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Kendyll and Jordyn Easter egg hunting

Ally and her girls

One thing we know for certain is that I will never be a caterer. There is no risk that I will start that as a career. While my food is OK from taste standpoint my presentation is horrible.
My deviled eggs, in particular, were not uniformly peeled nor were they uniformly filled. OMG! Nor do I have one of those fancy swirly things that makes your eggs look fresh from the kitchen at the Four Seasons. But all in all it was a grand time with Ally, Luke, their kids, one of my friends, Lauren, Blake and I.

Well I was messing up eggs and eating less than perfect pies, my daughter Amber in Denver, was making these beautiful little bird nest with Robin’s eggs in them. Like the candy Robin eggs not the real ones. That would be messy. Clearly, somebody has skills I do not.

Jordyn was so excited to go out after dinner and show us all how she could canter Snowboy. But my neighbors chose just that moment to start a giant shooting competition, as in with shotguns, obliterating any chance of the horses or dogs having a sane moment from there on. A little disappointing but I guess it’s life in the country.

Today Lauren had the day off at home and called breathlessly to tell me that she had just killed a snake in the backyard. So I complain about the neighbors shooting their guns and then my daughter takes nine shots to kill one snake. Her dogs maybe traumatized for life (and the snake definitely is!). I told her she could’ve just taken the shovel to the snake’s head but she did not think that was the way to go.
She also thought it was a good idea for me to have to clean up the body and get rid of the snake when I got home. What is that about?
Then she sent me a text to let me know she was about to get on Betty Sue. We do this as a safety measure to make sure one of us is always aware of the other is riding we are alone. In fact, just today I saw an IT presentation about these new bands that are not unlike the thing that old lady wears (could be me!) and acts out the part of “I have fallen but can’t get up!” but much smaller and more efficient. I couldn’t help but think how wonderful they would be if you were riding a horse or hiking by yourself. But in the meantime I gave Lauren 45 minutes to ride Betty Sue before I would call Life Flight. Fortunately that went well. Betty Sue did her first set of trot poles.

This is a precursor to jumping so it’s important that she take them in stride, like literally. And she did it! She walked and trotted through the poles- handling it like it was just another day as you can see from the video below.
So that’s all from my front. I hope you all had a terrific Easter and spring has Sprung Whereever you are today.

Pixie just off the trailer at her new trainers

My goal was to have a nice quiet weekend, in essence , to have an unLabor day. But at the farm chores do not follow the calendar. Every day, horses need to fed, cleaned, sprayed for flies, feet checked and a million other things. First, we had to get Pixie, the German Riding pony, ready to go to Sarah’s for a month of training.

We met years ago, when she was a teen and I was new to Houston. Ally’s top appendix horse, Savannah (by multiple time World Champ-Rugged Lark) had moved here from Florida with us. Her stay did not last long. I was newly divorced and really not making ends meet. A very hard decision sent the mare back to Florida. Sarah and her mom, Sharelle ran a horse rescue in Alvin. If I was going to without my horses at least I could help them at the rescue. I worked in the Galleria and drove down to Alvin a couple nights a week. Sarah was a little older at the time than my 13 year old
daughter, Ally. I would watch Sharelle manage the 501.3 C business, always on the phone, hustling for feed, a place to put a newly donated horse and organize all the donators with correct adoptees.

I watched Sarah grow up during these years. She was home schooled to have more time for riding and training. I am sure my girls and many others coveted her life. Not having to go to school and riding endless horses every day. But the reality was much harsher. Sarah and her mom, got horses in each day, some nice ones that people turned in for the tax deduction. But often the horses brought in were sick, starving, some close to death. Sarah worked harder in those years than most kids ever work

Sarah rode barrels. She rode for the prize money. It was her spending money. She ran my horse, Kid, until he was 20 years old. She won the Gulf Coast Barrel Racing Association end of year prize. Then she retired him to me. Sarah has an incredible work ethic. She is successful because she steadfastly, calmly and concisely works each horse to get results.

Every horse in our barn except Bruno has been to Sarah. She always gets them back (or there for the first time) to a great work ethic. Mimi went to Sarah’s and came back a finished pony. We hope for the same results from Pixie. Sarah gets results.

After we dropped off the pony, we hurried to meet Ally and her extended family for Jordyn’s birthday lunch. Lauren left after we got home to go out of town for the rest of the weekend. I have my outside chores and am also trying to clean things up inside the house. I am pretty sure I could work all day, every day and never finish.

Mama Kitty, who we have never been able to catch will go the vet to be neutered. I think she has had at least 60 kittens. I hope I can get her there. Poor mama kitty- enough is enough. Her current litter is six kittens, all different colors and kinds. They were hiding in my car and started popping out as I backed up the car. I am going to park away from the house until we get this figured out. Hope I catch mama on Tuesday. No more babies!

Mama Kitty guarding the entrance to old garage

one of the darling babies poking her little head out

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Easter on

UnLabor Day Weekend