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Spring in South Africa - Baby Girl Time

This is my first time back to my blog in four years.  I'm doing this for at least two reasons:

1. To keep from jamming up your email and FaceBook with my chattering and soon to be pictures
2. To keep a diary for myself of this trip

This way you can check in, or not, to see what up in South Africa Today  

Getting Here

The travel was a challenge. My first time coming to Africa I flew on Emerites Airlines: Dallas - Dubai - Johannesburg. Excellent atmosphere, amenities, service. This time the journey was simplified by starting in Amarillo - Houston - Frankfurt - Johannesburg.  There were some bumps and bruises until I arrived in Johannesburg and connected with family. Grants's parents met me for an overnight and returned me to the airport for the final legs of my expedition. 

Grant met me in George. When I saw him, every hiccough disappeared. He is my Prince and I was swept away in a King Air to see my glowing girl.

Current Events

I am fairly adapted to the time zone; we are seven (7) hours closer to tomorrow than CDT. In November it was approaching summer and we were primarily on the coast. Now it is the beginning of Fall and in The Karoo (desert). This brings new vegetation, climate and a different selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. I'll talk more about that later. 

Next Up

Sunday we travel to Oudtshoorn, the town where Emily and Grant lived for the first 1 1/2 years. Monday morning they check into the clinic to begin an induced labor. Heather and Trevor will join me to wait the arrival of our Granddaughter. 

That is all true is Emily and Baby Girl go with that plan. 😁

On that note

There is a link for to use to subscribe to this by email. You will receive an email with updates. It's easy to unsubscribe and there will not be chasers trying to sell stuff. 
That's all for now folks.  

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.

Meet the crimson queen.

Meet Sola. She is a12 year old thoroughbred mare. Her foal is due May 31, 2010. Ruby or Rocky.

This baby started in the spring when I drove by my neighbor's farm and sighted a brand new wet foal on the ground. A few hours later, I saw him standing for his first meal. It was then I decided it was time to have our own.

I called Holly and asked to bring Sola to Texas for another baby. And now "we"are expecting. (Sola was my mare in Texas and Kansas. Holly accepted Sola as hers a few years ago, finished Sola's re-hab from a nasty neurological infection and has a beautiful foal).

We are technically in month five of eleven - the second trimester. The journey started weeks before conception with choosing the stallion (Thanks ~A!!), timing the cycles, bringing my veterinarian out of repro retirement and timing collection and Fed Ex (there is no fun to be had with conceiving this baby).

At night, I rest my hands on the side where the baby is growing. Life is good here in Texas.

Trick or Treat

Halloween is typically my holiday. I decorate with lots of pumpkins, a talking skeleton, straw bales..... you get the picture. It just didn't happen this year and that is fine.
Sola is in the second trimestser, I have a new job (that I love), new grass everywhere. Life is good.
So this weekened, Duane and I made a deal. No cooking. It's a pretty weekend (a Texas phrase) and we are maxing our time outside. And then I changed my mind. I wanted pizza.
I went to the grocery store and purchased items for a pizza on the grill. A treat only to understand when you eat here.
I carmelized onions, sliced fresh mushrooms, diced artichokes. The pizza was layered with toppings and two types of cheese. The grill was heating.
A masterpiece if I do say so myself.
The doorbell rang - a large entourage of candy seeking missiles. Cute - as a neighborhood Dad carted them away in a wagon following a tractor we returned to the house.
At some point Duane exclaimed, "What happened to the pizza?!!!!!" Aliens must have decended and scrounged the toppings. The crust was almost bare. I hope they get lost in outerspace.
Duane and I went to bed hungry.

4th of July

How do you spend the holiday?
We are playing cards in the barn. Keeping the mares calm..............and the baby incubating.Yep, I said the b word. More to come.

Take Out!

Here's a note.

If you take the dogs with you to pick up take-out................put it in the back bed of the pick up - or feed them first.

Southwestrn Eggrolls were good going down....

Today Cari is 5 years old. Tomorrow Duane is 55

years old.

My husband has a young blond in his life and they get closer every day.

yes.

Over the Edge

It's been a bit of time since this site was updated.

Our family was traveling and checking out the sites - so to speak!

Happy holidays from our family to yours!


In many ways, 2008 has been a year for getting settled in. We are so happy to be back in Texas – it just seems to fit!
In the last 18 months we settled into the house, built a barn, put up fence, brought the horses home and added a couple of puppies to the family. We once again have our “Six Oak Farm”.
This letter will give you a feel for our journey. After six years of moving about, it feels like roots are digging into the Panhandle of Texas.

The Journey

The journey began six years ago when we ventured from a lifetime in Minnesota to experience Texas. Three years later, Cargill had another plan, Kansas.
After two years, we were back on the road to Texas. Canyon was an easy choice. The high plains, dry climate and cactus have become home. Plus, we decided that the horses belong at home.Our new house is fantastic. The ranch style house is welcoming. It has just enough room for people and critters. We all enjoy the covered outside patio, complete with a built in fireplace.
Best of all, we are back in the Panhandle. As we drove in from Kansas, the feeling of coming home was truly amazing and comforting. Hope y’all can come visit us here in the wide open spaces!

The move to Texas was part of the plan to bring the horses home. The reunion was kind of like the book, Black Beauty, when Black Beauty is reunited with Merrylegs in their retirement days.

Czar returned to Texas months ahead of us and resided at our friends’ five-star horse facility. Liz retired from the life of a working dude horse. So our simple barn and plains pasture was a big transition but like us, they have settled in nicely.

Of course, there are plenty of feet and legs inside the house as well.

Athene (TJ’s dog) is the elder voice of reason among the canines.

Although the stickers and other “prairie stuff” tend to imbed themselves in her beautiful, long coat, Cari loves to be outside on our little farm – especially if someone happens to be throwing a tennis ball for her to retrieve.

Hannah, the Australian Shepherd puppy joined the family as we left Kansas and became a source of unending energy and plenty of comic relief. When Emily came home, there was a mutual adoption between Emily and Hannah. This summer, Hannah joined the missionary life with Emily in Salt Lake City.
Before leaving for Utah, Emily did a little housesitting job for some friends that just happened to include playing midwife for a batch of English Setter puppies.

Surprise!! We got the pick of the litter – Sailor. At 6 months, he is our new bundle of energy and mischief.

Family

Andy (26) continues to live and work in Duluth. Seems like the Whole Foods Co-op there has become very dependent on his computer expertise to keep running. He explores mutual interests in things like cooking, fishing, hunting and electronic stuff with a tight group of Bulldog friends. They recently started a new “moonlighting” adventure in website building.

Emily (26) came home from 2 years in Venezuela. Of course it was great to have her home. After months of fund-raising and dog training, she and Hannah moved on to here next phase of missionary life in Salt Lake City.

TJ (24) is completely entrenched in his pursuit of a Chemistry PhD at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Coursework is done so he is completely focused on research. We recently had a chance to tour his laser-lab and be befuddled trying to understand just what his doing. It also appears that he is becoming a very accomplished teacher, this semester he TA’s quantum physics.

Erin (23) continues to explore the world of Oregon. She has spent most of the last year floating between Portland and in a very idyllic setting on a farm near the coast. A fluid and loyal circle of friends provides a strong base for Erin as she explores interests in growing stuff and ceramic artistry.

Happiest Holidays from our family to you.

Photos of Cari, Czar, Emily and TJ by Kelo, aka Andrea. Check out her blog too!