May 2012 !!!

God's speed RICK & CAROL. Have a WONDERFUL time. We can't wait for the travel reports..................

Prayers for ALL.

well, things just went from bad to worse, Kent had a stroke last night sometime I took him in to the emergency room at about 3 a.m as we lost power and could not get cleaned up, I just now got home they are keeping him overnight his stroke is mild he only lost the use of his right leg and some of the use of his right arm, they said it was caused because his blood pressure is low it runs at 90/ 60 give or take they are going to get him some physical therapy and get to the bottom of his problems, he eats like 6 to 8 meals a day and is still losing weight, he has however gotten his sugars pretty much under control, so I may be absent from here for a couple of days but will be back a quick as I can.

Prayers for Kent. Vascular problems are scary, to say the least.

RICK, thanks for finding ancestors graves for me. I go back to Sarah and Squire Boone on the maternal side.

Just sitting here waiting for pizza to cook and watching Dancing With the Stars.

Oh mercy SUNNY...............Prayers for you & Kent from here............((((((((((((((SUNNY))))))))))))))).

Well this a new experience for me...I'm sitting in the Philadelphia airport. I kinda/sorta knew there would be free/public wifi, but still figured having to go through a "process" to get connected. Darn thing hooked up just like I was at home!!

FLESSA...if you haven't checked the findagrave site, you might find a photo or two of their headstone....just play around with it. I know there is a pict. of a combined marker for Brady & Grace Angell (my parents). If you ever get in the area, I'll be glad to show you the cemetery, etc.

Sunny...hope things improve for you and Kent....you are in our prayers and good thoughts.

Love to all...RICK & Carol

Sunny ... scary stuff for you and Kent...Prayers for a quick recovery and solution to your situation. Prayers and many good thoughts and hugs!!!!!

Rick ... you guys have a great trip!!! funny how that wifi stuff works isn't it.

SUNNY:
Poor Kent. He really has had a bad year. I hope this wakes up the powers that be that the man needs some help. ((((((Kent)))))) He is lucky to have you there helping him out, Dawn.


CB:
How's the mule baby doing? I am still hoping she will grey out and keep her zebra stripes when she gets older. Have you checked for white hairs on her eyelids? It is supposed to be a sign of future greying out and Areion had them and is greying out.
We passed two mules on our ride last weekend. Very nice looking ones. I was wondering how Ivan would react, but since he lives with a donkey, he didn't seem to notice the mules were different.

I did see one thing I meant to tell you about that you would have REALLY enjoyed! As we were pulling out of the campgrounds, a group of riders were coming in from the poker ride. One horse really stood out as a fancy mover and I was enjoying watching it come down the road. I happened to look at the rider and probably scared Donnie when I shrieked "Look at that!" He thought I meant the fancy horse. I meant the bare chested 20 something year old rider who looked like he spent a lot of time in a gym and should have been on a calendar cover . Donnie wasn't as impressed as I was.


Ivan and I are going to ride on the New River Trail on Saturday with Jan and her Morab, Amanda, again. Noble the TB and his owner, Joanne, is coming, too. Should be a good ride.


Riding lesson was postponed until Thursday due to the weather today. It looked like it was going to pour any second, but didn't until almost dark. Dentist appointment tomorrow. Whoopee......

Oh Sunny my thoughts are with you. Now may be the time to get a cordinator from the hospital to help you with his SSI. Sometimes they have tips that are helpful.

Got my portable 02 consentrator today. Seems to work fine for my needs. I am mobile once again.

No other real news from here. Mothers day Sunday and I am hoping it will not rain. My sister always has all the get togethers as she has the biggest house and we like to sit outside. So hoping for no rain.

Have fun on your trip Rick.

MORNING FOOPS....

I will try again. Had a long post ready to go the other day and looked and it had disappeared. DIdn't have time to do it again.

GREYMARE, wanted to congratulate you on finding Atticus a great new home. I am in the same position, know that I can never sell Tommy Girl, she is just turning 13 and has at least another ten years to go, tyhat makes me 80. Allison is not interested in using her, I could never sell her as she has been like a child to me and got me through Traceys death. That leaves me shovelling poop till I am in my 80's. Mind you I don't mind doing it, am in great health, but never know what the future brings.

RICK, see you have headed out yet again for a big trip. Lucky you and Carol. Have a great time.

For the new person on here, I know there is one, I am Donna, live in Nova Scotia, Canada. Have one horse, two poodles, three cats. I am one of those crazy Canucks and a busy one too. Don't get to post much, but I do lurk often.

Have to run now as have a hair appointment after the barn. Getting late.

Ark, thanks for setting up this new site. WIll be back later after I get beautified.

Donna

Internet is somewhat "iffy", so I won't go into much detail. "Details" will be shared when we get home.

Saw an old castle ruin this morning...sat on the top of a high hill.

Highlight was seeing an old, old church/cathedral dating back to 689...named after St. John the Baptist in Chester, England. I'm sure there is a "WWW" address, but I haven't tried.

We are staying at a Horse Farm B&B and I enjoyed visiting with the folks as they brushed out TBxIrish Draughts. They wHere getting ready to ride just as we got in this afternoon. Those horses were T-A-L-L ... 16.2 and 17hh. They didn't off...and I didn't ask about riding. I didn't want to lose my image on a English Horse riding an English saddle. Besides...don't think it would look right in those English riding britches with my "physique".

Tomorrow will be full exploring Liverpool and meeting the lady that has done some genealogical work for me.

Love to all....Rick

Jodi25 I was reading back through and saw that you have CP. Have you looked into therapeutic horse places in your area. I know you would have a ton of fun and could get the horse itch scratched.

The sun is shining here again. It must truly be spring.

Jodi, I'm glad Kathi mentioned theraputic riding. I'd thought about it, but just hadn't said anything. If you love horses, that would be a great thing for you to do.
I volunteered at a therapy stable for a couple of years. Most of those who came there were children, but it truly did wonders for them.
One little 3 year old girl couldn't even sit up when she started riding. In less than a year, she was walking.
The horses they used were terrific. One would not allow an adult to ride him without putting up a bucking fight. But when the little kids were on him, he never placed a wrong foot.

KATHI:
Congrats on the new O2 machine!! I saw one on a commercial that could be carried around and made its own oxygen. Is this the one you got? I hope you can get out and do lots of things now!

DONNA:
Hurray, you made it here!! It's great to see you! Do you ride Tommy Girl these days? Shoveling crapola will keep you young.....or so I keep reminding myself....

RICK:
That sounds wonderful!! I'm a little green with jealousy ....okay, a lot green.... I bet those Brits love your NC accent! You should give those fancy riding pants a try, you may feel a wonderful freedom you never felt before.... .

I looked up the family cemetery on that website you gave. Very interesting. There are about 580 folks in it, way too many babies and small children who died in the early part of the 1900s. That must have been a hard time for babies back then.

I remember seeing your parents' graveyard in the same one that Daniel Boone's parents are in when we visited you. Later we found ol' Daniel himself in an extremely fancy gravesite in Frankfort, KY overlooking a river and the state capitol. Someone sure planted him nicely.

JODI:
I hope you'll check into the therapeutic horseback riding that KATHI and ELLEN spoke of. One of my stepsisters has a son with CP that has done some of that and absolutely loved it. His balance became better and he seemed so happy on horseback. There is a center about 100 miles from here that hosts ACTHA rides as a fundraiser, I have been to all the ones they held. The center is wonderful and the horses are so calm and sweet natured. You would love it.

SUNNY:
How is Kent doing today? Any news?


Ivan and I had a nice lesson today! We 'pretended' to be in a walk/trot class at a horse show and Lori called out what to do. Ivan and I slow trotted really well and except for raising my hands a little too much, Lori said I did well. There is a show a week after the Natrc ride we are going to here in town that I hope to take Ivan to. He needs to be exposed to lots of horses in strange places to get over his nerves about that.

Kent is home tonight, they have done all they can for him and now it is up to him to continue exercises for both his body and mind, the stroke was very mild and he should make a full recovery but it will take time as the reason for the stroke isn't under controll yet they say it was caused from his diabetes, but he is doing much better now that he is home will keep you posted

SUNNY, that's good news to read Kent is home.
Prayers for his continued improvement and hugs for you.

BAR T...........Oh boy, what good news regarding your portable oxygen.........that has to make a big difference for you.


DONNA...........so good to see you check in. I still have FAITH and I am babying her senseless and having a ball. We're headed toward getting fit for the mtns.......yeah, right. Fit. There's a joke..................but, in the saddle I am.
Still shoveling and proud of it! Horses are medicine, we all know that.

JODI, hope you can get to a good center for some fun and therapy on horses. You would love it. We don't know your situation, but you are in our prayers.

ARK, good girl. Just keep at it. We're all proud of you.

CB, are you busy with the next litter of puppies?

RICK & CAROL........thanks for writing. We love it.

God bless. Prayers for ALL.

good news Kent is home, now hope he minds what he needs to do to get healthier!

BART:great on your O2..yay

ARK: iw ould have liked to view or ogle calendar guy!

Our friend Shorty, aka Lyn, lost her battle with cancer today.very sad here...nothing can prepare you not even knowint its gonna happen...May she in in no more pain and ride into the sunset every day...Lyn you will be missed. Hugs to her hubby Larry and family and all her many friends.

Sweet Dreams Y'all.

Hugs and prayers of comfort headed for Lynn's family and friends.

Kathy ... how goes it with the portable O2? Hope it works well for you ..... at best, it is still a PIA, but does allow us to be mobile.

Ark ... glad you had a good lesson. you are doing great. practice, practice, practice .... that is the game now......

Great day today...Carol and I "adopted" another daughter!!

Spent the day in Liverpool trying to get a better understanding of the life/times of 15/1600s Liverpool where my 10th GGF PURPORTEDLY lived/died/etc. We went to the three oldest church sites in the area to see/photograph some old cemeteries that have records from late 1500s on forward. Hopefully when I do my travel report to the FOOPS, I can incorporate a few pics. Also spent some time in museum. This whole day was extra special because of the personalized tour with the gal that helped me on my project.

ARK...Karen...our new adoptee daughter... has a lovely English accent. We even had a brief visit with her FIL and I was able to make him smile when I said "Ya'll come" and "All ya'll come". Gentleman said he'd always wanted to hear that directed at him.

Lunch today was our big meal...gonna be PBJ tonight.

Love to all...Rick, Carol, and Sir Snoops-A-Lot

CB, sorry you lost your friend...............that's really hard...............hugs and prayers for her family, also...........

Gosh, glad RICK & CAROL are having a ball.............

Yes, my portable 02 is great and yes Ark it makes it own oxygen so. It is a niffty little machine. Well not that little about the size of a breadbox I guess. It is lighter than my purse though..LOL I went shopping for a couple more things for Mothers day and I had no problems walking around all over a Target store. I am one happy camper.

I saw the cutest pair of donkeys for sale on FB. I have to not think about it. I do not need anything else to feed or clean up after.

Silver back again and just caught up with the news. Meant to wish Rick 'bon voyage' over to my side of the pond, but missed it. I can tell you, whatever the weather was like with you all when Rick and Carol left the US, it's c-o-l-d over here right now. Hope they took the thermal undies with them. And unbrellas! It's halfway through May and I don't have a single rose out in my garden, the weather's been so chilly. Can't wait to get to Texas next month and toast myself in that sun!

Ark: I haven't had dressage lessons since last year - but should have because we're getting lazy! We are still competing at Elementary level (sorry, don't know the US equivalent) but I'm struggling to get Zaristo to work through from behind nowadays. I blame TREC! (which sounds a lot like your description of riding out along the trail route). When we do the orienteering, he goes on a long rein, trots really fast and stretches out - definitely not a dressage outline but FUN!
I liked reading about your trail riding competition. How does that work - do you follow a map or are the routes flagged in some way? And is it timed? It sounds like a great education for a young horse, to get different experiences out and about.

Carol, BArT and others: sorry to hear about all the health problems you are having. I find the talk about Oxygen supplies amazing, I've never seen anyone over here carrying such a thing around. It makes me wonder if people in that situation here are confined to their house, if we are much less advanced in that respect compared to the USA.

As usual, I have gone on the computer at the end of the day and it's now late....tomorrow I'm meeting some friends at a local Horse Show, lots of Fun classes, like Lead Rein pony, Best Groomed Pony, Mini Showjumping and so on. And a Fun Dog Show as part of it - Best Groomed dog, Dog the Judge would most like to take home, best matched Dog and owner, dog with the waggiest tail, etc! Definitely a fun day!

Yep, Sunny and I knew Short for a lot of years...not only is she going thru all this with Kent, but now losing a friend too...Hold on Sunny...things has to get better.

BART:that sounds like it is a nifty thing! I'm glad you found out about it...and like it.

Silver, its gonna get warm here, in the 80's but nighttime will find us in the high30's still...air days, heat on at nights!

I got the Beastie home, and will send a pic to Flessa if that's alright? It cruised down the road lots better than I thought it would!

Well, guess I'd better get my chores going and get done as the wind is picking up..

Well I know that I have been MIA again...this time it was the computer that was not co operating,since before leaving Fl it was not doing anything right. I finally got it working and seems to be doing everything asked of it. That is all we can ask for. I did not read all of the pages, just the last couple...so not sure what everyone is doing...
I see the Rick and Snoop got across the pond to check out ancestory...hope that he doesn't find any black sheep lol
Nothing really new here, still trying to catch up with all that has to be done after one has been away for any length of time.
I am curious about the picture at the top of the page here...I guess I should go back to page one maybe it is explained there.
I am going to try and make a visit here each and every day...oh yes,,I do remember you Donna, one of the "other" Canadians. Welcome back. I have been absent for quite some time, finally got back only to be absent again for a while...whew...is there a pattern here???

CB:
I am so sorry about Lynn.....((((((Lynn's family and friends))))))....I hope they kept her pain free. It really was great you could help her out with the dinners and such that you made for her.

SUNNY:
I am glad Kent is home. I sure hope he is feeling better today. You, too.....

RICK:
Yep, I know they like that NC accent over there! I like it over here, too! Are you and Carol going to go around the coast of Wales starting in the north?

EILEEN:
Welcome back, again . I hate computer problems, almost as much as car problems and washing machine problems. I guess I don't like problems. Hope you stick around longer this time! Been riding lately? There is not explanation for the logo photo. ELLEN sent it to me and it was too interesting not to use. I think it is running around the internet. I want to see the next snapshot after that horse jumped!

SILVERDANCER:
Orienteering sounds like a lot of fun! Donnie got us some compasses awhile back, but we haven't tried using them on horseback yet.
There are different trail riding organizations over here. The least milage one is ACTHA (American Competitive Trail Horse Association...I think). They do 6 to 7 mile rides with 6 obstacles scattered around on the trail. Nothing is judged except the obstacles and you can take all the time you want on the trails. Ivan and I have done six of these, some pretty well, some not so well. They are fun! NATRC is a longer distance organization that I will be trying for the first time next week. My 'novice' ride will be 19 miles long and I think horsemanship is judged and there is a time limit one has to meet. What I would like to do is the AERC rides (American Endurance Riders Conference...also, I think). These start out at 25 miles and go up to 100 miles, no judged obstacles or horsemanship, but lots of vetting in and timing of the ride. It's more difficult and speedier than the other rides. I am not quite up to the distance or the speed of that organization yet, but have high hopes! I think Ivan can do it, he is quite the energizer bunny, but his rider doesn't have his energy or his stamina.
We'd love to see pix of you and Zaristo, on the trail or at your horse show!

KATHI:
I am glad the O2 machine is working out!! Those little donkeys just might keep you moving.....


I mowed, mowed, mowed today. Then Donnie mowed the pony lot and behind the barn, then raked the arena. The lawn tractor got a work out today. We have the trailer hooked up and we are supposed to meet three ladies and their horses at 9 a.m. over at the interstate. We are going to Foster Falls on the New River Trail to ride 10 to 12 miles, depending on how we are all feeling at the 10 mile mark. It's a nice rails to trails park, very scenic on the New River. I hope Ivan is in a good mood tomorrow! It's not a technical trail like last week's hilly adventure, it is almost completely level and wide enough for a train to go down it. Ivan does better when he has to watch where his feet are going and this trail is nice and smooth, gentle curves, no rocks, no creeks to cross. He'll want to zip along.

ARK,hoping you and Ivan have a wonderful fun ride!

I'm doing basically the same thing...packing a few more boxes, and playing with the animals.

Hoping y'all have a great weekend.

SILVER / ARK: We are real close to town/village of Delwen and that is very close to CONWY , COLWYN BAY, and ABERGELE. During part of our travels today, we got a glimpse of the IRISH SEA. We are a another farm (dairy & sheep) B&B for the next 4 nights.

I'll try to get our schedule posted if the "tour director" will let me.

More about that later....

Love to all from Rick, Carol, and Snoop from the land of WALES.