It's a BOY!

On June 14th the world welcomed a beautiful long legged bay colt into the world during a rain storm, into the mud!

World: Meet the handsome love of my life...Stuart.

Less than 1 hour old.

Here he is at 14 hours.

Now at 4 days.

This is my baby boy making his first brave trailer ride to get home at 11 days old.

And...drum roll please...home at last!

Stewy was a 17 day early surprise arrival!  Hence the reason he looks like a dark brown or black colt with no white legs because he was outside in the mud and pouring rain!   As you can see in the pictures he started off in this world with very lax and contracted tendons.   This big boy was folded up in utero pretty tight, so not a lot of room to flex his tendons and get them strong and ready for life on the run.   After only 12 days he's considerably stronger and his fronts have started to relax and straighten.   Still a ways to go all the way around but a huge improvement from day 1.

Due to his long, unsteady legs he missed out on a lot of the calostrum that he needed from Wanda's first milk.   Much was dripped out before he was born and when he was not able to nurse immediately.  Luckily, he was given some frozen milk that was on hand and at 3 days old his immunoglobulins had been tested several times so that we were able to assess his need for a plasma transfusion at 4 days old.    At 6 days old his immunity showed strong and out of the unsafe zone.   Five more days at the vets to get his legs strong and then we had the joyous day of bringing him home.   

I would like to thank the vets Dr Daniel Jou and Dr Claire Plante for the foaling service, top notch care and wonderful attitudes with me…the new mom.   I had lots of questions and sent many texts which were always answered and I always felt that Wanda and Stuart's best interest were at the forefront while in their care.

So much joy and gratitude to Fredi and Anita Haupt for being "horse angles" in my life and giving me this opportunity.   I will be forever in your debt for your generosity and trust that you have bestowed upon me.   I promise to do my very best to live up to your example of exemplary values in the horse sport industry.   

Paying it forward has been passed to me in so many ways.   It's a lifestyle choice that I have built into my daily life and find so much inner happiness being able to pass the gifts this life has given to me on to others…so they too can pay it forward in their own way to carry the energy of positive possibilities in an unbroken chain of acts of kindness.  

In Love

S

How I Spent My 1st Week of Vacation and Josh Nichol Clinic

Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post?
Well I have to first tell of my vacation last week and then I will jump around back to some older news that still needs telling.

I got to spend the first part of me week of vacation with this man...Mr Josh Nichol. 

I haven't missed one of his clinics since 2011 when he first made his way to this neck of Southern Ontario; thanks to one of my friends Dianne who arranges the clinics.   Twice a year I set aside vacation time to ensure that I can ride with him and be within his energy and the energy of the passionate group that rides with him.
I can't say enough about the calm, positive and focused energy that Josh devotes to the horses and his students.   There is not a doubt in my mind that sometime in the future; people will reflect back on the masters of this era and Josh's name will be one of the horseman that is held in very high regard.   

During my ride on the final day, I notice a little dark green and flash of red flutter near Izzy's feet.   I pulled up and looked down at this little bundle of colour and called to Josh that he had to come to me as I could not ride on until he picked up the creature and moved it to safety.   With true love of life, he picked up the little hummingbird and passed him over to Dawn and Nancy who were auditing and they immediately took to rescue mode.   They mixed up sugar water, fed the dehydrated and exhausted little treasure and placed him outside in a lilac bush to recover and fly free; which he did within the hour of refuelling.  Something special happened that morning in the arena.   Something that speaks to the kind of people I surround myself with and the specialness that draws this group together to come to a deeper understanding of our connections to the universe.


















Dianne sent this piece to me via email...which I will share as the meaning of this  hummingbird should not be lost to just the rescue of a trapped bird in a riding arena...because this is not just any bird and this is just too much of a coincidence to be meaningless.   My spirit animal that last spoke to me was deer...and in that moment deer was the right timing.   No animal has spoke to me since then until now....
The hummingbird generally symbolizes joy and playfulness, as well as adaptability. Additional symbolic meanings are:

·         Lightness of being, enjoyment of life

·         Being more present

·         Independence

·         Bringing playfulness and joy in your life

·         Lifting up negativity

·         Swiftness, ability to respond quickly

·         Resiliency, being able to travel great distances tirelessly

·         If the hummingbird shows up in your life as a spirit animal, it may remind you to enjoy life’s simple pleasures and take time to enjoy yourself. The hummingbird’s wisdom carries an invitation to take part in and draw to you life’s sweetness, like you would drink the nectar of your own flower.

·         The call of the hummingbird totem will guide you to open up to love and lightness in your emotional life. When you see your totem, you are encouraged to open up your heart and expose yourself more to joy and love. It might be time to show how you feel to loved ones or people who are close to you.

·         The hummingbird totem wisdom could challenge you to figure out how to stand strong while being able to move quickly and fly high, whether it’s through your personal or spiritual aspirations.

·         When facing challenges or an environment plagued by negativity, call on the hummingbird to help you bring a positive outlook on the situation and find your way out with optimism.

·         Inspired by this totem, you will be inclined to accomplish what seems impossible to most while keeping it light and enjoyable.

·         You may benefit from resting often and taking time to feed yourself with enough, whether it’s physically, emotionally or spiritually, to keep going.

·         When the hummingbird shows up in your life, it may be an invitation to flex your path, perhaps even bending backward or forward, in order to accommodate life’s circumstances. You may be required to adapt to a situation that is a bit more demanding than usual. The wisdom carried by this spirit animal emphasizes flexibility and lightness in your approach to the unexpected

The next riding adventure on my vacation last week was with Andrea to Dundas Valley Conservation Area.   What a joy to be immersed in such beauty of the landscape.   The escarpment cliffs and this wonderful waterfall.   

The week off has not been just fun and games riding horses...well mostly it has, but lets not tell DH!!  :-)
Mom and I and DH and Dad to some extent, have worked on the new flowerbeds I have been dreaming about around the house for 2 summers now.   This project finally hit the top of the farm priority list.   Not sure it was a mutual top of the list yet but the love to growing things and having beautiful plants outside my windows is something I have missed dearly since moving from Decewsville.   The development of my gardens at the other house was something I loved and enjoyed.   It was the wonder of growth and the birth of new life.   The colour and beauty and the varieties of plants that fill the spectrum of possibility.   I have missed the spring bulbs, the texture of the foliage and the burst of colour throughout the spring, summer and fall as the seasons turned and the plants showed their splendour.   It was time for this garden for my inner nourishment...I have missed that piece of me.   So the beginning....
The south side of the house start and current.

The front and north side of the house start and current.

The back of the house start and current.

Still a great deal of work left yet.   There was a lucky find during the dig with already buried piping for the eaves to the cistern.   The eaves are now hooked up and the irrigation system will be plumbed for the flowerbeds, as I do not want to water plants with a hose at this house.   Some lessons have been learned from my big gardens at the old house!  :-)

I weeded the pond rocks along the pergola.   What a job!   If anyone has any suggestions on how to kill these nasty plants without adding any chemicals to the water that will kill the fish...I am open for suggestions.   This is one area I really would love to no longer have to weed!!

Here is the before…

And here is the after…

Mom did the west side of the pond a week later and now the pond looks fabulous.  Thanks Mom…you got the nasty side with the giant thistles!

The veggies are all planted and have been for about 5 weeks now.   The squash and jalapeño peppers got nipped off with the late frost we got at the end of May.   They have since been replanted from seed and repurchased after an exhaustive search!   Pictures to come on those...the gardens already need to be roto-tilled with all the rain as of the last few days.   Once again the weeds have taken hold better than any of the plants!!

Running and more running this past few weeks!   I had a week long shutdown that left me without a single run during that week.   It was a long tough week and I am glad to be getting back to running and riding.   Since my last post I have run 3 races.

Sulphur Springs Trail Race 10K

 

Phlox Run Trail Race 6K

Ancaster Old Mill 5K Race

All 3 were great runs.  Sulphur Springs is a technically difficult course with a huge decent at the start which you have to climb and climb and climb to reach the finish.   Great time on that course at 51:46.   The Phlox run is just so beautiful.   The trail is challenging and has a wonderful loooong foot bridge over the Grand River.   I ended up with a 2nd place finish in my age group in that race!   The Old Mill race was a wonderful challenge with the rolling hills along Jerseyville Rd.  It was a race that you had to have stamina because it was a continued climb and decent.   Finished this one in a time I am proud of at 26:08...considering the hills I was very pleased and was 5th in my age group.

Here is a wonderful shot from the other week of a full rainbow over the farm.   I just know I live in the best place on earth!

After the Sulphur Springs race Theresa and I (and DH joined us later) spent the afternoon at the antique market that was held at the Christie Conservation area.   I went in search of a piece for the 3 seasons room that was formally the gym.   I didn't find that piece but just look at this absolutely perfect for my kitchen chandelier!!  I fell in love!!  ...and once I hung it up it fits the house and the table perfectly.    So thrilled to have made this find!   I have always believed that the right pieces come together as they are supposed to.  Now I just need battery or drip free candles to finish it off.   

With some time off work and a chance to amerce myself in the joy of training (both running and riding!) and being in the company of like minded people...the creativity has returned to my studio.   This little piece is finding it's way to the church auction to help raise money for the new community room for my small town.

Here is my studio during the creative process.   The creative process is messy!

Even tho this this post is getting very long…there just can't be a post without the mutts!
Here they are during vacation week…where they were both in and out of the pond swimming on MANY occasions!

Marl's continues her sleepy supervision tradition with MeeMaw as her loyal worker!

Lastly...mama horse, aka Wanda, aka Chubbers has left for the vets to have her foal.   She is enormous...measuring a whopping 9'2" in circumference.  Hoping by the end of the month there will be a healthy little addition on the ground adding to the family.    I need names that being with "S"…I am open for suggestions.   I need both colt and filly names cuz right now…this will be a big surprise!
Here she is the day that she left...look at that belly!