E-I-E-I-O
Roasted Vegetable Recipes
2 weeks ago
Friday, November 12, 2010
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Happy 55
Ian is always full of surprises. He surprised me with a dozen red roses, jewelry and a chocolate cake topped with two numeral 5 candles. November fifth is also our wedding anniversary - our eighth.
E-I-E-I-O
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Sharing the fun!
Today, Richard and I went to visit Mom at the Vet's Home and brought along Renoir's National Championship trophy and rose garland. She was thrilled to hear about our success at the Arabian Horse Championship Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma last week.
E-I-E-I-O
Monday, November 01, 2010
Your 2010 US National Champion: Legacys Renoir!
Yes, he did! Renoir won the National Championship title with Ian in the Arabian Stallion Breeding class AAOTH on Friday morning, October 29. First, they were awarded a Top 10 honor, which in itself is huge, as it is a national title. Then, as I was at the rail, grinning at Ian and having watched the Reserve Champion being photographed, I heard the announcer say, "And your 2010 U.S. National Champion Arabian Stallion in this amateur owner to handle class is number 1637, Legacys Renoir ...." well I didn't hear the rest because I was screaming! The rest is a blur - I remember being guided to the arena floor and kissing Renoir and then Ian as we posed for pictures! LOL
The next afternoon Renoir showed again, this time with professional handler John Diedrich in the wildly competitive Arabian Senior Stallion Breeding 6 years & Older Open class and was award a US Top 10 ribbon; another national title!
During our stay at the show, we stalled with other amateur-status (as in we don't do this for a living) Arabian enthusiasts from a group called The Ammy Army; hence the camouflage curtains. It was fun to meet other horse lovers from across the country and for all of us to do well at the show.
Renoir is now in training with Tom Theisen at Conway Arabians and residing in Chatfield, Minnesota.
We left Tulsa at 4 a.m. on Halloween morning and arrived home at 10 p.m. after 800+ miles.
Photos and more show details coming soon.
E-I-E-I-O
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tulsa!
Our journey to show at this year's US National Arabian and Half Arabian Championship Horse Show began with Ian picking up Renoir from Lonesome Dove Training Center (LDTC) on Friday afternoon, October 22. Since LDTC is 2+ hours to our northwest in Pequot Lakes, we decided to bring Renoir closer to home so we could cut some travel time hours. Renoir was a guest at Wildflower Farm in Pine City, where our other stallion, Goldmount Royal Design, lives. On Sunday, we spent the afternoon with Wildflower Farm owners Cathy & Jim giving Renoir the perfect show clip and bath. There are so many tricks and tips to learn to showcase Renoir's finest Arabian features. Finished, we swaddled him in a stable blanket to dry and rest.
Wet, and smelling like bubble bath, Ian and I returned home to finish packing the trailer and eat dinner with Richard, who is now living with us, working at the local casino and caretaking the menagerie while we're gone.
We returned to Wildflower Farm at 8 p.m., loaded Renoir and began our trek south. We traveled I-35 south through Des Moines, Iowa, on to Kansas City, Missouri, where we took I-435 toward Joplin, then I-44 into Oklahoma and Tulsa. After 700-some miles, we arrived at 2 p.m. Monday afternoon. We stopped in the wee hours at a roadside rest to sleep and for breakfast at the Waffle House outside Kansas City. Renoir travels so well. I, on the other hand, arrived achy, not having found the best position for sleep in the back seat of the Ford F-150. It was wonderful to find Tulsa bathed in sunshine and 80 degrees, after leaving home in rainy 50s.
Population-wise, Tulsa is the second largest city in Oklahoma and the 47th largest in the US. It is located in the northeastern quadrant of a vast state and, according to Wikipedia, is near the heart of Tornado Alley Luckily, October is well past tornado season.
US Nationals is being held at a huge facility, Expo Square. We were too road weary to have a good look around and I don’t know the stats regarding how many horses and people are estimated to be here, but it’s quite the venue! It was easy to find Renoir’s stall and our hotel, which is also located on the Expo Square grounds. What was really fun was to have our aisle neighbors so excited to see Renoir and ask to have photos with him – just like a rock star!
More later.
E-I-E-I-O
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Goldmount Royal Design babies!
These beautiful Half Arabians not only have the same American Saddlebred palomino sire in common, they are also all for sale!
GV Man Of Mystery
Mmonroe
GV Suite Dreams
AMF Royals Gold Tango
GV James Blond
E-I-E-I-O
GV Man Of Mystery
Mmonroe
GV Suite Dreams
AMF Royals Gold Tango
GV James Blond
E-I-E-I-O
Monday, October 18, 2010
Dali & Terry
I have known Dali and Terry since the fall of 1973 when we three met at Moby Dick's 'whale of a drink' bar at 620 Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. We've stayed in virtual touch through the years, but the last time we met was at a small brasserie for wine and pizza near Gare Montparnasse when I lived in Paris' 14th arrondissement.
The two were in Minnesota for a visit, they currently live in Nevada. It was lovely to introduce them to Ian. We met for dinner with another couple at Travail Restaurant & Amusements in Robbinsdale, where the food, wine and service were delightful. It's not often Ian and I rendezvous for purely social gatherings away from the farm, but this was SO worth it. Love you two!
E-I-E-I-O
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Great Minnesota Get Together
Ian and I went to the fair on Sunday, September 5. We had great weather and pretty much covered the place. The best thing we ate was bacon on a stick and we love our Nitro ice cream. We had a quick rendezvous with the Talisman family too. It was fun and something I savor at summer's end.
E-I-E-I-O
E-I-E-I-O
Oh Canada!
Obviously I do not have the drive and discipline of other bloggers. I let all of September slip away without even as much as an update from Canadian Nationals in Regina, Saskatchewan in mid August! Shame! A lot has gone on and I will attempt to catch you up in a series of posts.
Click HERE to watch Renoir's stallion promotion video showcasing our new Auld Macdonald Farm logo. Visit the Auld Macdonald Farm website too.
The 53rd Annual Canadian Nationals Arabian & Half Arabian
Championship Horse Show
August 16-21, Evraz Place, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
First, I must give a plug to professional barn helper, groom and farm sitter, Katie Heetland, who stayed at the farm and took care of all the animals while we traveled to Canada. She did a stellar job. If you ever need a farm sitter you can find her on Facebook or get in touch with me and I’ll put you in touch.
On Saturday, August 14, we began our trek north. We picked up Renoir from Lonesome Dove Training Center (LDTC) in Pequot Lakes around 7 p.m. and headed north on 371, then west on 2 to Rugby, where we pulled into a rest stop around 2:30 a.m. for some shut eye. Dawn welcomed us to a very flat prairie stretching all in directions. We rolled into Minot at 6:30 a.m., spotted a McDonald's, so we got off the highway. There were some cars in the lot and its lights were on inside and out. So, it’s open, right? We walked to the door and found it locked. There were no hours posted in the glass and when I beckoned the uniformed McDonald's staffer milling about inside asking in my brand of sign language (fingertip pointing to my imaginary wristwatch) as to when they opened, I swear, he looked at me, shrugged and walked away! We waited in the truck for about 30 minutes, watching as others had a similar experience at the door and drive thru and not seeing any other open eating alternatives, we gave up.
Near Kenmare, North Dakota, about 20 miles south of the Portal border crossing, we saw the aftermath of its killer tornado that had passed through the previous Thursday. Click HERE for photos.
We arrived at the border just before 9 a.m. to find the Canadian Immigration Officers were just arriving for duty. That's right, it is not staffed 24/7, and if we had gotten there earlier we would have sat – not ideal when hauling a horse. By happenstance I'm sure, all of the immigration officers were blonde, blue eyed, very fit looking women in navy blue uniforms packing huge side arms. I remember wondering why they didn't list to one side from carrying such weight. When our horse and human paperwork was all checked and stamped, we rolled through and breakfasted at Canadian franchise coffee shop, Tim Hortons, known for its coffee and donuts. Sated, we drove another three hours, arriving Regina at 1 p.m. learning that somewhere along the line we crossed into Mountain Time and lost an hour.
Exhausted, we easily found Evraz Place, which is normally a hockey venue, where we off loaded Renoir into his stall in the Canada Central East building. After watching him roll in the fresh shavings, drink and begin nibbling on his hay, we drove the 10 minutes to downtown Regina and checked in at the Ramada Inn.
Regina refers to itself as the oasis of the prairie and I couldn’t agree more. It is a delightful city with its Wascana Lake, sparkling Casino Regina and mature-treed neighborhoods. It is the second largest city in the province (after Saskatoon) and it is the seat of provincial government.
Before leaving home I called our cell phone provider and added a week's worth of international calling time on our plan. I did not want to be hit with international toll tariffs for calls or texts made and received. In fact, I wanted to be able to freely contact folks with updates and the extra $65 for both cells was well worth it.
We were stalled with folks we hadn't met before, but we had the show in common and it turned out to be a fun, talkative group. There was owner/rider Sarah Ingram of Alberta, Canada with her gelding PA Sebastion, who became the two-time 2010 Canadian Nationals Champion in the Open and ATR Jumper classes. Ohio's Alexandra Ramage was our neighbor with her Sport Horse champion stallion Masterpiece PA++++//. She was also accompanied by her Vizla. I’d only seen these chestnut-colored hunting dogs when watching the Westminster Dog Show. This was a nice boy. Septuagenarian Roger Odegard rounded out our end of the aisle and kept us all laughing with his ever-present smile and well-told trainer stories.
Ian and I just love taking care of Renoir. We got to do all the day-to-day stuff; feeding, watering, mucking his stall, bathing, grooming, lunging, petting, loving, kissing. He's a very well behaved boy.
Renoir and Ian showed together in the AAOTH class on Tuesday afternoon. The two did well and came in 4th place, just out of the Top Ten ribbons. I guess I should explain that at the national shows Top Ten ribbons are awarded to 50% of the class versus giving out ribbons to the first 10 places. Renoir's AAOTH class with Ian had six entries, so ribbons only went to the first three places. LDTC's Erik Haff showed Renoir in the Open Stallion Breeding class on Saturday evening and, while we thought they did well, the judges placed the pair in last place (9 of 9). Ouch. I've said before that horse shows are our business meetings. We came prepared but we didn't accomplish what we wanted to. The fault lies with us (humans) and armed with the judging score cards we took the time to look at our performances objectively.
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) rulebook states in part that "[Arabian] Stallions especially should have an abundance of natural vitality, animation, spirit, suppleness and balance." Looking at the posted judging cards Renoir's lowest numbers on his individual score sheet were in two categories, Movement and Substance at the Walk. The class scores were very close, with only single digits between a Top Ten ribbon and nothing at all. Basically, my take is that Renoir lacked the 'vitality' and 'animation' that the judges are expecting in a breeding stallion class. In short, he was too calm and well behaved. To improve his numbers and thus his overall placement in Tulsa at US Nationals we will have to show him with much more pep in his step. I'm confident we can do just that. Heaven knows he has it in him; we just need to ask Renoir to turn it on.
We decided to begin heading home on Saturday evening when classes finished. We had packed up our Ford F-150 and the two-horse trailer earlier that day. We got Renoir loaded and headed out around 10:30 p.m. Ian is the driver. He likes to drive and I like to read or sleep. I climbed into the back seat and snoozed until the border, only becoming momentarily semiconscious when I needed to show my passport and Renoir's stamped papers from his entry into Canada. Passing inspection, I drifted off again and stirred briefly when Ian eased off onto the Rugby roadside rest again. We rolled into LDTC around Sunday lunch, offloaded Renoir and headed home.
Being at the Royal Red Show for the first time was thrilling and I would love to go again. It's always fun to be around high caliber animals and to meet other Arabian horse enthusiasts from all parts of North America. Now we're focused on Tulsa and US Nationals.
E-I-E-I-O
Click HERE to watch Renoir's stallion promotion video showcasing our new Auld Macdonald Farm logo. Visit the Auld Macdonald Farm website too.
The 53rd Annual Canadian Nationals Arabian & Half Arabian
Championship Horse Show
August 16-21, Evraz Place, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
First, I must give a plug to professional barn helper, groom and farm sitter, Katie Heetland, who stayed at the farm and took care of all the animals while we traveled to Canada. She did a stellar job. If you ever need a farm sitter you can find her on Facebook or get in touch with me and I’ll put you in touch.
On Saturday, August 14, we began our trek north. We picked up Renoir from Lonesome Dove Training Center (LDTC) in Pequot Lakes around 7 p.m. and headed north on 371, then west on 2 to Rugby, where we pulled into a rest stop around 2:30 a.m. for some shut eye. Dawn welcomed us to a very flat prairie stretching all in directions. We rolled into Minot at 6:30 a.m., spotted a McDonald's, so we got off the highway. There were some cars in the lot and its lights were on inside and out. So, it’s open, right? We walked to the door and found it locked. There were no hours posted in the glass and when I beckoned the uniformed McDonald's staffer milling about inside asking in my brand of sign language (fingertip pointing to my imaginary wristwatch) as to when they opened, I swear, he looked at me, shrugged and walked away! We waited in the truck for about 30 minutes, watching as others had a similar experience at the door and drive thru and not seeing any other open eating alternatives, we gave up.
Near Kenmare, North Dakota, about 20 miles south of the Portal border crossing, we saw the aftermath of its killer tornado that had passed through the previous Thursday. Click HERE for photos.
We arrived at the border just before 9 a.m. to find the Canadian Immigration Officers were just arriving for duty. That's right, it is not staffed 24/7, and if we had gotten there earlier we would have sat – not ideal when hauling a horse. By happenstance I'm sure, all of the immigration officers were blonde, blue eyed, very fit looking women in navy blue uniforms packing huge side arms. I remember wondering why they didn't list to one side from carrying such weight. When our horse and human paperwork was all checked and stamped, we rolled through and breakfasted at Canadian franchise coffee shop, Tim Hortons, known for its coffee and donuts. Sated, we drove another three hours, arriving Regina at 1 p.m. learning that somewhere along the line we crossed into Mountain Time and lost an hour.
Exhausted, we easily found Evraz Place, which is normally a hockey venue, where we off loaded Renoir into his stall in the Canada Central East building. After watching him roll in the fresh shavings, drink and begin nibbling on his hay, we drove the 10 minutes to downtown Regina and checked in at the Ramada Inn.
Regina refers to itself as the oasis of the prairie and I couldn’t agree more. It is a delightful city with its Wascana Lake, sparkling Casino Regina and mature-treed neighborhoods. It is the second largest city in the province (after Saskatoon) and it is the seat of provincial government.
Before leaving home I called our cell phone provider and added a week's worth of international calling time on our plan. I did not want to be hit with international toll tariffs for calls or texts made and received. In fact, I wanted to be able to freely contact folks with updates and the extra $65 for both cells was well worth it.
We were stalled with folks we hadn't met before, but we had the show in common and it turned out to be a fun, talkative group. There was owner/rider Sarah Ingram of Alberta, Canada with her gelding PA Sebastion, who became the two-time 2010 Canadian Nationals Champion in the Open and ATR Jumper classes. Ohio's Alexandra Ramage was our neighbor with her Sport Horse champion stallion Masterpiece PA++++//. She was also accompanied by her Vizla. I’d only seen these chestnut-colored hunting dogs when watching the Westminster Dog Show. This was a nice boy. Septuagenarian Roger Odegard rounded out our end of the aisle and kept us all laughing with his ever-present smile and well-told trainer stories.
Ian and I just love taking care of Renoir. We got to do all the day-to-day stuff; feeding, watering, mucking his stall, bathing, grooming, lunging, petting, loving, kissing. He's a very well behaved boy.
Renoir and Ian showed together in the AAOTH class on Tuesday afternoon. The two did well and came in 4th place, just out of the Top Ten ribbons. I guess I should explain that at the national shows Top Ten ribbons are awarded to 50% of the class versus giving out ribbons to the first 10 places. Renoir's AAOTH class with Ian had six entries, so ribbons only went to the first three places. LDTC's Erik Haff showed Renoir in the Open Stallion Breeding class on Saturday evening and, while we thought they did well, the judges placed the pair in last place (9 of 9). Ouch. I've said before that horse shows are our business meetings. We came prepared but we didn't accomplish what we wanted to. The fault lies with us (humans) and armed with the judging score cards we took the time to look at our performances objectively.
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) rulebook states in part that "[Arabian] Stallions especially should have an abundance of natural vitality, animation, spirit, suppleness and balance." Looking at the posted judging cards Renoir's lowest numbers on his individual score sheet were in two categories, Movement and Substance at the Walk. The class scores were very close, with only single digits between a Top Ten ribbon and nothing at all. Basically, my take is that Renoir lacked the 'vitality' and 'animation' that the judges are expecting in a breeding stallion class. In short, he was too calm and well behaved. To improve his numbers and thus his overall placement in Tulsa at US Nationals we will have to show him with much more pep in his step. I'm confident we can do just that. Heaven knows he has it in him; we just need to ask Renoir to turn it on.
We decided to begin heading home on Saturday evening when classes finished. We had packed up our Ford F-150 and the two-horse trailer earlier that day. We got Renoir loaded and headed out around 10:30 p.m. Ian is the driver. He likes to drive and I like to read or sleep. I climbed into the back seat and snoozed until the border, only becoming momentarily semiconscious when I needed to show my passport and Renoir's stamped papers from his entry into Canada. Passing inspection, I drifted off again and stirred briefly when Ian eased off onto the Rugby roadside rest again. We rolled into LDTC around Sunday lunch, offloaded Renoir and headed home.
Being at the Royal Red Show for the first time was thrilling and I would love to go again. It's always fun to be around high caliber animals and to meet other Arabian horse enthusiasts from all parts of North America. Now we're focused on Tulsa and US Nationals.
E-I-E-I-O
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Happy, Hot August!
Mother dear
The final days of July brought some unexpected twists and turns. Mom and I went to a scheduled visit with her orthopedic surgeon on July 26, to decide what the options were regarding her right hip implant which painfully dislocated on July 19, requiring an overnight hospital stay and a hip brace. During the appointment, the surgeon discovered that it had dislocated again even with the stabilizing brace, which really narrowed Mom’s options. She was admitted that morning and had surgery to replace the failed ball-n-socket unit two days later. This is the third such operation on this hip. Mom is truly bionic; both hips, both knees. Her surgery went well and she was recently moved from the surgical wing to the transitional therapy wing. Her release is scheduled for August 13, when she can return to her room at the Veterans Home.
Once Mom regains her physical strength and stamina we will bring her to the farm for a visit. We’re having our front porch steps replaced and a wheelchair ramp built in the garage to accommodate her needs. I suspect Mom won’t be physically ready for a visit until September, so I’ve got time to locate a second-hand hospital bed and lift chair to place in our dining room that we are converting to an apartment-like room for her.
Photos and a fond farewell
In mid July we bid farewell to Darrah, sending her with our best wishes and recommendations back to the Cities, as she looks ahead to community college and for a job she loves.
Arizona-based photographer, Christina Rousseau, took the most fabulous photos of our stallion Legacy’s Renoir and his 2008 & 2009 foals. I have posted some examples. Christina’s eye also caught the golden beauty of AMF Royals Gold Tango, sired by our Saddlebred stallion, Goldmount Royal Design (“Roy”).
Speaking of Roy, he now lives in Pine City at Wildflower Farm. We are very pleased to have him within 10 minutes drive of our farm.
Furry, fuzzy, fencing, felicidades
Lab puppies Josephine and Cleopatra are now 13 weeks old. They are growing like weeds and are at such a fun stage in life. They are out during the day and share a kennel in the house at night. There are two kennels side-by-side, but they prefer to snuggle together in one.
One of our three Blue Laced Red Wynadotte hens hatched nine chicks. The hens, chicks and the Black Sex Link rooster are in a fenced area that surrounds the coop. The two Blue Laced Red Wynadotte roosters, Bullwinkle and Rocky, still roam free range. Clearly, they are the most vocal roosters I have ever met!
Ian spent many a July weekend and evening getting two large pasture areas fenced; one for our mares, the other for stud colts and geldings. Of course the horses love being on grass. We have another three-acre pasture to fence, as well as the ¼ mile to close off our north property line. Richard is helping us complete various projects. Before the snow flies we will build run-in shelters in the new pasture areas, install more automatic watering systems (we love our Ritchie), and get the barn organized for another winter.
Dear Mum-in-law
Ian’s mother, Ellen, turns 80 on the 17th. Daughter Jean is hosting a big get together at her B&B in France. We won’t be making the trip, but we send our felicidades, love and best wishes.
Canadian Nationals
August 16-21, Ian and I will be in Regina, Saskatchewan with Renoir attending the Canadian National Arabian & Half Arabian Championship Horse Show! Renoir made this trip as a futurity colt (and won a national Top 10 title), but this is a first for us! Regina is a 14+ hour drive. I’ve never been to the Canadian Great Plains and am looking forward to it.
Ian and I really enjoy horse shows, which we attend as business meetings with our Arabian horse enthusiast competitors; we have an overall plan, our own agenda to follow and goals to accomplish.
The Great Minnesota Get Together
Even though there are plenty of warm summer days left -- the autumnal equinox isn’t until September 23 -- here in Minnesota our State Fair tends to mark the end of summer. It runs from Thursday, August 26 through our Labor Day Monday, September 6, and most children end their summer break on Tuesday the 7th. I love to go to the Fair and we usually make a day of it. I enjoy my annual corn dogs and roasted corn.
Our 2011 Foals
We have four mares in foal; Mona (MAF Last Dance) to Goldmount Royal Design for another Half Arabian, Amber’s Mayday to Famous Echo SCA for a purebred Saddlebred pinto, and purebred Arabians from Inno (Not That Innocent) to Renoir and Addie (Adieu NR) to Conway Arabians’ Noble Way. Two mares are due in April and two are due in May.
E-I-E-I-O
The final days of July brought some unexpected twists and turns. Mom and I went to a scheduled visit with her orthopedic surgeon on July 26, to decide what the options were regarding her right hip implant which painfully dislocated on July 19, requiring an overnight hospital stay and a hip brace. During the appointment, the surgeon discovered that it had dislocated again even with the stabilizing brace, which really narrowed Mom’s options. She was admitted that morning and had surgery to replace the failed ball-n-socket unit two days later. This is the third such operation on this hip. Mom is truly bionic; both hips, both knees. Her surgery went well and she was recently moved from the surgical wing to the transitional therapy wing. Her release is scheduled for August 13, when she can return to her room at the Veterans Home.
Once Mom regains her physical strength and stamina we will bring her to the farm for a visit. We’re having our front porch steps replaced and a wheelchair ramp built in the garage to accommodate her needs. I suspect Mom won’t be physically ready for a visit until September, so I’ve got time to locate a second-hand hospital bed and lift chair to place in our dining room that we are converting to an apartment-like room for her.
Photos and a fond farewell
In mid July we bid farewell to Darrah, sending her with our best wishes and recommendations back to the Cities, as she looks ahead to community college and for a job she loves.
Arizona-based photographer, Christina Rousseau, took the most fabulous photos of our stallion Legacy’s Renoir and his 2008 & 2009 foals. I have posted some examples. Christina’s eye also caught the golden beauty of AMF Royals Gold Tango, sired by our Saddlebred stallion, Goldmount Royal Design (“Roy”).
Speaking of Roy, he now lives in Pine City at Wildflower Farm. We are very pleased to have him within 10 minutes drive of our farm.
Furry, fuzzy, fencing, felicidades
Lab puppies Josephine and Cleopatra are now 13 weeks old. They are growing like weeds and are at such a fun stage in life. They are out during the day and share a kennel in the house at night. There are two kennels side-by-side, but they prefer to snuggle together in one.
One of our three Blue Laced Red Wynadotte hens hatched nine chicks. The hens, chicks and the Black Sex Link rooster are in a fenced area that surrounds the coop. The two Blue Laced Red Wynadotte roosters, Bullwinkle and Rocky, still roam free range. Clearly, they are the most vocal roosters I have ever met!
Ian spent many a July weekend and evening getting two large pasture areas fenced; one for our mares, the other for stud colts and geldings. Of course the horses love being on grass. We have another three-acre pasture to fence, as well as the ¼ mile to close off our north property line. Richard is helping us complete various projects. Before the snow flies we will build run-in shelters in the new pasture areas, install more automatic watering systems (we love our Ritchie), and get the barn organized for another winter.
Dear Mum-in-law
Ian’s mother, Ellen, turns 80 on the 17th. Daughter Jean is hosting a big get together at her B&B in France. We won’t be making the trip, but we send our felicidades, love and best wishes.
Canadian Nationals
August 16-21, Ian and I will be in Regina, Saskatchewan with Renoir attending the Canadian National Arabian & Half Arabian Championship Horse Show! Renoir made this trip as a futurity colt (and won a national Top 10 title), but this is a first for us! Regina is a 14+ hour drive. I’ve never been to the Canadian Great Plains and am looking forward to it.
Ian and I really enjoy horse shows, which we attend as business meetings with our Arabian horse enthusiast competitors; we have an overall plan, our own agenda to follow and goals to accomplish.
The Great Minnesota Get Together
Even though there are plenty of warm summer days left -- the autumnal equinox isn’t until September 23 -- here in Minnesota our State Fair tends to mark the end of summer. It runs from Thursday, August 26 through our Labor Day Monday, September 6, and most children end their summer break on Tuesday the 7th. I love to go to the Fair and we usually make a day of it. I enjoy my annual corn dogs and roasted corn.
Our 2011 Foals
We have four mares in foal; Mona (MAF Last Dance) to Goldmount Royal Design for another Half Arabian, Amber’s Mayday to Famous Echo SCA for a purebred Saddlebred pinto, and purebred Arabians from Inno (Not That Innocent) to Renoir and Addie (Adieu NR) to Conway Arabians’ Noble Way. Two mares are due in April and two are due in May.
E-I-E-I-O
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Happy July!
June just whisked by with Alex’s visit, horse shows and photo shoots. It was a very wet month here in Minnesota. While we needed the rain throughout the state, June’s rainfall amounts were record breaking. We are quite soggy and muddy, but are looking ahead to a sunny/warm July. For us, one of the biggest impact is that farmers have not been able to get into their hay fields to cut the first crop or if they did cut on the rare sunny day in June, it rained on the cut rows of hay before it could be raked, dried and baled. We are in the midst of fencing two pastures and need hay to feed until the high tensile wire is strung. We are closer to being done than not, but having some round bales on hand to feed is always a plus.
Twenty-year-old Darrah has been working with us since mid-May. She is a fine rider, groom and overall barn manager. Darrah and her Golden Doodle Lola reside in our second bedroom. Last weekend we went to a local WSCA pleasure show in Braham where Darrah rode 4-year old purebred Arabian mare, WF Lotta Trouble (“Bell”), in two classes. Surrounded by Quarter Horses, Bell was certainly the odd horse out, but she and Darrah did well together and met our purpose, which was to see how she performed at a show. They took 4th and 5th place ribbons and a fun day was had by all.
We added two female 7-week old black labs to the AMF menagerie; Josephine and Cleopatra. They are very cute and have been accepted by the other canines, especially Lady, who has needed doggie playmate. When we met the litter of 11 I couldn't see taking just one puppy - that's too much work. These two occupy each other's time and that works for me.
Mid-month, we spent two days working with professional photographer Christina Rousseau to get equine photographs of the 2008 and 2009 youngsters. Legacy’s Renoir also had new photos taken. He has matured very nicely since his last professional photos were done in 2007 and looks quite different - more grown up. The final choices will be used in marketing efforts to promote the stallion for breeding and his babies for sale.
Saturday, July 3rd is my mother’s 86th birthday. Ian and I are taking her to lunch. We are also going to convert our dining room into a studio-like apartment for her. I would like her to be able to visit us more often and be able to stay overnight for a few days in a row if she chooses. Mom gets very good care at the Vet’s Home and participates in many activities, but she has not made any true friend connections and this leaves her feeling quite lonely. I think Mom being able to come here to visit in a comfy and safe environment will do a lot to lift her spirits. I’m searching Craig’s List for a used hospital bed, a mechanical lift chair, a dresser and other furniture odds and ends. It will be fun to have Mom visit us again.
E-I-E-I-O
Mid-month, we spent two days working with professional photographer Christina Rousseau to get equine photographs of the 2008 and 2009 youngsters. Legacy’s Renoir also had new photos taken. He has matured very nicely since his last professional photos were done in 2007 and looks quite different - more grown up. The final choices will be used in marketing efforts to promote the stallion for breeding and his babies for sale.
E-I-E-I-O
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Alexandra visits the farm
Ian's daughter visited from May 26-June 17. Alex recently graduated from culinary school on Prince Edwards Island (see Spring comes to Wildwood Road). We had a very relaxing three weeks together; Alex rode, read and rested. She prepared some wonderful meals and was, as always, the perfect house guest. She now calls Montreal home where she lives with her high school sweetheart. Now, Alex begins her work search in earnest and the settling in to life’s rhythm. We love her, miss her and wish her only good things.
E-I-E-I-O
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Legacy's Renoir earns Region 10 Top 5 Placement
Tonight (Saturday, June 12), Legacy's Renoir and his trainer Erik Haff were awarded a Top 5 Ribbon in the Arabian Stallion Breeding 2 Years & Over class at the AHA Region 10 Championship Show! Renoir was the best behaved in the class and we are very pleased with that.
Pictured is Ian showing off all the award finery from the Region 10 show.
Now on to Canadian Nationals in Regina, Saskatchewan in mid-August to win there!
E-I-E-I-O
Pictured is Ian showing off all the award finery from the Region 10 show.
Now on to Canadian Nationals in Regina, Saskatchewan in mid-August to win there!
E-I-E-I-O
Thursday, June 10, 2010
AHA Region 10 AOTH 2010 Champion Arabian Breeding Stallion
Ian showed Legacy's Renoir in the Arabian Breeding Stallion Amateur Owner To Handle class this morning and won Champion!
Renoir and his trainer Erik show on Saturday evening in the Arabian Stallion Breeding 2 Years & Older class and we're looking for another wonderful result there too.
E-I-E-I-O
Monday, June 07, 2010
Arabian Horse Association’s Region 10 Championship Show
Just a quick entry to tell you that Legacy’s Renoir will be shown this week in two stallion Halter classes at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds during the AHA Region 10 Championship Show. Renoir qualified to show at the regional level last month when he was shown during Sahara Sands.
The first class is on Thursday morning, June 10, (classes begin at 8 a.m.) with Ian in Arabian Stallion Breeding Amateur Owner To Handle (AOTH means the horse’s registered owner must be an amateur and serve as his handler), class number 307.
Renoir’s second class is number 408 on Saturday evening, June 12, starting at 6 p.m., Arabian Stallion Breeding 2 Years & Over (Renoir is an 8 year old stallion). This is an Open Class, meaning the handlers are most likely professional trainers. This comes with lots of pomp, circumstances and politics! Renoir’s trainer, Erik Haff of Lonesome Dove Training Center will show Renoir in Saturday’s class.
Our goal is to qualify to show at the national level, so Renoir and one or both of his handlers must finish in the Top 5. The two national shows are Canadian Nationals in Regina, Saskatchewan in mid August and U.S. Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma in late October.
There is free parking and no admission to the Region 10 Show, which runs from June 10-13, with lots of classes. In addition to the Halter classes, you can enjoy English Pleasure, English Show Hack, Hunter Pleasure, Country English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, Reining, plus the crowd favorite, Native Costume. Both purebred and Half Arabian horses are shown. There are food and other vendors on the grounds, so come spend some time and cheer us on.
If you would like to see the full show schedule please click here.
That’s the latest from the Auld Macdonald Farm.
E-I-E-I-O
The first class is on Thursday morning, June 10, (classes begin at 8 a.m.) with Ian in Arabian Stallion Breeding Amateur Owner To Handle (AOTH means the horse’s registered owner must be an amateur and serve as his handler), class number 307.
Renoir’s second class is number 408 on Saturday evening, June 12, starting at 6 p.m., Arabian Stallion Breeding 2 Years & Over (Renoir is an 8 year old stallion). This is an Open Class, meaning the handlers are most likely professional trainers. This comes with lots of pomp, circumstances and politics! Renoir’s trainer, Erik Haff of Lonesome Dove Training Center will show Renoir in Saturday’s class.
Our goal is to qualify to show at the national level, so Renoir and one or both of his handlers must finish in the Top 5. The two national shows are Canadian Nationals in Regina, Saskatchewan in mid August and U.S. Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma in late October.
There is free parking and no admission to the Region 10 Show, which runs from June 10-13, with lots of classes. In addition to the Halter classes, you can enjoy English Pleasure, English Show Hack, Hunter Pleasure, Country English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, Reining, plus the crowd favorite, Native Costume. Both purebred and Half Arabian horses are shown. There are food and other vendors on the grounds, so come spend some time and cheer us on.
If you would like to see the full show schedule please click here.
That’s the latest from the Auld Macdonald Farm.
E-I-E-I-O
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Spring comes to Wildwood Road
It has been a busy few months, which is my only excuse for not posting! We really love this new farm. Because we moved here in November, these warmer months with all the blooming stuff is all new to us. I don’t even know what’s planted in the numerous gardens. That said, things are beginning to come up. As a novice gardener I suspect we have a few day lilies, some peonies, some very thorny rose bushes and several different types of hostas. The miniature lilac bushes and raspberry plants that we transplanted from Stanchfield are in leaf, so they made it through the winter. The lawn is vast and much of it is either dandelions or creeping Charlie. We will try and wrestle it back to grass that we can enjoy in bare feet. Ian needs to tune up the riding lawnmower, which runs for a bit before spitting to a stop. Poor thing, we really have used it for jobs well beyond what the manufacturer intended.
Ian continues working as a consultant with a rural crop insurance company as a client. They are nice people and the projects are very interesting. Ian and trainer Erik both showed our stallion Legacy’s Renoir at the Sahara Sands Spring Classic on Sunday morning, May 2, at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Renoir took a first place with Ian and a third place in the open class with Erik. Ian also showed a 2-year old purebred filly for a friend in Wisconsin. The filly did well too. Our next show stop is in June 10-13 at the AHA Region 10 Championship Show also held at the fairgrounds.
The horses here on the farm all wintered very well. We have no foals coming this year, but we are going to breed mares this year for foals in 2011. In fact, we are going to breed a purebred American Saddlebred foal by crossing Amber's Mayday with Famous Echo SCA for a Saddlebred pinto foal in April 2011. We will breed Legacy’s Renoir to four of our own mares this year; three purebred and one Anglo-Arabian (crossed with our Thoroughbred mare Yukon Miss). We will breed Arabian mare MAF Last Dance ("Mona") to American Saddlebred palomino stallion Goldmount Royal Design (we own him now, but “Roy” stands at stud near Sioux Falls, South Dakota) hoping for another full-bodied, great moving, palomino Half Arabian foal. We are breeding a new Arabian mare, Adieu NR, to Conway Arabians’ champion stallion Noble Way to get a well-bred high stepping purebred.
We still have the three dogs – Lady, Buddy and Tucker – plus the cats Tiger, Tonic and Zeus. There is another cat that shares food with Tonic in the barn, but she’s timid and I’m trying to tame her so I can get her vaccinated and spade. Even though all of our boys are neutered she would no doubt find a roaming Tomcat and then have the kittens here. Uff! We have two chickens, Trixie and her son Rooster. I will order chicks from a hatchery soon. Chickens are marvelous at keeping the ticks down and there is nothing quite like collecting my own farm fresh eggs.
We still have four adult Pilgrim geese (3 white ganders and 1 grey goose) The goose decided out of all our many acres the best place to nest was in the garden on the south side of the house. She sat on 13 eggs for the longest time and hatched 5 female geese. However, this goose is not the best mother, as she lost the three she hatched last year. I left the five hatchlings with her until Ian and I found them huddled sans mother next to our front door. We had been running errands all that day and were too tired to do a proper gosling set up so they spent the night in our bathtub. I did let Ian shower first! LOL The next day Ian brought an empty 100-gallon stock tank into the garage where we lined the bottom with newspaper and wood shavings. I clamped a heat lamp to the side, put in a waterer and a small pile of goose feed and, voila, gosling heaven! It is topped with chicken fencing to prevent them becoming cat snacks! They are happy and growing. As soon as they have some feathers I will transfer them to the chicken coop with its fenced area. I pick them up and cuddle these soft yellow sweeties with the idea they will be friendlier to humans. The adults do protest hiss, but do not run after people and are easy to shoo out of one’s way.
My 85-year-old mother has been at the Minnesota Vet’s Home since the end of February. She has recovered nicely from her mid-February stroke. She really enjoys her life there and the care is very good. We talk almost daily and I try to make the 90-minute drive into Minneapolis about once every 10 days. Mom and I usually enjoy lunch together in the dining room and I check in for brief face-to-face hellos with her care-giving staff. Mom has been asked to participate in the Memorial Day ceremonies at the Vet’s Home, representing women in the armed forces.
Last weekend, Ian traveled to the Canadian Maritimes to attend his daughter’s graduation ceremony from culinary school. Due to being bumped from an overbooked flight, Ian flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia and drove to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to spend Saturday with Alexandra. She will come to Minnesota from her new digs in Montreal for a much needed vacation in late May. I look forward to seeing her.
Last month we bought a two-horse, slant-load, bumper-pull trailer from friends in Pine City. This allows us such flexibility! We have missed having a trailer. This one is small enough that we can easily pull it with our F-150. This Friday we are taking Mona to South Dakota to be bred to Roy. We will be gone overnight (woo-hoo a night in a hotel with Ian) and will get to visit with some of our horse-loving friends whose paths we usually cross during February at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in Arizona. We are looking forward to this. After Mona’s confirmed in foal we will go back to collect her. Roy will stay put through the 2010 breeding season. Mayday will soon be ready to bring home from Eau Claire, Wisconsin too.
That’s the latest from the Auld Macdonald Farm.
E-I-E-I-O
Ian continues working as a consultant with a rural crop insurance company as a client. They are nice people and the projects are very interesting. Ian and trainer Erik both showed our stallion Legacy’s Renoir at the Sahara Sands Spring Classic on Sunday morning, May 2, at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Renoir took a first place with Ian and a third place in the open class with Erik. Ian also showed a 2-year old purebred filly for a friend in Wisconsin. The filly did well too. Our next show stop is in June 10-13 at the AHA Region 10 Championship Show also held at the fairgrounds.
The horses here on the farm all wintered very well. We have no foals coming this year, but we are going to breed mares this year for foals in 2011. In fact, we are going to breed a purebred American Saddlebred foal by crossing Amber's Mayday with Famous Echo SCA for a Saddlebred pinto foal in April 2011. We will breed Legacy’s Renoir to four of our own mares this year; three purebred and one Anglo-Arabian (crossed with our Thoroughbred mare Yukon Miss). We will breed Arabian mare MAF Last Dance ("Mona") to American Saddlebred palomino stallion Goldmount Royal Design (we own him now, but “Roy” stands at stud near Sioux Falls, South Dakota) hoping for another full-bodied, great moving, palomino Half Arabian foal. We are breeding a new Arabian mare, Adieu NR, to Conway Arabians’ champion stallion Noble Way to get a well-bred high stepping purebred.
We still have the three dogs – Lady, Buddy and Tucker – plus the cats Tiger, Tonic and Zeus. There is another cat that shares food with Tonic in the barn, but she’s timid and I’m trying to tame her so I can get her vaccinated and spade. Even though all of our boys are neutered she would no doubt find a roaming Tomcat and then have the kittens here. Uff! We have two chickens, Trixie and her son Rooster. I will order chicks from a hatchery soon. Chickens are marvelous at keeping the ticks down and there is nothing quite like collecting my own farm fresh eggs.
We still have four adult Pilgrim geese (3 white ganders and 1 grey goose) The goose decided out of all our many acres the best place to nest was in the garden on the south side of the house. She sat on 13 eggs for the longest time and hatched 5 female geese. However, this goose is not the best mother, as she lost the three she hatched last year. I left the five hatchlings with her until Ian and I found them huddled sans mother next to our front door. We had been running errands all that day and were too tired to do a proper gosling set up so they spent the night in our bathtub. I did let Ian shower first! LOL The next day Ian brought an empty 100-gallon stock tank into the garage where we lined the bottom with newspaper and wood shavings. I clamped a heat lamp to the side, put in a waterer and a small pile of goose feed and, voila, gosling heaven! It is topped with chicken fencing to prevent them becoming cat snacks! They are happy and growing. As soon as they have some feathers I will transfer them to the chicken coop with its fenced area. I pick them up and cuddle these soft yellow sweeties with the idea they will be friendlier to humans. The adults do protest hiss, but do not run after people and are easy to shoo out of one’s way.
My 85-year-old mother has been at the Minnesota Vet’s Home since the end of February. She has recovered nicely from her mid-February stroke. She really enjoys her life there and the care is very good. We talk almost daily and I try to make the 90-minute drive into Minneapolis about once every 10 days. Mom and I usually enjoy lunch together in the dining room and I check in for brief face-to-face hellos with her care-giving staff. Mom has been asked to participate in the Memorial Day ceremonies at the Vet’s Home, representing women in the armed forces.
Last weekend, Ian traveled to the Canadian Maritimes to attend his daughter’s graduation ceremony from culinary school. Due to being bumped from an overbooked flight, Ian flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia and drove to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to spend Saturday with Alexandra. She will come to Minnesota from her new digs in Montreal for a much needed vacation in late May. I look forward to seeing her.
Last month we bought a two-horse, slant-load, bumper-pull trailer from friends in Pine City. This allows us such flexibility! We have missed having a trailer. This one is small enough that we can easily pull it with our F-150. This Friday we are taking Mona to South Dakota to be bred to Roy. We will be gone overnight (woo-hoo a night in a hotel with Ian) and will get to visit with some of our horse-loving friends whose paths we usually cross during February at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in Arizona. We are looking forward to this. After Mona’s confirmed in foal we will go back to collect her. Roy will stay put through the 2010 breeding season. Mayday will soon be ready to bring home from Eau Claire, Wisconsin too.
That’s the latest from the Auld Macdonald Farm.
E-I-E-I-O
Monday, March 01, 2010
More color comes to the farm
Last week four horses were hauled home to their farm in Wisconsin (Thank you, Erik). Two of which were the sisters I mentioned some posts back that were ribby and needed equine dental work. Having had that done, they will surely continue to gain weight and be in dandy shape come spring. I'm happy to report that my girlfriend and her husband are in much better health and are now able to care for their own horses – it's all good.
Last week, Flirting With Color ("Flirt") joined our herd. We got her from a dear friend and feel very blessed. Flirt is a four-year-old Half Arabian, bay tobiano tri-color pinto mare. Her sire is Color Of Fame, a pinto American Saddlebred and her dam is sired by purebred Arabian champion, DS Major Afire. Flirt is 16.2 hh and still growing. We plan to start her under saddle this year and show her in coming seasons as an English horse.
In fact, with no foals coming this spring, we have several horses we will be starting under saddle when the weather warms: three-year-old chestnut AE Psymbolic gelding, Pskye, three-year-old bay RSA Troublesome filly, AMF Troublesome's Kiss, and four-year-old Half Arabian chestnut tobiano pinto gelding, AMF Xtreme Kiss, by Pinto World Champion Saddlebred stallion TF Xtreme. There are the 2008 and 2009 Renoir foals to work too with hopes of showing them later in the season.
In May, we are also looking forward to having Ian’s daughter Alexandra as our guest for a few weeks after she graduates from culinary school in Canada. Alex will turn 21 years old later this month and on March 9, her father turns 54!
E-I-E-I-O
Last week, Flirting With Color ("Flirt") joined our herd. We got her from a dear friend and feel very blessed. Flirt is a four-year-old Half Arabian, bay tobiano tri-color pinto mare. Her sire is Color Of Fame, a pinto American Saddlebred and her dam is sired by purebred Arabian champion, DS Major Afire. Flirt is 16.2 hh and still growing. We plan to start her under saddle this year and show her in coming seasons as an English horse.
In fact, with no foals coming this spring, we have several horses we will be starting under saddle when the weather warms: three-year-old chestnut AE Psymbolic gelding, Pskye, three-year-old bay RSA Troublesome filly, AMF Troublesome's Kiss, and four-year-old Half Arabian chestnut tobiano pinto gelding, AMF Xtreme Kiss, by Pinto World Champion Saddlebred stallion TF Xtreme. There are the 2008 and 2009 Renoir foals to work too with hopes of showing them later in the season.
In May, we are also looking forward to having Ian’s daughter Alexandra as our guest for a few weeks after she graduates from culinary school in Canada. Alex will turn 21 years old later this month and on March 9, her father turns 54!
E-I-E-I-O
Mom moves to the MN Veteran's Home
Last Thursday, Mom was admitted to the Veteran's Home in Minneapolis as a resident! We have been waiting for this since we learned in November that because of the stroke Mom had in October she would not be able to safely live alone again in her assisted living apartment.
Mom was invited to stay with us on the farm while she waited for her Vet's Home room to become available. She moved from the transitional care nursing home on January 18, to our dining room that we converted into a main floor bedroom. We settled into a routine together and really enjoyed our living situation.
On Saturday evening, February 13, while we were watching the Winter Olympics, Mom showed signs of another stroke – droopy left side, garbled speech. I called 911 emergency and gathered info about her medications, allergies, and medical history, while Ian comforted Mom as we waited for the ambulance.
We went to the nearest hospital in Sandstone, Minnesota, where Mom was stabilized. A CT-scan confirmed she was not bleeding internally, so she was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), the regional trauma center and where most of Mom's doctors practice. It was a long night for all of us. Ian and I got home from Minneapolis on Sunday morning in time for morning chores. Mom spent one night in ICU and was transferred to HCMC's neurology ward for observation and more testing.
Initially, Mom seemed very weak and still confused so I called my brother Mark who lives in Maryland to come and visit. From one day to the next, we both saw Mom gain strength and return to what I will term as her 'near normal self.' It was such a relief to have Mom show everyone that she was very determined to get well.
After a four-day hospital stay, and to build up her physical strength again, Mom was transferred from HCMC to Benedictine, the transitional nursing home where she had been before coming to the farm. Mom was there only one week when her Vet's Home room became available and she was transferred!
Mom has a very nice roommate, Catherine, who is also new to the Vet's Home. The two have bonded and are learning about their new surroundings together.
Ian and I brought Mom's belongings to her to make her room both familiar and useful. She's got cable TV and a room with a lovely view of Minnehaha Falls Park. In addition to her daily medical care, Mom will also work with a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, become enrolled in its free dental program, have access to the library with its high-speed Internet access computers, and be able to attend non-denominational church services on-site that are held in a beautiful stained glass chapel.
Surely one of Mom's favorite new things is her cell phone, which she uses to stay in touch with family and friends. When we brought it to her, Mom exclaimed: "I have always wanted one!"
E-I-E-I-O
Mom was invited to stay with us on the farm while she waited for her Vet's Home room to become available. She moved from the transitional care nursing home on January 18, to our dining room that we converted into a main floor bedroom. We settled into a routine together and really enjoyed our living situation.
On Saturday evening, February 13, while we were watching the Winter Olympics, Mom showed signs of another stroke – droopy left side, garbled speech. I called 911 emergency and gathered info about her medications, allergies, and medical history, while Ian comforted Mom as we waited for the ambulance.
We went to the nearest hospital in Sandstone, Minnesota, where Mom was stabilized. A CT-scan confirmed she was not bleeding internally, so she was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), the regional trauma center and where most of Mom's doctors practice. It was a long night for all of us. Ian and I got home from Minneapolis on Sunday morning in time for morning chores. Mom spent one night in ICU and was transferred to HCMC's neurology ward for observation and more testing.
Initially, Mom seemed very weak and still confused so I called my brother Mark who lives in Maryland to come and visit. From one day to the next, we both saw Mom gain strength and return to what I will term as her 'near normal self.' It was such a relief to have Mom show everyone that she was very determined to get well.
After a four-day hospital stay, and to build up her physical strength again, Mom was transferred from HCMC to Benedictine, the transitional nursing home where she had been before coming to the farm. Mom was there only one week when her Vet's Home room became available and she was transferred!
Mom has a very nice roommate, Catherine, who is also new to the Vet's Home. The two have bonded and are learning about their new surroundings together.
Ian and I brought Mom's belongings to her to make her room both familiar and useful. She's got cable TV and a room with a lovely view of Minnehaha Falls Park. In addition to her daily medical care, Mom will also work with a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, become enrolled in its free dental program, have access to the library with its high-speed Internet access computers, and be able to attend non-denominational church services on-site that are held in a beautiful stained glass chapel.
Surely one of Mom's favorite new things is her cell phone, which she uses to stay in touch with family and friends. When we brought it to her, Mom exclaimed: "I have always wanted one!"
E-I-E-I-O
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Mom visits the Auld Macdonald Farm
In my October 29 and November 24 posts I wrote about my 85-year-old mother, Joyce, returning home to her apartment after a stroke and how that happy return was short lived. Mom just could not cope with being alone in her apartment and she needed the security and comfort of 24/7 care. There were services that would have aided Mom during the daytime hours, but there was nothing available for overnight, which was a frightening and lonely time for her. Mom returned to Benedictine Health Center and soon felt much safer.
After weeks of observation, tests and doctor visits, it was determined that Mom could no longer live safely in her assisted living apartment. Mom completely agreed saying just thinking about the list of things she would need to keep track of to navigate a normal day was just overwhelming. Of course, this made the decision to give up her apartment – a place she'd lived for almost 20 years – much easier.
In November, I got Mom on the admissions list for the Veteran's Home of Minneapolis. Mom served in the US Air Force as a registered nurse. She and I toured the facility, found it to be very nice with plenty to do and we began the admissions process. Mom is now at the top of that list and as soon as a bed opens she will be admitted.
In mid January, Ian and I invited Mom to come and stay with us on the farm while she waits for the room to become available. Mom was very lonely and bored to tears at Benedictine. Our farm is 90 minutes drive north of the Twin Cities and I didn't get in to visit as often as I would have liked. Phone calls just don't replace holding someone's hand and enjoying a nice face-to-face chin-chin.
Mom uses a rollator (a wheeler walker) to get around and because the bedrooms are upstairs and the only bathroom is on the main floor, we converted our formal dining room into a place for Mom. We had emptied her apartment and brought all of her belongings here, so we used Mom's own furniture (including a piano) and pictures to make it homey. It works nicely and Mom is enjoying it.
Mom's insurance covers having an RN come weekly to set up her meds (which I administer) plus an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and a home health aide (for bathing) come twice weekly. Mom's doctor visits and medication costs are covered by the Veteran's Administration as a benefit. Nice!
It is so nice to have Mom here for these weeks. We have lived together several different times during our adult lives, so we have a connection and understand one another. It helps that we adore and admire one another too. As an added bonus, Ian and Mom have their own mutual admiration society going too. Our three dogs and two housecats take full advantage of Mom as another person to pet them and to curl up next to.
I have found that there is more structure to my days. Mom needs meds given at 9 a.m., 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. plus pain pills as needed for pain, but no more than six times a day. I have set alarms on my cell phone to remind me. I fix Mom three meals (she eats like a bird) and make sure she has healthy snacks like a sliced apple or orange. I don't do daily this for myself or Ian, but I'm happy to do it for her. LOL I've learned many things, like Mom needs a lighter weight coffee cup versus the earthenware ones we use, and to fill it only half full versus to the tippy top with hot morning coffee.
There are so many things to sort out and stay on top of. Little old people have a lot of things going on – there are appointments, scheduling rides to appointments, getting prescriptions filled, setting up future appointments, and the list goes on! For Mom, I handled her changes of address (you cannot believe how many magazines she subscribes to – and reads!), cancelled the cable TV, telephone service, Internet service and made sure these companies bill properly (some didn't and got their butts chewed!). There are tons of filling out forms, making photocopies and then filing things properly so I can find them quickly, knowing Mom's various types of medical coverage, which doctor is for what, monitoring her bills, and finally becoming disgusted with her bank's customer service and changing institutions. Plus, with Mom's short-term memory loss there are things she just doesn't remember (a doctor's name, what was said at an appointment, why she's taking X medication, etc.), so I must investigate. Thankfully, I have her durable power of attorney and am the agent for her End of Life Directive – in Minnesota these documents open doors and get all my questions answered. I have come to really admire all that Mom coordinated in her day-to-day life before her October stroke. I had no idea.
I've gone through her clothes closet – something I've threatened to do for decades – and tossed out or cleaned/donated everything that was not her size or was in tattered shape. No one wants their mother looking like a bag lady. Now, in addition to having clothes that fit and are easy for her to get in and out of, Mom's well stocked with socks, brasseries and underpants (I refused to buy white, what's the fun in that? But I did get 100% cotton). Next on my To Do List are shoes. I hate the one pair she has, but the pairs I’ve bought haven't fit right so I'm still working on that. A girl's gotta have more than one pair – even on her 80s!
The next semi-urgent item on the To Do List is to go through Mom's book boxes (again, you cannot imagine the number of books this woman owns!) and find the three that are owned and now overdue to the Minneapolis Public Library!
E-I-E-I-O
After weeks of observation, tests and doctor visits, it was determined that Mom could no longer live safely in her assisted living apartment. Mom completely agreed saying just thinking about the list of things she would need to keep track of to navigate a normal day was just overwhelming. Of course, this made the decision to give up her apartment – a place she'd lived for almost 20 years – much easier.
In November, I got Mom on the admissions list for the Veteran's Home of Minneapolis. Mom served in the US Air Force as a registered nurse. She and I toured the facility, found it to be very nice with plenty to do and we began the admissions process. Mom is now at the top of that list and as soon as a bed opens she will be admitted.
In mid January, Ian and I invited Mom to come and stay with us on the farm while she waits for the room to become available. Mom was very lonely and bored to tears at Benedictine. Our farm is 90 minutes drive north of the Twin Cities and I didn't get in to visit as often as I would have liked. Phone calls just don't replace holding someone's hand and enjoying a nice face-to-face chin-chin.
Mom uses a rollator (a wheeler walker) to get around and because the bedrooms are upstairs and the only bathroom is on the main floor, we converted our formal dining room into a place for Mom. We had emptied her apartment and brought all of her belongings here, so we used Mom's own furniture (including a piano) and pictures to make it homey. It works nicely and Mom is enjoying it.
Mom's insurance covers having an RN come weekly to set up her meds (which I administer) plus an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and a home health aide (for bathing) come twice weekly. Mom's doctor visits and medication costs are covered by the Veteran's Administration as a benefit. Nice!
It is so nice to have Mom here for these weeks. We have lived together several different times during our adult lives, so we have a connection and understand one another. It helps that we adore and admire one another too. As an added bonus, Ian and Mom have their own mutual admiration society going too. Our three dogs and two housecats take full advantage of Mom as another person to pet them and to curl up next to.
I have found that there is more structure to my days. Mom needs meds given at 9 a.m., 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. plus pain pills as needed for pain, but no more than six times a day. I have set alarms on my cell phone to remind me. I fix Mom three meals (she eats like a bird) and make sure she has healthy snacks like a sliced apple or orange. I don't do daily this for myself or Ian, but I'm happy to do it for her. LOL I've learned many things, like Mom needs a lighter weight coffee cup versus the earthenware ones we use, and to fill it only half full versus to the tippy top with hot morning coffee.
There are so many things to sort out and stay on top of. Little old people have a lot of things going on – there are appointments, scheduling rides to appointments, getting prescriptions filled, setting up future appointments, and the list goes on! For Mom, I handled her changes of address (you cannot believe how many magazines she subscribes to – and reads!), cancelled the cable TV, telephone service, Internet service and made sure these companies bill properly (some didn't and got their butts chewed!). There are tons of filling out forms, making photocopies and then filing things properly so I can find them quickly, knowing Mom's various types of medical coverage, which doctor is for what, monitoring her bills, and finally becoming disgusted with her bank's customer service and changing institutions. Plus, with Mom's short-term memory loss there are things she just doesn't remember (a doctor's name, what was said at an appointment, why she's taking X medication, etc.), so I must investigate. Thankfully, I have her durable power of attorney and am the agent for her End of Life Directive – in Minnesota these documents open doors and get all my questions answered. I have come to really admire all that Mom coordinated in her day-to-day life before her October stroke. I had no idea.
I've gone through her clothes closet – something I've threatened to do for decades – and tossed out or cleaned/donated everything that was not her size or was in tattered shape. No one wants their mother looking like a bag lady. Now, in addition to having clothes that fit and are easy for her to get in and out of, Mom's well stocked with socks, brasseries and underpants (I refused to buy white, what's the fun in that? But I did get 100% cotton). Next on my To Do List are shoes. I hate the one pair she has, but the pairs I’ve bought haven't fit right so I'm still working on that. A girl's gotta have more than one pair – even on her 80s!
The next semi-urgent item on the To Do List is to go through Mom's book boxes (again, you cannot imagine the number of books this woman owns!) and find the three that are owned and now overdue to the Minneapolis Public Library!
E-I-E-I-O
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