark used his old walk behind and between the two guys mowing they were done in an hour. Emily mowed once while we were gone but with the rain and heat the yard was way over grown.
Dennis and Gertie stayed for dinner and we had a nice visit. This evening Eliza was taken back into the stall for her grain. She ate the top layer but wouldn't even taste the bottom layer which is where the fat building supplement ended up. I left her in for an hour then took her back out to the other mares.

Home to Heat

Wow it is hot here. Very thankful the church has good air conditioning and thankful the house and barn do too. Right now it is after 10:00 pm and the sky is lighting up continually with flashes giving us an amazing show. We have been standing outside watching the lightning and listening to the continual rumble of thunder. Marika and her colt were turned outside this evening for the first time since her C section. The stalls were cleaned and the air conditioner turned off at the barn for the first time in days.
Tomorrow morning I'll need to call the vet clinic early to see if we can get Sangria in for an ultrasound then if she is ready to be bred we will haul her over to Chery Thompson's to cover with Neo.

Saturday's Fun

Mark and I decided to leave the lake house right after dinner on Saturday to head back home. We were pretty exhausted from the late nights, early mornings and each day filled to the brim with swimming, boating, games, hikes and all kinds of other activities. This was the vacation we will need a week at work to recover from. No wake boarding on Saturday morning, as it was a weekend the lake was crowded with boats and people. Instead after breakfast we loaded everyone up in 4 cars and drove to a small town about 10 miles away where the town was holding a carnival. The first stop was to ride the camel. This camel was 20 years old and very patient with the children.

 The next booth we stopped at was the local funeral home's booth where they were holding match box car races. The races were free and everyone was a winner. This booth was kind of hard to get the kids to leave. 

 The big entertainment was the local dance studio. They brought their students to perform for the crowd. (it was a pretty small town)

 The kids had never seen such a tall man and were a little worried about getting too close to this strange man with no feet. 

 They were willing to pose in front of him as long as Ben stayed with them for protection.

 The bouncy houses were fun and the kids knew all about those. 

The day was very hot, the hottest day of our vacation with temperatures over 90. The dunk a cop was glad when Nolan took Israel over to push the lever.

 After a couple hours the kids were hot and cranky and more than ready to head back to the Lake house. 

 Jace, Israel and Kensley were put down for a nap and the rest of the kids were taken to the beach. I was glad to stay inside listening for the sleepers to awaken. Our neighbor moved out and we were so happy to see that the new neighbor was our old neighbor from the last 2 years. She was so kind to tell us right away, "you let those children play on the beach when ever they want to." and a little disappointed to know we were all going to be leaving on Sunday.  Taunya cooked our meal on Saturday and while it was cooking the older kids played spike ball and the younger ones played happily in the sand on that forbidden beach. 

 Our last meal together was delicious and a little sad. We talked over the low points and high points of the week, the fun and games, crying children, chaos but delicious mealtimes, the early morning wake boarding, the sand bar, the swans and most of all our  memories we now get to take back and file in our brains of wonderful times as a family. 

 I can't stop writing this morning without saying a BIG big thank you to Ken and Darlene Hoerr for allowing us to use their wonderful lake house. This is such an amazing opportunity for our family and all of us are extremely thankful for our week together. The rest of the family are driving home this evening.
Mark and I arrived home around 9:00 pm last night, unloaded, went through mail then crashed into our own comfortable bed. It is very hot and humid here. The air conditioner is most appreciated. I'm heading out now to feed and am kind of shocked how hot it is at 7:00 am, this was a good week to spend on the water.

Fantastic Fun Friday

I thought yesterday's sunrise was pretty spectacular but that one had nothing on this morning's sunrise. We looked outside and saw the entire sky a dark red.

 That red turned to a beautiful bright shining gold when the sun finally burst through.

 Jace and Addyson came out to watch the sky change colors with me.

 The lake was calm and just perfect for wakeboarding. Philip went first, check out his reflection. To see the rest of Philip's wake boarding pictures from today click HERE.

 Jace, Addyson, Braelyn, Taegan and Jack came with us on the boat this morning.

 David had some big jumps and huge falls.

 To see the rest of David's wake boarding pictures click HERE. Anna had some big jumps today and a few falls. To see the rest of her pictures from today click HERE.

 We made it back for our usual 9:00 am breakfast then took the pontoon boat out to the sand bar.

Sarah went wake boarding with the jet ski which Nolan drove. To see the rest of today's pictures click HERE.
After lunch and after naps the kids were all taken down to the beach where they had a lot of fun. No pictures of that, Mark and I stayed inside where it was nice and cool. Today was Phil and Anna's date night but Mark and I decided to go on one too and drove to a small town for a meal at Zeke's. We both got the special which was all the Alaskan pollock we could eat with the salad bar and a cup of clam chowder. All for $9.95. The first portion was so big we did not finish even half of what was given and asked to take the rest home. The salad bar was really good. The town is holding a big market day tomorrow and there is going to be camel rides. We may come back for that on Saturday.
Nolan, Lee and David went to a Peoria Chief's game tonight. They just happen to be playing in a town near here. The game was sold out but they went hoping a few tickets would become available. Nolan sent the picture below with them in seats so they must have been able to get tickets.

This evening Rhoda, Sarah and Stephanie took all 7 of the grand kids to a park then brought them back here for more games. All are tired, too much sun, too much fun make us all ready for bed.

Thursday's Happenings

Another day late post but to be honest it really isn't my fault, the computer is not available much of the day and when it is getting on the internet is a struggle. Right now the sky is just beginning to lighten with pink and purple tinging the heavens.
Yesterday after the first 3 pots of coffee were made (we make 4 each day 3 regular and 1 decaf) I went outside to capture the beauty of the sunrise.

 Watching the colors change from pretty pink and purple to gold is such a delight to the eyes.

 We got a little later start on the wake boarding. Below is Anna skidding along the water.

 

David was the only other boarder this morning. Ben drove the boat, Sarah came along for the ride along with Addyson, Braelyn and Taegan but no pictures of the girls.

 As both Mark and I got too much sun yesterday we decided to drive the 35 minutes to visit Notre Dame. Our first stop was the famous grotto

 The amount of gold on and in the buildings is down right amazing.

 We went inside the sanctuary but of course didn't take any pictures there. I've never seen such beautiful stained glass windows and so much gold. The sanctuary is huge and very very ornate. 

The grounds are also beautifully kept, lots of flowers, statues and a lake filled with water fowl by some of the buildings. While we were gone the kids and grandkids spent the morning at the beach swimming and playing games. They swam out to the raft and took turns jumping off. We all made it back for lunch. Sarah and Nolan decided to brave the swan and take the jet ski out for tubing. It is funny how that cob guards the dock. It is fine to leave but don't even think about bringing that jet ski back.

 Anna made our delicious dinner tonight then after dinner they took the kids to a park with a playground while Ben stayed back and designed an obstacle course.

 The kids had a ball, lots of tears if they touched the grass and had to go back but lots of delight when they made it all the way with a clear round.

Rhoda and Lee served home baked apple pie and ice cream later. The kids were put to bed and the visiting went on long into the night. There is not much sweeter than parents hearing and seeing their adult children enjoying each other. We are having a wonderful refreshing time and are so very thankful. If you would like to see more pictures of our Thursday check out Mark's Facebook page.

The Swan Attacks

 

We awoke to another beautiful day Wednesday. This blog is posted just one day late as yesterday was too crowded with fun and I was just too busy to sit at the computer. The lake was smooth and perfect for wake boarding. There were 3 wake boarders today, David, Anna and Phil.

 

To see more pictures of David wake boarding click HERE.

 

To see more pictures of Anna wake boarding click HERE.

 

After breakfast some of us drove and some hiked down to the beach where we spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon swimming and playing games. 

 

 

After lunch the jet ski was taken out and today was the day for swan attacks. This cob swan and his family of 4 cygnets and his pen have taken up residence at a beach just 2 down from Ken Hoerr's place where we are staying. Each time the jet ski is taken out or coming back in and the family is home the cob thinks it is his job to chase that machine off the property.

 Below he is attacking Sarah and Jace. Jace in is cute small voice says, "it's ok Sarah, I'm not scared." Sarah was!

 To see more of the swan attack on Sarah click here.

 Later Anna took turns giving the grand children rides on the jet ski

 and each time had to figure out how to get out on the lake or back to the dock without being attacked.

 Rhoda and Lee were the last ones out for the day. To get back in to the dock they had to get the swan to follow them over to the neighbors who just happened to be taking their jet ski out. Quickly Lee took off and the cob swan took off after the poor neighbor who was yelling and screaming, "get away, get away!"

Sarah and Nolan cooked our delicious dinner tonight. In the evening Ben came up with lots of activities for the children and kept them all active until bedtime with pyramid building, sack races and lots of other games until bed time.

To see the rest of today's pictures click HERE. Once the grandchildren were all in bed we watched a movie which ended well after 10:00 pm. I will have to take a nap today!