Time moves forward...

August in Southern Illinois. WHEW!
If it weren't for my family and some really good friends, I would be all for moving to some higher elevation where the temperature never climbs above 85˚. I said "if". If I had a million dollars I would ...
Oh, well. What does it matter anyway?

The grandkids are back in school and autumn is just around the corner. Another year of annual rides is just about over. We survived the Sikeston Ride yet again. Of course I did put my foot down and refuse to ride the full 26 miles of the first day. Just too darn hot for the horses, and why make myself and my horse miserable? I don't need to prove anything and my horse was much more comfortable in the barn with a full bucket of water and three fans to help keep her cool. So, Chester and I rode from the Williamson County Fairgrounds back to my house, about 3 miles or a little more. That was enough for such a hot day. Several others completed the 26 miles from Marion to Lick Creek School. They were very careful and kind with the horses. The ride leader carried a 250 gallon water tank in his trailer (he and his brother take turns riding and driving the truck and trailer) and about once per hour, or more often if needed, everyone would stop to rest the horses and offer them water. So all made it safely to the school and the end of the first day. The second and third days are a little shorter. Day two is about 17 miles and day three is approximately 18 miles. We all made it safely and the horses did great.

August 18 was another leg of the River to River Ride that several of us from the area are participating in. This ride was from Giant City Park to Fern Cliff State Park, about 22.5 miles. It was a very hot daybut we took our time and took care of our animals. August 25 was the annual Stonefort Reunion Ride, about 15 miles. We saw a little rain on this ride and we had a pretty good breeze going all day. I believe there were about five wagons and teams and maybe 7 or 8 horseback riders. All in all is was a pretty nice ride.

I am so looking forward to cool, crisp weather and the changing leaves, open windows and the smell fo autumn. I am also looking forward to this weekend when two of my friends from Chicago will come for a short visit. Too often we only get to see each other at Sundance and if we are lucky, maybe one other time throughout the year. This year I hope it will be different as I plan to make a couple of trips to Chicago before Christmas. I'm not a "city girl" but I can manage to tough it out for a few days now and then!




Remember, don't take yourself or life too seriously and ALWAYS remember to "Live, Love and Laugh"!

Are We Having Fun Yet???

OH MY GOODNESS!!! It IS HOT!!!

It's summer in Southern IL, hot, humid and getting hotter. I have just returned from the 9 Day Trail Ride, or as it
is to be known from now on, The 9 Day Encampment. Why the change? Ask the Forest Service. Enough said.



While at the "encampment" I once again visited the Story Cemetery. I walked the entire area of the one acre site,
attempting to find (count) graves. Since the only graves with "readable" markers are those of Ephraim and Caroline
STORY, it can be difficult to be certain where the others lie. There are still many, many sandstone markers at the
head and foot of the graves, no print, just rocks. The best I could tell there seems to be at least fifty graves within
the one acre cemetery.



Again, I am asking for anyone with any information about this cemetery or the placement of the marker for Caroline
Williford Story, to please contact me. This has become an obsession and I would really like to find out who knew
Caroline was Cherokee and went so far as to say so on her marker in both English and Cherokee.



Next week I plan to go on the "Sikeston Ride", weather permitting. A group of horseback riders and a few teams and
wagons will leave the Williamson County Fairground Thursday morning for a three day adventure, an annual event.
On Saturday we (hope) plan to arrive in Sikeston, MO at the JC Bootheel Rodeo. It's going to be hot and if we have the typical
weather, it will storm at least one day of the ride. Right now my horses are resting up and eating plenty of salt and
in turn drinking plenty of water in an effort to get ready for three long, hot days. Why would anyone do this, you ask?
I'm not sure about the other riders, my excuse is multi-layered. My riding "buddy" is almost 90 years young and an
inspiration! I go on this ride because he wants to, because he feels like doing this. How could I possibly tell him
I think it's too hot or too long a ride? How could I tell him my knees hurt or I'm too tired to go? So, as of right now the only
thing that will prevent us going is if it's too hot for the horses. It is supposed to be really HOT! Time will tell.

Hope everyone is surviving the summer. Remember to Live, Love and Laugh!!!

BACK AT LAST...Well, Sort Of

Oh my goodness!
For some time now I have not posted to my blog. First of all I just wasn't in a very jolly state of mind due to
the health condition of one of my in-laws. I know that to some that might sound as though I'm just looking
for something to be upset about. The rest of the story is that I have become very close to my in-laws and
it became apparent, as the disease progressed, that they needed someone they could depend on any time
they needed something or someone to get them where they needed to be. My husbands sister lives out west
and the other sibling is here but has his hands full already. My husband often must travel to work and often
works different shifts and therefore can't commit to making appointments, etc. I was the logical one to step
forward and do what needed to be done and was happy to do so. I want to help them now while they are still
with us because when they are gone it will be too late. In this situation, there are no "do overs"!

So, in the midst of appointments, sometimes two per week (on different days), grocery shopping, package
delivery, more shopping, preparing a house for sale, and of course trying to run my own business, SMACK!
Our eldest daughter has to be air-lifted out of state for emergency surgery to remove a hemorrhagic mass
from the left side of her brain! That was almost three weeks ago, and it was a day I will never forget. I have
given it some thought, since many people ask me what happened, how the day progressed. The best way
I know to describe the events of that nightmarish day is simply that it was like a long, slow, painful descent
into hell. Without a doubt, even considering the day my Father passed over, it was the absolute worst
day of my life!

The good news is that she is alive, which the doctors say might not have been the case if we had waited one day,
or even a few hours more to bring her in. The mass was not a tumor, it was a vascular malformation and it was
hemorrhaging and had done so previously as the surgeon found old blood stains on the brain tissue. The mass was
about the size of a hens egg, requiring an opening in her skull the size of a silver dollar. Long (very long) story
short, she is recovering, her eyesight is good, her memory is fine, she retained all motor skills and she will now
set off metal detectors when she passes through. Hopefully within the month she will once again be able to drive.

One week and one day after the eldest had her surgery our youngest had to have surgery to correct one ruptured
disc and one bulging disc in her neck. This surgery was at least not an unexpected emergency, it was planned
and I was a little more prepared. Worn out from the week before, but prepared. This daughter's surgery went
without a hitch and after one nights stay following the procedure, I was able to take her home. Like her older sister she will also now set off metal detectors. I spent a couple of days with her, trying to help in whatever way I could,
mostly making sure she didn't do too much too soon.

This past week I was able to return to my own house and to helping my in-laws. I'm still driving the eldest and
her children to ball games, shopping, etc., but my bags are unpacked and have been returned to the closet.
So, what have I learned from all this excitement? For one, I'm tougher than I thought I was. God certainly knows
how to test us, how to remind us who we really are, WHAT we really are and what is really important. I also learned
there are many, many friends, family, neighbors, Sundance family and some who are just acquaintances, who were
ready and willing to pray for my children, my grandchildren and us when we needed them.

To all of you out there who prayed for us, called, emailed, sent food and or flowers, THANK YOU, all of you.
The prayers were heard, they worked, God listens.

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin

SPRING!!!

I really believe that the grass has greened and the daffodils bloomed O_V_E_R_N_I_G_H_T!
My wisteria is about to pop, the redbud trees are ready to open and everything is about
to awaken once again. I have even noticed a couple of beautiful new foals in the neighborhood!
One other, slightly less exciting thing has also occured, the ticks are on the move. I really
dislike those little buggers more than I can express. I have already had two of them attached
to my skin after only one day working in the yard. Such is life. With the good there is also always
something a little less wonderful.

I just experienced another birthday. For some reason they just aren't as exciting as they were
when I was a teenager. I'll choose to keep having them however since celebrating yet another
year is much better than the alternative. Gray hair and wrinkles, no big deal! I have earned them.
(And I must have worked really hard for such a pay-off!)

Springtime is wonderful! The heat is turned off, don't need air conditioning yet and the birds are
so happy to sing all day long. The tree frogs are also very busy little guys, as are the owls, red-
tail hawks and coyotes. The awakening of Mother Earth is so beautiful!

Happy Springtime, Everyone!

Trail of Tears

For those of you who share an interest in the Cherokee People, Cherokee heritage and history, this link is the account of John G. Burnett's Story of the Removal of the Cherokees.

I have at different times talked to some people who believe the story of the Trail of Tears is bogus. There are those who think all the Cherokee People chose to leave their homes in the Mountains of the Blue Mist, Smokey Mountains, to be herded like cattle to Indian Territory in the west. I wish I could send this link to all those folks. Of course there are always doubters, like those who think the Nazi's never did horrible things to the Jews, the white folks here in this country never beat their slaves, etc.
Those stories are in the history books. We DID hear and read about those happenings in school. I bet you never saw John G. Burnett's story in a high school history book! Why is that do you suppose? Your input is welcome...

So please, take the time to click on the link (title, Trail of Tears) above to read Mr. Burnett's story. He was a man of compassion.

It's FEBRUARY!!!

We finally had our first real snow fall of the season. What a strange winter it has been! For the longest time the temperatures stayed quite warm, then it rained, and rained. Then it rained some more, enough rain! We've had way too much wind, especially with the soggy ground which means many trees have been uprooted and many limbs are found in and along side the roadways. But the snow was pretty, didn't last long due to the temperature bouncing back up into the upper 40's and 50's within a day or two. Now we've had more rain and another slight cooldown. Of course all this fun means that most everyone has, or has had, some sort of sinus/head cold, bronchitis, etc. for months now. Everytime I begin to believe my head is about to clear up the weather makes a drastic change and wouldn't you know it, I'm right back where I was a week ago! I am so ready for SPRING!



I haven't been on a horse since mid December. Everytime I think I will have the time to ride the weather decides not to permit it happening. When we do have the occasional warm, dry day, everyone needs something from me. So I imagine that by the time I do get in the saddle again it will be like starting all over. You know, saddle sores, stiff, sore muscles, etc., but it is always worth it. I can almost smell that clean, fresh Spring air now...
And, until it really is warm and sunny and the buds and blooms start to pop, keep your head up and remember to "LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH"!

No Wonder He Didn't See His Shadow!

Hey folks, the groundhog didn't see his shadow!
NEWSFLASH: It was cloudy and drop-dead cold!!! I wouldn't stick my head out of my nice, warm burrow either if I
were a groundhog!
Oh well, like groundhogs can predict the weather anyway.

I can't believe it's already February. The last several weeks have kind of been a blur for me, and I'm sure several other family
members feel the same way. Some of our family has recently moved into assisted living, a really nice home but what a major
life change! There was the search for the "right place", then the weeks of preparing for the move - packing, etc. Then the
physical move, which I have learned can go on for weeks also. Articles are moved from the house to the home, then some
have to be taken back to the house or given away because there isn't enough room for everything at the home. Then there are
other items that were forgotten or overlooked and now need to be packed and moved, then probably "re-moved", again. Once
everyone is settled in it will be time to get the house cleared out, cleaned up and put up for sale. I'm thinking that maybe, if we're lucky, about this time next year our lives will return to some type of normalcy.

It has been so cold lately that I haven't had the inspiration to ride a horse in weeks, well actually I guess we could say months now. I haven't ridden since December and that's just not normal for me. I am so ready for Spring and warm weather, flowers and horseback riding!!! My "girls" (horses) are really looking shaggy and somewhat neglected. They get fed mid morning and turned out for the day. In the evening I clean their stalls, feed and water them and put them up for the night. By the time I'm finished getting them in their stalls my hands and toes are so cold they feel like they would shatter if I bumped them on anything! I just can't quite wrap my fingers around a curry comb long enough to do any sort of justice to their manes and tails right now.

Oh well, such is life. I guess warm sunny weather year round would get boreing, but I believe I could learn to live with it.
So, when I warm up enough that I don't have to worry about my face cracking apart, I'll have to remind myself to -
LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH!!!

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN...

Will the rain ever stop? Here in Southern IL we ended 2006 at 50+ inches of rain ABOVE normal! I always thought I might like to someday visit Ireland, where they say it rains every day, but why bother? I have rain here, almost every day and I don't have to risk the airplane ride to experience it. I don't do airplanes. I like my feet to be firmly on Mother Earth at all times, even if it is by extension of my horses hooves.

My pasture looks like a lake, my back yard looks like a lake and even the goose (McGoose) decided she'd had enough water today and went in the hen house! When it's too wet for McGoose you know we've had way too much rain. My husband had planned to hunt this weekend as it was going to be his last chance to deer hunt until next fall, but he decided to stay dry instead. Of course it could always be worse, right? I understand in St. Louis they are under an Ice Storm WARNING. The weather man says it's going to get cold next week, so I guess we'll have winter after all. Oh Joy! Can't wait! Haven't ridden a horse in weeks and I'm going to get way out of shape!!!

What a week this past one has been. On Monday I took my father-in-laws puppy to the vet to be spade, that was in the morning. Then in the afternoon I drove back to the vet's office (about a 40 min. drive) to pick her up. On Tuesday I got up, really early, to take my daughter to MO for carpal tunnel surgery on her hand. Thank goodness everything went well and she is healing as she should be. Then on Wednesday I took both my mother-in-law and father-in-law for doctors appointments, which took all afternoon. I felt like a bird out of a cage on Thursday! Friday means a trip to town and then, finally I managed to get some work done in the office. Time to get all the tax stuff ready to go, what fun!

Tomorrow the weather man says, "More rain", can't wait. Oh well, when it rains I get a lot accomplished in the house. As they say, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!". Yeah! PUCKER POWER!!!
Just gotta LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH!

2007

Happy New Year!

In about, oh, two or three weeks I will adjust to 2007 in print, my print that is. All of my checks for the next couple of weeks will be messy due to the scratching out of 2006 and correcting with 2007. I know a lot of us do that, with every new year, but I really wish that just this once I could get it right from the very first opportunity.

Change. Do we learn to adapt better as we grow older or does it become more difficult? The older we get the more practice we've had, right? Does "practice make perfect"? Apparently not in my case! I think I'm a little more patient now that I'm a little older, or maybe it's not patience but rather just the slower reflexes. Takes me a lot longer to respond, or to even realize a response is on it's way. Maybe that's a good thing...

So we've started another new year. Because my horses and cats are registered, they are all considered a year older as of January 1. It won't be too long before I (hopefully) will see another birthday roll around. I tried to stop having birthdays at the age of 35 but my family and friends just wouldn't go for that. One of my oldest and dearest friends gets a big kick out the fact that I reach that "another year older" mark about seven months before she does. Sure, it's funny now, but when I turned 16 and could drive while she had another seven months to be "hauled around", it wasn't so funny! My how things change! My kids are getting older too, doesn't seem possible they could both be over 30 now.

Regardless of age, mine or someone else's, patience, reflexes, or lack of, it's time to start a new year. Life does go on and I still believe it's best not to take ourselves or this life too seriously. So, please take the time to just kick back, relax, take a deep cleansing breath and always remember to LIVE, LOVE, and LAUGH!!!

Star with her new owner

On December 10, 2006 I sold my two year old filly to a family in WI. In this photo Star, the two year old filly is being used for a riding lesson by a 9 year old family member of Star's new owners. Not many two year old's are calm and gentle enough to be trusted with a youngster just learning to ride! Star was always an exception, she was almost too easy to "break" or gentle as some trainers now like to refer to that initial stage of training. I guess I would have to say that she is the perfect example of the best of imprint trained horses. Congratulations to Star's new owners in WI!