Pinch Me!

The girls wanted to learn to ride. It is a fairly long process the way I teach it.

But it is step by step without skipping any safety factors. The goal of these lessons is to learn that a horse or mule are wonderful and fun. However these are huge animals with lightening fast reflexes.

You need to control that huge animal especially if he outweighs you by at least 10 times. Here is Evelyn using the finger method to turn Fred. The girls have to teach Fred that they are in control and the girls have a challenge with Fred.
While he makes a great schooling animal, he also makes you work each step of the way.
He won't kick, bite, or buck. However, while handling the reins, he will stop and not do a thing if the rider is sending mixed messages.
He doesn't just let the rider ride, he requires them to gain knowledge.

The end result of good schooling is a happy content pony mule that will take you where you ask him.
Once outside the girls found out that he will go more willingly. After all a mule gets bored doing the same things over and over indoors in a round pen.
Fred may be 30 something years old, but he still has a mule mind and dislikes mindless circles.

The girls and I stopped on a good note. They are ready for the next step and the easy mule who is lazy and doesn't mind the round pen.
Siera.
Two mules for two Sisters!
Once they have ridden Siera, then I can get them both mounted in the little lot to experiment safely and ride on their own.

However.
Here is what we have been up to.

We went to the ridge on Tuesday night to watch a huge front come in from the southwest.
After some oohhhs and ahhs, the girls climbed a round bale and did a nice pose for me.
"Let's pretend we like each other!"

Then they were off to stretch their legs and run. They played hide n' go seek. Chase, ...run...
I watched the storm approach and enjoyed their shouts of wonder.

Goats.
My neighbor has goats. The girls love goats. The goats are the 'bomb' [I don't know if that is the proper term or not]. Each day we must visit the goats. MUST.
And we must pick black berries.

Who can resist these faces?

Yesterday was adventure day.
The kids who used to live in the 'upstairs' house came to spend some time and we all took off hiking to the creek after playing a break the ice game of Roll The Pigs.

We made it back to the house in the stifling heat in time for PB&J sandwiches on the porch. Our guests left and we rode.
Then we had to go back and visit the goats of course!

While in the goat pasture we heard rumbling and thundering. I called the girls who were disappointed and we headed back home. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning had been issued.
Rich came out on the porch and we all sat and watched it rain and chatted.

Pretty soon Grace got up and went inside.
She was rummaging in the kitchen.
I asked what she was looking for.
"Pans!" she replied, "I'm going to make supper!"
Tonight was grilled cheese and she was going to cook.
Count me surprised and pleased.
Not only did she make our sandwiches, but she also cleared the table and washed the dishes and cleaned up.
Pinch me.

We decided that after supper we'd grab a movie off from Netflix and enjoy some quiet time.
The girl's parents called half way through the movie and the girls went out on the porch to talk to their parents.
Everyone sounded excited and happy. Mom and Dad were having great adventures as were the girls.
When asked how their day went, the girls talked about the goats. They mentioned Fred and riding in passing, but the conversation went to the goats.
And what goat diarrhea looks like.
After the phone call, Evelyn suggested that she make microwave popcorn for us and she did.


Today is Thursday and as I write this, Morris has come down to go out and has returned upstairs to be with 'his' girls. He is going to be one very lonely old dog when they leave. He always spends a day or two wandering the house and looking for children after they have left.

The girls mentioned that they didn't think 5 days were long enough for them to be able to do all the things they wanted to do. I sort of agree. We haven't gone to Jersey Valley, we haven't gone to the river, and we haven't done a major adventure in Awesome Creek yet.

Each of our days have been jam packed with adventures around the farm. The kids are getting to be experts at helping with the chores and we've settled into a good routine.

The two sisters are having a good time.
...and so are we!

Two Sisters Camp

This is sort of a Grandma & Grandpa Camp for non biological grandkids. Grace and Evelyn are not my grands at all though but they are staying with me for most of the week.

I've known Mom and Dad for years.  I taught Mom in 4H when I was a leader in a time long ago and far away. I find it fitting that their children can spend some time at our farm and do some learning about equine and riding.

Yesterday was our first full day. And wow what a day it was.

The girls had some very long faces when mom and dad pulled out and drove away. I thought "Uh oh, I am in for it. The kids are going to be so heartsick and homesick, they won't make it very long."

Well, that hasn't happened so far.
We ate breakfast and before we went out to do chores I sat with the girls and we made out a menu for the week and made up a grocery list.

Then we headed out for chores. Rich came too. The girls got busy with feeding the hounds and putting out hay for the equine. Grace I could tell right off had eyes for 15. And why not? Everyone who has met her has really fallen for the little bay horse.

We did so many things yesterday. I'm not sure I can keep track of them all. So perhaps I'll just try and make a quick list.
Chores
Groceries
Fred introduction:
The first 'lesson' in riding an animal is how to be safe around an animal. We spent the cool morning hours learning about how to safely lead Fred. How to make Fred make right and left turns while leading him. How to stop him and back him up.
Fred is a pony mule and does well with kids. He can also be a bit of a challenge. I thought of using Siera to teach the girls about leading with a rope and halter. However Siera is too polite and too good.
Fred is just about perfect, but will make the kids work for it.
If it was too easy, it wouldn't be a good lesson.

After Fred
Painting on the porch
Art

Goat visit
Play in neighbor's goat pasture
Climb trees
Laugh
Silliness
Pick berries
Fill the old stock tank aka Mt. Tank
Play in the water
Take 15 out
Apply lessons from the morning to 15

What Grace didn't realize, is that she was actually training 15. 15 was learning that a sponge bath with a towel was a nice thing, that someone fussing over her mane was a very pleasant thing.
15 has always been very quiet and has nearly impeccable manners when being groomed. It was interesting to watch Grace and 15 interact. At first 15 was fairly wide eyed and watched Grace carefully.
By the time Grace was done with her, 15 was so comfortable she was dozing in the shade.

Play in Mt. Tank
Take Morris swimming

I have to give the old dog credit. He went along with whatever the girls wanted to do. He was busy most of the afternoon following them so he could just be near them.
They asked me if Morris could go in the stock tank and swim. I said only if they helped him back out.

Chores
Second lesson with Fred
In lesson two with Fred the girls learned how to mount and dismount. They learned the importance of an emergency dismount. Grace is tall so the challenge of mounting Fred was not an issue.
Evelyn is small so there was a challenge to get up in the saddle. However Evelyn is an avid climber and an athlete like her sister. Getting mounted soon became a non issue.
The girls learned balance and how to ride with poise. We first learn to ride and sit a saddle with no reins in hand and no stirrups. Fred was good, the girls were excellent.


Evelyn jumped in when I started to put the hamburgers together. She helped make them. I was surprised a little but it was a very pleasant surprise.

Grace engaged Rich in conversation and they chatted while Eve and I worked on supper. I could tell by the tone of Rich's voice that he was really enjoying it.
Rich had spent most of the afternoon taking a nap and had stayed inside because it was so hot and humid out.

We cleaned up and everyone decided that it was time for bed. Morris went up the stairs last night to sleep with the girls. His skipped his spot on the couch for better sleeping quarters. He rarely passes up an opportunity to snuggle with a kid if they are willing.

This morning I woke up early as I usually do. I thought about the girls visiting. Outside the fog was dense and I could see that the dawn was going to be amazing. So I stepped out on the porch to watch the sky change colors.

The fog glowed as the sky brightened. The colors began to change from a pale pink to a dark pink, to nearly a brilliant red and then just before everything faded, the fog turned orange ...
and day two began.

Then it hit me. Two Sisters.

Okay. This week I'd call it: Two Sisters Camp

I went inside and made coffee. Day Two had begun.