Me and MY Mom.

In our recent Mother's Day celebration, I enjoyed the many pictures people posted on their Facebook of their moms. I noticed that usually it was a picture of "Me and my Mom", and that most pictures fell into two categories:

1. Picture of me and my mom when I was a baby.
2. Picture of me and my mom at my wedding.

And it got me thinking about pictures I have of me and MY Mom.
And there aren't that many, especially ones of JUST me and my Mom.
I could think of one "recent" picture, taken about 3 years ago?  But, then I was stumped.
So, knowing my parents and I were about to have a too rare visit together, I decided that my goal was to get a picture of Me and My Mom.

They arrived, and then, we got busy. So busy that the picture was forgotten and put aside, and then, this morning, as the sun came up and my parents prepared to leave, I got a picture.

Me and My Mom.

 Happy Mother's Day (albeit belated) to Me and My Mom.




And, because I didn't want to miss the opportunity.....

Happy early Father's Day to Me and My Dad!

These two have given me such gifts in my life.  I am a lucky girl.

Youngest gets a new pony-partner!

 It's been a few weeks since our latest addition to the barn arrived. I tried blogging about her arrival from my tablet, but it came out in jibberish, so...a non-entry. And, I have a bunch of pictures of this cutie, with Youngest, on my phone, but my phone and computer don't agree about their existence. My phone, incidentally, has also determined that I live in Providence, Rhode Island, and cannot be dissuaded by fact, nor GPS. So, my announcement of Youngest's new pony is belated, and not well documented photographically (except on my phone, which has pictures and video...)


In any case, Sunnygirl, (a.k.a. Cheez-It; because Youngest is 13 and she is red/orange) is a Quarterpony mare. She belongs to a lovely young lady who is at University and finds herself with too many horses and not enough time to enjoy them all. So, for now, S.G.(I've shortened it a bit, or sometimes lengthened it out with the whole "Sunnygirlcheezit") is a member of our family.

After Pearl died, I knew we needed to begin a search for a mount for Youngest, but it was just so darn cold all the time. Today, May 21, I still arose and put on polar-tech. But, with the horse season beginning regardless of the decisions of Mother Nature, we still gave it a go. And, found S.G. with little time to spare. So, the day after she arrived, she got to start working with Youngest, first in the ring, practicing their dressage tests, then on a ride out in the open.

 I was curious to see if S.G. would come back without her rider, not knowing exactly how she would feel about riding out cross country- would she get excited and a bit too much for Youngest to handle? Also, would Youngest stay focused and on top of the horse? So, off they went. Middlest with Nelle, KZ with Scooter and Youngest with Sunnygirl.

This is not just a picture of a beautiful cloud-filled sky! On the grass above this word is S.G. then Nelle, then Scooter a bit behind. Youngest and his new pony, off leading the pack. No worries.

At this point, I must mention the gorgeous field above and the amazing ring at top- that, despite days of torrential rains still has great footing- belong to our friends, the Z's, who generously allow us to come ride with them. Without friends this spring, little riding would have been achieved yet, as our field has dangerous footing, and is suitable for the walk only. So, we have been to the Z's many times, Dr. S's several times, and the fairgrounds arena has become our other back yard.

Youngest is learning to jump aboard S.G., who is generous about taking the cross rails with little guidance, as Youngest learns how to position his body over fences. He is making great strides in his abilities, and they are cantering around the arena now- I knew he'd find a taste for speed!

Welcome to a sweet, kind and red/orange pony!

Something's gotta give? Done.

Thoughts on Cleaning, as I spent my six unalloted hours of May, 2014 partially cleaning my kitchen, dining and living rooms:

 When they say "Something's gotta give" apparently for me, it's a no-brainer. Cleaning goes.

 There are people who vacuum everyday. My Eldest Sister is one of these. I am vacuuming up both Easter grass and Christmas tree pine needles.

 I dust with a shop-vac.

 I have brought this upon myself. As I have a house, animals and child(ren)- I don't see that the sheer number of kids makes the difference as much as the kid itself. And, I have also brought this upon myself by having dishes, furniture, an indoor toilet, a refrigerator, clothes, food, dogs....which all provide kids, adults, wind, bugs and dust opportunities to coat the home in dishes, food, clothes, dog hair, dirt, hair and bugs. If you have a place to sit, someone will sit in it. If you give them a place to rest their feet, and place their beverage, they will do so.

It would dismay my mother, and hopefully be no surprise to my m-i-l, that they keep much neater, cleaner houses than I do. I say this would dismay my Mom because if you ask her, she will tell you she is not a cleaner of houses. Yet, if you wandered through her home, you'd not agree. And, I think she might entertain the illusion that her Youngest (me), keeps a tidy home. This state of denial is possible as I live a day's drive from my parents, and they rarely stop in. ( I say rarely because I did get a call, while we were living in TBC, that they'd like to stop by for an iced tea. This was an unlikely request being that they lived in Tennessee, but a welcome one. I was laying a brick patio that day, and I don't recall that house being in this one's current state of dishevelment, which may have supported the illusion.) My mother and I approach house living/cleaning in a similar way. When you have a project to do, you do the project, allowing the house to do it's own thing. When the project is finished you look around, and get to work, and then you have a completed project and a clean house. But while the project is happening, the house? Not too much. Unfortunately for my house, I have been working on a project for 5 months.

 My Mother-i-l is an organized one who I believe has always kept a tidy home.

 House cleaning takes place for me in two instances.
- The house is distressing me so much that I am thinking of moving, which then leads me to the realization that no one would ever buy the house in this state, and I begin cleaning, after which the distress and the moving thoughts go away until the house demands it again.
- I decide to entertain.
               -No one has come over since my kidney stones in March, and then I didn't care because I was dying of kidney stones.
               -Feeling like your dying helps you not worry about your mess.
               -I'm glad I'm no longer dying of kidney stones.

 A room doesn't feel clean and right to me until it has flowers.

 If there are flowers I can overlook some cleaning shortcomings.

 My work of six hours will be undone in much less.
 Which, is a blessing. My house is full of kids, animals, dirt and love.

Rolex 2014- workin' it!

I think that in order to get some things up on this blog, I am going to have to admit to myself that I do not have several hours at a time to do so, and thus, if I have a few minutes, pin something in, and maybe in short bursts, I will have shared our lives.
But, what....
Salem house hallway and stairs B&A? The new pony? Easter? The attack of the killer rooster? Eldest completing her first year at University? The termite swarm that is taking over my life, and probably the amazing house we inhabit? Or, shall I jump into the Rolex? There is no way I can cover our Rolex adventure in a single blog entry, so I will just give it the minutes I have and see what happens in tomorrows minutes!

 In this sea of khaki-panted, french braided girls, our very own Middlest is the one in the center, black jacket, grey piping (thank you Terry McKie Johnson).... this is their orientation early on the first morning of competition, Rolex 3-Day Event CCI ****, Lexington, KY, 2014!!!
So, the long and short is that Middlest was chosen to work as a volunteer at the biggest, most prestigious 3-Day Event in the sport of Eventing in all of America (North and South). There are only 4 CCI **** Events in the world. 3 of them are in Europe. One is under Middlest's feet. I, as her AOR (adult of record), was also included in the volunteer line up. We, along with 5 other of the members of her Pony Club and their AORs were on the dressage crew. We worked the first two days of four (yes it is called a 3-Day, but at an event this large and prestigious, the dressage phase takes two days for all the riders to present.)

 And, she was up-close and personal with the top athletes in the sport! She did various jobs during the two days, including poop-scooping in the warm up arenas.

 In the elite level of the sport there are many riders who are graduate Pony Clubbers. This is Doug Payne, who turned in the third highest dressage score of the first day of competition, proudly wearing his USPC Championships pin on his lapel. Thank you Doug for the inspiration! He was not the only one, I spotted several pins on top riders. I was just quick with my camera here, while working the ramp gate into the stadium!

 The workers had a few minutes each day to sit in the VIP stands, "courtside", to watch the amazing dressage rides. And, watch Hunters Run Pony Clubbers do the integral jobs- we had several collecting score sheets from the three dressage judges, one member who scribed for a dressage judge, and one who for most of both days opened and closed the main competition arena for each riding pair. They were fantastic, responsible and professional throughout. I am very proud of them all!

Middlest worked at the "bit-check" for a few shifts both days. The bit check is where a FEI Steward (Federation Equestre Internationale) and her crew (Middlest) check the horse after it has completed the dressage test to make sure the bit is legal, and their is no ear plugs in the horse. She is tucked behind the Rolex clock in this picture, in her Official ribbon and volunteer cap.

 The horses here are amazing. Athletic. Talented. Fearless. Powerful. In this photo is Buck Davidson (son of the legendary Bruce Davidson, 5 time winner of the Rolex) well on his way to becoming a second generation legend. He is on Ballynoe Castle- a personal favorite of mine, and as I was gushing about my admiration of the horse to the woman next to me in the VIP stands, I find out she is his personal veterinarian.I felt a bit sheepish, although I must have made her fill with pride. It was interesting to chat with a fellow DVM that is in such an interesting job.  Also in the photo are the Pony Clubbers running the scores...one of ours is on the left!

And just when I am star struck and moony-eyed, I see that though amazing, the horses are some times resistant none-the-less.

This is my Bit-Check Girl, the last day of competition, the last group of riders to go, waiting on Arthur and Allison Springer to ride past and begin their dressage ride. The ride that would put them on the top of the 82 entries with a top-notch score of 39.

I didn't get any pictures of Arthur in the ring, although I had my camera on and up. I just didn't notice anything but this pair. MAN, they were special, elegant in a way I hadn't seen yet, soft and relaxed, yet powerful and precise. I was in awe of the ride.

 When they finished the pair knew they had done something extraordinary.

 And Middlest was right there for it. I certainly hope this will be a lasting memory for her as it is for me!

Before and After: Salem House main floor bath and hall.

So, one of the reasons Salem House was chosen is that is has two full bathrooms. This is an unusual occurrence in the little neighborhood of little houses from the 1940s.
The main floor has a bathroom, and the basement has a nice, big bathroom as well (we'll get to that one later...much later).
The main floor of Salem came to us in the (politically incorrect) color ; Dirty Flesh. My older readers will recall the crayon in the Crayola Big Box called "Flesh". This was abandoned in 1962, partly in response to the "Duh" moment that it was acknowledged that flesh is many different colors. Then again, so is "sky blue". But anyhow, "Flesh" was changed to "Peach". But, the color of Salem's walls didn't look like Peach at all. It looked like the dirty "Flesh" color crayon in my childhood crayon box. Now, as an aside, I should point out that if you are picturing the nifty gold and green box;  "64 Crayons! With Sharpener!" and the fold back lid with all those tidy rows of fantasy colors inside, you aren't picturing my childhood crayon box. Mine was a square wooden cookie jar, with a faded rooster on the side and rick-rack painted trim. The box was full of crayon bits of all lengths, none of them sharp. I wasn't even born for 6 years after "Flesh" was changed to "Peach". My Eldest Sister wasn't born until after "Flesh" was no longer. So, not just hand-me-down crayons, friends....Garage Sale crayons. Perhaps these early moments helped shape my can-do attitude. I, too, can color, but I can do it with garage sale, un-sharpened crayons. 40 years later, why can't I rip apart a bathroom? Well, to be fair, I tore up my first bathroom 15 years ago at Oklahome. 

So, here is the "dirty flesh/peach" color walls. Hereafter named "Fleach". The dirt was added after the original paint job, but accumulated nicely.

 And, this was the bathroom.

 It's not bad. Really. Just a cosmetic problem. It needs to be cleaned. Definitely some paint. And the fleach tile is awkward. For one, someone put it in in the last 25 years, and they didn't make it quite to the wall. Plus, there is no where to put "stuff" on the sink or near the sink, and girls need places to put "stuff" when they are getting ready of a morning.
So maybe I can live with the fleach tile if I paint the bathroom a truffle brown? Lots of white trim? (This is what I was thinking...) Then, maybe if I replace the stick on, vinyl baseboard with real base, it will do.
So, I ripped off the stick on vinyl base"board". This was my first mistake.
I then realized that behind the toilet was a large "hump". Uh oh. More investigation revealed the vinyl tiles on the floor weren't actually stuck down around the tub, but more or less held on by caulked edges. So, my cosmetic problem became a functional one. 

 So, must go.

 And, since it is Spring Break, why go to Key West when one can demolish a bathroom?
Youngest came to pitch in.

As you can see, the subfoor is rotting. And this is not new. No, this is pre-vinyl tile rot. The previous repairer of bathrooms replaced an 8" square around the toilet flange, and then just stuck vinyl tiles over the rotted bits. Thus the "Hump" behind the toilet. The subfloor next to the tub is likewise powdered into oblivion. Another note: the toilet flange opening does not appear to be blocked in this photo. Not sure why, as there is a large piece of newsprint balled up in there to block the smell from coming up and any debris from falling in. I recommend doing this.

 

To be fair, I staged these photos during "lunch break". He wore a mask and gloves when really demolishing. And I wore those plus goggles, not having glasses.

 One of the joys of working with Youngest- he always leaves little gifts around on any camera.



Bathrooms are projects that always dance one step forward, and another back. Youngest and I got the old subfloor ripped up, the fleach tile off the wall and the ceiling and walls painted.  Huz came to help one day and we got the walls covered with wainscot, and the trim done at the top of the wainscot. I then began to tile the floor and got the tile down with two days or so before I could come back so ample time to dry.
But there are many points at which I think "Yikes! What have I gotten myself into here?" And, I just take it bit by bit, and keep plugging away. It doesn't always look pretty.

 Like, how is this mess going to get fixed? I mixed the grout, and began the task, but it wasn't very smooth, and it took some real elbow grease to make the rubber float do its thing. This is after hours spent painstakingly pulling the tile adhesive out of the joints where I had been overzealous in application. I haven't done little tile on a floor since the Flutterby Farm bathroom in 1999. I forgot. And that time I had help! My friend Dee Dee and her husband John were driving through Oklahoma and stopped to tile my bathroom. I love friends! Evidently, I need to tile floors more often, and I wouldn't forget the details.


Then, when the floor was done, and the base boards were cut, painted and on, it was time to get something useful back in the bathroom. Like a toilet.
Which is something I can't do alone anymore. I prefer to not think of it as a strength issue, but more of a triumph of wisdom. So, I finagled a way to get Eldest and her friend Jordan to stop by after class, and they held up the toilet while I worked the wax ring and the toilet bolts into place.

 Full disclosure: the bathroom isn't done! I need to have three hands, and so I'm hoping for a bit more help to finish up the sink....hint hint hint. And, I should've taken a picture from inside the room. Maybe y'all will just have to come see it.


Oh, and one more B&A: The hallway. 

Before in dirty fleach. With the baseboards showing where the old pink shag ended, and unhappy floors- lots of paint splatters. Still- it has a cute linen closet with vintage knobs!

 After: walls are done in Martha Stewart "Enamelware" and bright white trim. Floors are sanded and oiled and waxed. It is bright and fresh. To the left on the hall is Spring Pond, and to the right is Essex. These are bedrooms, and they are likewise finished, but not yet furnished, so may wait for the reveal....

Before and After- Salem House Kitchen!

The long awaited (at least by me) reveal of Salem House can now begin!


The room I started in, the day we closed on the house was the kitchen. It was the worst eyesore in my opinion, because it was drab and sad, and a kitchen shouldn't be thus!


Here are the kitchen pictures when I began. I will make them all small, so as decrease their impact.

The positives about the space as I saw them:
It has two windows and a door to a nice back yard. 
It has a vintage stove, a working dishwasher and a double sink.
The floor is relatively new, is cushy, easy to clean, and is protecting the woodfloors that are most likely several layers beneath.

The negatives:
It is ew.


So, armed with a $500, plus the need for to replace the fridge, so tack on another $500, and two arms...

A new, cute kitchen! I decided to make it a fun, colorful space. With college age inhabitants, and a compact space, it didn't need to be too serious.

The "can pantry" is a concept my Dad suggested several houses ago for a narrow space in another compact kitchen. I have used it many times since then, finding it to be useful, attractive and works well in small spaces. The shutters on the windows, I wanted for privacy, but to also to let the light in from the upper half of the window. As I was thinking of trolling thrift stores for shutters, a search in the depths of the upstairs closet revealed them- probably original and taken down years ago. Fresh paint and a graphic colorful fabric, and voila!  The table was a leftover at an auction, so they through it in with a lot I had purchased for $5.00. The top had been laminate but was broken and part was gone. It is a nice, heavy wooden pedestal table, so, I ripped off the rest of the laminate and painted it with a checkerboard pattern. I love the island. This was a Christmas present from my parents some years ago. It has a beautiful marble top and is not only workspace but storage. It had never found the right home at Cowfeathers, and is a natural fit for Salem House.

 

 

 

 

These are all the same cabinets as in the "before pictures". They've just been modified a bit. The upper cabinets lost their doors and then were painted. Middlest did the first layer with a Kilz Primer. She hasn't come back to Salem to work since...I guess it wasn't her kind of job. I then framed out the area above the cabinets for further shelving and to bring height into the room. The upper shelving is visually supported by the little corbels I added underneath. The counter tops are in good condition, so were kept. The base cabinets just needed paint and personality. I wanted them to look more like freestanding furniture, so I made them "feet" and painted them different colors- well one got a color, the others got my favorite- white. Each base also has it's own unique hardware (found by digging around in dusty bins at Habitat for Humanity Restore) which gives them each an identity.

The entry into the kitchen from the hall is still rather narrow, but it doesn't feel so closed in as the upper cabinets over the stove are gone. I also got rid of the tall pantry cabinet between the stove and the refrigerator. It was falling apart, and it took up a lot of visual space in the room. It was the largest thing in the kitchen.  In it's place I built a freestanding shelf for the microwave, with storage underneath and a wood counter.

The stove still needs to have a vent hood added over the cooktop, but I am accumulating electrician jobs so I can have them all done at one time. The wood counter next to the stove is "2 by" culled from the "free" pile at the Home Depot. I brought home long pieces of warped 2x8 and then chose unwarped sections for the counter. I stained it and waxed it with beeswax, added a cutting board, thereby creating a counter top that fit into my budget. The cute strawberry tea kettle was a gift from Nana for Eldest. It adds even more cheer to this colorful space!

The ceiling fan stayed, but the blades were painted white to help it disappear into the ceiling (a surface which had 4 coats of white applied by Eldest!) The back door makes  me smile every time I walk into the room. A bright daffodil yellow in a small burst of color is a treasure. This photograph was taken from where the refrigerator stands. After the old fridge was hauled away for recycling, and before I purchased the new one, the kitchen seemed pretty large! In this photo, I have not added the hardware to the cabinets yet. Oh, and I forgot to mention the back splash. In this quirky kitchen, I wanted something for the back splash that would be unique. These are floral or craft marbles, in sea glass colors and finish. They add polish, without being stuffy, and hold a secret. I know I've mentioned this before in other blogs, but I'm a little kid inside about these things. I love homes with secrets. Bookshelves that conceal a door, openings in a wall, passages, newel posts, I love all those things. I remember a little wooden house my parents had that was really a puzzle that if you turned every little bit just right revealed a little hidden chamber. As a child I loved to sit in my father's study and open it properly. Mystery and secrets can be fun.

This is a closer up photo of the bottom cabinets. I chose handles for the upper drawers that can also double as towel holders, if you tuck a dish towel through. But I also hung a glass knob between the cabinets for easy towel placement. 

I took this photo because I was fascinated by the circles in this project. This is a 70 year old house. It has had several chapters in it's past, and some of the history is revealed as you get to know a place. Cleaning and painting every inch really gets you introduced!  But as I worked on this main floor, room after room showed glimpses of it's history matched what I had planned for it's future. I painted the walls this blue with a dash of green and then found an area chipped away in the hall corner (where someone had bashed it) that revealed nearly the same exact shade as the base color. As I scrubbed the base boards on hands and knees, preparing to add a fresh coat of white, chipped areas show the same- really same! shade of yellow with which I had already adorned the door. And the bright turquoise was found in both living room and one bedroom. It suits.

Over the windows and the door, I added shelving. Again, it gives height, adds space for items, and is informal and sweet. On the shelves above the windows, at the back, are three signs I made. They are the translation, and also my hope for Salem. The read "Salem", "Saalam" and "Peace".

Pony Club Quiz Kids- Whiz kids!

Okay, that was a long hiatus from blogging! But, we have not been idle.
I am excited to share some photos from the burgeoning transformation of Salem House. I feel like I have so much to do there, but it helps to catalog what has been done. I will post photos of the kitchen soon. It is mostly done, but does need a refrigerator (I hate to spend the money!) Two of the bedrooms are finished, and the main floor bathroom is demolished... a lot to do there still!


Meanwhile, Huz and Middlest have been to Disney and back with the marching band where they were featured in a parade, and I have spent many hours in the barn- the cold, cold barn- doctoring the hind limbs of Middlest's horse. The week after we lost Pearl, Middlest discovered Chanelle in the early morning, in my horse's stall, with much damage inflicted to her right hind in particular and the gate with which she had tangled on the other side of the paddock. What exactly happened, we'll never know. What we do know is what came next; another early morning call to our Horsevet Hero, Dr. Peter Meuse. I worked on getting her cleaned up and ready to be fixed, but it became apparent it was not going to be an easy job. The first day he sewed up the wound near her tarso-crural joint; at the middle front of her hock, and we injected it with antibiotics, in case the joint capsule was compromised, but the swelling was too great to fix the largest wound down the front inside of her cannon bone. Amazingly, she had missed all the major tendons there and after some wrapping work to get the swelling down, he came back out on a Friday night to close the bigger wound. Just for perspective, I was working too that evening, and arrived home after 10:30 pm to Dr. Meuse still in the barn. Poor guy! But, with diligent care, the sutures came out a few days ago, and now we are working on other issues to see where we get with her rehab. She needs to regrow a lot of skin!  Amazingly, after day 1, she never seemed lame. Thoroughbreds.


And, this past weekend, I was feeling brave enough to leave her in Dr. Meuse and Huz's care and drive my champion children to West Virginia to compete in the Tri-State Region of the United States Pony Club Quiz Competition. This is Middlest's third year competing in Quiz, and Youngest's first Pony Club Competition. It is like "College Bowl" about horses, and a practical examination all rolled into one. It is 12 hours of Pony Club horse questions and hands on knowledge about the sport of horses, and the only Pony Club competition to which you don't bring an actual horse. 
At the end of the day I had two of the top 12 scorers in the entire competition in my family, and 4 of the top 12 in my car. 8 of 9 of our Hunters Run Pony Club competitors qualified to compete in the National Pony Club Championships in Kentucky this summer. That would be 8 of 12 in the region. When I say these kids are good, I mean they're fantastic.

Perfect Plaits: The team gets up early to make sure braids are done just alike- Youngest was spared as the only boy!

The Ladies, and Gent of Team HRPC!

Our Senior D team placed second by a hair. That's Middlest second from the left.

And our scramble team with HRPC and BPC of Junior D's placed second as well!  Youngest is the fella.

My handsome Youngest, beams with pride. He was a high point scorer.

Our 3-man team of Senior C's killed it! They were first by a mile.

But, our Junior D team was the third place team score overall ( 25 teams).

And one of our own, K. Z. had the second highest score of all competitors for the day. (For the second year in a row- YOWZA!)

 

 

 

I am so proud of my Pony Clubbin' kids!