Today was Seth's birthday! He turned 14. And it is also the first day of spring...that's a little hard to believe when I look at the thermomiter!! It was 26 and felt like 18 today and the ground is still covered in snow.
Seth had to spend his birthday working...we emptied out a house today. It was a smaller one so it didn't take as long as it usually does. We got home around 5:30....we are going to have Seth's birthday party tomorrow night since we were all tired today.
Tomorrow we have to go to Saginaw early then we'll spend the rest of the day getting ready for the party. Maybe I'll be able to get in a ride.
I'm still working on that last chapter...ugh! I have  a page made for the third book now. Click Here to see it. It gives a brief overveiw of what the plot of the story is.
I should probably get out to chores...I'd rather sit in here!!! If you want to have animals though, there is work that comes with them.
I'm out to the barn now (or maybe in a little while!!!)
Lauren

Yesterday we got our new goats...Libby and Shilo. They are a mother/daughter pair of Nubians. Libby is 6 and Shilo is 11 weeks old. Shilo is very shy so we are working on socializing her. Libby is wary but will let us pet her.
Mom and I went for a ride Sunday afternoon. She started out on Smoke and I was on Bannie.....That didn't last long!!! Smoke started acting up alittle and Mom didn't like it so we switched...I got on Smoke and taught her  few things. She is the type of horse...coming from a ranch...that needs a specific job at all times. She does not like to "play" which is mostly what we do. So to give  her the job she needs...as we walk down the trail,  I'll lay my leg on her and ask her to turn, to bend, to move over, to stop. This gets her mind on her job and then she'll behave. With her, you can't ask her to do something....you have to tell her to do it, then she'll obey. Well, we rode around for awhile, then we went over to that big hill and mom got videos of me galloping Bannie up it. That was really fun!!
Yesterday and today we will be at the auction hall working. It started sleeting yesterday afternoon and then turned to snow. We got several inches and now it's windy and cold.
I have one chapter left to go one the second book....I'm alittle hung up on it right now!
Okay, gotta get out to chores!
Lauren

Sap, sap, sap! Seth has really gotten the bug for making maple syrup this season. He has collected quite a bit and is using a turkey cooker to boil it down. He made one batch of syrup already and got about half a gallon. The sap was running fast today. In order for the sap to run it has to be cold (below 30) at night and warm (above 35) during the day. Yesterday and today met those condition and he's been busy!! It will be nice to use our own maple syrup on our pancakes some frosty morning. It has a really nice flavor.
Today I finished chapter 20 in my second book in The Christian Cowgirl Adventure Series. One more chapter to go and it will be done! Yea! I've already got the name for the third one....The Stranger & the Secret Mine. That may change once I actually start the story....you never know!! The second book...Hidden Treasure & Wedding Bells was originally A Year Of  Changes. Just a little inside information!! I'll have to get a preview of the third up soon.  I'm still working on getting the first one published. I've got to get it illistrated and edited yet.
We picked up an estate for the auction yesterday, got to stay home today and have take in for consignments tomorrow. Then 2-3 weeks of sorting and organizing to get the sale ready.
Okay, back to that last chapter....
Lauren

Sunny went to her new home today. A little girl named Tanger is very happy right now! Tanger had lost her old pony, Beauty, a month ago and finally was ready to get another pony. Sunny went to a great home and will be well loved. Bannie is very upset. He is the herd leader so he is worried whenever someone leaves.
So we are left with Bannie and Smoke for now. We hope to get another calm horse soon.
It is so cold here. The wind is blowing hard and that makes the cold worse.
We're stayin the warm house most of the time.
Stay warm!!
Lauren

That's right, mud, mud, MUD!! There is mud everywhere and we had to sort sheep in it!! We were all soaked by the time we finished. It started to rain too.
We had to count how many ewe and ram lambs there were. A dirty job on a dry day let alone a wet one! I bent down to grab a lamb and it catapulted itself over my shoulder, hitting my chin with a sharp wet foot! Yuck! Well, it couldn't keep it's freedom forever, I finally caught it.
I was planning on going for a ride....that didn't happen. It rained all afternoon with no sign of letting up. So I worked on my book. I've got 19 chapters done in the second book in The Christian Cowgirl Adventure Series.
I worked on one of my quilts some too. Didn't get much done but I wasn't feeling creative.
Someone was supposed to come look at Sunny today but the rain scared them away!! Now they're coming tomorrow evening.
Gotta get back to my book!!
Stay dry!
Lauren

It looks like spring may be finally here! Today was about 50 degrees and MUDDY! There is mud everywhere but I guess you can't have spring without mud, right?? Anyway, it was a lovely day and we spent most of it outside. Levi and Lydia made a fort called "The Haunted Gully" (something Levi read in a book) in the woods. They played there most of the day and came home with numerous scrapes and scratches! In the afternoon, our uncle, Greg, came over and Dad and the boys went skeet shooting with him. Then Seth and Dad started boiling down some of the sap Seth has been collecting. He is storing the sap in an old metal tank we had back in the pasture. He's got quite a bit collected already.
Mom stayed inside most of the time I think.
I took a nice long ride on Bannie. I've been working on getting him to go into the canter when I kiss and he's been doing well. There is a culvert bridge over the creek and just on the other side, a steep hill. I took him to the bottom of the hill, dropped the reins and kissed. Whoooeee! He layed his ears back and took off! His mane was flying back in my face as I lay over the saddle horn. I whooped to him a few times and he really got going! Up the hill, around a few curves and out into a small meadow that borders the road. Just as we came tearing out of the woods, a car was going down the road. I ran Bannie right at the fence. The poor guy probably thought I was going over it! At the last minute I turned Bannie and we cantered along the fence. We did that about four times! There is nothing in the world like running up a hill, the wind in your face, mane blowing past you and feeling the rippling muscles and amazing power beneath you. The majestic beauty of the running horse, throwing his strength into every stride is the most wonderful thing to see in the whole world! I'm going to try to get a video of it soon.
We have someone coming to look at Sunny tomorrow. She has been foundering and since Levi got Smoke he doesn't need her anymore and she is too much for Lydia to handle. So we'll sell her and try to find something that everyone can ride.
So that's what we've been doing around here!
Lauren

Minnah seems to be holding her own right now. She isn't eating quite like she used to, but seems perky and brighteyed. Rodeo, her brother, died on Thursday.
We have someone coming to look at Sunny today. Since Levi moved up to Smoke we don't need her anymore. She was going to be Lydia's horse but she is to stubborn for Lydia to handle. So we'll start looking for a quiet horse for her.
That'll leave us with just Bannie and  Smoke for  now. It's been three years since we've only had two horses. We always had three or more.
Well, we've got to go to the auction hall again today. :(
Ready for spring?!!! :)
Lauren

I found Hadiyyah dead this morning when I went out to do chores. I had a feeling that's what I would find when I left her last night. Minnah is pretty sick too. We'll see what happens with her.
We're going to re-test Belle in a few weeks. Even if she is negative, we'll probably sell her and buy our milk for awhile.
Today is pre-view so Dad and I are at the auction hall. It'll be a busy few days here.

It's finally warming up some here in Michigan. It's been in the 30's the last few days. Getting cold at night and warm during the day...perfect to get the sap running. Seth has developed an interest in making maple syrup. He had tapped several trees and is eagerly waiting the results. He's gotten about a gallon of sap so far.
We got the CAE test results for Belle today. Her number was down....she isn't positive. That was good news but she could still turn positive so we'll probably draw her again to make sure it wasn't a false reading. Hadiyyah and Minnah still might be positive because of thier exposure to Nutmeg's coughing and there is a chance they got it in utero from Hattie. It's just wait and see I guess. Both of them are sick with what we think is cocida. The people who bought Rodeo said he is sick too. They took him to the vet and he tested positive for cocida so there is a good chance the girls got it too. So Mom has gone to get some medicin for them. Hopefully that perks them up.
Mom's birthday is on Friday. We have to be at the auction hall the next four days so we'll have to figure out a time to have a little party for her.
Well, I think that is everything that has been happening.
Lauren