House

Meet House. Yes, my dear friends - last year I swore off kittens. Hey, what are next years for, anyway? About two weeks ago, I was driving down a very empty place. I swerved and did not hit two kittens. They ended up in my car, then the barn, then our hearts. Orange and Gray.
At first, we thought "orange" was a girl and "gray" was a boy. Emily named them "Lupus" and "House". Well, House is a girl too.
Last night, after 4 1/2 inches of rain, we sloshed to the barn. To our very sad eyes, only House is around. In our part of the country, any story works.
So, House made it to the house today. She's learned the cat door and figured out a few other things as well.
Whoever came for a snack last night will not get a second helping.
Gee, Duane gets home soon. I'd better go to sleep.

Meet House, the newest member of Six Oak Farm.

Meet Aunt Bev

I grew up eating the very best chocolate chip cookies in the world. This week my Aunt Bev (we pronounce it, on't - not ant) and Uncle Gene took their first airplane ride from Minnesota to meet Baby Red.
We turned Bev into a cookie making factory - and they are still the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. Come over for a test drive!

More Red

The Kelo Life

Check this out! A nice photo essay on Red. http://kelolife.blogspot.com/

Four Days and doing Jumping Jacks

"Red" is a firecracker!

At three hours she was doing laps around her mom. And now she jumps between the stall and the run. No wonder Sola looks tired all the time.

Evenings are times for exploring when the heat is down and the pasture is inviting. But, wait -- what's this.

Can you spell trouble? R - E - D.

I'm loving every day. She was worth every sleepless moment.

Meet Ruby Red Jazz

Here she is!!
More later and thanks for caring.

Day 345

Today Sola gave us the sign that the foal is due within 72 hours, that was 10 hours ago. I need to get her a stop watch.

Tonight, I braided her tail (again) to prep for delivery. In the process, friends stopped by and walked into the barn. I gave them my best teacher "Look" and "shhhhh!" sign. My hands were occupied.

I explained to the Dad and 8th grader that we are in the early stages of labor. The Dad looked to the son and explained, "She's having a baby". I replied, "The horse, not me."

I'm thinking diazapam is my next spot. Soon, my readers. Soon.

Sailor is almost two. He is raised by three sisters.

• Athene 14
• Cari 6
• Hannah 3

This means, he is rarely the only dog and has not yet developed his own mind. While the girls are at the groomer's; he is stuck at home watching Mom at school.

He's so pathetic he doesn't even go out to the patio to bark at "Max and 99" (Emily names all creatures at Six Oak Farm) building their nest on the fireplace.

Just a few more hours my friend. Then Bark Central goes live!

Day 342

Ready or not? NOT.

The Grand Dam

It's time to give the foal watch a break and recognize that other horses do exist at Six Oak Farm. Today, our thirty year old appaloosa mare, Liz, is our featured guest.

I'm not too sure of her life stories before she joined our family. Here is the first chapter in her life with us.

Liz joined our family in ~1998. She was T's four-on-the-floor means of transportation and a good fit for a fourteen year old. I test drove her and paid the lady $1200 in cash and brought her home to meet the family. An early example of how Duane learns we have a new member to the farm when he arrives back in town.

At first glance, she didn't win any beauty awards. Fortunately my husband is a livestock judge and saw past the lack of grooming. After many hours with a brush and clipper, she was ready to hit the trails in style.

Liz and T spent many hours in the local fields and parks. Taking trails and swimming and such things Moms best not know. Then the driver's license appeared and Mom had another horse to ride.

Her personality is that family's dream of, the perfect kid-safe horse. We have photos of her double checking to make sure three year old Matthew is still on board.

One of my favorite stories about Liz is her ability to have fun. One day, T popped up on the mare in the pasture and went for a stroll. Like his Mom, he enjoys a bit of speed and moved to a trot and then a canter. Remember, this is sans halter, bridle, saddle, etc.
The Man from Snowy River, not.

After a few minutes of this fun and games, Liz calmly dropped her front shoulder and gently placed T on the ground. With a smile on her face, she trotted back to the barn.

She knows when to hold'em and she knows when to roll'em.

p.s. double clicking in the aquarium it feeds the fish

Chapter Two - The Ranch in Wyoming.

Baby Watch!

It's one day at a time. Sola is due any day.
In horse days that is sometime between last week and early June. In people days, it is an eternity. She makes progress in noticeable steps and a few times we've gotten ready. Hey, even Duane switched the stall from shavings to straw.

Sola is not a tidy housekeeper and he informs me her daily straw usage is the same as six show steers. But, we eat steers and they don't have babies.

Her temperament ranges from loving to very crabby to very, very crabby. The baby rocks and rolls from side to side and appears to be a salsa dancer. This doesn't stop Mom from eating and eating and eating.....

With our recent rain, Sola manages to frequently roll in the mud - a true mudder from the track. This results in a full grooming every night as I don't want Ruby (or name to be determined if it's a boy) to meet a dirty Mom.

Photos soon. I'll manage the update here so your email isn't flooded with no news email.

Here's your chance to contribute to the baby name pool.
Mom = Sola, aka - Crimson Queen (a thoroughbred)
Dad = Sonny, aka - Sonnys Hot Jazz (AQHA) www.sonnyshotjazz.com

Both parents are deep sorrels with white stockings and blazes. The winner gets fame and fortune with this Incentive Fund Foal.