MY STABLE LIFE | Western Horse Review

What Lies Ahead

MY STABLE LIFE December 28, 2010

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day… it’s a new sundog. And I thought the sundogs I posted on December 14 were impressive!

I hope you all had wonderful Christmases. Clay and I are back from a marvelous four days spent with our families in Alberta. But as I sit and watch the early morning feeding taking place outside and the colts play in the snowbanks, I can’t help but feel slightly melancholy this morning. On one hand, it was very hard to leave my mother and my sister and return to our home in a new province. On the other hand however, there is lots to look forward to in Saskatchewan these days. Here is my pensive list of some of the things I am excited about as the dawn of a new year comes upon us:

The Yearling Fillies: What're you looking at?

1. Today is the first day of a new beginning for the yearlings. Today, Clay will build a round pen in the indoor arena and bring our two yearling fillies and two yearling colts, into the barn to begin their training. Having foaled out and raised many of the yearlings ourselves, it’s always awesome to watch them grow into young adult horses and finally progress into finely tuned mounts under saddle.

2. Of course, that doesn’t happen in only one day but watching the rides from Point A to Point B – from the first saddling, to the first ride, to the first time in a show pen – is an amazing spectacle to behold. I think that may be because equines truly are like musical masterpieces. The creation of one is God’s work. The training of one is akin to watching a symphony evolve from dust on ivory piano keys. So many things have to come together: time, patience and practice. I’ll have my camera ready!

Do we have a hope of converting this from a guest room into a nursery?

3. Tomorrow is the anticipated arrival of my father in Regina, who previously was living in Denmark and is now in the process of moving to England. Needless to say, it’s sometimes hard to catch up with him. We Skype regularly and keep in touch via email – which is great – but my dad will actually be here in the flesh to help Clay and I reorganize our house and convert the guest room (pictured above) into a nursery. It should be interesting! I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

4. December 31 – January 1 means it’s New Years Eve. Which I will be toasting with a wine glass full of apple juice! This date also indicates the universal birthday of all the horses in our barn. The 3-year-olds becomes derby prospects. The 2-year-olds move into Futurity status and with that, comes a whole new crop of hope. Which ones will meet our expectations? Which ones will step up and exceed them? It’s always exciting to see how they turn out.

4. Ye Ol’ Broodmares. How I love thee. I love their kind eyes. I love how they come up and search out a scratch or a rub from us. And I love watching their bellies grow. It’s a reminder of the spring to come and the great pride they will have when a tiny foal finally runs at her side.

Okay, I'm finally feeling brave enough to post a picture of myself pregnant... Here I am at 19 weeks.

5. Speaking of bellies… On that note, of course my own due date is right in the middle of all our broodmares. It should be a busy time for my husband, to say the least! Which is why we have started to make some preparations now. Currently I am into my 21st week of pregnancy and it’s clear our families are as excited as Clay and I are. While we still have a little ways to go, we received numerous Christmas presents in anticipation of my due date which is expected to be late April / early May.

A favorite Christmas present.

6. Of those gifts, one of my favorite presents was the plush puppet horse that my mother gave us – in and amongst a host of other things. My mom loves Christmas!! The funny thing about this little horsey is the fact that my mom bought it five years ago! She has been holding on to it for that long… And of course, at the time she had no way of knowing she would have a grandson and a granddaughter simultaneously. <smile> So there was only one horse.

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Merry Christmas Everyone!

MY STABLE LIFE December 21, 2010

Well folks, I realize it’s not quite Christmas yet but this may be my last post on My Stable Life until after the 26th. You see, I have some some doctor’s appointments (all scheduled, not emergencies), errands to run and then Clay and I fly back to Alberta to spend some time with our families. So I’m not certain I will have much time to post in the next couple of days. But you can bet I will be back after Christmas!

Even Santa's elves got to join in the festivities!

Here are a couple of highlights from the J. Drummond Farms Christmas party, held this past weekend. Nothing gets in me in the festive mood better than a delightful Christmas party, filled with good company! Our shop was cleared out and all the farm equipment pushed aside, to make way for the tables and band platform and mountains of food and treats. The holiday cheer in the air could only signal one thing – the great festive occasion is finally upon us.

The combines and sprayers were pushed aside so family and friends could enjoy each others' company.

As you can see, the shop was covered in lights and every Gator, sprayer or tractor in sight got a string or two as well. This is a farm Christmas party like none other – Saskatchewan style!

The fireplace was toasty and warm and adorned with stockings. And we even had a special guest drop by – I loved it when the children kept asking me if I had seen Santa’s sleigh yet. “Do you think that maybe he parked over by the horses?” one little girl asked me.

“Maybe!” was my reply. “Perhaps he just needs a minute or two to carry his bag over here to the shop now. It’s a pretty big bag after all…” And when Santa finally made his grand entrance, the shrieks of joy from the children were adorable. Some of the littler ones were pretty spooked of course but not this little guy:

Or this little girl:

And even some big kids took part in the fun:

Before and after dinner, we were treated to the rockin’ beats of Becky and the Jets:

And they even threw in a couple of carols, to ensure we all walked away with the spirit in our hearts.

Merry Christmas to you all! I wish all you wonderful readers of My Stable Life a safe and happy holiday season and a Happy New Year!

- JW

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A Handmade Card

MY STABLE LIFE December 20, 2010

There is nothing like a hand made card!

My friend, Deb Rinas from Moose Jaw, SK, makes the loveliest handmade Christmas cards. Her cookies are pretty amazing too! However, today she has agreed to share one of her Christmas card designs with My Stable Life. If you’re handy at scrap booking – or if not – Deb offers simple instructions so even those of us who are not as creatively inclined can make this beautiful homemade card.

So without further adieu, here’s Deb:

Step #1 - Now that the design has been established, I pick out some colored paper to compliment each other in the card layout.

Step #2 – Next, I get some supplies ready such as hole punches, edge cutters, stamps, ink pads, glue, markers, dimensionals and ribbon. A lot of my stuff comes from scrapbook supply stores, but you’d be amazed by what you can create with various things around the house.

Step #3 – My paper is all cut, punched, edge cut and stamped. And as you can see, the main backing of the card is one piece of white paper folded in half. All that has to be done now is to glue everything together. I tie the ribbons into little bows and give the Christmas ornaments some dimension by gluing them onto solid colored cutouts of the same shape. Then I give a raised effect between the two layers of the Christmas ornaments with dimension glue dots.

Step #4 - At this point, my card is almost finished. I just have to color the stamped image! Then I glue it onto colored background pieces of paper that have been cut to fit and border my stamped image.

Step #5 - Here is your completed homemade Christmas card, ready to be mailed and enjoyed by all!

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Winner of the Cowgirl Gift Basket!

MY STABLE LIFE December 17, 2010

Happy Friday everyone! It is with great pleasure that I get to reveal the winner of the awesome Cowgirl gift basket this morning!! Even my Little J (yearling pictured above) is super excited about it! And I promise to stop using so many exclamation marks now…

If you had a chance to see December 10th’s post, My Stable Life Christmas Contest, I announced that MSL would be giving one lucky reader a special prize package consisting of; a beautiful horse head mug; a cowgirl’s notebook; PooPooPaper & refill; a DiVoga ballpoint pen; Cowboy band-aids; and a triple DVD featuring The Black Stallion, The Black Stallion Returns and The Man from Snowy River.

All readers had to do was tell me about one of their favorite Christmas memories, or why this upcoming Christmas would be special for them or someone else. I received all kinds of answers, which I’d love to share with you today:

• Don wrote – “My favorite Xmas story was when I got a Budgie bird… too bad mom didn’t give me any birdfeed!”

• Chelsea wrote – “I will never forget the ‘reindeer droppings’ that were left on our roof one Christmas. They mysteriously looked a lot like horse poo, but to this day my parents maintain that it was Rudolph that left the mess on the roof!”

• Andrea wrote – “This will be our first Christmas in our new home on our acreage. It was cow pasture when we bought it last October and we moved into our new home in February. We are very excited, we also were able to bring our horses to their new home this fall. We hope to go for a ride on Christmas Eve! It will be very special!”

• Pat wrote – “This one isn’t from a Christmas past, it’s about the one that is coming. This year I am giving a Christmas gift to a very special little Paint Horse called Lightning. No it’s not a toasty warm winter blanket or a new fancy brush. He will still get some yummy horse treats in his stocking but his main gift is more special than any material gift I could give him. My gift to him represents an end to an era for him, an end to the stigma of being a twice rescued horse and an official end to the irresponsible neglect and poor handling he endured… My Christmas gift to him is a new name – I will call him… Scout.”

• Rachel wrote – “This Christmas will be the most special because it will be my daughter’s first Christmas. Then 3 days later we will celebrate her 1st birthday.”

• Dame Debbie wrote – “Connections – with family and friends. We often forget to share how important they really are! Christmas time gives us a perfect excuse to exercise some ‘love’ and demonstrate these affections. It ain’t just the gettin’, it’s the givin’ where hearts really shine! Let yours out for folks to see the kindness inside. The exercise will do ya good!”

and

• Sharon wrote – “The candle light service at our little church in our small town. When the candles are lit and the lights are turned off and everyone sings Silent Night. Our church is closed now and it just won’t seem the same this year even though we do have another one to go to. This one was special.”

And the winner is…? (Submissions were entered into a pot and a winner was randomly selected by a draw.) Drum roll pleeeeeeeaaase……

Judy Greenall! Who tells me her favorite Christmas was when her husband bought her a shovel… because she was complaining the one she had was too heavy for her to clean the barn!

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A New Baby, Baby Horses & A Baby Sister

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE December 16, 2010

Christmas, to me, is about family and friends.

First let me start off this grand morning with a big congratulations to my friends, Colin and Kerri Mallett!! They welcomed a little bundle of early Christmas joy this morning – Brooklyn Ann Mallett was born to them, with blonde hair and weighing just under 5 pounds. Baby is healthy and her parents are doing well.

In addition to that great news, I am so excited! In less than a week’s time, Clay and I will be flying to Alberta to spend Christmas with our families. So we’ll get to take a break from this:

With so much blowing snow this week, it was time to blow out our paddocks so horses could be turned out into them.

And this:

More snow blowing. It was actually a lot of fun to watch.

And this:

Okay, this was dowright hilarious to watch. Clay was trying to move snow that had blow up against the fences and gates, but the colts insisted on being right there, underfoot as he did so.

A whole giant pasture to play in and the colts had to be exactly where Clay and his tractor was:

For a while, I actually wondered if Clay was trying to build a snow fence (literally) to keep the colts penned up while he finished the chore:

I swear, our colt crop this year resulted in the biggest bunch of nerds. Of course, I say that in the most affectionate way! I just find their personalities darned funny. And I love horses with character.

But for a few days, we will leave the horses behind and toodle over to Calgary and Edmonton to visit with people we haven’t been able to see in a while. One of them being my sister:

Me on the left and my sister, Nicole on the right. A loooooong time ago...

Oh she’s gonna kill me for posting this one! My baby sister is now a doctor and we are super proud of her. But seriously Nic, did Mom cut our bangs back in those days???

My sister cooling out SR Sweet Chicolet for me after a run in the showpen.

As our lives go in different directions, and into different provinces, it gets harder and harder to catch up with friends and family these days. But Christmas is one of those times when you make it happen. When you cut corners on a few of the chores and take some time to just chill with family. And if not, family are the first to be there for you if you can’t leave the horses temporarily on their own – as my sister can attest to. She has helped me feed and turnout on several Christmas mornings.

I love ya Nic! And I’ll see you in person soon!!

Oh and stay tuned to My Stable Life – tomorrow I’ll reveal the winner of the awesome Cowgirl gift basket!

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Saskatchewan Sundog

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE December 14, 2010

Two days ago, I awoke to find the most beautiful sundog looming in the horizon of our mare pasture. Sundogs are formed by plate-shaped hexagonal ice crystals during very cold weather, by ice crystals called “diamond dust” drifting in the air at low levels. These crystals act as prisms, bending the light rays passing through them by 22°.

Of course, around here sundogs can also indicate a change of weather pattern. As such, this was the scene a day after the sundog was visible:

Looking out the window on that second day, I could tell something was up. Horses were running around and there was a general sense of excitement outside. Turns out, it was nothing major – just another frozen waterer. And since it wasn’t going to be a quick fix, the guys decided to move the mares to another pasture where water was flowing freely.

Say Cheese!

For some reason, horses get all excited when you move them to new pastures.

Next, Clay appeared in his big green tractor with a giant windblock on the front of it.

He simply tucks the tractor bucket underneath some metal piping on the back of the windbreaks and moves them around like they are pieces of cardboard…

Determined not to let another frozen waterer stand in his way, Clay’s plan was to surround the waterer on 3 sides in the new pasture. This ensures wind cannot get to it and cause the same kind of freezing problems here.

And I’m happy to report, his system is working well! Plus, with a shelter and a windblock system, the mares seem quite comfortable in their new home.

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A Homemade Present

MY STABLE LIFE December 13, 2010

I figure this one should be entitled "We 3 Queens.."

Happy Monday everybody! If you’re in the mood to stay indoors and create some homemade Christmas presents this year, I have a sweet idea for you. It’s a gift straight from the heart of the kitchen and it’s so easy to do – even I managed okay!

Before we get into the wholesome goodness though, please remember that My Stable Life has a wonderful Christmas contest going on right now. Since I love our readers so much, I have an awesome gift basket for anyone who’d like to share their favorite Christmas memories with me, or the reason why this upcoming Christmas will be special for you or someone else! Check out My Stable Life Christmas Contest for more details.

Alright back to the warmth of my oven… literally, do you know how cold it’s been in Regina, SK, for the last couple of days??

BANANA BREAD

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Butter or Margarine 1/2 cup

Granulated Sugar 1 cup

Eggs 2

Very ripe, mashed bananas 3

All purpose flour 1 3/4 cups

Baking soda 1 teaspoon

Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon

Salt a pinch

Chocolate chips 3/4 cup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cream 1/2 cup margarine (I use Becel) and 1 cup sugar together.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then add to your sugar mixture together, beat and mix together until smooth.

Peel and mash bananas with a fork in a small bowl.

Add mashed bananas to sugar / margarine / egg concoction.

In another bowl, mix your remaining dry ingredients together: 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, salt and chocolate chips.

Stir dry ingredients up.

Add banana / sugar / margarine mixture to dry ingredients.

Stir altogether to moisten.

Then using two 14 cm x 23 cm glass pans that are greased, divide the batter evenly among them.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes and ensure the outside has browned. Place a toothpick in the center of each loaf to make certain it comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes.

Once the loaves are cool, wrap them with plastic wrap and a nice Christmas bow and your gift is ready to give. (The glass pan is part of your gift.)

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My Stable Life Christmas Contest

BLOGS, MY STABLE LIFE December 10, 2010

That’s right readers! It’s been a fantastic 2010 and I’m just thrilled with all the feedback we’ve received at My Stable Life. And since Christmas is a favorite time of year for me, I have a gift for one special MSL reader!

If you had a chance to see ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, posted on December 8, you may have read about one of my favorite Christmases of all time. Now, I’d love it if you would like to share one of your favorite Christmas occasions with me! Or tell me why this coming Christmas will be special for you or someone else. Just drop me a line or 50, in the comments section below, or email me at: dkedit@telusplanet.net

Also if you’d like, feel free to share any Christmas photos of yours too! All submissions shared by readers will be entered into a draw and one lucky person will win the following gift basket:

This basket is perfect for the Cowgirl in you, or the horse-crazy leading lady in your life. It includes:

• A beautiful, dishwasher safe coffee mug with original artwork done by my friend, Gabriele Noll. This mug features the painted portrait of my very first Quarter Horse!

• A cowgirl’s notebook. Sassy and perfect for keeping all your secrets!

• PooPooPaper & refill. That’s right! It’s a 100% recycled and odorless paper product made directly from horse puckies!

• A DiVoga ballpoint pen. Fantastically fashionable for jotting down notes.

• Cowboy adhesive band-aids. Texas-sized and ideal for cuts, burns or other minor boo-boos.

• A triple-feature DVD set featuring 3 of my all-time favorite childhood horse movies; The Black Stallion; The Black Stallion Returns; and The Man From Snowy River.

The winner will be selected next week. Good luck!

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* Note: The products featured in this giveaway are in no way affiliated with My Stable Life. Contest sponsored by My Stable Life.

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