Huz has 50.

50.
Grains of salt? Leaves on a tree? Revolutions of a wheel?
Children in your classroom? Hamburgers on your plate? Stalls to clean? Chickens in your bathtub?
50.
Of course it is just a number, so what follows "50" is what counts. Or, when the thing that follows is "years", maybe it is what comes before that counts.  What have you made out of what I'd like to think of as "the first 50 years of your life?" The first 50 are technically difficult. There is growing up, and the fashion decisions of your teen years. There is choosing a career, or three, finding a spouse and a house and raising babies of your own. There are a lot of pitfalls, and opportunities to choose unwisely, suffer arrest, or at least arrested development. Most of us have trudged through all these life moments by the time your DL ( check if it's expired) says you're 50. And if you have gotten there, with few regrets, well done.
Huz is 50 years. And, I sure hope he's pleased. He's made top notch work of the first 50, and this weekend, our PCDC ("Pickaway County Dining Club") met at Cowfeathers to toast the golden boy.

 Even Zac came to the party for a bit, just to say "How do you do?" to the guests, as Youngest wished them to be introduced.

We have great friends in Ohio, and this group are particularly good sports. So when Youngest handed out party hats, they obliged, making it look like the "Pickaway County Dunce Convention" instead.

 But, it is hard to resist the allure of looking like a Medieval Princess.

Or attendees of the Wizards Cocktail Party .

Chief Executive Wizard? 

 Nope. Title is taken. 

This one can be whatever she wants to be! Wizard Princess? 

Of course, Birthday Celebrations have cake!

 And candles, singing and wishes!

 Plus, a group photo.

Thank you, friends!  

And, Happy Birthday to my Huz. 

As my Grandpa used to say- and I still hear his voice in my head-  You've done "good", kid. 

School Starts, and a new Equine Chapter begins!

The sun is rising in great swirls of pink, and my babies are off once again to school.

 Middlest heads off to her Senior Year with all it's fun and responsibilities. She is already working on her college applications, which is, again, bittersweet. She stands atop the podium as Head Drum Major of the Golden Sound of the Vikings- working on her 4th year with a State of Ohio Superior Rating, and she finishes high school taking advantage of all the academic possibilities offered. She begins her first College Course in English at Ohio Christian University, and has already poured with glee over the text book. This summer she has worked at learning German and Spanish as well as continuing her French. She is also working on her Dutch alongside her father. Methinks the beauty likes language. 

 And, Youngest, and his big paws, are off to Freshman Year! The Chinese may consider this The Year of the Horse (to my "Hurrahs!") but for Youngest this is The Year of the Student. This year he will get engaged in learning in new ways, n'est pas? His new French teacher is French, he is a marching trumpet in our elite band (under the direction of his sister....) he has his first real science lab "With Bunsen burners and beakers, Mom!" and this year it all counts.

 Can you tell they live outside? This is why air conditioning is useless at Cowfeathers, and we haven't turned it on since our arrival as caretakers of our homeplace. From dawn to dark we are outside, in God's Air Conditioning.

 This weekend, was one of my favorite kinds- a horse weekend. Saturday morning we three (myself and the kiddos) loaded our equine partners on the trailer and headed off to a Hunter Pace. These are one of my favorite horse activities. You arrive when you arrive, you head off on course when you're ready. You ride as a team of two or three, and pick which "pace" you are going to try to match, slow, medium, fast or "Huntsman" which is supersonic. You head off not knowing how long the course is, through fields and woods, streams and banks. You have to watch and follow ribbons so you don't get lost or go off course, and there are jumps along the way. Each Hunter Pace is as different as the organizers wish to make it, and the terrain offers. This one turned out to be about 6 miles long and had 39 jump efforts. My team of Middlest on Nelle, Youngest on Cheez-It and Chaser and I set off declaring ourselves a "medium" paced team, approximately 6 miles an hour. We walked for a while waiting for the next team to set off to catch up to us, as they are great friends, and we went in a pack of 5. Incidentally, there were 120 riders on the pace, the lion-share riding "medium", and our pack of 5 placed 2nd and 3rd. Surprise ribbons are the best!
This was the last ride together for Youngest and Cheez, as after our Pace, we were returning her to her owner.

 I said to someone this week, "Life is a series of wonderful, bittersweet moments." And this is another of those. We have so loved this mare, this Mother Hen. She is a joy, and a pleasure, and a great pony for a young rider. Her next charge will be blessed. She was easy going and always willing to stop and smell the flowers. Youngest was brave and sad to move on. 
 

 But, move on, he has done. Due to the wonderful advent of "College", sometimes great stars are put in our path. Zac is a planet. His owner has headed off to higher learning, and has allowed us to be his caretakers and students for a bit. Zac is a special boy, sweet to the core, smart, willing and his partner has done such a great job of supporting him and learning with him that he is rather accomplished on top of his winning personality. (He's a looker, too. Check out the flying blonde mane!)

 So, Welcome to Cowfeathers, Zac! Youngest is in love already, and I'm excited to watch him learn from this new boy, both in the saddle and out. They came together on Sunday for their first ride as partners, and already starting clicking. There is so much to work on and learn! But, work, they will, in the best way possible- the exhilarating soul-lifting Horsey Way!

Family Photo Project- in the nick of July

It is July 30, the sun is going down, and this is the last time our family will be awake, and together (mostly) this month.
So, as I closed the gate after walking the horses back from the pasture in the cool of the evening, sunset on one side, moon rise on the other, it struck me that the FPP needed to take place- NOW or my perfect record would be ruined in month 7.
I dashed to the house for the camera, called the kids out of the barn, Huz out of the garden, and pulled up a photo Eldest had provided for the July FPP- she being a sailing instructor on the Chesapeake this summer.
In our farm clothes and our farm boots- the Family Photo Project keeping it real.

And, post family photo, our little black dog, in her usual terrorizing Tucker mode was captured on film leaping the pile.

Eye on the jump....

 And Wheeeeee!

Heritage Farm Mini Trial- a reason to run!

Middlest, on Nelle, finishing Cross Country with a smile!

 So, we continue to be on a constant search for the elusive "finished"...with anything. Just like a hamster on a wheel, thinking it is getting somewhere, I'm never quite sure if we are actually achieving anything in this life. Perhaps my blog is a way of marking these things for myself....yes, we have done something. 

 This weekend's  Hamster Achievement is on the horse wheel.

 I will start by saying that Hamster on a Wheel might equally be metaphor-ed as a Dog with a Bone- I started Eventing ( the three part format of Dressage, Cross Country and Show Jumping) well, many years- decades, ago. And, it is such complete joy for me, that I aspire to it still. Plus, I've wanted my children to have to same opportunity. And, although I think I failed with Eldest, Middlest and Youngest have gotten a chance to partake of the cup. It remains to be seen if they become as intoxicated.

 This weekend, we loaded up the equines and traveled to a (relatively) close horse facility that hosted a "Mini Trial". This means all three phases are run on a lower level than typically recognized Events. Also, it was a "Schooling" opportunity, which means we don't take ourselves overly seriously, and are there to learn. It means that "green" or inexperienced horses or riders have a chance to compete without much gravitas. And, if you screw up, just "Do Over!" And, although you may be "eliminated" and not get a score, you do get the learning, or teaching, chance.
I found two big complications to riding in the same Event as your children.
#1- Sometimes you are riding, or prepping for, at the same time your child is riding, and you miss seeing it altogether!
#2- You can't take pictures of your kids and control your horse adequately.
So, thanks to my village that willingly took my camera and shot photos! Merrie, Hamilton, and whomever else picked up my Canon.

Cheez-It, aka, Sonny Girl, waiting her turn. She is a lovely Mother Hen.

 Someone shot this cute photo of McKenna Z. on Joey, warming up for dressage.

 And, my happy Chaser, warming up for Show Jumping, followed by Cross Country. I smile a lot.

My boy is figuring it out. He's starting to have real fun on a course, and not feel freaked out, atall!

See? Still smiling! And prepping to take his first "skinny". ( A very narrow jump).

Youngest takes Show Jump by storm! He had one stop, but asked her to step over the jump, and she complied. Go Team!

After Show Jump, we moved to the Cross Country course. Chaser was a star! Confident and controlled around the whole course, we had a wonderful ride!

And, my boy is having fun.

Note: There are a lot of things going on around him, and he is focused on the next fence, and our communication. He's growing up! And, I'm still smiling.

Youngest and Cheez-It went off on their first real Cross Country course to conquer it! They had one bump in the road, but fixed the issue, and went on. So Proud!

Wheeeeeee!

So, I saw Middlest's dressage ride ( from the back of my horse, feeling a bit whirly) missed her Show Jump, which was clear and well done, from what I hear, and saw all three of Youngest's rides. Not bad mothering from horseback. Plus, I had a jolly good time, myself.
There, a reason for the hamster to continue on the wheel.

The last month in photoblog...to Family Photo Project- June

Well, gosh.
This blog is turning into just the Family Photo Project record! But, I don't have the time to properly keep up with this hamster wheel existence.

Since the last blog entry of FPP 2015- May,
I have been to France-
Lyon,

 Cassis,

Annecy,

and Paris,

 where I met up with Middlest, after her wonderful week with Xenia (last year, Xenia came to us for a few weeks of summer, this year Middlest went to her home in Paris...)

 I have taken the horse kids to Show Jumping

and Dressage Rallies in the Cleveland area,

 where they, with their Pony Club teams, did a bang-up job under threatening skies, but with final approval from a rainbow....

lost Eldest to her happy place on the Chesapeake Bay- where she is camp counseling for the summer,

 sent Huz to his parent's house for a week long visit and a locum at UF's Vet School,

celebrated Middlest's 17th Birthday! ....

and built a garden house with the guidance and clarity of help from my Dad, who carved out a week to join us at Cowfeathers Farm, and put in brain power, skill and some heavy lifting. We aren't done, but boy, did we make progress! The project, helmed by my Dad, was assisted by Youngest and Middlest's friend, Matt. With a bit of labor by me, and roofing help from Huz. Middlest was the grease for the wheel of progress by providing a constant supply of refreshment, baked goods (including a sour cherry pie from our tree) and lunches.

With all this, and the rest of the juggling of jobs and home, I think we are all a bit topsy-turvy.

But, we are heading into another curve, and June isn't getting any longer, so we took the opportunity of Poppie's visit to do the Family Photo Project 2015 for June! Sadly, without Eldest, but she is having great adventures just so.

Family Photo Project 2015-May

This is our one day in May, all together, and shortly, we will be challenged by being separated by the distance that comes with summer college employment for Eldest.

My Sunday, after church, was spent in the garden. We relocated the compost piles in anticipation of the coming building project- the Garden House. We planted the herbs and nasturtiums, the bush beans and a row of lettuces up high in the planting box...the bunnies have found the lettuce in the garden and I'm not likely to get even a leaf. Youngest dug out a rogue mulberry- darn mulberries- that had found a nice place to grow, right up against the house, and we laid a brick pad over top of the mulberry's locale in an attempt to prevent it growing back. HAH! I'm sure it will be sprouting before autumn. I finished putting in the pest-discouraging marigolds around the kitchen garden, and Youngest and I spent another evening digging around in the border beds trying to wrest control of the weeds.
Just as the last bit of sun was still above the horizon, we assembled for the FPP.

 And, because Eldest was there before anyone else to help me with lighting the shot, I got a few pictures of the two of us. And, I'm glad I did. It is good to have pictures of me and my babies.