Icies

Well, since my kids are crazy for horses (OK, I am too) we've expanded our farm and are looking into opening a small boarding stable for Icies.  We live in a bizarre pocket of Icelandic horses and now that I know them, I'd never ride anything else.  Some horsey friends joined me and we armed ourselves with saws this summer while blazing miles and miles of trails around our farm.  Add the spectacular view from the upper riding ring, the many pastures, the large tack-room and over-sized box-stalls, I think we should be all set.  Adds to the daily chores, but I can't even describe how fun it's been so far, I don't suppose it's any huge money-making venture (horses never are!) but it's the best therapy around.  Until the weather got too icky, I was riding daily and Eli has been taking lessons again, which he had been missing terribly for a couple years.  Ira loves to visit with his four-legged friends and help clean stalls, he doesn't seem much interested in actually riding quite yet, but he's more timid about those sorts of things and prefers to just brush them and talk to them.  I hate to bust out all my lingering, teenage-girl cliches, but life really IS nicer from the back of a horse!      
     

                                           (Eli at 5 and 11!)

Soccer

 John and I coached the soccer team this year, John's done it for the last three years, as well as Little League, but this was my first time giving it a whirl.  I have no idea what I'm doing, of course, but it was too big a group for John to handle alone...he was the real coach, and I was just the one who yelled.  With 18 kids on the combined 3/4/5 team, there was a LOT of yelling, so at least I came in handy somewhat.  It was a good season, all in all, and I think I understand most of the rules now,  maybe I can do more than just holler next year!  (I'm posting all these pics in January because I accidentally locked myself out of my blog all winter.  Just figured out how to re-access it!  Yay!) 

 

 

Happy Halloween...from our galaxy to yours!

 Because their Star Wars obsession from the summer continued into the fall.  May the Force be with you!

Fall Flew

Nor sure how else to describe this Fall other than: VIVID.  BUSY.  SWIFT.  I'm editing a zillion wedding and portrait sittings right now, and then off to our last soccer game of the season, so no time to ramble, but what a glorious and insane few weeks.  Full of sports, apples, horses, winterization, etc.  When I can think straight, I may have more to say.

Fair Time

There's always a little magic afoot during The Fair.  Glorious weather, sunsets, saw all my special people, cooked enough fireplace food for an army.  It was early-August hot the first three days, and then on the last day, fall came.  It's the only year of their life the boys didn't work with me on Antique Hill, but they felt like being "normal kids" for once and they are so often stuck in a time warp with me at the museum, it isn't that novel anymore.  I'm worn out...it was, I believe, around 45 hours of work, crammed into four days.  Well over 100 degrees in the Colonial Kitchen and my costumes were soaked with sweat and chicken grease...authentic I suppose, though rather grueling.  The air turned crisp, the leaves started to change, literally yesterday, and there's no denying that winter is just around the corner.

The Bubs got blue ribbons on all their Floral Hall entries, it was such a busy summer we didn't enter as much as we usually do, but still got a few things in.  John's fruit entries and chestnuts mostly got blues as well, just one red ribbon for our pears, but I maintain that's simply because the judge didn't TASTE them.  Now on to pressing cider and stacking wood and putting on the storm windows.