All Grown Up Part II

        Good Evening,
        An earlier post, (All Grown Up), prompted me to look through old photographs for evidence of 'years gone by' among other family members.  What I discovered was a cache of images that provoke fond memories of those I hold dear to my heart.  (George, Chelsea and Casey, Please send me photos to add!)  

My husband Rod, was just being a kid 'at the lake'.

Baby Mishka

Nephew Will with Uncle Rod and Mishka, all grown up.

Will and our niece, Rachel...

...now all grown up, still enjoy spending time with animals.

Huxley

Nina

Niles

Hayden

A young niece, Karly loved to hold the 'little' dogs,  (Luther)...

...and ride the horses. (Zambi)

All grown up, Karly still loves to hold the dogs...
(Niles, Nina, Huxley and Hayden)

...and ride the horses, (Karly on Target and Amy on Joshua)

Baby Easau!

Easau...well maybe not all of us are all grown up!

Niece Emma went to 'mini' horse camp.

Emma, all grown up with her Mom, Donna.

Chelsea, Karly, Ryan and Casey took tuns holding Luther.

Niece, Caroline grew up riding horses...
(Spy, Windy, and Zambi)

...and loved to visit the animals.  Here she is holding a hedgehog  from my classroom.

Young George, all grown up, spends quality recreational time with his family's dog, Eleanor.

All grown up, Caroline is married now.  Her sister  Emma  was married just this past June.

Lilly and Liam were precious babies.

All grown up the goats frolic down the hill to the sandpit.

I will never forget the purchase of my baby Friesian, Lowtchee, (Friesian Fever).

Horses grow up slowly...

...but when they are all grown up, they are a joy to ride, (with Amy, one of the subjects in the first post, All Grown Up).

Baby Fiona, the piglet, sits with Nina.

No question...Fiona is all grown up now!

Niece Katherine is also an avid animal lover and rider.

She and brother Ryan, (Boys and Horses), are growing up quickly.

Another nephew named Ryan has grown up with animals.

Now, Ryan is all grown up.

John and Meg spent many visits admiring Spike and Rosemary.

John, (Boys and Horses), is all grown up but still loves to ride Zambi.

Meg and Todd were lucky visitors the summer Olivia was with us.

Meg still loves to spend time with her animal 'cousins' at MRF.
(Nina, (far), Niles, Huxley and Fiona)

Nephew, Kyle has ridden quite a bit during visits over the years.

Murray and Kyle were also subjects in Boys and Horses.

Todd and Windy.

Todd and Zambi!  From: Boys and Horses

Although it has been almost five decades since my first ride on a pony named Charcoal...

...the passion is as strong as ever, despite being all grown up. (Joshua)

A Goat Lady Drives a Jaguar

        Good Evening,

        My mother had a friend named Molly Arrison who lived in a quaint Bucks County, PA farm house that she and her husband, together, lovingly restored prior to moving in.  It wasn't long after they had settled there that the couple began to acquire animals, particularly goats, to take up residence in the stone bank barn at the bottom of their property.  

       In the early years of my marriage and before the digital age, I  visited my family for one week each spring to escape the endless winter of the Adirondacks and to reconnect with my parents.  During the visit, my mother and I always made time to visit Mrs. Arrison at her charming homestead.  Often, my sister, Sue and my little niece Amy, (All Grown Up) came along because they too anticipated the magic in Mrs. Arrison's barn.  Among an assortment of chickens, two pet bronze turkeys, a long haired Dachshund, and a herd of friendly goats, we listened to the wisdom of this fine Quaker lady, so spiritually connected to her animals.  

        I have thought of Mrs. Arrison often over the years, mostly while in the company of my own goats.  When hiking with them in the woods, or tending to their needs in the barn, I often reflect on how grounded the simple life kept Molly.  Between tennis outings and trips she made to and from breeding arrangements with goats in the back of her Jaguar, she always remained very real.

       I was sad to learn, a few years ago, that Mrs. Arrison, (only in her seventies), had passed away.  Fortunately, in 1996, she had written and published a book of journal entries from her life on the farm.  From the paragraphs of Getting My Goat; Seasons on a Small Bucks County Farm, Mrs. Arrison still speaks to me in nuances I fully comprehend through my accumulated years on Moose River Farm.  Her Quaker upbringing and her passion for the lifestyle she and her husband chose resonates in my soul.  Therefore, I am forever grateful for the precious time I shared with her and for the collection of thoughts and words that she has left behind in the pages of her book. 

Lilly, (age 6)

 My Goats

My little goats,

Can you believe that

I see God in you?

No temple or cathedral made by man

Could match the beauty of your God-made eyes.

No words or music made by man

Could touch me like your God-made gentleness,

Your tender expression, 

The warmth and coarseness of your coat.

God made us all so close--

So much alike,

And so dependent on each other.

And when we sit in the straw

In the darkness of the stall 

And whisper together,

Did you know that

I see god in you? 

by M.J. Arrison

From Getting My Goat; Seasons on a Small Bucks County Farm 

My current herd of goats includes Lacey, Liam and Lilly.  Goats are intelligent creatures who bond with their humans in a unique and spiritual way.  Mrs. Arrison 'got' goats!

All Grown Up

        Good Evening,
        Columbus Day Weekend provided me with three days to share with dear horsey friends and family.  In fact, perhaps one of them, (my niece, Amy), has inherited her horsey gene from me by way of her mother; my sister.  
        More about Amy will come later in this post, but first I must go back six weeks ago.  On a late summer day, I drove to SUNY Morrisville to spend a few hours with my college friend, Missy, (Walking With The Animals), who was checking her 4 year old Warmblood/Thoroughbred cross mare in for six weeks of 'boot camp'.  Since then, Nelly has proceeded through the rigors of education under saddle.  Last Friday, Missy, (along with two friends, Mary Anne, (Walking With the Animals), and Catherine), drove up from NJ to retrieve Nelly before continuing north for a weekend of fun at MRF.  While here, Missy had three days to ride Nelly under supervision.  Seeing Missy sitting on Nelly's back while walking, trotting and cantering was a huge thrill for all of us!  The first time I met Nelly was when she was only one week old after Michele, (Friends and Blessings), and I traveled to NJ for a quick peek at Missy's new baby.  Then, the long wait to ride her began.  Time ticked away and eventually the moment arrived, (four years later), when Nelly's education could finally begin.
        Ironically, Nelly's growth and changes prompted me to reflect on Amy's childhood growing up with horses and of the privilege it is to have her in my life.  From the moment she could articulate thoughts, she made it clear that she loved animals.  After one summer visit to Lakeview Farm, (Farewell to Lakeview Farm), when she was five years old, she returned home to her family's farm outside of Philadelphia and began practicing to care for a stick horse named E'ore.  'E' was not only meticulously pampered, but his training was world class as he cleared jumps set up on the lawn and effortlessly flew over any fallen log in the woods.  Eventually, Amy began to take riding lessons on real horses and at age 13, (long after E'ore was retired to the attic), became the proud owner of an 8 year old chestnut Thoroughbred gelding.  One month after she acquired him, the gelding was finally christened with the name Sir Welby; (Welsh; meaning from the farm by the stream), selected from a list of over one hundred that Amy had accumulated but couldn't decide upon.  Welby might still be without a name if it wasn't for the ultimatum issued by Amy's father to name the horse or else...
         Spending this wonderful weekend with people I love, immersed in my passion for horses, has left me with a delicious memory to savor and to keep me warm in the winter months ahead.  Amy and I concluded our extended time together by attending the One World Concert at Syracuse University last night.  Along with my friend, Lisa Eklund, (Journey Towards a Mindful Life), we listened to the Dalai Lama's incredibly simple and hopeful message about promoting World Peace.  He suggests that each one of us is capable of establishing this Global shift.  To begin, a consorted effort to keep the theme of  'doing for others' must be foremost in our quest for happiness.  Considering the love that emanates from His Holiness...I believe him. 

Surely Nelson arrived in May, 2008.

This precious 'caterpillar'...

...is all grown up four years later and ready to begin training under saddle.

At age five, Amy began to ride.  Windy, (1983-2010), provided the first lessons.

Then, at age 13, Amy became the proud owner of an 8 year old gelding she named Sir Welby.

All grown up, Amy is now a first grade teacher in New Orleans.

Once a year she finds her way to Moose River Farm so she and Welby, (age 23), can spend some quality time together.

Amy and Welby explored the Adirondacks on Columbus Day, 2012.

Missy and Nelly enjoying ride number 2, while Welby and Amy 'pony' them around the ring.