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~ Homestead Morgans - Straight from the Horse's Mouth ~January 28th, 2010: October 29, 2008 Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday John and I busy putting the finishing touches on the two new foaling stalls and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the foals. Now we have been forced back into our lighter winter jackets and some of the foals are getting ready to head off to their new homes. According to old timers, this past summer was one of the driest our region has seen in over 50 years. Ranchers in our area desperately need a winter that will provide us with lots of snow. Dugouts are at an all time low and without the moisture there will be no pastures or water come spring. For whatever reason John and I always seem to have a lot of projects on the go. Our biggest and longest ongoing project has been the finishing of our home. By the end of April we stood back and realized that we were to a point where we are darn near done. Our major project this year was landscaping the yard. It was great to roll up our sleeves, get some exercise and fresh air all at the same time. We are not completely finished the landscaping project but it sure does look a whole lot nicer. In between projects Bev and Don Dunn and Dana and Jory Crossland came to visit and see their new family members Tuff and Gunner. I am always so thankful to our Morgans for bringing so many wonderful people into our lives. In June I travelled to Oregon to watch Hmstd Jamaica Moonshine and Debi Michaels compete in their first show. To say that I was proud would be the understatement of the year. Under the love and guidance of Debi, Moonshine has been lovingly nurtured to his fullest potential and as a breeder and a Mom you sure can’t ask for more than that. The highlight of my summer was having my parents come for a visit. Now in itself that might seem like a strange statement but my Mom and Dad live some 20 hours away and we don’t get to see each other very often. My Dad is 84 and my Mom 82. For the three weeks they were here we all rolled up our sleeves and worked on projects that I just hadn’t had time to accomplish. During those work sessions I got the opportunity to truly understand and appreciate where I had inherited so many of my qualities from. It was hard for me to see them leave because I realized more than ever that I would love to live close enough to enjoy my parents company every day. March 7th, 2008 Winter used to be a time when I could catch up on all my reading, go on Internet searches looking at pedigrees and doing research. Somehow with John working closer to home over the last five years all that has changed. With April rapidly approaching we have been working on turning the hay shed into two nice big foaling stalls. For the first time we will have the opportunity to put the mares close to foaling, into a stall at night. Night checks will still involve the ¼ mile drive to the barn but all that will be involved will be flipping on the light and checking on the mares. For years night checks involved not only the lights of the truck but a big flashlight and lots of night walking. While the old way worked fine and it was rare that a foal came into the world without one of us being present, the addition of the two foaling pens is a welcome change. Perhaps by next foaling season we will have found a surveillance camera that will work well for our situation and the too many to count fruitless trips to the barn will become a thing of the past. Miriah and Cracklin Rose spent the winter in Vancouver with trainer Adiva Murphy being started under saddle. It just made more sense for them to remain in the south for the winter so that they could be ridden on a regular basis. Having these two mares started under saddle means that all our Morgans that are of age are now all going well under saddle. Now we just need to free up time so that riding can become a part of our routine. January 17, 2008 It is hard to believe that 2007 is over and before us lies a brand new year. 2007 was a hectic year for us jammed packed full with life's ups and downs. I think both John and I are secretly hoping this year will prove to be uneventful. We had a fantastic delivery trip in late October/November. It was great to have the opportunity to see some new country in both Canada and United States and to visit with our new KinFolk. After seven years of working on our log home, December found us tackling our final major indoor project, the kitchen! Although it wasn't completed in time for Christmas, for the first time in many years we were able to entertain family and friends without having to run up and down the basement stairs. Work still continues on the kitchen and it is our hope that we will be finished by spring. Even though it is only January, I find myself daydreaming about this year's foals and the landscaping around the house. Till then we have a few outdoor winter projects that need to be tended to. With foals coming in early April and our weather being unpredictable at that time of year we have decided to remodel the two pens in the barn just in case we need them and of course there is the issue of the shelter that we started late last fall that needs to be sided. September 13, 2007 What a summer this has been! Our three foals arrived safely and
exceeded our expectations. Baby Cakes finally presented us with a cream
filly and let me tell you the wait was worth it. Sweet Mother Of Purl
will be remaining at the Homestead and will become a cornerstone of our
breeding program. March 13th, 2007
This past weekend we had the opportunity to see just how comfortable
Alfalfa and Buckwheat were in their new positions as Goodwill
Ambassadors for the Homestead. Danielle Vetsch travelled from
Switzerland with her friend/neighbour Yolande Vorlet and Yolande's
nephew Robert to visit the Homestead. Although the weather was cold and
we still had lots of snow it certainly didn't stop us from having fun.
The boys did a great job of entertaining "the Swiss delegation" and we
made some great new friends!
February 28th, 2007 We are still experiencing winter and there are no signs of spring being just around the corner. I must admit that with snow arriving in late October and staying, all this “white stuff” is starting to get a little old. I would like to take a moment to thank those individuals that emailed to ask about how my Mom was doing. I am touched by your compassion and the stories that you shared about your battles with cancer were not only inspirational but gave me hope. It took Mom time to recuperate and adjust but I am pleased to report that she is back to her old self and has regained her zest for life. In September we were so fortunate to have Terry Johnson of Dream Morgans come for a visit. Terry has a unique talent of being able to capture the heart and essence of a horse with her camera. She is a wonderful person and we had a great time walking the hills and taking all the great pictures you see on our website. Our palomino stallion Zipper is home after nearly a two year holiday. I had forgotten how pretty and what a gentleman he is. The gentleman that hauled Zipper home kept calling to give us updates during the trip and every single time he would go on and on about how wonderful our boy is. It is good to have Zipper home! We plan to cross Zipper with High Stepping Buttercup and Lineback Hija de Sue this spring. In their free time, John and Zipper are going to take to the arena and try their hand at team roping. Rum Runner spent the winter in southern British Columbia being started under saddle. It has been strange to do chores and not have him waiting for his daily loving. From all the reports we have received from the trainer, RR is doing great. He has tremendous reach and the ability to cover a lot of ground in very short order. Tom feels he would be well suited for dressage. John has been waiting since the birth of Peanut to take that first ride on his boy. I can hardly wait to capture that special moment on film. Last fall we had the opportunity to purchase a bay filly by Holiday Compadre from Karen Bellows of Remember Morgans. Remember Graciousness’s dam Scandias Superfree is by Scandias Bobby McGee by UVM Promise and is a full sister to the dam of Carribean Blue. We are excited about the addition of this filly and plan to cross her with Rum Runner at some point in the future.
The Homestead now has two official goodwill ambassadors. Buckwheat and Alfalfa are mini short haired dachshunds that always make us smile. The boys have thus far taken their responsibilities seriously and will hopefully be accompanying us on our delivery trips.
July 24th, 2006 Things have been busy around here. In October I had the pleasure of
spending three weeks with Barbara and Bob Fink of Quincy, California.
Barbara and I travelled around California for a few days and went
calling on Homestead KinFolk and had the opportunity to see our foals,
then we were off to Nationals in Oklahoma City. I have never seen so
many beautiful Morgans in one place nor met so many wonderful people. |
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