Traffic Jam ~ Country style

Well folks, this is the ultimate traffic jam this time of year near our home. No cars on a 90km stretch of country road but me, and one other motorbike driving towards me from the other direction. Slowing down to a snail’s pace, the farmer’s tractor with his hay booty took up much of the road, leaving us in a lurch, until he could veer over towards the edge of the road, just enough to pass him.

NO honk, honk, beep, beep on these roads here!

Being that most farmers are cash croppers, this farmer wasn’t from the general locale, so he has to haul his goods a bit of a distance. I think though, most folks around here don’t mind much at all. I on the other hand, just happen to have my handy dandy camera, loving taking a snap at whatever might interest me during my days on the road.

Passing the tractor, a scenic picture taken from the outer rearview mirror.

A Dream Come True!

Today was the exciting and long awaited day, held on merely with baited breath all week long for both girls, as they mentally prepared for their first riding lesson. They read reference and novel books on horses, met our neighbor’s breeds at the fence and chatted with them (maybe sneaked an apple to them again??), and fessed up to viewing the films; "Dreamer" and "Felicity" for the umpteenth time, dreaming it was them on the horse. Not only was this day the first riding lesson, it was also the "first" ride on a horse for both. I know, I know, they are so deprived, not even having a ride on a pony in their youthful years before today. But, the opportunity hadn't presented itself, so in our defense, we plead not guilty.

The drive to the stables wasn’t as far as we had anticipated; therefore we were incredibly early, sitting a bit inside the vehicle until closer to our time. Actually it turned out the riding stables are only ten minutes at the most from our house which was terrific!

The riding instructor and I had spoken on the telephone and instantly I knew I’d like her. She is a very lovely English woman with thirty plus years of teaching experience. When we’d arrived, she had just been inside her home adjacent to the barns having a bite to eat, because her day camp registrants for the week had only left moments before we arrived, leaving her a quick few moments to run in and take a tasty bite. Therefore it was great to have her walk up the rest of the drive with us to the barns, having brief introductions, and then she began chatting along with the girls as they prepared for their big day. Students are categorized with letters from A to E, “E” being the earliest beginner, so both girls were in this category.

Her horse for the time was "Misty"

A tour was given around the sections within the stables, then horses assigned. The youngest girl’s horse/pony (just a little guy) had filing done on its hooves, much too short, causing soreness, so a substitute was available for her usage. I could see the excitement building as they toured the barns to view some thirty horses, and then were both thrust into everything straight away; perfect to give the first overall impression, that a horse is much more than just an instant riding buddy. I was only able to take two brief pictures, then realized the camera flash was spooking the horses, so that came to an abrupt halt.

Now to get the younger one's horse!

Brushing began as soon as the tying down was learned. Saddling up and placing the bridle into the mouth on each girls’ horse was a lesson in itself, and then equestrian helmets were borrowed from the riding stash before moving outdoors to the front paddock area. There is also an indoor paddock in the center of the barns, a riding ring allowing lessons and horse riding/jumping to occur all year long.

My horse is "Rocky" and I love him!

I could tell immediately the teacher was well experienced and sensed limitations early with each child she taught, her instruction for instance included perfect expectations for each girl’s ability, giving them confidence over their fears and nervousness, persuading them to take the lead for walking their own horses outside, across the driveway, and into the ring. There their first mounting into the saddle was completed, courtesy of a rubbermaid stair step. That was a tricky one. *wink*

Mounting the horse wasn't as easy as she thought

A lesson on reign handling

Once hoisted up high on their saddles, they still had their reigns in hand from the walk, so instructions on how to hold them were given, saddle positioning taught, stirrup footing checked, and bridle do’s and don’ts were enforced as the instructor gently and ever so patiently, took a lead in her own hands, also hooked up to both horses, and gave the girls a most pleasurable first experience lesson ever could have imagined! She not only taught them to ride gracefully with the importance of posture, obviously having an actual ride on the horse, but they also learned to stand/sit/stand/sit in as they began to trot about with big smiles plastered all over their faces.

Whoa there Rocky boy!

Somehow in the course of the initial lesson, the instructor spoke of one horse being a boarder there, with its owner attending her horse camp this week. Our eldest had a huge desire to attend something like a horse day camp but none seemed to be in our local area, so we thought. It just so happens that one gal registered has bowed out for the camp beginning next week, so now our older daughter will be filling up the void taking the last spot of the season. The camp runs from 8am-4pm M-F, with every aspect of horse ownership and riding taught during the sessions. Love it!

I love trotting!

For us, this is real life at its very best, the core of separating the ever dreamy horse riding assumptions, to a hard knock comparison of actually having to get down and dirty, touching and doing everything herself for the general care and maintenance of the animal, including cleaning out the stalls each day, for one truly, educational tribute to a genuine and smashingly great, real life in the barn learning experience… If it were her own horse, she would know the time investment necessary for its care, so during horse camp, this is the method taught and instilled, along of course, with the riding.

Once camp girls learn well, the instructor chooses some of the older ones to work for her in exchange for riding lessons. Her general pricing for lessons are the least expensive I've ever heard of, a wee fraction from those back home. Perhaps its the just the country life here, not so many city slicker folks around sending pricing sky high when yearning for their latest thrill, not sure. Supply and demand likely wins in the end with the country folk taking the lead in this area here. The bartering stuff though, this is where the best part begins....smile.

Horse whisperer

Stay tuned…

Grand excitement in the barn......

I must share about the harried excitement in the barn shortly before leaving for our boot excursion. The husky had something foreign in her mouth, and the children were forcing her to drop it. All began to squeel and scream "it's a bird!". With the large garage door up and the smaller door opened most of the morning, it appears a baby brown thrusher birdie made its way into the barn. Wrong place to be with both a bird hunter dog (lab) and a hunter dog in general (husky), and quick instincts came to play, as the little birdie made its fatal descent towards the kennel. Gulp! The wee flighty bird was tasting mighty fine, and happily beginning to slipslide into the dark recesses of the husky's belly, until she obeyed the children's coaxing, and spit out only part of the back half of the birdie onto the floor. Utter disgust could be heard around the countryside I'm sure as the children squeeled, and shouted their emotions. And grossly, no where did the head seem to appear in the pile on the ground displayed before them all. As a conclusion to this end though, later while on the evening pup's walk, the natural bodily function excreted to the ground contained both feathers and a beak! Ewwwww.......

Our drive to town also gave more excitement in the barn later on, when we brought home two bales of straw. One bale was delivered directly into the dog pen, the other will be stored for a later time. The straw was lightly raked out somewhat, then all stood back to witness the pups reactions. The husky went wild, rolling and digging down deep, tunneling through the new experience. She loved it!

The lab wasn't as sure, but began instinctively to pad it round and round, making a nest to lay on. Just as our old dog Sparkie loved the straw to sleep on, always warm and comfy, we knew this was a great addition for them for the winter ahead. Dry and warm, they happily are now "nesting". No birds allowed in those nests though!

Afternoon Siestas

We love afternoon siestas, or "quiet hours" in the afternoon hours when the sun is hottest. After the brick saga, an afternoon of boot shopping, and the excitement of the dogs with their new treat, it was time for settling down for a lull.

Two of the younger children headed for the barn loft. Once there, a blanket was spread on the floor, dolls all around, one reading, one hugging her babes, sharing a quiet time together. The older son headed for bed with a good adventure novel. The night before I had moved the trampoline nearer to the back deck and closer to the house. Our older daughter visited the storage closet to find her sleeping bag, grabbed her pillow from the bed, and took a lovely snooze, off to dreamland with the sound of crickets, cicadas, mourning doves, and the natural quiet of the country.

Celebrating!!!!

Ahead of schedule, the imposed deadline for completing the brick moving to the new storage area is complete, as I type this at 10:52 am. We are all celebrating at this moment with a rather large glass of icy electrolyte filled, lemon lime Gatorade. Oh, it’s going down so good!

YES!
Quenching our thirst!

Pushing our bodies to extremes, all hands on deck, thankfully we awoke to an overcast sky to shield us from the sun’s rays today. However, even with the cloudy skies protecting us, the summer heat still reigned true, eventually creating situations with heavily dripping sweaty brows.

Another palette gone!

More tools of the trade were discovered, and came in handy to haul bricks, allowing our youngest helper to pitch in, becoming more productive with the team efforts, as well as blending in with the natural rhythm of everyone else's developing strategic assemblies.

New tools of the trade discovered

Feeling proud of herself, little helpers are very productive today

They have a plan folks! Doing a great job too!

The condition of these bricks was interesting, dried mud caked on, requiring a broom swished across each row as we uncovered them. Filthy is a mild description that comes to mind.

Filthy caked on dirt must go!

Castle maker to avoid sore lower back work

Everyone was assigned a position, rotations happening when necessary. With a break in the weather for the most part, we decided to continue until all was complete. The evening is now free without more work. And work we did, resulting with the grand finale of muscles screaming for mercy, as we officially wind down, laughing and celebrating over the end of the brick saga. We did it! Ahead of schedule too!

Preparing for hockey in the fall, building my muscles.

Someday I'll thank you for this!

My claim to fame today is having touched each and every single brick the past few days, from all three palettes, as I was the assigned “loader” for wheelbarrow and wagon, sweeper of the bricks, castle stacker of the piles to avoid more stooping over for the loading motions, motivation 101 mama, and cheerleader extraordinaire.

Loader of the bricks

Complete!

Great work team!!!

More little green friends were discovered with each lifting of another empty palette. We found a large one here, with a smaller one a short distance away. Now homeless, they struggled to move onward in search of cover.

Mama Toad

Baby Toad ??