Goodbye Summer

Alright, I know much has been said recently on My Stable Life about the passing of summer days. And I don\’t mean to be so pessimistic – but it has honestly been raining here in at our farm for over a week!

I couldn\’t believe it when I saw the future weather forecast and its prediction for below zero temperatures this week. Is it bad to actually wish for an overnight frost? Just so you understand, my thought process here was, \”Maybe if it freezes, we can at least walk ON TOP of the mud in our yard again…\”

Sheesh. I know, I\’m bad.

Life has taken a slight turn for Clay and I this year. Instead of planning to head back down to Arizona for the winter, we are making plans to stay in Regina this time \’round. With so many horses to train now, yearlings coming up in the ranks, 7 mares to foal out next spring and 2 stallions that we will be standing for the first time to the Canadian public, we have decided that a snowbird stay from November to April, isn\’t in the cards for us this year.

And that also means that I will have a hard time with anything less than 10-degrees Celsius.

I know. I\’m in big trouble. Does anyone have a purple, down-filled ski-doo suit they\’d like to lend me?

We still have plans to attend many shows down south this winter. These include the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity in Reno, NV, the AQHA World Show in Oklahoma City, the NRBC in Katy, TX and the Cactus Classic in Scottsdale, AZ,  however it might mean several trips south for us. That way, we can still keep an eye on the horses back home. It should be an interesting winter. I\’ll keep you posted…

With that in mind – and the never ending rain that continues to dance on my windowsill this week – I thought I should post a blog with pictures containing many of the lovely things I will miss about summer. And Arizona.

Meet Big Jim, for instance – the giant cactus outside the door of our Arizona winter home.

And hitting a basketball game or two is one of my favorite winter pastimes. Go Nash!!

I will definitely miss our neighbours who would randomly trot by on their horses for visits. Their Hollywood Dunit Buckskin made for some amazing pictures:

And I will certainly miss the adventures we had with friends:

Despite the change in plans for us this winter, one thing I\’ve learned since we began with J. Drummond Farms almost 2 years ago is – home is wherever you make it. Wherever your loved ones are. We are so lucky to have made friends in so many places of the world. And I\’ve come to realize, this world isn\’t as big as it seems – of course, I might think differently the first time my jeep becomes buried in a 5-foot snow bank.

But then again, that\’s another adventure I\’m looking forward to. <smile>