Wavy Manes

Hi ho everybody! I'm back in the cities for Father's Day (I got my dad an AWESOME camoflauge John Deere baseball hat from Fleet Farm. Seriously.)and I'm commandeering my mom and dad's computer for a few minutes here to finally get a blog going.

The humidity of the summer has made Colby's and my hair unusually curly. He's got kind of a carousel horse thing working right now. It's hard to put in to words my time at the farm over the last week. Every so often I think about something I have to record for posterity - some way the clouds are moving all wispy-like, or how the infinite greens blend seemlessly together in our woods. About how much I adore the pastoral, open view from our hammock. Or how when I get up in the morning and look out the window or ride a horse fast through the grassy knolls with my hands tangled in mane I still have to pinch myself. And then pinch harder.

In other farm news, after our move in last weekend Jay left for Seattle for his grandfather's memorial service and is there until tomorrow night. I've been at the farm all by myself, sometimes enjoying and sometimes enduring the solitude. Fortunately I have no shortage of equine and feline friends to keep me company. On Thursday, miracle of all miracles, the excavators FINALLY came and graded the quonset building and put in a load of sand. I've since been moving the sand around a bit, making it work. The weather has been in the 70's and breezy - still warm enough to get a bit of a sunburn without a hat, but very nice. The new Belgian comes on Thursday - as flooding has kept the load from coming from Alberta. This has given Jay and me much needed time to get his stall built and we'll be able to get the new pasture fencing up for him. The biting flies have been the latest in the series of plagues on my poor horses. This time Colby developed his hives on his belly and tender nether regions, and Mistie's udder swelled up. Thinking I was helping, I was spraying them fairly religiously with fly spray ... which gave them chemical burns. Unbelievable. Someday I'll get a handle on these $@%#(I&#&^@)Midwest bugs.My training horse came in on Sunday and I've been taking him out on the trails, with some fairly spectacular bolts and bucks (a quarter horse that's afraid of cows - now that's a first!)Generally a good challenge I think, with lots of riding for me.

We're practically peeing in our pants with excitement over the nearing arrival of our Portland gang! Julianne, Corrie, Christa and Steph are much anticipated. We're going to try and scare up some inner tubes for a float down the Red Cedar River and are thinking of other ways to experience some good old fashioned country livin'. Honorary John Deere baseball caps for all!

So sorry to all who have emailed me recently. I'm on a computer about once every two weeks and tonight I had just a half hour to get this done (a far cry from my time at Hopkins where I just sat at the computer and waited for emails to come in). I'll respond to you at some point - but I'm not ignoring you and I love your correspondance as always. Phone is still the best way to reach me for now: 715 658 1581.


Much love and sunny warm days to all!

Charis