What I Did This Weekend

Forgive me for the brief interuption, but I had to talk about this holiday weekend before I forgot what I did.

See, I might have suffered a sun stroke. Or heat exhaustion. Or exhaustion. period.

Or some version thereof.

I worked hard and got a few things done. Some things, like getting hay, trimming Paula's feet, clipping the horses, changing the oil in my truck, cleaning out the car, and mowing are on a regular schedule and were all due to be done (and did get done) this weekend.

Other things just had to be done, because they needed to be, like getting at the very least, my perimeter fence set up so the girls could get into the new shelter.

In case you forgot, that area used to look like this:

It actually looked even worse as there were old cattle pens there when I first got here, but I can't find that picture right now. This is still before. Just not before-before.

So after much work this weekend, here is the after:

There is still much to be done, so this isn't the after-after. This is the after-for-now.

I also got my tack room set up. I had ordered some saddle racks and bridle hangers from Schneiders, so I got those put up and some organization started.

I love these bridle hangers. They enable a person to properly hang up their bridle and reins very easily!

By the way, this is the bridle I used to show POA's in. I still love it. It's a custom Circle Y, back when they weren't mass-manufactured. I made a lot of memories with this bridle.

After the fencing and tack room, I turned my attention to my garden and boy, did it need it!

My plants are growing so big and the veggies are starting to emerge. First, my Roma tomatoes:

Then the Celebrity tomatoes:

Sweet peppers:

Purple bell pepper:

Insert "picked a purple pepper" allusion here. Come on, it's obligatory.

Jalapeno pepper:

And your basic green bell pepper:

He's not a veggie, but he's vegging...nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

By the way, I hate cabbage loopers. Hate them, hate them, hate them.

Thanks. I feel better now.

I had planned on weeding the entire garden, but the long weekend came to a close way too early. Here's my weeded garden:

Here's my unweeded garden:

Well, there's always tomorrow....

Goodnight, Annie.

Be Tough, But Fair

I know I said earlier that I'd do the Code of the West theme for ten days in a row, but you see I'm what they call a "weekend warrior" and since this was an extended weekend, I've basically used all three days to cram in three month's work of projects around the farm.

And I hurt. I really, really hurt.

Don't worry. I'm not hurt, per se. Just tired, sore, cramped, bruised, scraped, exhausted, and sunburned. So last night I didn't blog. I could barely crawl into the shower.

I can't wait to return to the office tomorrow so I can get some rest! I'll post a bit later about all I accomplished, but first thing's first: Code of the West. Tonight's episode: be tough but fair.

When I was a kid, I got the awesome opportunity to show POA's (Pony of the Americas). It's a terrific organization and I got to get my feet wet in all kinds of classes. My sister and I both showed quite a bit, on both the state and national level. All summer long we'd go out to the place where we kept our horses (right beside a city park--it was fantastic) and work our ponies all day long before our parents picked us up in the evening, dragging us to the car kicking and screaming.

I'm kidding about that last part, but only a little.

The picture above is BV, my main show gelding I had. In this shot we were running barrels in Oklahoma City at the International Show in the Versatility Class. It was quite an experience: 4 classes (western pleasure, English pleasure, hunter hack, and barrels) in one and you never left the arena. They'd bring in your tack on a flatbed and you got to have two helpers to help get you dressed and change tack. Of course outfitting the horse was relatively easy, but trying to get dressed in the middle of the OKC arena in front of a fairly large crowd was another thing altogether!

Anyway, the point is we had a lot of fun with our ponies. We were very fortunate kids. My sister and I both knew this, but we were also typical sisters, which means we fought like sisters do.

But we fought while we were training horses, which is something a little less typical, I suppose.

One day we had a doozie of a fight. I can't even remember what it was about, like so many fights go, but I do remember we were planning on going riding in the park. She saddled up Hotshot, her ex-show pony (pictured below) and I saddled up BV. Before I was finished, though, she took off on Hotshot into the back pasture, I figured, to warm up (and perhaps blow off some steam).

When I got BV saddled I loped him back there and found Hotshot running around riderless and my sister on the ground, eyes closed. Since we had had a big argument, I figured she was being melodramatic and was faking, so I told her to knock it off and get back on her horse so we could get to riding.

Only, she didn't move.

I yelled at her again. Really, who was she fooling anyhow?

She moaned a bit. At this point I was starting to really get mad again. I mean, come on. This acting was just pitiful and a waste of time. I dismounted and walked over to her, scolding her for having let Hotshot run around with his reins dragging, just to put on this show.

At this point my sister rolled over and vomitted.

And it was at this point that I realized my sister wasn't faking.

Thankfully my parents showed up right then (this was before cell phones, way back in the day) and they got her to the hospital. She had suffered a concussion when Hotshot had reared up and fallen over on her backwards.

Needless to say, I felt bad. I really did. I had been tough, but definitely not fair. I learned the hard way to swallow my pride and admit I had made a mistake. Thankfully, she ended up ok, and we lived happily ever after.

Or as happily ever after as sisters do, in any case.

Do What Has To Be Done

This post is the the fourth in the series of the Code of the West. Be sure to go back and read the original code. It's good stuff!

This fourth code, "do what has to be done," seems fitting given this is Memorial Day weekend. Everyday there are so many families and friends of those who serve in the military that have to do what has to be done. They say goodbye. They say goodbye to their brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, cousins, friends, mothers, and fathers who are being shipped away, either to bases all over the nation or to wars half a world a way. They say goodbye, wait, and hope they will see their loved ones again.

Seven years ago I was one of the ones who had to say goodbye, and it was one of the hardest times of my life. I waited for a year for my husband to return home from Korea.


I was one of the lucky ones, too. I got to go over and visit him for two weeks. He was "only" gone a year. At the time Korea was a fairly stable area. I had no children to worry about, only myself. I had a steady career, a home, a reliable vehicle and a friend of mine and I went to London the same year. Comparitively I had it easy, as far as deployments go.

I can't imagine having to say goodbye to the mother or father of your children and know that they are going to a war zone for an indeterminate amount of time. I admire them so much.

I admire them because they do what has to be done.

My ancestors knew the meaning of this code. They did what had to be done and survived. My 3rd great grandfather was a sergeant in for the Union in the Civil War. My grandfather fought in both WWII and the Korean War.


This Memorial Day, I hope everyone is thankful for not only those who did what had to be done in the past, but for those families who do what needs to be done every single day in this country, no matter how much their hearts are breaking or how hard it is to say goodbye.

You certainly have my everlasting admiration and gratitude. To those families: thank you.

Yes, It's Me, Fran

Don't worry, your bookmarks haven't gone askew. This is the same ole blog with a new ole look. I'll be back later to continue the series, but in the meantime, I thought I had some 'splainin to do. Anyway, hope you enjoy the new, lighter look to the blog.

See ya'll around the bend....

Always Finish What You Start

This story is also called "I will do this at a later date." You'll see why in a minute.

In case you're wondering what the heck this post is about, please darling, you mustn't worry so (name that movie). This post is the third in a series from the Code of the West. The idea is to tell a story about one or more of these unwritten laws of the land. Anyone is invited to participate, but you must leave a comment directing us to your post so we know!

Today's topic: Always finish what you start.

Ok, bye.

Just kidding. I had to do it. It was ripe, on the tree, so I picked it.

Moving on. I learned the lesson of "always finish what you start" back in the third grade. That was only ten years ago. I swear.

Hey, this topic is not about telling the truth. As long as I finish, that's what counts, right?

Well, in the third grade (ahem, ten year ago, give or take) I had a terrific teacher. Her name was Ms Dollard. She was incredibly kind and patient, which was a good thing for me because I wasn't such a good kid.

See, I had this problem with homework. I didn't want to do it.

It was boring. It sucked. I had other, much more important things to do.

So, I started writing at the top of my homework "I will do this at a later date." I figured that as long as I explained that I did indeed intend to complete my homework at some point in the future that it would be perfectly fine. I covered my bases. What could possibly be wrong with that?

Well, obviously my line of reasoning was a bit skewed and when Ms Dollard found a stack of papers in my desk, all with the above note written neatly across the top of each paper, my parents got a phone call.

Luckily for me, Ms Dollard was sympathetic to my plight, so instead of sentencing me to hard labor (aka more homework) I was tested for the gifted program at the school. Thankfully she did not mistake my boredom for apathy. I tested high enough to be able to attend the gifted program at school and my academic career was on a much steadier path after that.

So, thanks to Ms Dollard and my parents, I learned that even though some things might not be fun or challenging, it was still important to finish what you start.

Take Pride in Your Work

If you're just now joining us, you might scroll down a couple of posts and catch up (it will only take a few seconds, I promise). This post is the second in a series from The Code of the West. I thought it might be fun, or at the very least, mildly entertaining to write about each of these codes in the context of my own life.

And if it's not entertaining, well, I apologize for the next two minutes of your life that you will never get back.

Honestly, just keep going. It's not that bad!

So, today's topic is "Take pride in your work." This one was easy as my mantra "anything worth doing is worth doing well" has been a staple in my life since day one. This time, it was difficult to pick a story to exemplify something I try for a little bit each day.

Thinking back to my Junior College career, I remembered a very special professor: Dr Keller. Along with several other English department faculty members, they really pushed me to do my best more than any other teachers I had ever had (or have had since) did.

The class was Honors English Literature. As our final, Dr Keller assigned the largest paper I had ever written. It was to be a full 20-page in-depth analysis of some aspect of literature. Because I learned early on in my high school career that the best way to get attention academically was to write/speak about something fairly shocking, I decided my topic would be the Black Death and its impact on literature.

Sounds like fun, eh?

The first paper I turned in was a basic research paper. It was correct, but Dr Keller knew I could do better. He gave me back the paper with hardly a word. The task was to start over and use my full potential. So I did.

I poured over every book and article I could find on the subject. I worked for hours and hours on the best way to structure my paper and its content, and I carefully analyzed each word to make sure I conveyed the correct meaning, tone, and context.

Once my final was complete I turned it in and anxiously awaited the results. This time I knew I had done my very best. I wasn't just going through the motions this time. I poured my heart and soul into this paper.

The result was a simple A written on the back with the note: "Well-written, erudite paper worthy of your talents. Please see me if you desire more praise."

That kind of note would have certainly been enough, but unbeknownst to me he had submitted it to the English department of the university I had planned on attending. A few months later I received a letter--I had been granted a large scholarship based off the merits of this paper alone!

It was at that point that I realized it truly does pay off to take pride in your work and do your best--always. You never know what might come of it!