Best of luck boys

Business is picking up on the boarding end of things at Pine Manor. A new horse arrived today and Sat morning we are getting another one. I order to make room for the two new boarders and few more we have coming in over the next couple of weeks.

We ended up donating Ironic,

and Arlington.

to childrens home in the midwest that has a horse program that sells horses with the profits going to the childrens home.

This was a difficlut decisoin to let these two horses go, they had become part of our family out here. Ironic had his good days and his bad days. But he was all movement and such a tender personallity. Artty was the social bubble, he loved other horses and people, he was always pestering the other horses, thus the reason for all bite barks he would get. But these two had been for sale for a while and weren't moving. Over the last month we fielded a half dozen requst about boarding and needed the room. Terry ran the numbers by me and it was a $10,000 to $12,000 a year difference if you add up the money from the board we weren't getting for those two stalls and the money spent on vet work and farrier work spent on those two.

So we cut ties with our emotions and on Monday morning and loaded those two geldings into Terry's trailer. I was stone cold faced during the conversations leading up to Monday morning and while loading the geldings. I didn't show a bit of emotion. If you do this thing long enough you get use to it. You load them up, walk to the window, stick your hand inside the window, let them smell you one last time and wish them the best of luck. Then turn back to the barn and go tend to the horses you still have that need you. Even though I new they were gone, on Tuesday morning I walked out to the barn and saw Arty's empty stall and it hit me he was gone and then today, while graining I looked through Ironic's stall and for a second, I thought where is that horse. We still call those stalls Arty's and Ironic's stall. Even though tonight a half Quater horse half mustang is now in Ironic's stall. He is a nice looking six year old gelding.

Letting go is just part of it. You are on edge filled with excitement when you have a foul do and when they go it is a bit sad. But you make these difficult decisions in order to keep it going. The bottom line is your strong feelings towards something don't pay the hay, grain or vet bills. There will be other great moving horses and ones with cute personallities. You will walk through the barn and see Kris brining up another young horse again. Another horse will make you laugh again, you will see that all natural beaty of a Arabian horse in a high stepping trott again.

In the mean time thanks a ton Ironic and Arrlington, well missed by everyone at Pine Manor.

Fall has arrived

The leaves are changing and the days are getting shorter. Football season is fully underway and I was able to get up to the U.P. for a hunting trip a two weeks ago. A outer wheel bearing went out on the pickup last Wed. The good part about that is Neighbor Chris and I needed some garage time and on Friday night we replaced the outer and inner wheel bearings on both sides of the truck. It was great to catch up with Chris and that he was able to help me, because I had never done wheel bearings before.

The Doe's (female breeding goats) were bread the last couple of weeks, on Monday we put the Ewes(female breeding sheep) in with the rams. while seperating the ewes I had a ewe try to get by me. I squated down linebacker style and elevated myself. I ended up meeting the ewe at it's highest point as it tried jumping between me and the pin fence.. The ewe didn't knock me down but I did take a couple steps backwards. Then the next thought I had was "how bad is this going to hurt tomorrow morning." The good news is I was fine in the morning.
We have had a couple field trips at the Critter Barn the last couple of weeks. The pace during the field trips is very high, but the excitement is a lot of fun. We are getting two new boarders Monday at Pine Manor and we have some fall clean up we can do this weekend. Terry and I split wood last weekend and there is a pile of wood that needs to be stacked. Next weekend is the big youth horse show at Michigan State Universtity. The girls have been working very hard for the show along with Kris's guidence. It is great to have the extra energy in the barn lately.

As far as my health? I am doing very good. I got on meds last Thursday. The stuffed up nose is gone and the cough is about gone. I feel stronger every day and am starting to enjoy myself again. I get on these big runs without any time off and I go untill I am about out of air. Then I take a trip, recharge the batteries and come home ready to do it again. Being sick, made me rest and how did I hate it. Kris did a pretty good job of letting me set my own pace last week without forcing me to scale back. That was good because I think if she would have had someone come in for me over the weekend, it would  have only pissed me off and I would still gotten up and found something else to work on in the a.m.. Like I did the last time she tried giving me a rest. So I am ready to do this. Bring on old man winter, bring on snow blinding shavings run, bring on frozen beard while turning out horses. I think April or May would be a good time for a little va,ca.

No sick days

My vaction last week was great. I spent most of the weekend not thinking about the things I normally think about. I came home refreshed with a clear head, well almost. I did come home with a nasty head cold.

The days back have been rough. I can't smell or taste anything and my nose feels like a plugged drain. My body is sore but I have felt much worse in the past. Which led me to thinking about some of the crazy situations health wise I  have found myself in over the years. One of the stories that comes to mind is.

One winter Sunday morning after working on some ice that built up around the door ways in front of the barn the day before. I woke up took a shower and was chilled when I got out to the shower. I texted Kris Lamb and told her that "everthing hurts and the horses are staying today." She replied with "Monica is coming in to feed and bring in, turn them out, I am to, you just have to keep moving." I kinda chuckled and said to my self, "well alrighty then, cowboy up." I got everyone fed and turnout then made a emergency run to Wallgreens for Airborn, orange juice and pain killers. While at Wallgreens Kris texted me "your sore right, not sick." I just had to laugh and told her I was sick. I gutted it out that afternoon, cold sweats and all.

This spring everyone was at a horse show. I woke up and felt like death. took a shower and didn't have enough energy to get dressed, so I went out into the barn in tennis shoes, flannel pajama bottoms and a flannel shirt. I couldn't even turn the horses out. I went back in and slept for a couple of hours. I got back out to barn around noon and got the horses out and finished up stalls around 4:00, then brought everyone back and fed them. Kris and the girls returned that night and Kris had the girls do stalls for me Sunday so I could get some rest.

Even Kris has questioned me about how I should slow down. I really don't think it is a big deal. The late nights and long days are no different than someone trying to raise a family I tell her. You just pull yourself out of bed because you know there is a creature that needs food and care and it doesn't matter how bad you feel, even though you run the risk of being worse off health wise. I know these people and most of them aren't horseman at all or have animals to tend to. And tomorrow morning I will pull myslef out of bed, no matter how bad I feel, lace up the boots and head out to barn and I will think about.

My parents who every other week are taking care of my newly divorced brothers kids, my Sister M.J. who works a ton of hours running a national retail store while being a wife and a Mom, my Sister Kayla who is raising and home schooling her kids in Asia, neigbor Chris who is up at 4:30 every morning so he can get home early to take care of his kids. Yes there are no sick days for us and you are truely my insperation. THANK YOU!!!!

Just an update

Sorry Gang, no pictures. Haven't uploaded/had them scanned to my computer or had the camera with me while "out there." So with Jamey Johnson's latest release playing in the background I will try to paint a picture with words.

The last three weeks have been a blur. Lately the only night I have to myself  has been Wed and when it happends I tend to want to stay home and enjoy my surroundings. I still find myself looking for a tool or brush and thinking how much better life would be if I took "that" apart or cleaned "it" up.

Kris had the furterity show, which meant the truck and trailer need to be washed quick a minute. The girls have had Equestrain meets the last three Sat, throw in one "Farm on the go" for the Critter Barn on a thunderstormy Sat. The girls worked realy hard to get themselvs and  there horses ready. Two of the girls are on Holland High's team and this weekend they are at the Regional show with Kris, which meant the truck and trailer needed to be washed again "quick a minute" Terry and I went over to the show last weekend for a couple of hours. It was a lot of fun. They had a concession stand with coffee and great BBQ sandwiches. As weird as it may sound I hardley ever make it to a show, mainly because I am home keeping the home fires burning while they are gone.

I bought another truck. It feels sooooo good to be back in a pickup. My first car was a truck and you can take the good o'l boy out of the truck but you can't take the truck out of the good o'l boy. Nope this one doesn't sit up tall, have a thirsty V8 or loud exhaust or is four wheel drive. I have found out that those things cost me money in gas,speeding tickets, insurance, repairs and tires. I bought a truck very simalar to what my Natural Dad use to drive. 2 wheel drive, 6 cyl, stick with no options, just a plain jane pickup. It is older but I paid for it with a personal check

We put up the last of the hay at Pine Manor the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. I am starting to think about things that need to be done before snow flys. But before I think to hard I have a grouse hunting trip in the U.P.  at Mike's parents cabin this coming weekend. It is kinda funny how I spend my time away from the farms is in the middle of the woods with no elctricity, running water a wood buring stove and camp fire that stays lit the whole time we are up there. You bust your ass for months on end and go up there to poop in a out house.lol. But being up there playing cards and telling old stories in the all that clean air with my buddies is dam near heavin for me.

That about sums it up "Out Here"