The Cool Girls!

I am lucky to have Violet and Hailee in my life. And I am so very lucky to have been able to bring Sedona and Annie into their lives this summer. I know that Violet was so unhappy being a stall-bound girl. But now she has her best girl, Sedona, and her place in a herd of beautiful girls! Namaste. This photo was from October 4th!

Coming for Grandma!

This photo was taken on October 12th. My handsome boy was out with his friend, Ruthie, relaxing and having fun. I love his white blaze, intelligent eyes, pert ears, and perfect freckle. He confidently expects to be kissed on that angel spot freckle! Anyway, what I really wanted to say is that I ordered several books from the library about how to train foals, weanlings, and yearlings, and later, when they have age and strength and maturity, how to train horses to driving. I've decided that, if I am able to fulfill the social contract with Renny that I would like to teach him how to be a driving pony. I think he'd be great fun to drive around a farm! I am writing this entry on October 27th, and I have to say that he's very intelligent. He knows how to back and move with the most light touch and voice command. He lets me rub him all over. He lets me pick up all of his feet and pick them. He lets me lead him with ease and graciousness. He waits patiently while I do tasks in the saddle room. And he is now letting me put things on his back and wave them at him -- and he's just short of 6 months old no less! Tonight I put a saddle pad-sized towel on him and it was funny and sweet to see him skitter about, then walk quietly and with confidence, and then stop and thoughtfully check out the towel. He's going to be such a joy to work with. I am so lucky. Namaste.

Graceful Boy

This photo was taken on September 1st, just a few days before Renny was weaned. You can see his sleek, thin, lithe loveliness. He is cantering up the hill in the front pasture, relaxed, comfortable, and confident in his world. I love this handsome little fella. I am proud to be his grandma! Namaste.

Beautiful Girls in October!

These photos were taken in mid-October of Violet, Hailee, and Sedona. They are grazing in the cool Fall sun, pulling up tufts of the last summer grass. I love my mares. I feel blessed to have these mares. I am writing this entry in the week before the election. Our economy is in trouble, we're still at war, and things are very uncertain. So, I pray that I am able to fulfill the social contract with these girls and keep them as a part of my family. Looking at them in this photo makes me think of their sister, Snowflakes Princess. If you could imagine a heaven, I could imagine my three mares and my little fella, running around and being adorable. And I could imagine my home critters, including Tigi and Teacake, around my fire, as we peek out our window to the pasture with my lovely equines! But I'm being over the top! I'm a bit tired right now because it's my first day back at work after a week's vacation! I missed my pets, so feel pretty mushy about them just now! Namaste!

Breaking News! Eclipse Awards 2008 Announced!

Yesterday, the 2008 Eclipse Awards were announced and Violet's darling, Curlin, earned Horse of the Year for a second consecutive year, the first horse to do so since Cigar won a second Eclipse during 1995-1996. Curlin also earned Champion Older Male, and his trainer, Steve Asmussen earned Champion trainer. Curlin has now retired to stud for a first year fee of $75,000 at Lane's End in Versailles, but hasn't figured out his new job. Here's what his dad, Jess Jackson, had to say, "Curlin still wants to run. He's running around the ice-hardened floor of his Lane's End paddock, and when he goes into the stable, he gets depressed. He doesn't know what he's up for. I think he's going to be very pleased." Here's a photo of him at his new home taken just this year by Terence Dulay.

Big Brown earned Champion 3 year-old Male and a nod for Horse of the Year and Zenyatta, the undefeated filly who took the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, was also a nominee for Horse of the Year!

Proud Spell earned Champion 3 year-old filly, and Midshipmanand Stardom Bound earned Champion 2 year-old male and filly respectively. My sweet Indian Blessing earned Champion female sprinter and Adena Springs yet again won Outstanding Breeder. These are just a few of the results for an intense year of racing!

Sisters Grazing Side by Side!

This photo was taken on October 12th and it shows the four girls -- Sedona hidden behind Annie, and my lovely, lovely Violet and Hailee. I am the luckiest woman I know. These are beautiful, sleek, glowing, silky girls. They are intelligent, thoughtful, beautiful, delightful. They are my treasures. Namaste!

Sabbatical Musings: Week 4, Day 1!

All right, here I am writing at the top of week 4 of my 25 week sabbatical. We are hosting job candidates this week, so will be very busy. Plus I am trying to work on several papers. Plus read journals. Plus get a grip on a few administrative tasks. So, I don't necessarily feel the "rest" or "break" side of my sabbatical, but at least I am working and feeling like a scientist.

What else? Okay, I am sure that I am going to report this in other places, but yesterday was pretty exciting. I went to the stable and put out all the horses and then walked over to the front pasture to have coffee while watching my six. I counted 5. I look and look and then my mind trys to process that Renny is confidently standing on the opposite side of the fence from his girlfriend, calmly chewing shrubs as he stands on a precipice like a mountain goat. My boy has figured out how to scale that steep incline covered in brush and trees. I walked over to him and tried to shove and scoot him down the hill. He just looked at me like I was nattered. "Poor Grams has lost it." So, I took a stick and tickled him. Nothing. And then finally I poked at him with it and he turned and slowly leisurely casually walked down the precipice without any missteps or slips.

So, later that day, Barbie texts me and tells me that when she arrives at the stable, Renny is completely gone. He escaped up the hill again and was calmly eating grass by the round pen while all 5 girls watched over the fenceline at the naughty boy!

I know he's smugly happy with his naughtiness, but now he'll have to stay indoors or for very short turnout until we're able to build a fence alone the ridgeline. Barbie says that he's very brave -- not shrubs, underbrush or steep inclines scare him. He'll never refuse a jump. He will be a great eventing/hunting pony!! I love that little dickens!

My Sweet and Darling Violet

Today is Monday, October 27th, and it's rainy and cold today. I have been home two days now since my week long trip in Florida. When I returned, my horses were in their full tilt winter coat and they'd been indoors for several days for their turnout. Their days of a leisurely breakfast, followed by grazing with friends in the sun, are over. Violet, my sweet, sweet girl, is suffering for the change. Her back legs are stocked up pretty badly. On Sunday and today I worked her a bit and rode her, and gave her turnout with her friends, and this evening I gave her a little bute, so I hope that takes the swelling down. I feel badly for her to go from a full day's turnout to more constrained circumstances, but I will work through it this winter!

Anyway, so here's what I know about my sweet girl. I've been working through Parelli and she's just the most intelligent, sweet, compliant girl. She loves a challenge and wants to please and is adorably kind. You would laugh if you saw us doing Parelli together. She is clearly the more intelligent of the two of us. I can just see her paying perfect attention trying to figure out what I want, and because I'm not very good at asking for it, she uses her intense intellect to try and guess. She anticipates and tries to leap eagerly to the task. Sometimes we actually communicate well and we are both super happy with our efforts. She licks her lips and grinds her teeth with happiness and rolls her head in for a big hug and kisses and whispers. And I get to praise, praise, praise her. And other times, she just dances circles around me, showing enthusiasm and joy about wanting to do the work, and making her "best guesses" about what I wanted.

I am the luckiest girl I know to have such a sweet, intelligent thoroughbred in my family! Bless her sweetness!

A Beautiful Blaze and a Quillin Girl

Here's the lovely blaze on my handsome boy, and he's peeking at me under the long elegant neck of his girlfriend who is wearing a fine Quillin's halter from the leather shop in Paris, Kentucky! Namaste!

A Kiss at the Fenceline

Ruthie is a bossy old pushy girl, and she really enjoys getting up in Renny's grill. She considers him her boyfriend, so she likes to sneak beside him for a little grazing and maybe a stolen kiss or two! Namaste!

A Mellow Early Fall Afternoon!

Here is another photo and video from October 4th. I love my little guy. And I am so glad he has lots of confidence. I don't think he knows that it's not usual for a little crossbred pony to have such a long-legged supermodel girlfriend. But he doesn't know any different. He loves his buddy and sweetheart and accepts her as his girl! I can remember when he was a little bit afraid of her. And I can remember his very first kiss!

Sabbatical Musings: Day 4, Week 3!

I am in my third week of my sabbatical and moving forward on two papers. I met with a lovely student yesterday and am about to meet with a student about a project today and a faculty and student colleague about a paper tomorrow. Next week, our department begins a job search for a new faculty colleague in demography and family. So, I am busy, but feeling a bit depressed today. Today I am indulging in the useless emotions of feeling like I am not accomplishing anything because I spread myself so thin. But, of course, the truth is that I could do better, but I definitely could be doing worse as well. I am definitely well on track on finishing the revisions of this one paper and preparing the list of last tasks for the second paper. I am going to learn something this evening about emergency horse care management at a Veterinarian clinic workshop. And I am trying to retool by reading more deeply and broadly in the scientific literature. Along with these goals, yesterday, I planned my money and note that though I live a tight financial life, my money does indeed work hard. I pay board on three horses, I pay my very costly professional dues, I care for 8 animals, I save toward my nieces' college educations. My money works hard. So, I am trying not to think of myself as a bad person, but am struggling with that wicked old winter depression that I sometimes get. I think I'll spend a little sunlit time in a snowy pasture with Violet this afternoon and see if that works. Part of the problem is that I think that I have not been careful with my little Renny. His nose has a bump on it and I am certain that I caused it by having a poor-fitting halter. But at least I've ordered a new halter immediately today. I may cause problems, but I try to be vigilant and I try to the best of my ability to stop them once I discover them. Bless my little fella and please hold him close!

Rock Star Manes from the Shaggy Krewe!

Today, I went out to the stable, October 18th, and let out the four mares in the front pasture. Barbie brought up three pregnant mares from Kentucky, so they were right across the creek in the far pasture. I enjoyed watching all 7 mares line up and face each other over the creed. The lovely Hope (Pleasure Dynamics), Mindy's Fashion, and About Time.

Then I had a yummy fish and chips lunch which was perfect at Laroe's in Grand Rapids and then spent part of the afternoon reading short stories by Annie Proulx in Ruthie and Renny's pasture. Now, it is late at night, and I am getting ready for bed, so that I can get up at 3:30am and then travel to Florida to see my family! Here are the little rock stars on October 4th!

Welcome President Obama! #44

Yesterday, several friends and I went to the Clazel Theater to enjoy the inauguration day festivities. We enjoyed the music, the poem, the welcoming comments, and, of course, the swearing in of our new Vice President and President. Mrs. Obama wore a lovely lemongrass dress by Isabel Toledo and then later at the inaugural balls, she wore an ivory dress by Jason Wu, a 26 year-old designer from Taiwan who works out of New York! Mr. Obama's inaugural address was wonderful and he even referenced the importance of science and universities! I toasted the event with a glass of champagne and then spent the afternoon napping, I was so tired!