Thursday, April 10, 2008

The new kids in town

I didn't go far today because I just didn't have it in me. Lately it's been two steps forward, one step back and today felt like a step back kinda day. It's ok, though. I'm not down about it or anything, so no worries.

After work, George and I took a very small walk to the barn I can see from my house. It's really not far and I needed somewhere close as a goal. On our way back, I stopped to take these pictures of the mares and foals who were being quite docile after their supper this afternoon.
The first picture is a foal and was it taken very close to his head. He was very unafraid, and the only one in this new group to be so. Usually the sound of the shutter scares the little ones, but not this guy.

The second picture is a close-up of his mother, who enjoyed her modeling debut. Perhaps she's passed her quiet temperament on to her offspring.

I think I've mentioned that True Grit and the rest of that herd have all moved into paddocks further out and these new youngsters showed up late last week.
All my adult life, I've lived near horses. I don't think I ever want to live where they are not.


As an aside, I'm looking forward to the weekend because my eldest son is visiting from the Big City! I love my sons. M's coming down to attend the Alumni Banquet on Saturday night with some of his classmates, and his favorite teacher (my friend, Margie) is also attending. I'm going as well because I've been invited as a member of the faculty. I haven't been to one of these affairs in about three years and find myself actually looking forward to it.

Do you have a teacher that you remember who influenced you in a positive way? We have so many teachers at our school who fit this bill. It's such a wonderful school. But I promised myself not to post about my work. I learned that from Heather B. Armstrong of Dooce.com fame.
I secretly love it when Josie does it, though. I enjoy her stories about the Black Widow Spider!

My friends, Karen and Adrienne, were planning on coming out this weekend, but something came up and we've postponed it until next month. Maybe then we'll be able to set up the tent in the backyard. They're camping kind of girls. We can have the campfire out there and it will be fun. Something to look forward to.We have a walk-in tent that we'll use. We also own a tent for backpacking that's really lightweight. My husband and I used to backpack a lot. We took our sons when they were younger, too. But carrying 70 pounds on my back with my knees the way they are isn't something I consider healthy right now.
This last photo is a section of the herd I call the new kids in town. They're all still hanging pretty close to their mothers for now. I love Spring, don't you?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can never get tired of looking at the horses. You take great pictures for someone with a bum knee. I miss being there with you. Since you explain everything so vividly, it's easy to imagine I am visting you.

Love,

FAVE BABE

Country Girl said...

I love you too, little sister. I close my eyes and think of you, too.

~ katy

Anonymous said...

Can I be your sister and come visit? Or your friend? I've never lived near horses, but I just think I'd love being there and taking a gazillion pictures!!

This knee of yours needs to shape up! So you can get back to normal! Wait, did I say normal??? :)

Jeannelle said...

Very nice....the close-ups of the horses.....love the chestnut color....is that chestnut?

And in the third photo, the lovely red-branched trees in the distance are calling to me.

Continued prayers for your knee! Glad to hear you can do some walking anyway.

The alumni banquet sounds fun and how nice that your son will be there!

As I get older, certain teachers from my past begin to stand out more distinctly......like the junior high English teacher who told stories all the time.....the history teacher who loved that subject and taught with tales that made history come alive.....the English lit teacher who taught us to study a story or poem to find meanings hidden beneath what first meets the eye or mind. Thanks for prodding us to remember our teachers....

Dr.John said...

Came here from Josie's blog. Great pictures. Sorry about your knee. I hope you enjoy the banquet. I also love horses.

Mary said...

Hey, if Kacey's coming, I'm coming, too! :)

Hope the knee is behaving, and letting you take a few more steps forward and a few less back. Love the pics, as usual. This probably sounds weird, but I miss the smell of horses...

Have a wonderful time with your son!
xoxo,
Mary

Mental P Mama said...

Road trip! Let's all go to Kate's!

Country Girl said...

Oh, you are all so funny!

Welcome to Dr. J. I've seen you on Josie's site. Glad you stopped by.

Jeannelle, thanks for the remembrances of your teachers. I'm sure they'd be glad to know that they played a positive role in your life. I enjoy working with people who enjoy teaching children and get a complete kick out of when they 'get' what they're trying to teach!

Oh, and about the knee. I went to the doctor today. And he told me I was crazy. So Kacey's right.

Nah, I'm kiddin. It ain't good, but it ain't awful. And that's the story I'm stickin' wit.

Jeannelle: Chestnut is correct for two thousand, Alex. Bay is the same color but with the darker mane. I swear, I'm not on pain pills!

Anonymous said...

Love your pics!
How many horses do you have?
Keep up the good work with your knee, it'll be back before you know it!

Anonymous said...

Love the pic's of mares with foals ! We have 3 mares, but did not breed them to foal this year.Hubby misses not having babies and is planning to breed them for next year. He is geting too old to have to handle them, but I can't tell him that !! He is 75 and these thoroughbreds can hurt you without meaning to . But 3 that we raised have won races in the last 3 weeks, so he is fired up to try again ! Men ???

Tui Snider said...

I love the horse pix as well as the great nature photos in the sidebar. The horses have such beautiful eyes and soft looking muzzles... Lovely, lovely stuff! :)

Anonymous said...

I love the close-up of the eye, it's very sweet in a subtle way.

Robin (Bumblebee) said...

Hi Kate,

Hope you're feeling better. Recover of any kind is one step forward and one step back. I suppose you're fortunate to have a beautiful place in which to recover. Hang in there!

Robin at Bumblebee