And Then...

In case anyone is wondering about the axe-murderer looking photo of Bree on the slideshow...she somehow gashed her head in the trailer on the way home. It is a short straight ride but has several large hills, so I can only think she slid forward and hit her head then. Being a head wound, it bled like crazy, especially when the vet stitched it up and every touch sent more blood oozing down her face.
It cleaned up nicely and the actual wound is maybe 4 by 1 inches, but I had to take a photo first of her, messy and heavily sedated, looking like a Halloween prop.

What a Ride!

Yesterday morning I went to trail ride at a neighbor's house as I have a number of Wednesdays lately. After our usual 1 1/2 hours or so of walking all around this beautiful property, the day had turned absolutely perfect. I couldn't stand the idea of quitting the ride, so I set out to trot the perimeter on my own before going home. Bree was in the mood also, and soon broke into a nice gallop.
We galloped along the trail at the edge of a huge grassy meadow alongside trees decked out in lovely fall colors, over rises and around bends. Balancing in the stirrups, I could follow her rhythm and feel the strength and warmth of her muscles. The only sounds were Bree's hoofbeats and the occasional squeak of leather, and birds singing in the trees. A red-tail hawk circled overhead and the smell of warm, drying leaves hung in the air. Bree and I were both reveling in the freedom we felt on this, the kind of ride one rarely gets to experience. I was so lucky growing up to have the space and opportunity to gallop, free and wild, across our farm, and this ride took me back many years.

'Possum!

Last night Sasha started going crazy at the door. Often when this happens at night she ends up chasing a raccoon away from our bird feeders on the porch. I peeked out the window and instead of the usual raccoon face, saw a rather large opossum on one side of the porch rail while Sasha ambled up to say hello. I tapped at the window but she ignored me and I cringed, waiting for her to get a chomp on the face.

The critter just froze, played 'possum I guess, for a while, then when Sasha got too close he could stand it no longer and bared some nasty sharp pointy teeth. I dashed to the door and got Sasha in then waited for it to leave. Took some photos, up close, turned off the porch light, he still stayed. Bill came home nearly an hour later and he was still there. More photos and gawking, then turned off the light. Another half hour later Andy came up and sure enough there he was. I guess he's gone now.

The best news out of this? A week ago we were outside and saw a headless body with a rat tail. I assumed it was a very healthy and fluffy rat and had since been rather grossed out with the idea of rats near our house. Now I'm pretty sure it was a young 'possum and am actually a bit relieved by that.

Fun Visit

Our friends the Riders, who moved to Hays, KS three long years ago, came to visit us this weekend. Well, they came also for the MU Homecoming game and a medical conference, but we monopolized them as much as possible. We invited friends over Friday night to catch up, and otherwise relaxed and let the kids play.

Ethan and their oldest, Sam, have always been great buddies and had tons of fun. Their exploits as Indiana Jones and his sidekick, as well as various super heroes, were great. Sunday after church I followed them along our wooded path and took some fun pictures. They each had a big walking stick and started brewing a "potion" in the stream. Then Ethan broke into a song called Punkin' Stew that they are singing at school. A video clip is on the Flickr site.

Lainey and their youngest, Shane, played also. They did a pretty good job of keeping up with the big guys, and also had their own playacting to do, often featuring Lainey as the Mom.

Kurt got to visit some old colleagues at the medical school, and eat Indian food which is apparently scarce in Hays. He, Bill and Andrew tailgated and went to the game, then afterwards went to play pool at a new place downtown.

Julie and I got to catch up with each other, which is so great since we always have so much to talk about. When they moved back to Hays, which is their hometown, we talked a lot about the battle between moving home to where family is and having some distance and creating your own life in another place. We all four had battled this decision over the years. It was interesting to hear what her experience has been, and a bit of a relief (selfishly speaking) to hear her echo many of my fears about moving back. One item was that a sister who she had been incredibly close with now hasn't spoken to her in 1 1/2 years. Until recently when she got her to talk and a 6 hour conversation ensued about what things one had, whose kids got more attention from other family members, who was a better christian, who was the favorite among shared friends, etc.

Some things are just less hurtful when cushioned by distance. And when guilt or spite rear their ugly heads, distance will create itself in any case. I know some friends who see family who live across town less often than we see family in Nebraska. Apparently it just isn't as simple as all that, like most things. My very wise and wonderful sister-in-law Renda once asked me when I was obsessing about the impossibility of pleasing everyone, "who is most important in your life?" My husband and kids. "OK, so focus on that relationship and your life with them and if that's going well, you don't need to worry."

A Rant Ensues

Rant, rave, snarl, ethnocentric, hiss, spit, rose-colored glasses, rave, growl, reverse elitism, hiss, ##!?!#, hypocritical...
Wow, that felt good.

Jr High Party

Friday night was the first All-School party of the year at Jordan's school. I volunteered so got to be in several areas throughout the night. There are a bunch of things like cake walk, raffle, flowers for sale, card room etc. besides the dance.
Toward the end of the evening Jordan brought her sweetie Nick to meet me. He was very cute and nice and had bought Jordan three carnations and won her Little Debbie snack cakes on the cake walk. Everyone razz her at will ;-)

Tech Nerd In Training?

We recently introduced a new effort/reward system to the kids. Some call it allowance, Dave Ramsey calls it a commission system, whatever. The big kids got their presentation Sunday afternoon and I think are very pleased with the idea. It will give them a little more money on hand to budget, along with responsibility to pay for more of their discretionary items from that money, hopefully creating a real sense of managing money and making careful purchases that will help them in the future. Andrew already has a personal account for this, and Jordan and I will open hers today, none too soon as she generally has a pile of babysitting/dogsitting cash lying about also.
Anyway, last night I called Ethan and Alaina to the table to present their responsibilities and rewards. I said something like "Come over here, I have a new system to present to you." At the exact second it came out I thought, "now that sounds nerdy", just as Ethan bolted up from his toys and hurried over saying "New system? Mom I love it when you say things like new system. That gets me all excited." Oh, my!

Love Those Kolaches!

Today I am picking my way gingerly about the house, stopping now and then to stretch my lower back, and praying quite earnestly that one of those drop-you-to-the-ground white hot lightning bolts of pain doesn't shoot from my SI joint. This after being so thrilled with physical therapy and following that up with weekly pilates with my friend/physical therapist Kim who incidentally is a rocking fun horse woman as well.
So where do kolaches fit in this story? Well, I was thinking about pilates and it reminded me of a story I never put on here....At the beginning of the school year Jordan and I went to a night at her school where kids walk parents through their class schedule, and teachers give a brief talk about their respective classes. The last class was P.E. While waiting for the teacher to begin, Jordan told me some things they had been doing in class. On a few rainy days, she said they had fun doing this kolaches stuff. Kolaches? I asked. "Describe that to me". "You know, where you get on the floor and do stretches and things". "Do you mean pilates?". "Yeah, that's it! So what is kolaches?". "Those little rolls Grandma Husa makes with fruit in them." "Oh, Yeah!".
Leave it to the Czech girl to have kolaches on her mind.

And Don't Forget It!

Alaina is a rather confident and outgoing little gal in general. Between being the youngest, mimicking Jordan and her big girl friends, and a predisposition to being social, she holds her own in about any situation. She also gets frustrated when the rest of us don't seem to realize just how big and capable she is.
Lately, she cracks us up when, anytime she meets opposition, she walks up and says "you know I'm three years old, right?", or "I'm three years old, OK?". This is generally accompanied by one hand on a hip, tilted head and a facial expression that suggests she is trying to be patient as she points out this obvious fact that should clear up any misunderstanding we might have about her abilities. Three years old is apparently a magic threshold, the key to big girl world. Usually when she introduces herself nowadays she says "I'm Lainey Kathryn Morrissey and I'm three years old", holding up three fingers with a little smug smile and fluttering eyelids.
It really is the cutest thing, and while I'm sure my hard-headed little girl and my hard-headed self will have our arguments over the years, I love to watch her confident personality unfold. Now does it convince me that she should get to skip her nap or jump on the couch after all? Try again, sister! Cuz' I'm thirty-six years old and I said so, OK?

You Put It Where?

Ethan was searching for three small toys that are part of his Indiana Jones Lego set. I asked him where he last saw them. He said "When I went to bed last night I put them in the pocket of my underwear." I said "You mean your pajama pocket?". "No, Mom, that little pocket that's in my underwear", as he proceeds to show me by dropping trou.
Needless to say, the toys had wiggled their way out in the night and were found among the bedsheets. Also needless to say, I got a good giggle.

A Horsey Weekend

This was my kind of weekend. Not often anymore do I get to spend more than the briefest amount of time around horses, and as many of you know there were many years when my time was split mainly between horses and reading about horses.
Friday I was able to go on a trail ride with a neighbor and fellow ex-Shelter person. The day was gorgeous and we ambled all over while discussing horses, family and where the stock market might bottom out.
Friday evening Jordan took a quick ride on Payton then we bathed him and cleaned her tack to prepare for her show Saturday morning. Next morning we loaded up and drove to my friend Rosy's farm where she puts on several fun, low-key shows a year. Jordan's friend Alexis was able to show as well, and they had fun being there together. Alexis rode Daisy, the school horse Jordan had in the last show, and Jordan had our Payton. The girls did great and brought home an array of ribbons as you will see on our slideshow. The weather continued to be about as perfect as anything I can imagine. I joked with a few friends about the transition from rider to "horse show mom" while toting mane combs, safety pins and brushes in my pockets, but I'll get my chance to show again before long, and it is such a joy just to see all the kids learning the sport and to watch the joy and confidence young girls get from horses.
Then Sunday afternoon the girls got to take part in a vaulting clinic at the barn where they ride. A friend of their instructor teaches vaulting and competed in that sport at William Woods University in Fulton where there is a nice equestrian program. She brought two of her vaulting horses, both draft crosses with big broad backs and steady temperments, and the kids got to learn how to boost each other up while the horse walked in his circle, sit front and backwards, and do moves like tall kneel, windmill, flag, stand, and dismount while he moved. It was very cool and a unique experience. She shared a great website, http://www.americanvaulting.org/ that has a great photo section if you are curious just what vaulting is. Basically gymnastics and riding together, like you may have seen in circuses.

Rain, Snails and other Random Items

Today was Lainey's class field trip to the Peachtree Farms Pumpkin Patch. This has become an annual tradition for the kids' with their preschool classes and sometimes just as a family. We met the class at the farm and began with the hayrack ride. The day was cloudy and gray but not raining at the moment. The kids got out at a pumpkin patch to choose their own pumpkins, and about then a steady drizzle started. It quickly soaked everyone and showed no signs of relenting, so soon the class headed home. Lainey and I grabbed an umbrella and snuck a quick peak at some of the animals scattered throughout the property, then beat a retreat ourselves. Happily it is a home day for us so we got to go home, change to cozy sweats and have our picnic lunch in the play room while reading books and listening to the rain on the roof.
Ethan was thrilled last weekend to receive five big land snails Aunt Cindy found while out for a run. He has been searching for some ever since he read a library book about snails and slugs that featured these cool big snails like you see all over Europe. They are fun to watch, very active and have really long antenna with eyes at the end. They also leave slime trails worthy of Ghostbusters. We set free the two tiny frogs in the terrarium (it was high time they hopped off to hibernate anyway) and set up a snail habitat. Ethan's room is becoming a biology lab, with fish, hermit crabs, guinea pig and now snails.
Many of you will know that Andrew found the wrong way to stop a four wheeler this weekend in Nebraska. This led to a flying lesson, and a good thump on the ground that knocked the wind out of him while bruising any number of tender spots, head to tail. He was pretty stiff still the past few days, but says he can do P.E. again tomorrow which has to be a good sign. An outing for wings at Truman's tomorrow night will take his mind off those last few aches and pains.
Jordan rode Payton at lessons Monday night, and while nervous after falling off last week, she did absolutely great and did not get to taste the sand of the arena. She has a show Saturday morning. Tomorrow she is invited to the mall with her friend Kahlea after school. I predict her birthday money will find a new home by evening :-)