Amigo's First Lesson

Amigo and Malachi had their first lesson together.



It started out a little shaky since Amigo is not sure whether he likes the trailer or not. The entire drive he kept calling to Ginger and looking over the partition making sure she wasn't going anywhere without him. By the time we got to the instructor's home he was shaking like a leaf. He calmed down as he was brushed and saddled.

We are so blessed to have such a great instructor! She helped Malachi with his new saddle, punching more holes in the stirrups since they weren't short enough. She is always full of positive comments and help, going out of her way to make sure the kids are happy.


Amigo and Malachi playing with the ball.

It was a great lesson. Amigo spent about 45 minutes trail riding with the group and the rest of the time running gymkhana events. The flags were a bit scary for him but he will get over his fear of them soon enough. He even did a few low jumps!


Malachi and Amigo jumping.

Ginger and Lorna had a great lesson too. Ginger jumped a few low jumps. Considering that she used to just plow through them, knocking everything over, it was a dramatic improvement. Lorna has come a long way and not just with her riding. She got up the courage to ask her instructor if she could ride one of her Chincoteague ponies and she was rewarded with a long ride on Gracie :) This particular pony is green broke, having been under saddle for about 30 days, and is doing wonderfully. Lorna was so pleased that she was trusted to ride her.


Lorna and Ginger jumping.


Lorna on Gracie.

Hoof Trimming

I tend to post in spurts, since it's been so hot here we haven't been doing all that much. That means I don't have much to comment on :)

The last 3 days we've been working on trimming Amigo's hooves. When we got him his hooves were horribly overgrown, he hadn't been trimmed since February. Since he was living on very soft dirt he wasn't wearing them down very fast, once we got him here he started wearing them down much faster. We called our farrier the day we got him and then proceeded to wait for 2 weeks. We still haven't heard back from him and no one else has time to add new customers. We decided early last week we would get some tools and try to trim the horse's hooves ourselves.

I read up on a number of different types of trim methods and settled on the "wild horse" trim. It seemed to best mimic what Ginger's hooves do between trimmings. After looking at and reading a bunch of sites I decided that this was doable.

Here are a few pictures before and after.



This picture shows one hoof done (the one on the left) and the other one waiting to be worked on.



This is the bottom before.



This is the bottom after. I know I could have gone down further but I was afraid of making him sore. I want to see how his hoof wears down in the next week or so before trying to go any further.

Amigo's hooves still don't look perfect but they are much improved. I figure we will look at trimming them again in 2 weeks, after that he can probably go 4 weeks between trims. We even did Ginger's hooves which were much easier. It's nice to have a horse who's hooves look like the pictures on the trimming site, it makes for a nice comparison as we go along. The reason it took us 3 days was because they were so overgrown and the heat was really bad. After working on 1 or 2 hooves I was done for the day. Since we finished we have already noticed a difference in the way Amigo stands, he is more square and seems much more comfortable.

Garden

I thought I would post a few pictures of our garden for this year. We have a 4 x 8 raised bed and a few rows next to it.



Last year the only things that lived were the squash and zucchini plants. This year we've had a small amount of peas and a few squash with everything else still growing and really green. I have high hopes for the tomato plants, they are already bigger than last year's plants ever got. It's been really hot the last few weeks so I've been waiting for everything to die. I've been watering every two days and that seems to be sufficient while we have triple digit temps, when it was cooler I could wait another day between waterings.



If things work out well we will be adding one more 4 x 8 bed next year. Since we have to be very careful with our water usage we can only add one bed at a time until we are sure we have enough water to keep the plants alive.

Tagged

I've been tagged so here it goes...

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

I had a 2.5 year old and a newborn and was working at an insurance company as an underwriter. It was a bad time for us since we were living in a dumpy rented house in a less than great area. I went back to work when Malachi was 6 weeks old so I was often depressed.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

I'm supposed to have a list?
I need to sew, the stock in my store is really low (which is a great thing!)
I need to get in touch with the farrier for Amigo
Laundry
Sewing
Sewing :)
It's too hot to do much else :)

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Most things milk chocolate, peaches, any type of bread

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Move
Get rid of all debt
Support missions of my choice
Get a few more horses :)
Help out some friends

5. Places I have lived:

Newport Beach, CA
Lake Forest, CA
Amboy, IN
Hotchkiss, CO
Lake Isabella, CA

6. Jobs I have had:

Waitress/Trainer
Gallup Poll interviewer
Newspaper delivery driver
Insurance underwriter
Math teacher

7. 6 Peeps I would like to know more about (in no particular order)

Marie
Cheryl
Elizabeth

I'm not sure who has already been tagged so I'll leave it at 3 :)

Amigo

We have a new addition to our menagerie. Amigo is a 10 year old Arabian horse.



He belonged to an older woman who recently died and her grandchildren didn't want him. He is gentled and did well during the hour Lorna rode him this morning. Even though he hadn't been trailered in 3 years he walked right into our trailer for the long ride (90 miles) home. The guy we bought him from breeds and trains quarter horses and didn't want this particular horse since he has little use for a gelding. He was open and honest, answering each question we had and riding the horse so we could watch what Amigo could do. He was quick to point out all of his horses' faults. It was a great buying experience for us.



The guy wasn't able to catch Amigo but I was able to walk right up to him and Lorna put the halter on him. Amigo gets along great with Ginger and he enjoyed the first of many grooming sessions when we got home. Lorna will start working with him tomorrow since it's been about 3 years since he's been really ridden. He needs to build up some more muscle and get used to being ridden daily. Once we know him a little better Malachi will be able to ride him.

No Reservations

We watched this movie tonight and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was sweet, simple, and clean. There was no nudity,no bad language, and only one scene that alluded to the couple having a physical relationship outside of marriage. Since it was about cooking it made me really hungry :)

We really needed to watch something fun and uncomplicated since we spent the day sitting at a yard sale in triple digit temps. The kids only sold $9 worth of junk for all that effort but strangely they are ready to do it again next Saturday.

Arggg!

I keep wondering how many things can go wrong in one day...

I ordered some fabric for my store back on May 12th; it shipped out 2 days later and I still haven't received it. It was coming from Canada and got lost somewhere. I called the fabric place last week and had them put a trace on the package. They promised to call back on Friday but didn't. I called Monday to see what was going on. I got a call later that day from Canada Post who asked if I had received my package. The guy was really nice and said he would let the shipper know the package was lost. I talked to the owner of the store on Wednesday who said she would be shipping out a replacement order yesterday. We decided to try UPS this time so I gave her my street address. Today I received an email from Canada Post saying they received a package for shipment. Problem! The address is the one for UPS and not the post office since they refuse to deliver here! I called the shipper again and explained the problem, they were hoping to catch the package. I'm thinking I won't be ordering from them again unless I can't find what I want anywhere else, their customer service is horrid!

Not 2 hours later I received a UPS email for a different shipment from an Ebay seller, the address was wrong! They forgot the street name. When we called UPS they said we had to contact the shipper since the package hadn't been picked up. We didn't catch them in time so I'm really hoping UPS gets it here. We are in their system for address problems, and misaddressed packages usually get here okay, but it's frustrating!

There were a few more minor hiccups today that were added in. I figure I've had my share of frustration for the month so it should get better :)

June Gymkhana Video

Paul finally got the video uploaded as you can see. I had no idea the camera picked up sound as well as video so just ignore the commentary in the background :)

June Gymkhana

Saturday was the last show of the season. The next season begins in September so we have 2 long months without a horse show.



Saturday had it's ups and downs. Lorna and Ginger did great overall. They got 5 first places in their division and one no time. The no time was for a broken pattern, that was the down of the day. Since Lorna had enough rides as of the last show to earn her belt buckle for the year she was able to concentrate on just having fun and improving her times and control. I know that next season she will be working on cleaning up her rides, the faster she goes the more difficult it becomes.



Malachi added to his stash of money from manure scooping and is now seriously considering the purchase of his own horse. The horse market may be soft but we haven't been able to find anything that would work for him in his price range. We are considering adopting a mustang since the kids' riding instructor also trains horses. The adoption fee added to the training fee is within his reach and he would have a great horse that would serve him for many years. We still have a bit more considering to do since we would have to build a special corral to comply with the BLM regulations.

I learned how to record videos on our digital camera but haven't been able to upload it as of yet. Our connection is too slow so Paul is gonna try it at Starbucks later today :)

Comfort

There is a great comfort in attending the Divine Service and knowing the liturgy being used. We found a church that we feel we can live with. We've attended a number of times but yesterday was the first time I've really felt comfortable there. The church uses different liturgy settings depending on whether they are celebrating the Lord's Supper or not. Right before we started attending, the pastor and organist decided to teach the congregation a new setting to be used on Communion Sundays. For the past couple of months they have been learning the first setting in LSB, yesterday they went back to the setting from TLH.

Even with stumbling over the changes in the confession and creed, it was so comforting to use something familiar. Instead of wondering what was coming next I was able to concentrate on the words. Since the pastor doesn't want any one setting to become rote he will be using this setting on the 2nd Sunday and the other one on the 4th Sunday with something else on the rest of the Sundays.

Since this church is still over an hour away we cannot attend every week. We've been attending twice a month, on Communion Sundays, and I can now look forward to the 2nd Sunday of each month.

Another Dress

I've had this fabric for a couple of months but just got around to finishing the dress.



It's the same pattern as this dress with the new bodice supplement I purchased. This one closes with two drawstrings instead of buttons. I have to admit that I prefer sewing this bodice over the one with buttons; I just don't like doing buttonholes even though my machine basically does them itself.



Lorna was able to wear it to church this morning and we found that if you slouch while sitting the bottom drawstring likes to pull open. Since you are supposed to wear period correct underpinnings you don't have to worry about exposing yourself but it still looks bad. I added an hook and eye at the bottom drawstring to alleviate this problem. It also keeps the dress from opening when little brothers pull on the ties :)

Car repairs

The timing belt in Paul's car broke without warning yesterday. After having it towed to a mechanic and having it diagnosed, it looks like the belt took out a couple of valves as well. Of course it's not covered under the warranty. This is after we payed for the yearly registration, replaced the windshield, and fixed a leaky oil seal over the last month. The car was still a great deal but I wish we could spread these repairs out over a year instead having them all happen at once.

Thankfully we have had 2 calls on the old horse trailer we recently listed for sale. I'm hoping to have it sold before the repairs on the care are finished. Our life is never dull :)

Passions

We all have our passions, things that we believe really strongly in and want to share with others. Over the years I've learned that instead of telling people you know the answer to their needs you can only offer what has worked for you. You offer it without making any assumptions about whether it will work for them or if it is the best course of action in their particular situation. You don't denigrate their current practices and dismiss what others have found that works.

We all have differing resources and abilities. The perfect solution for one person isn't going to necessarily work for another. Assuming that there is only one solution is naive at best.

Those of you on Loopers understand what I'm talking about. I have to say that I'm happy I finally said something and I now know for sure that I'm not alone :)

Who knew?

Who knew a whoopee cushion could be used to make music? Malachi has treated us to music using his new toy as an instrument. I had no idea a whoopee cushion could be educational as well. He is finding that different boxes can change the sound into something really gross :)

For anyone keeping track of gas prices across the country, the Shell in our town is now at $4.40 for 87 octane, 15 cents more than last weekend, and diesel is up to $5.10!

10!

We celebrated Malachi's birthday last weekend. Technically his birthday was yesterday but since we had a 3 day weekend we took advantage of it.

As we were planning our activities I was surprised at how many things were closed. We knew we wanted to get out of the valley because it was overrun with tourists. We had planned to go to the county museum on Monday but it was closed so we ended up going to the movies instead. We saw the new Indiana Jones movie, it was perfect for a 10 year old boy!

Yesterday on Malachi's actual birthday we celebrated with dinner and rice crispy treats since he doesn't like cake.



His favorite gift was the whoopee cushion his sister bought him. We are all being treated to gross sounds and lots of laughter!

May Gymkhana

Lorna was able to ride in the May show held last Saturday. She did great! She moved up into a higher division in 3 of her times. That means her times were too fast for the division she was riding in before. She continues to far surpass our expectations with this horse that she was scared of last August.





Malachi continued with manure duty making $25 with the extra tips he got for working in the 100+ degree weather. Paul and I even helped out by setting up courses.

We ended up the day at the museum in town since it was the weekend for "History Days". The hot weather made for a low turnout but we enjoyed the little we saw.



Oh and I'm happy to announce that my store made it's first sale this week!

Differing priorities

Two days in a row Paul was pulled into a discussion with 2 different people about choosing a church. The first was a co-worker who happens to attend an LCMS church we tried attending. Due to their practices we have chosen not to return. The person he was talking with asked if we had any luck finding another church. This led to a discussion about what we are looking for. What Paul noticed was that the criteria we have for finding a church is very different than the person he spoke with. We are very concerned about what is preached, practiced and confessed by the congregation. The other person was more concerned about finding people his own age and believed that the practice wasn't as important. Since he confessed something different than what the church teaches he is also not as concerned about what they believe.

The conversation today was with an acquaintance over lunch. She asked us about where we attend and what religion we are. We always get these looks when we answer this question. The woman said she wasn't non-denom even though she attends one, but she attends her church because it has a wonderful youth group. She said that this was more important to her.

When did church become about activities? I cannot understand why anyone would want to attend a church when they do not agree with the teachings. Over and over again we have spoken with people who say that it doesn't really matter what the church teaches but it does matter what kind of activity, youth group, "insert a program here" is offered. When did this become the criteria for choosing a church? Both of the people Paul talked with mentioned that the church was too judgmental. What it boiled down to was that it is not the church's place to apply the Law. It's more important how you feel, about being included, and having a good time. It's about inclusiveness. It makes it difficult to talk about this subject when you seem to be speaking different languages.

Stuff and Housing

Yesterday on the way to a doctor's appointment for Lorna (3+ hours of drive time each way gives you lots of time to talk), Paul and I were discussing this video. As we are constantly looking for ways to get rid of more of our stuff I found the video interesting. In short, it talks about how goods are produced and sold and the repercussions of our current way of doing this.

As we talked I realized how much happier we are as a family since we don't seem to always be looking to buy more stuff. Of course we all want things but there isn't a pressure to buy and spend and accumulate junk. We don't watch TV much, a couple of hours on Friday night sometimes, so we aren't inundated with commercials urging us to spend and buy. I'm constantly aware of the size of our home so even if I'm tempted to purchase something I rarely do because there is no where to put it.

That led us to discussing the size of houses. We drive through some really nice suburban areas on the way to the doctor. The houses are newer and huge. I cannot even imagine what I would do with all that space and I would probably feel the need to fill it up with junk. Did you know that the average size of a home in 1950 was just under 1000 square feet? The average home size in 2005 was over 2400 square feet! That more than double in a time when the average family size is less.

I was thinking about the size of our kitchen the other day. It's pretty small and wasn't meant to handle a full size refrigerator. When we first moved into this house I just couldn't image what I would do with so little space. At this point I've gotten rid of all but 2 pans, 1 griddle, and a small set of pots. We have 2 sets of dishes because I couldn't make myself part with the set received as a wedding gift and a few other things. We own a blender and a toaster but no other small appliances. I've found that our necessities really do fit in the kitchen even with the loss of the 5 drawers that are blocked by the refrigerator. I know that if I had all the latest and greatest gadgets we would need a kitchen twice the size of the one we have.

Where am I going with this? I'm not even totally sure but I do think that the lack of time everyone complains about is related to this topic. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that many of the time-saving appliances contribute to our lack of time. All that stuff means we have to have some place to store it and all that space has to be cleaned and kept up. The extra time invested in cleaning and upkeep takes away all the time (if not more) we save by using the things in the first place. I'm not advocating we through out all modern conveniences and go back to the pioneer days, but I do think that too much stuff can be harmful. Maybe instead of thinking about how much stuff we can keep we should think about what the least amount of stuff we really need is and go from there.

My New Store

I spent the last week setting up my new store.
If you know anyone who uses or wants to try reusable cloth feminine products please send them my way!

Lessons

Malachi had his first horse riding lesson today.



He was all smiles, had tons of fun, and stayed on the whole 2 hours. The horse he rode is a gentle gelding who is well-trained. He got a chance to practice a few gymkhana events with his sister and then rode through the neighborhood for the last half-hour.



Lorna had a good lesson as well. Ginger bucked once but Lorna stayed on. Considering Ginger hasn't been worked very much over the last few months due to Lorna's surgery, it was an excellent lesson. The instructor is very trusting, here she is working with Lorna on her pocket (the distance between you and an obstacle). She just stood there as Lorna steered the horse around her at a trot and lope.

Saturday Project

We were finally able to get back into the forest today.



Malachi loves to play in between jobs.



It was a good day for cutting, the weather was really pleasant and we found plenty of downed trees to cut from. Next month we will be able to cut standing dead wood and the fun really begins.

We found that cutting on a hill made for a good first trip out since the kids were able to just roll the logs to the road where I picked them up and stacked them in the truck. The day was a reminder of how out of shape we all are, it was hard work and we are all exhausted. It's the same each year, the first few trips are really difficult but it gets easier as the season progresses. We seem to be really sedentary during the winter and spend a month getting back into shape so we can do everything that needs to be done.

Tomorrow Paul will start the property clearance which is due by June 6th. For those who don't live in a wild fire area, we have to clear 100 feet around any structure on the property. You can have sparse plantings but no brush. The fire department drives by every property in the valley to make sure the clearances have been done properly.

Isolation

It's amazing how quickly I got used to having a vehicle during the day. Last November we purchased a 2nd vehicle due to fuel costs. The savings in fuel more than paid for the car payment and our insurance went down. Since then I made it part of our weekly routine to take one day a week to go to the library, market, and post office. Even though I didn't have any lengthy conversations with anyone it was nice to just get out into town and see a few familiar faces. With the cost of fuel I've had to give up my little trip and I miss it! It's amazing how quickly I have become accustom to something so trivial. This combined with the possibility I might not actually get to join the Sweet Adelines group I started attending 3 weeks ago due to the financial commitment involved makes me feel really isolated. When I think about how quickly I became addicted to outside contact I'm amazed. Just 6 months ago I didn't have the ability to go out and do anything and I wasn't bothered at all. It's funny how quickly we can become accustom to new things and not even realize it. At least we still get to go to Lorna's gymkhana group and lessons.

At the same time I'm beginning to feel more and more of an outsider on an email list I've belonged to for 8 years now. I'm not sure if it's because I'm interested in different things now, the tone of the list has changed, or just a little of both. I just feel like I don't belong anymore. The subject of the list is rarely discussed and I don't have a whole lot of interest in the things that are talked about so it leaves me deleting most of the mail anyway. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but maybe it's adding to the feeling of being isolated.

I have found that overall I am feeling more and more content here though. Sewing projects and lots of fluff books have definitely added to my sense of well-being :)

New Dress

Lorna had out grown all but one of her dresses so after finding a good deal online for some fabric this was the result.




This is the same pattern I used for this dress with a few minor alterations, gathering in the front center and a higher neckline, Lorna picked this pattern since it looks like the dresses in the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice which is one of her favorite movies (mine too). I recently ordered a supplement to the pattern which will give us a few bodice styles to choose from.

Liturgy

We've been searching once again for a church home in the area. We had hoped to be able to start to driving to church in L.A. again but gas prices just won't allow it. We know that we need to find a place within a "reasonable" distance so that's what we have been doing. One thing I noticed this morning was how much the Divine Service from TLH was something I relied upon. The church we visited this morning used a different setting out of LSB. I felt lost and frustrated during the whole service, unable to really concentrate on the words because I was trying to keep up with the music. By the end of the service I gave up trying to sing along and just read the words while the music was played. I wasn't alone, the congregation stumbled over the service as well so it must have been a new setting for them too. For me this just highlights a downfall of having so many settings and hymnals to choose from, you never know what you are going to get when you walk in a church. I wonder how the older people in the church feel about the changing liturgy if it's so difficult for me and I've only been doing it for 6 years.

We met with a pastor from a different congregation this last week. It was nice to have someone be totally honest with us about the practices of their congregation but at the same time it was disheartening. The pastor isn't sure if he will accept Lorna's confirmation, not because he doubts that she has been catechized but because of her age, this congregation doesn't confirm until the end of 8th grade and she would only be in 7th grade in the government school system. We also asked about their practice of once a month communion and were saddened by the response that it was often enough and not really all that important. The pastor didn't see a need for more frequent communion and that it was more important to get out earlier because people didn't want to have service go too late. Hearing these words from a pastor made me want to weep, to have such a low opinion of such a great gift is just beyond words.

So you might be wondering where that leaves us. We have 2 options at this point, to try the church down the street which has practices far outside our comfort zone or continue with the church whose pastor we met with this last week. Decisions, decisions...

Wild Flowers

These are a few of the wild flowers that we have been fortunate to have on the hills around us. The lack of rain means that the season is almost at an end so I wanted to share a few pictures of my favorites before they are gone.

April Gymkhana

This is going to be an odd gymkhana post since I don't have any pictures of Lorna riding. She hasn't been released by the doctor to really ride yet but we attended the April show anyway. Malachi still had scooping duty and Lorna wanted to help out and see her friends.

Lorna started out doing ribbons for those riders who wanted them. She then proceeded to help out in the arena. She helped set up and tear down an event and stood guard over one of the barrels during the event in case it needed to be reset after a ride.



It was difficult for her to just sit back and watch but she was able to learn a few things about what it takes to put on a show.

Kirsten's new dress

I'm taking a break from other stuff so I decided to make a new dress for one of Lorna's American Girl dolls. I've had this page bookmarked for awhile and just now tried out one of the patterns. The patterns are easy and quick, my favorite kind of project!

Time cont...

I now have 2 comments on the subject both expressing that they don't know what they could possibly cut in order to have more time. Has anyone ever tried writing down what they do for a week and then looking to see if there is anything that can be cut that wastes time? I know that lots of people use this method when they are looking for ways to save money so it stands to reason that the same method could be used for time.

I know that when we lived in a suburban environment I wasted a lot of time driving places. After looking at all the time wasted for very little gain I changed our habits. It helped when we moved to a small town where everything was at least a 30 minute drive each way. Now I spend one day going to the library, market and anywhere else that is necessary; there really isn't anything that can't wait for an errand day. I make out the menu for a month at a time so I don't run out of food, we aren't locked into whatever is on the menu but it serves as a guideline. Of course this doesn't work so well when you are in the midst of a big project, like moving, but once you are settled in a place it works well (at least it does for me). I was a lot better about cleaning when I tutored in the mornings, cleaning was easier to keep up on then just trying to do a deep clean once a week or so. This is definitely something I could do now to save time and back-breaking labor. I'm also a mean mommy and make my kids help with chores. Lorna's only chore outside of her room and horse is the dishes. Malachi is in charge of the trash, dogs, dusting, and sweeping/mopping the floor. None of these tasks take very long in a house the size of ours but it means I'm free to tackle other big things that come up and to spend time making meals from scratch. Everyone is in charge of their own laundry and sheets, I do the towels but since I have a washing machine this never takes more than a few minutes :) I tried a new way to plan school this year, planning all the lessons for the whole year ahead of time and then just cutting and pasting what we are doing for the week. It works better for me than planning once a week and because I'm cutting and pasting I don't have to worry about getting behind.

We are slowly adding a few outside activities. Lorna has horse stuff 3 times a month, two of those times are during a school day. The one show a month on a Saturday has become a family outing, something we all look forward to. This week I tried singing with our local Sweet Adelines chorus. It looks like it will be a great way for me to get out of the house by myself so I plan on making this a normal activity. I know that there is no way I can commit to anything else on weekends because we need time to cut firewood, since we all do this together it's just another way to spend time as a family.

These are just some things that work for us that might not work for others. One of the things we never had when we both worked full-time jobs outside the home was time together; so we've come up with things that work for us now that I'm home. It took awhile to find what works but we didn't stop trying because it's worth it to find "time".

$4 gas and more

Yesterday we had yet another follow-up with the surgeon who has been working with Lorna, everything is looking great, and saw a few stations at $4 a gallon for gas. It isn't even close to summer yet so this is depressing. But even though gas is the highest I've ever seen it there were still tons of people towing travel trailers and toys on the freeways. It amazes me every weekend when I see the campgrounds and lake shore filling up with people and their boats, I don't know how they do it.

Is anyone else having problems with Blogger? My last post was something I posted over the weekend but somehow it didn't show up so I had to repost the draft copy. I also cannot load pictures because the connection constantly times out. I thought it might be our connection but I've had no problems posting pictures and updating my Live Journal. Don't visit that page if you are embarrassed by feminine products.

Time

I was thinking about this topic as I thought about line drying the clothes. I have tons of free time. It seems like I should be ashamed of this fact since most of the people I read emails from talk about how little time they have; but it's true, I have lots of time to myself. My free time might be spread out throughout the day but there is rarely a day I can't sit down and read for at least a few hours.

I have fond memories of walking to the store and playing games with my grandmother over the summers when I was growing up. She didn't drive and we had to walk or take a bus everywhere. One thing that she seemed to have in abundance was time. We would spend one morning walking to the store, having lunch, and then returning home. The next day we might play a few games, watch TV, and hang up the laundry. I don't remember her ever being in a hurry or pressed for time.

Today few people seem to have any extra time. They are constantly running here and there and rarely stopping to do much more than catch their breath. I wonder how children will remember their parents and grandparents. Will they have the same type of memories that I have of playing games and just enjoying each other? Or will they remember being in the car on the way to one activity or another and never really having time to talk?

I just finished In Defense of Food and one of the things the author mentions is the lack of time we as Americans spend on preparing and eating food. Convenience foods are something that are common in today's world since so few people have extra time. Where has all the time gone?

People don't have time to hang up the laundry, cook food, or just enjoy life. Why is that?

Ways we save

The topic of hanging laundry out came up on Loopers and made me think of all the ways we use to try to save money. I thought I'd make a list of the ways we save.

Obviously since this is how I got started on this topic, we hang our laundry up. We also stopped using fabric softener, we don't notice a difference in the softness of our clothes so it's no big sacrifice. Since I have a front load washer I use about 1/4 to 1/2 of the suggested small load amount of detergent. Our washer also only uses 10 gallons of water per load. I use the dirty wash water to water the trees, it saves us water and electricity for the well pump.

Since I'm talking about water, we only flush when we have to. To wash the dishes we fill up one side of the sink with about 2 inches of water and soap. As we rinse the dishes the water is added to the wash water so we have plenty of water for the big pots at the end of the dishes.

We heat with wood. The forest is only a few miles from our front door. We buy permits from the USDA so we can cut dead wood to use as firewood. With permits, gas, and upkeep on the chainsaw we spend about $30 per cord of wood. We use about 2.5 cords during the winter. The forest service does controlled burns on the dead wood in the forest, so instead of wasting all the wood we use it in our home. The cost for a comparable amount of propane heat would be about $500, possibly more with the rising costs of propane. It's also a free source of exercise, cutting and hauling wood is a lot of work :)

Since propane is so expensive we've lowered the thermostat on the water heater. The water is just hot enough to take a shower without using any cold water. We also do all our laundry on cold.

I've written about our use of florescent lights and power strips before. We also make sure to only have lights on in the rooms we are in. We don't leave any lights on overnight and very rarely use the porch light.

I love to use reusable products. We started using washcloths for napkins. We switched to dishcloths for the dishes and counters as well, they clean better than sponges anyway. I don't use swiffers or disposable bathroom wipes. Instead I use microfiber cloths for dusting and rags with natural cleaners for the bathroom. All of these things are added to whatever load of laundry is available so we don't create any extra laundry, which would defeat the purpose of using reusable products. I switched to reusable feminine products over a year ago and can't imagine ever going back, I never realized how much money I wasted on those uncomfortable things!

We combine our trips and only run errands once a week. We got really good at not making extra trips out when we only had one vehicle. Even though we've relaxed that a bit since getting a second, more fuel efficient vehicle we still don't go out much. I order in the books I want at the library and pick them up on one of the 2 days a week they are open. Since I'm already out I go to the little local market if we need anything and hit the post office on the way home. Paul does all the other errands when he's out for work and goes to the post office on the way home (there is no mail service where we live so we are assigned a PO box). We buy in bulk at Sam's Club for most of our stuff, it saves us a tremendous amount and it's on the way home for Paul. Combining errands seems like such a simple thing but it is also something many people don't think about. Consider how much money and time is wasted by daily trips out, there are very few things that can't wait until the next errand day.

I think that's it, at least it's all I can think of right now. I'm sure there are other little things that we do everyday that I can't bring to mind but you get the idea.

Washer fixed

After waiting almost 2 weeks for parts my washer is finally fixed!

Every time a repairman comes out he comments on the fact that the washer sits outside under the carport. Technically there isn't anything in the service agreement about it having to be inside but they don't like it. This time he said the new rule is that anything small, all undergarments and the like, have to be put in a mesh garment bag to be washed or I void my warranty on the new pump. They even provided a bag. Easy enough and I have no problem using it.

I'm pretty sure the problem with the washer had to do with it being moved and abused so many times over the past 5 years. A nut came loose which caused the washer to spin improperly. Over time it stripped a few part making the belt come off. The pump issue may be because of it being outside and having frozen a few times. An enclosure for the washer and dryer (it is not in use because we don't have a 220 outlet) is next on my to-do list. I'm thinking we can insulate it and be rid of any more problems when the temperature drops below freezing.

Of course I have to finish the siding on the outside of the deck first. We always have a problem finishing up the little pieces and parts of a project. We only have a few small pieces of plywood left to cut and a few pieces of trim left to nail up but it seems to be difficult to find time to do it. That's the plan for Saturday, finish the outside of the deck!

Doctor update

Lorna saw the surgeon today and all the tubes were removed! He says he wants to see her again in a month, which will give us a break from these long drives. She is getting around better without any pain now that everything is out.

This appointment wasn't easy to get. We got a call from the surgeon's office yesterday trying to reschedule for next week. It seems a big donor for the hospital died a few weeks ago and the memorial was today. It was mandatory that all the doctors attend and they were informed less than 24 hours ahead of time. I refused to be pushed off. At our last appointment the surgeon wanted to remove the tubes in one week, which would have been last Thursday but since he was too booked they pushed us off until today. There was no way I was going to let Lorna suffer for yet another week. We offered to take her anywhere and they relented and "squeezed" us in. She was the only patient seen this morning and it was still over an hour after her appointment time until she was seen. I felt sorry for the family who showed up while we were waiting. They had driven over an hour to get there only to find their appointment was canceled, they hadn't received the message. It's frustrating trying to get in to see this doctor, he only holds office hours 2 days a week and he's the only pediatric urologist for several hundred miles.

Use Turnouts!

Why is it that many people think road signs only apply to others?

I had to run some errands this afternoon and got stuck behind a pick-up towing a travel trailer. The driver had 13 cars behind him on a 2 lane highway that has signs that say "Slower vehicles use turnouts". The driver was traveling 30-40 mph when the speed limit is 55mph. This is an ongoing problem on a few of the roads around here. Many people don't think these signs apply to them. They have no problem going past people who get over for them but they won't budge for the rest of us!

It starts

As fuel prices continue to creep up, we are currently at $3.70 a gallon for regular unleaded and over $4.00 a gallon for diesel, I'm starting to notice a climb in prices of everything else.

The first thing I noticed was shipping rates. Last time I ordered horse supplies online the oversize charge was 40 cents a pound, up from 20 cents a pound before that. Now the charge is 70 cents a pound. That adds up quickly on some of the bigger items making it cheaper to get them in the city even though the selection isn't very good. The next thing I noticed was food at the local market, the price of meat and milk is inching up. We found that the price of milk at Sam's Club actually went down by 70 cents a gallon so we made sure to stock up there.

Today I found out the farrier has raised his rates by $10! The price to get the horse's hooves trimmed, a 10 minutes job at most, is now $45. I'm really pleased with the availability and skill our farrier has so we will continue to support this young man, but it was quite a shock. I'm just hoping Ginger's hooves continue to only need trimming every three months!

Wash and stuff

This week hasn't been a very good one so I'm really glad it's about over!

After being sick for a few weeks, Paul went to the doctor. He was given codeine cough syrup and meds because he has bronchitis. He's feeling much better.

Lorna had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon yesterday. We had to leave at 4:30am to get there by 8:30am. We then sat there for 2.5 hours before she was called for an x-ray. The surgeon then popped his head in to say everything is progressing nicely and he would see us next week. So all that driving and waiting for a 2 minute visit. He didn't even look at the surgery site! Of course there were no open appointments so we have to wait until a week from Tuesday. That means Lorna has to have the catheter in an additional 4 days because the surgeon is so busy. Frustrating.

This pictures ends my week.



The washer stopped working this week. The repairman said the belt slipped and cannot be put back on because he needs a few more parts. He is replacing the pump as well since he said it didn't sound quite right, at least it will save me another call a few months from now. Everything is under warranty so I'm only inconvenienced for the next 8 days. I could rent a washer and get reimbursed but since there is no where to do that in town I'm going to skip it; it's not worth the hassle of driving to the big city 50 miles away.

Overall none of this stuff is really all that big of a deal but coming on the heels of the surgery last week I'm exhausted. Next week will be better I'm sure.

Update

I didn't mean to let it go so long before posting again. Lorna had surgery last Friday and we were gone until Sunday. So far the recovery is going well. She was up this morning feeding her horse for the first time since the surgery. The surgeon gave us the bad news that she won't be able to ride for 3 months. That was the first thing she asked in recovery, when she could get back on her horse. I'm a little skeptical though. The surgeon said she could go back to her normal activities including any sports in a month or two, but when I mentioned her horse he blew a gasket. It seems he doesn't like horses or "horse people" as he put it so he said it would be longer. I'm having a difficult time figuring out how riding a bike or anything else is different than a horse. She will be having a number of appointments as she continues to heal so I'll probably just keep asking when she can get back to riding, maybe he will change his mind as things progress :)

Affluenza part 2

I finished the book a few days ago and have been thinking about the "treatment" prescribed. I agree with a lot of it but I do not agree with one of their methods for changing things, through legislation. No matter whether I agree with them or not I don't thinking forcing people to change their habits is the answer. I think education and social pressure go a lot further toward changing attitudes than any benefits gained through mandating change.

I also have a problem with some of the examples they use. There were a number of people the authors mentioned that had made great changes within their lives. These people downsized and learned to live with less, and in a few cases started their own organizations to help bring about change in other peoples' lives. In all of these cases though the people had good incomes to start out with. It's like a number of the homesteading magazines I have read. They talk about how these people live on very little and have no bills but it's only because they started out with land and supplies. These people are not your average citizen deciding to make some changes in their life. I'm not saying it's a bad thing just pointing out that it's a lot easier to liquidate your possessions and downsize when you have something to liquidate.

The overriding premise was that we can and should live with less. I firmly agree with that idea. My reasons for doing that are different than the authors' though. I also stand by the idea that money may not buy happiness but I think it can go a long way to buying piece of mind. It's a lot easier to consider changes in your life when you aren't worried how you are going to pay the electric bill and put food on the table. Of course, my ideas of having enough are way different than many others.

March Gymkhana

This was Lorna's best show yet!
The past month Lorna and Ginger have been working on loping without bucking and it has paid off. Lorna beat all her previous times in the 7 events today, some by as much as 40 seconds! She was consistent in her placing with 4 second places and 3 first places winning high points for her division. We are so proud of Lorna. It was amazing to see her confidence after making it through the day loping the events. Everyone remarked that she did incredibly and her instructor couldn't be more pleased. It's incredible to think that when she started lessons last August that she was terrified of her horse. She's only been doing gymkhana shows on Ginger since January so this is a great accomplishment. If you've been looking at the pictures as I've posted them you should see a difference in these.




The increase in speed is apparent when you look at Ginger's hooves and mane.

Malachi continued helping out the club by scooping manure. In recognition for his hard work the club has decided to add $1 to everyone's fees to pay him. A few others gave him a few additional dollars in thanks as well. We had the biggest turn-out we've seen with 30 riders so it was a long day of being on scooping duty.

Affluenza

I've been slogging through the book Affluenza for the last few days.

I want to start off by saying that a lot of what the book has to say so far is good. I'm about half-way through but I'm starting to get frustrated with the on-going "preaching" about the problems of society. I think by page 50 I got the idea. I'm now ready for the "cure" or at least "treatment" for this disease.

I'm also having a hard time with a few of the arguments. One thing that is really bothering me is the idea of the exploitation of the poor unskilled laborers of the world. America's fixation with acquiring things isn't healthy and it's done at the expense of those poor people working for low wages. But if we were to fix our problems with consumption wouldn't these poor people be without any income and thus worse off? If we stop buying they stop working, how is this going to solve their problems? Can you complain about the country's love of buying things in one breath and then complain about the low wages of the people making these products? Something just doesn't seem right about the argument.

I'm also wondering about the lack of explanation about how much is too much. My definition of waste is probably different than most others. We are extremely frugal when it comes to electric and water usage so I think most people waste a tremendous amount. But even my electric usage could be considered a problem by someone who doesn't use any. Is it too much to own a second home, or boat, or ATVs, or is it just too much to want a nice first home? Is it just the desire to acquire more no matter what we have?

I guess I'm just wondering how far the author is advocating we go to treat the "disease" he claims we have. The farther I read the more it seems that any possessions are too much but maybe I'm missing the point.

Sick

Paul and I have been sick for the last week but it finally looks like it's just about over. Usually when we take Lorna down for appointments with the specialists one or more of us come back with a cold. This time Paul and I came back with the flu. Most of the weekend was rainy and cold so I don't feel like I missed out on much. Yesterday was just beautiful with temps in the 60's. Since I was still feeling rotten I didn't get to enjoy it. I plan on making up for that today since I'm feeling better, the weather is still wonderful, and my seeds from Baker Creek came in the mail yesterday! For once I was ready before the seeds got here since I got the dirt ready last week before I got sick.

Surgery Scheduled

After months of fighting with insurance and doctors, Lorna's surgery is scheduled for March 14th. The surgeon said they expect her to be released on the Sunday following. Since we live 3+ hours away we decided to get a room as close to the hospital as possible. UCLA has a hotel for families of patients but they are booked, the school has a hotel and it's booked as well. We found a small hotel that offers little more than a bed and bathroom a few blocks away that had a room available, they don't provide parking. I think we have all the problems worked out, we plan on paying for hospital parking and then walking to the hotel. Maybe I'm just cheap but it seems a bit much to charge patients for parking. Since they charge $8 every time you enter the structure (even if it's the same day) we don't plan on moving the car until it's time to leave.

Whiskey Flat Days part 2

We went back today so the kids could participate in the pet parade. They entered the best theme category. Lorna dressed Buster up with a cowboy hat and bandanna and Malachi dressed Pookie up with a bonnet and bandanna.





Lorna took second place and Malachi won first. It was really amusing to see all the different dogs and costumes. Some of the people went all out dressing up to match their pets for the matched pair competition.



We spent the rest of the day walking around looking at all the booth and going down to sit by the river. Yesterday's attendance was figured at over 50,000 people, today was a much more relaxing day with about half that amount.

Whiskey Flat Days

Today was the second of 4 days that there is a large rodeo/western event in our valley. Lorna rode in the parade that was the official kick-off. This is a huge deal for the entire valley since the population of the town that holds the event can swell from 2000 regular residents to 20,000+ over the weekend.

The parade was great with a number of equestrian groups, wild west reenactors, and local groups participating.

Kern County Mounted Police

Tagged

Glenda tagged me with a book meme.

Here are the instructions:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

The nearest book is The Harlequin by Laurell K Hamilton. It's the 15th book in a series about a vampire hunter named Anita Blake. As with most of these types of books it has were-animals as well vampires, that is what these sentences are talking about...

If I hadn't seen Chimera shift from one form to the other
like water spilling back and forth between hands, I'd have
said Micah was the best at shifting I'd ever seen.
Micah looked up at Richard. "Nathaniel would have been
trapped in leopard form for hours."

Exciting books but they can be graphic, luckily this particular section was really tame :) I'm gonna break the rules and forgo tagging anyone since most of the blogs I read have already done this particular meme.

More horse pics

We spent all day Saturday at yet another gymkhana show. There were a lot more kids than normal so it made for a long day. Lorna did well and got her best ever time in the speedball event, this event requires you run up to a cone and drop a golf ball in the top. Usually she has problems lining her horse up alongside the cone close enough to bend over and drop the ball, this time she got Ginger lined up perfectly on the first try. It was a fun day for Lorna since she got to try out her new tack and matching blanket. We have made plans to have Lorna ride in the Whiskey Flats Day parade next Saturday.

Malachi did his usual manure scooping and brought home more donations from his "fans". I completed the major task of finishing our taxes and having them accepted via e-file. It's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and we are already making plans to spend the refund on some much needed home improvements.

Snow day

Monday we decided to take a snow day to enjoy the snow that was falling.

Malachi played and sledded down the driveway.


There are no pictures of Lorna because she said it was too cold to play for very long. I spent the afternoon sewing curtains for Malachi's area.

Reuse and Recycle

In an effort to reuse the stuff that we have, I spent the afternoon making canvas grocery bags out of old curtains. The curtains were made of heavy canvas material and were originally used as a bedroom door in the yurt. Each curtain made one bag with very little waste. Since the curtains were already hemmed I had to do very little sewing.



Instead of buying something new I wanted to recycle something old, I found this bean pot in a junk store down the road. I really wanted a soaker pot for the bathroom that looked nicer that the ice cream container I was currently using. It fits well on the shelf above the toilet and it looks quite nice.

Clouds, the Internet, and Laundry

I woke up to more rain. Because our well really needs rain I am rejoicing that we've had so much over the past few weeks. The only downsides to rain are laundry and clouds. The laundry I've learned to work around, the clouds create problems with our internet access. Since we have satellite internet we already have slower access than most others, when the clouds roll in we have little to no access. Since I just use the internet for email and fun stuff it's no big deal, it is a big deal for Paul though. He uses the connection for most of his paperwork. He has to fight with the connection on a good day because everything is done through a VPN, which doesn't play well with our satellite. On a bad day, like today, he can't get anything done because the VPN won't connect.

I am thankful all we have is rain, the snow and really low temps of the past few days have made it difficult for the washer. No matter how much I insulate the hoses and pipes I still have to wait for the ice to melt out of the machine before it will run. I think we will be building an insulated shed for the washer over the summer so we can avoid this problem next year. Maybe we will even be able to get the electric box fixed and add a 210v outlet for the dryer. It's nice to dream :)