More Background and Intro

Good morning! Snow flurries here this morning, but supposed to turn to rain and warm up later today. It is so strange--we have patches of fairly thick ice with slimy mud underneath. The ground is not frozen.

The meeting with the preacher went well last night. We had some concerns about youth and children's programming within the church, as did other members of our Sunday School class. So we asked the preacher to visit so we could discuss these concerns. He seemed very open to listening to what we brought up and posed a couple of solutions on the spot. Hopefully they will come to pass.

Dance class last night was about like I thought it would be. It is a little frustrating when they announce the performance opportunities first, have the kids sign up for when they are available to dance, and then weeks later add two or three "rehersals" for each performance. We live 35 miles from town. I can't just dash in for a quick rehersal.

So, I mentioned I would explain about the horses... It is just like the old saying about boats, the two happiest days are the day you get them and the day you get rid of them. Although I felt a small twinge of regret, basically I was glad to see them go. They are upgrading their living conditions and moving to a place where the people have more money to devote to their care and are more interested in riding than we are. Although I loved to ride when I was young, I found it to be a somewhat stressful event as the Mommy-In-Charge. I was the one to catch, groom, and tack up all 3 horses. I was exhausted before we even began to ride. Then I was constantly worried that everyone, including the horses, was having a good and safe time while we were riding. I had a hard time finding the joy in such excursions.

The dog thing has been different so far. I also loved dogs as a child. And now, I see that my daughter, Sue, does also. They are so much easier and affordable to keep. And we seem to get so much more return on our emotional investment. They are so loving and it is not all about whether or not we are bearing grain or treats. Although they are not above partaking if food is offered!

So Sue wants to show T. in freestyle classes and Em in agility. She is taking Em to agility training now and doing fairly well. I am trying to figure out what this freestyle thing is all about--what moves are required, what will get you disqualified, how often do you need a new routine, etc. I have blitzed the net gathering information. We are planning to attend some events in April. Hopefully T. will be ready to compete by the end of June.

I think I have decided to generally cover different themes for each day of the week. Mondays-hard core farming issues, Tuesday-family issues, Wednesday-fiber issues (we have sheep, I make felt and spin), Thursday-homeschooling and educational issues, and Friday-dog training issues. I expect there will be lots of drift among the topics and I reserve the right to interject my opinion on absolutely anything that I want to bring up at any time, without warning! So look out!

Have a great day and a fun weekend! We plan to cut firewood for Mom.

Lori