There are Times...

...like right now, that I wonder why I am putting myself and family through all of this stress of moving to a new home when I have a perfectly wonderful one right here.
I have an extremely exhausted husband, confused dogs and cats in need of attention, horses desperately needing exercise, family and friends I ought to be spending time with, a house needing to be cleaned (here I am blogging - but it is the easiest way to keep up with family & friends right now), paintings needing to be finished and a garden and a pile of books just waiting to be enjoyed.
I'm not even going to tell you how pitiful my prayer life is right now....

BUT I know this is what we need to be doing for so so so many reasons. I won't go through them all, but here's three very good ones:


I must say, the reason to the far left is an especially sweet and cute one!

I feel a little better now! :o)

A Baby Foal and A Stick - What could be cuter?

Don't believe me that something in that combination could be so darling?


See for yourself, then!

See?! She's CUTE!

ST Rea of Sunshine

If you had told me yesterday afternoon that 24 hours later I would be watching a little filly be-bop (that's the only way to describe it!) around its mother in circles I would have given you a look of doubt.
Reagan showed none of the classic signs:

• Acting "colicy"
• Waxing of udder
• Sweating in the flank area
• Voluntary distancing from other horses
• "Off" her feed (not eating)
• Appearing cow-hipped and block-sided
• Restlessness

She simply had the baby sometime between 2:30AM and 4:30AM. I arrived at 8:30AM. All of the horses in the barn neighed at me, which I thought was strange since they never do that, but I went about getting breakfast ready for the girls. I called out to the paddock where they spent the night and saw Kahlo in a corner of the front and Reagan in the back with eight legs. EIGHT LEGS! Placenta! Umbilical cord! Small little horse head growing from Reagan's chest! BABY!
I was the only one there. I can't put into words the excitement and disbelief ( something like Christmas morning - HE REALLY came!) that I felt. I know that I was shaking with joy. I so wanted to see the birth, but I was not at all disappointed. The beauty and overall health of Reagan and Baby out shined any negative feelings that may have wanted to creep in. To top it off she was a little girl - a beautiful little girl! I had thought all along I might have to keep it if it was a little girl. And Reagan was alive and healthy as well. And she didn't hurt Kahlo, though Kahlo was quite aware that she was to come nowhere near that little baby.
And the people at the new barn... they have bent over backwards, moved horses around, helped us and given to us in every way imaginable and treated our sweet girls like the princesses they are. As the little foal trembled from the cold of the falling rain it was so comforting to be able to bring her into a safe, clean, dry stall and care for her and her mama.
Sam rushed to the barn from work. Family and friends were called. The vet came and performed the necessary and welcome health checks. The baby and mama were loved on and snuggled. I bought pink ribbons and decorated Reagan's stall. She did a great job, afterall - all by herself!
So now we have a little sorrel and white filly with legs already as long as her mama's and the cutest little hooves I have ever seen. Everything a baby does is cute.
Her name has so much meaning behind it. "Shine" was the name of the happiest sick dog at the vet clinic I used to work at. It's also the name of a Newsboys song that I like as well as a Bible verse, Matthew 5:16 KJV. Sam's Chinese given name was Sunshine, given to him by the students in China where he did some mission work. And Reagan - Rea Rea as we call her, is our Rea of Sunshine, so now we have a little (90 lbs) Rea- Rea of sunshine! SHINE!

Spring Projects

It is so strange for me to scroll down and look at those snow pictures... Life is bursting so quickly from everything right now!

Can you tell the difference in temperment of these two dogs? Yeah.

And since no one, not even the one person who reads my blog (thanks, Mama!), posted about their Springtime projects, I will write about mine for my own entertainment!

First off, we are having a foal. Since we don't know when Reagan's date of conception is, we don't know when the foal will come, what it will be (horse or mule) or what it will possibly look like. Honestly though, I don't see how Reagan can keep going and growing. She's eating 24/7 on grass and hay in addition to 6 + pounds special pellet feed with vitamins and corn oils added in three times a day. She's a machine! So, when will the Little Rea Rea come? Any day now is my guess. I'll get worried if we end up in April and there's no baby yet...

I'm also trying to work with Kahlo more.. I want to train her in several things such as barrel racing, trail competition and endurance. If we just stuck to one thing I think it would be boring for both of us. Plus, the more time we spend together and work on challenges together the better we will both be!

Another Springtime project is the beginning of the vegetable garden! Some of our seedlings have begun to sprout and we have plans to till up and compost the would be garden area. It is our first attempt to grow anything edible and neither one of us know all the little insider tricks of the trade as far as gardening goes, so I'm not expecting too much but nonetheless it is exciting! Our own little Recession Garden!

Of course, we have lots of little house projects going on as well. I'm currently looking for tiles to replace one or more of the sections of the floor part of the hearth were there once were tiles. Expense and availability are the major roadblocks at this point. I just can't justify spending 3.75 per antique white tile right now, yet I want things to be as historically accurate as possible, so I am wanting salvaged tiles, but will take reproductions. They are such small areas, but big focal points and one of the major traits of old houses - cool fireplaces! I don't want to skimp on these. I did pay a high amount per tile for the dining room fireplace, but it only needed a few tiles and they are so unique - I'm CERTAIN no one makes them anymore for any better of a price.

I'd also REALLY like to get the mudroom in shape, finish the remaining woodwork in the kitchen and put in some cabinets in the laundry as well as putting the finishing touches on decorating these areas. Oh yeah, and a new door for the art studio... and curtains... and the black board... and on and on and on! You old house people understand!!!

The Whole Truth and Nothing but The Truth...

"Hey baybeeeee! We love yooooooooou!" I shouted into my cupped hands pressed on her flank. Sam reminded me that it might not be as enthusiastic about people it has never seen yelling about their love as it tries to find a place to put those long legs.

(The foal at 7-8 months)
(How big is the head, Doctor?!)

It's the truth about Reagan. She's 7 months pregnant. And I think little baby Rea-Rea was very startled to hear my voice so loud.

The tired look in her eyes, the occasional nipping, the deep breathing after walking across the road, the food anxiety... it all makes sense now.

(Proud "Grandpa")

She knows me as "the food lady" who gives her supplements in corn oil drizzled over a heaping bucket of all-grain, who pops a treat in her mouth every time she turns around, who leads her to the greenest grass, who has been begging for her to tell her secrets and to listen to mine. She's having a baby. It's my first involved experience with pregnancy and birth (other than the occasional c-section or secluded mama cat at the vet clinic). I held many different species of babies from human to who knows. I've helped to raise some.

But this is my first time and I'm so excited! I don't know if she is. She's done it so many times before (babies/foals). I almost feel as I look into her eyes that now she's saying, "Here's my secret. I'm here to show you it's OK. I'm here to show you that you have to trust in more than yourself to raise a baby... something so much bigger than even myself. I've done it before, so don't worry. I may need your help sometimes, but I'll mostly need your love and friendship. Thank you for showing me I can trust you."

(Me -crying- calling Sam to tell him the news)

I cried when the vet told me. I cried with joy and with sorrow. I cried for joy because of this gift of experience and this opportunity to love. I cried with sorrow for the emptiness of my own nursery. Did you know I have one? A room for a girl and a room for a boy. You may not know by looking that's what they are but it is. They are empty because "I don't know why" and because of fear. And that's why we have Reagan. I believe that. She's here in our lives for so many reasons, but God knows how much of a heart I have for animals. He made me that way. So He "speaks" to me through them.

(our girls together at the water troth.. both loners that are slowly bonding)

This may be Reagan's last baby she has, but it will always be my first.

(will our baby look like this one?)