Reading

Fay doesn't read much, he prefers to be active. The only author he enjoys is Ben Green. For Christmas this year I found a copy of 'A Thousand Miles of Mustangin'. The only book by Ben Green that Fay didn't already own. 

What I'll do for next year I don't know. 

Christmas 2009

I didn't get pics of Christmas this year. Just never got the camera out. But it was wonderful, we opened presents before chores. There were lots of presents, my electric chain saw, his book, our gifts to each other. All the cds from Amanda and a huge fuzzy Christmas shawl. Meg and Amanda got me two new cookbooks. Love books for Christmas.

Then went out together to feed the stock. Everybody got a few slices of stale bread to celebrate. Even the dog, who took her slice off to bury. Mercy knows where since the ground is froze.


After chores we had coffee and cardamom bread toast. Just wonderful to have such a slow day together.

At 2:00pm we went up to Ada's for a couple of hours for Christmas dinner. Which was fun, three out of four of her kids were there and the great grands too. Love my in laws.


More chores and a slow evening spent reading our new books. 


God is indeed good to us.

Burdock butchery.

Got up last Saturday and went with Fay to feed the horses. Three out of four of them had found old burdock plants, manes and tails full and the one mare even had them in her ears. I'm still picking them out of her ears. They look awful, I had to cut their fore tops off and his little saddle mare has a half roach.

Caramel Corn as I get it done

I've made caramel corn for years, my recipe is simple, but it mutates according to what's in the cupboard and I absolutely adore this years darker mutation.

Caramel corn

Two batches of air popped corn (1 cup unpopped)
1 cup butter, real butter from cows!
1 cup white sugar, could use raw sugar or brown sugar

1 cup succanat/rapadura
1/2 cup black strap molasses
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp real vanilla
Grease two cookie sheets, grease the REALLY large bowl/canner that the popcorn is going to be mixed in and also the cup to measure the syrups.
 Put the sugars, butter, syrups and salt into a large pot and heat at medium heat, stirring until it boils. Boil for five minutes, turn off heat, add vanilla and sprinkle soda over the top. Stir quickly! It will boil up and thicken. Dump over popcorn and mix. Divide gooey popcorn mess between greased cookie sheets. Bake on the same rack at 250degrees for 20 minutes. Take out sheets out of the oven, remix popcorn, turning it over. Put the sheets back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Take out, stir and cool. When cool, bag and keep dry.



Not as sweet as commercial popcorn but very flavorful.

Pendleton Christmas Carriage Parade Pt 1

Before the parade and it's much bigger this year, side saddle riders, a sheriff's posse in old time costumes, a rider's club.The little pony and buggy, decorated for Christmas and a lady and her mule. Fay said the mule was at least as old as him. The mule denies it.There they are, ready for take off, I'm on my usual viewing platform. This is one of the few pics with out Immie's ears included.

Pendleton Christmas Carriage Parade Pt 2

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Thanks to Jackie, I always have a pic with me from the parades in Pendleton. It's so much fun to go up there, visit with every one. It's a good family tradition. 

After the parade while we adults were unhitching the team, cleaning up decorations, all the stuff that needs to be done, Josiah needed a place to be. I set him up on Immie and he had a ball. He was talking to everyone, ringing the bells I had tied to the saddle. Immie's such a good horse, he stood there, just as quiet as a lamb.


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The day before Thanksgiving

The day before Thanks giving we were going to drive the team, practicing for the Christmas Carriage parade in Pendleton, just a little over a week off. Just as we finished hitching, here came Kai and Ada. Kai is just as horse foolish as her great grand dad, so he took  her up on the fore cart with him for a ride. 

Ready. Set.

Go.

Thanksgiving Day

Wehad a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, we met at the Ramsey Creek Grange, 36 family members.After the meal we had picture taking. My best beloved is inclined to look serious at the camera. Looks like he's getting ready to trap rats. So I tickled his chin and Diana caught him smiling, much nicer.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Now, here's the picture as we all want to be remembered. Smiling, happy, full of turkey and ham. Well, down below is what we really looked like.

November 6th Our 5th Anniversary

These pics were taken in October, BUT, that was just because our anniversary present to ourselves came early. Look at those grins, never had an anniversary present I liked so much.
Larry and Ladonna Chafin deal in Pioneer equipment and sold us our forecart. They were so kind, they delivered it to the door.

October!

In my run to catch up my blog, I've made it to October. And there's just a pic of Blue our elderly (10) Blue Heeler watching something out the gate.
And Of Course, Fay and I trail riding. We had just come in and my daughter came out with her camera and caught us.

Pendleton Round Up, Westward Ho!

Every year we go up to the Pendleton Roundup and participate in the Westward Ho Parade. Here's the teamsters and friends eating donated watermelons.
The morning of the parade, Immie says, let's go! I'm tired of standing here.
Of course, once we get there, we sit and wait.
And wait some more, two hours this year! My legs were so sore from just sitting on Immie.
The Native Americans really dress up for the parade.
Can you imagine? She plays the clarinet and rides! Part of the mounted band.
Isn't she beautiful?
This lady rode one mule and led another with a dummy laid cross ways.
This is the cutest pony and the buggy is always decorated all over!
After the parade, discussing whose horses were good and whose weren't. See that can of Coke? That was one of three Fay drank after the parade. He was moving fast afterward!!!

Early Release

Our local school district has a policy of early release, every other Wednesday. This makes it so difficult for parents to arrange for child care. But for Kai and Immie and I, it's been more fun. Kai is as horse crazy as her great granddad and loves to go riding with me.

Every August we go driving.

Every August, the Freitag family puts on a Camp Out for the Western Drafter's Club. We drive down to their place in Halsey, OR and have more fun!

Fay drives other people's ponies and shows them how to set lines.









This year he helped Sheila fit her brand new work harness for her Haflinger mare.










Fay rides with Larry behind his Belgians and I ride my Appy behind the wagon.












Fay also helped set up a three abreast, six pony hitch. They were so cute.












We have wonderful meals, one included corn on the cob.

Parade Crazy, August 2009, Pt 2

We had so much fun at the Threshing Bee. My oldest daughter joined us. That was the line behind us for breakfast!











































We rode in the parade, all three of us, Fay and I on the team of Fjords and Amanda on Immie.

I think she's telling Best that he has to be a good boy for mommie. He hadn't had a saddle on in a year before I rode him in that parade--and it was only his fifth time to wear a saddle anyway. He sure hasn't figured out how to stand for mounting. ;))

I never have pics of parades, I'm always riding or driving and have my hands too full of horse to take pictures.

Parade Crazy, August 2009 Pt 1.

Not all the lack of blogging can be blamed on Beauty's need for training. As all of Fay's family and friends know, his hobby is being in parades with his horses. These pics are from August, the second weekend, the Threshing Bee at Dufur. The first series of pics are from the day we brought the horses home from a pasture out Chenowith. Fay had talked to the guys at The Dalles Disposal, they said it would be fine for him to bring his horses by and weigh them on the truck scale.

Feather weighed 1540lbs
Immie weighed 1140
Best weighed 1460

And because I was busy tying horses to the trailer I missed the best pic of all. They were weighing Fay on the truck scales to be able to subtract his weight from the horses'. The look on the people's faces in the truck waiting to get in and weigh was priceless.

You can also see why the horses weigh as much as they do: their welcome home snack was fresh corn stalks! Then all the hay they would eat.