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.



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