I though I would do something different today and post one of the stories I started and never completed.
This was supposed to be the Whisper story. When I decided I wanted to write a story to go with the picture of Ashwin's eye that I thought would make a great book cover, I brainstormed.
The following is what I started with, but I got stuck and just didn't feel it was the right story. I'm glad I stopped! I think this story could have been good, but Whisper is definitely better.
This is all I had written when I decided to try something else. It isjust over 2,000 words. Maybe I'll finish it someday, but for now it will be  filed away with the rest of my unfinished stories :)

I held my breath as my cousin, Ben, opened the trailer door and leaned forward, eager for my first glance of my new horse. 
         It seemed like an eternity before she cautiously approached the end of the trailer, then bolted in to the corral. 
          Head held high, she circled the enclosure, eyes wide and fearful. Her body shone in the sun. I immediately fell in love with her beautiful silver color. She came a stop in the center of the pen, but as Ben took a few steps toward me, she ran to the other side and cowered against the panels, fear visible in every quivering muscle.
        A smile spread slowly across my face. "She's beautiful." I whispered. 
        "I don't envy you, Marie." Ben shook his head as he closed the trailer door. "Her previous owners must really have done something bad to her. She doesn't trust anyone. It's a miracle I got her on the trailer."           I sighed. "It hurts me just to look at her, Ben. She's so scared. How can people do this to their horses?"
          Ben shrugged. "I don't like it myself. Be careful, Marie. She's not safe. I wish you would have let us put her down. You or anyone else could get hurt bad."           "No, Ben." I shook my head. "I couldn't let you do that. She has so much of her life to live yet. I think I can help her."
          "I hope so. You know what will happen if you can't do something with her."           I knew only too well what usually happened to horses like this and if I couldn't figure out some way to reach this terribly frightened horse, the same thing would happen to her. 
          "Thanks for delivering her, Ben. I'll let you know how it goes."           
            "No problem. I'll be seeing you." Ben hopped in his truck and drove quickly away. 
          I waited until his truck was out of sight down the road before walking over to the corral and leaning on the top board.
          While Ben and I were talking, the mare had been checking out her new surroundings, but when I walked up, she retreated to the back corner and regarded me warily.
          My heart ached for her, a horse I was sure, deep inside, was gentle and loving, but abuse had forced her to protect herself, making her angry and dangerous.
         I stayed out there for nearly an hour, during which time she never moved from her corner, her eyes following me wherever I went. 
          I placed hay and water just inside the gate then retreated to the house where I watched her through my kitchen window.
          When she was sure I was gone, she cautiously approached the slice of hay and began to nibble on it.           I sat down at the table and stared at the wall. I had worked with many rescue horses with difficult problems, but none had been quite as challenging as I was beginning to think this mare would be. 
         "Please give me wisdom, Lord." I prayed. "Give me wisdom to know how to help her."
         After a good night's rest, I felt ready to tackle the gray mare. 
          I fed my other horses and turned them out in the pasture. At the time, I had ten horses, not including the new mare. Four were permanent residents, and six were ones I was getting ready for adoption. The four permanent horses had too many issues to be re-homed, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them. So they stayed. Two of them had been with me for five years and were like my kids.
          Once all the other horses were taken care of, I carried a slice of hay out to the new mare. 
          She backed into the corner when she saw me coming and lowered her head, feet splayed ready for use.           I set the hay down by the gate and walked a short distance away. 
          She didn't like the fact that I was still nearby. She snorted nervously and rolled her eyes fearfully, but to my surprise, after about fifteen minutes she edged toward the food. 
          Shocked, I held perfectly still and watched. Her eyes never left me as she started on the hay.           I stayed until she finished eating, then walked slowly to the house, more determined than ever to get through to her somehow.
          In the house, I sat in my favorite chair by a window that overlooked the horse pasture and thought back through the more challenging horses I had dealt with. 
          There was the abused mustang gelding who would stand for hours with his head in the corner and kick viciously when I tried to approach him, and the ex-racing thoroughbred mare who would bite and strike with her front feet whenever I tried to put a halter on her. There were several others who stuck in my mind because of their severe issues, all caused by mistreatment or bad handling by their owners.
          But this mare was different. From what I had observed so far, which wasn't much, she seemed to be the type of horse that kept all her feelings and emotions bottled up inside, only letting loose occasionally, and without warning. Horses like that are the most dangerous. You never know what they're going to do and when. 
          I stood up and grabbing a bottle of gator aid from the fridge, I head out onto the porch and settled on the railing, where I had a clear view of the mare. She was hanging her head outside the corral, looking almost wistfully at the other horses. That surprised me. According to Ben, all she ever did was fight when they put her in with the other horses. 
          I thought about letting her out with them, but quickly disregarded the idea. If I turned her out, I'd never catch her again and she would probably just beat up on the other horses. 
         I took another gulp of my gator aid, then walked to the barn and got some grain.
         The mare snorted as I approached the corral and backed into the corner. 
          I ignored her as I walked to the center of the pen and set the grain down, then went back to the gate and seated myself on the ground, on the inside of the fence. 
         The mare looked at me and then at the grain. She knew what was in that bucket and she wanted it, but she didn't want to come that close to me to get it. 
          I avoided looking her in the eye, I didn't really look at her at all. I made my eyes looked around and past her. Looking a horse directly in the eyes is a challenge or a correction. 
         After two hours I was about ready to give up when the mare took a tentative step forward and instantly backed up again. 
          I let her settle for a minute, then got up and walked out of the pen, leaving the grain behind. I was pleased for just the little bit of forward movement. I stepped behind the barn door where I could watch her without being seen. 
          As soon as I was out of sight she crossed the corral to the bucket and ate the grain, then walked to the gate and smelled the ground where I had been sitting. Nostrils flared and eyes dilated, she backed away slowly. 
          I grabbed a saddle stand from the tack room and set it just outside the barn door. She watched as I hauled out some saddles I wanted to work on, but didn't retreat to her corner as she had before. 
          I spent all morning working on tack and she eventually began ignoring me. 
          I went in the house at noon to make something for lunch, but step back outside when I heard a vehicle pull in the driveway. 
         It was Ben. As soon as the truck stopped, he leapt out and ran up to the house. 
          "Ben! What's the matter?" I hurried down the porch steps and met him halfway. 
          "Marie! I'm so relieved! I called your phone several times and when you didn't answer, I thought something had happened to you." 
         I groaned. "I spent the morning outside and I forgot to take my phone. I'm sorry I worried you."
         Ben shook his head. "I thought maybe the mare did something to you. Please make sure to have your phone with you from now on."
         "I will. I was so eager to work with the mare I forgot to grab it."
          Ben turned his head toward the corral where the mare was watching us curiously. "How's she doin'?"
         I smiled. "Real good. I think we made some progress this morning. She'll be a challenge, but I think I can help her."
          Ben grinned. "That's great! Just remember that she's unpredictable."
        I nodded. "I know. I'll be careful."
         We walked over to the corral together and the mare quickly backed into the corner.
         I told Ben what I had done that morning and he was impressed with the mare's response. 
          "She needs a name." I leaned my chin on my arms. "I don't like just calling her 'the mare'."
         "Marie!" Ben shook his finger at me. "Don't go getting attached to her. You have too many horses as it is. You're job is to get her ready for adoption."
          I sighed. "I know, I know. It's never easy to say good bye though. Not after helping them through all their issues. And I have a feeling it will be even harder with this one."
          "You always did have a soft heart." Ben smiled fondly. 
          I chuckled. "I guess so. But I'm glad I do. I can't imagine hurting animals so much that they turn into frightened, angry creatures like this mare, like the other horses out in the pasture."
          "It is sad how much animals have to bear at our hands." Ben straightened up. "Well, I need to get back to the farm. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
          "Alright. Thanks for checking up on me."
          Ben grinned. "No problem. I'll leave you alone as long as you keep your phone with you."
          I promised I would and waved to Ben as he drove out the driveway, then headed back to the house to finish my lunch. 
         I spent the rest of the afternoon tidying the barn and doing yard work. 
          At five o'clock I called the horses into the barn and fed them, then carried some hay out to the mare and put in the center of the corral, then sat down by the gate. 
          By the time the mare over came her fear and stubbornness enough to take a few tentative steps toward the hay, I was tired, sore and hungry, but exhilarated over the progress we made that day.
         Before taking a shower and heading for bed, I called Ben to report on the mare's progress. 
         He was just as surprised as me to hear how well she was doing and congratulated me on my success. 
          I went to bed that night happy and content.

This is one of my favorite songs/hymns. And of course, this Celtic version just makes it even better!

I love all the pictures from this week, but I love, love, love the green leaf with the dew drops(above). I found it stuck on a piece of bark vertically on a tree.
The next picture I call the Octopus Tree :)
Fall is my favorite time of year for many reasons, but particularly because of the amazing photo opportunities. The colors are so bright and vibrant....it's a ton of fun to capture them.
What photo catches your eye this week?

Mmmm...these apples from my grandparents tree tasted wonderful in our apple pie!

A few months back I did a post on my friend, Keri, and her book which is due to be published this fall.
I had the privilege of reading "In Path's of Righteousness" last January before it was even submitted to the publisher. It was very, very good.
Below is Keri's recently designed cover and a synopsis.  The book is due to be published soon and I'm eager to be able to read/share the finished product.
Keri is a very talented writer and blends mystery and intrique with Biblical lessons to produce a perfect novel...healthy, inspiring and interesting.
Check out her blog: Written on My Heart

Today we visited with my Aunt Dona from New Mexico. Some of you may have seen her many comments on my posts.
She has been a fan of my Whisper story since the day I started it and can relate to Whisper in many ways.
She has been wanting to meet Ashwin for a long time and coming to the farm to see him was the highlight of her trip to Michigan.
I was surprised at the meeting between them. Ashwin stretched out his neck to greet her and gently nuzzled her hand. It was a sweet, tender moment.
Then...he pulled a carrot from her pocket! All the horses were in love with her by the time her bag of treats ran out.
It was great to visit with her and my mom's sisters, Mary and Patty. I loved watching Aunt Dona interact with the horses and the other animals.

         This book took me two and a half months to write. That certainly is a record for me and I felt unusually inspired while writing it.

    I like to take pictures and I usually have my camera with me, just in case an irresistible shot appears.

    I was out visiting the horses one
day and I snapped the picture that is now the cover of this book. Later as Iwas going through my shots from the day, something about it touched me and soonI had a story started.

         I continued to photograph Ashwin, the horse that inspired this story, during the time I was writing Whisper and those are the pictures you saw throughout this book. 

          I have had nearly twenty horses since I got my first pony at the age of thirteen, though not all were rescues. I learned a lot from them and while I was not always successful in helping them, my experiences were very rewarding. Four of my five current horses (plus a mule who was born here) were rescues.

          Bannie is a very handsome black gelding. He's the old man of my horse family and is content to spend his days eating and sleeping. I still ride him on occasion and use him to give pony rides to visitors. The owners previous to the family that rescued him had starved him and I believe there was some physical abuse as well. It took him awhile to heal emotionally, but he is a big teddy bear now.

          Smoke was Bannie's replacement as far as my main riding horse. She spent ten years on a working cattle ranch before being brought to Michigan. She was also being starved and was pretty sick when we got her. She was aloof and wary for the first few months, but now we are inseparable. In October of 2013, I fell off Smoke as we were galloping at over thirty mph and broke my back. I was afraid our relationship would never be the same afterward; both of us had our confidence shaken badly but when I was able to ride again, we were a better team than ever before.

          Lena is my younger sister's mare. An older horse past her prime, she was on her way to the slaughterhouse when a lady rescued her. We got her just a few months later. She still needed some weight, but after a few weeks of TLC, she turned into a beautiful girl. Unbeknownst to us, the lady who rescued Lena had put her in with her thirty year old donkey, thinking he was unable to breed. Nine months after she came home with us…

          …Rio was born! Stubborn, adorable and irresistible, Rio was there to stay! I had always wanted the chance to train a baby right from the start, so our little mule was the perfect opportunity. Lena was great mom and Rio just thought he was it!

          Ashwin is a beautiful silver appaloosa gelding and he is the horse who inspired me to write this story. He was not abused to the extent that Whisper was, but he was very fearful and insecure when he came to us. It took me quite awhile to even be able to touch him, but after several months, I was able to ride him and he turned out to be a very steady dependable mount that even my younger siblings can ride.

          Abby is my younger brother's horse. She did not come to us as a rescue, but she may have been in her past. She is a sweet girl who needs strong leadership. She doesn't form bonds very well, but once you get through to her, it’s a done deal.

          Three of the horses I mentioned in the dedication, Rosie, Cain and Danny, are very special to me. They were my first horses and also my first rescues. Though they are no longer a part of my horse family, they are still a huge part of my heart and I learned so much from them.

          I poured my heart into this book and many of the things that happen I have actually experienced. The connection that comes with teaching a damaged horse to trust again is one of the most satisfying experiences ever.

          My goal for this book is that it will touch your hearts and bring you joy as you watch Whisper's transformation from an angry, dangerous horse, to a loving, gentle companion.

 I hope it will give you a glimpse into the world of not only abused horses, but all animals that are mistreated. These animals have a lot of baggage, but someone has to help them. Deep inside, they just want to be loved and cared for. They don't want to be angry and dangerous; they learned to be that way to survive.

If you ever have the chance to own a horse, consider giving a rescue a second chance. They need great homes and loving people to care of them just as much as the horse that has been treated well all of its life.

It has been one year today since my accident. I cannot believe it has been that long. It seems like a few months ago that I got the brace off and since I rode Smoke for the first time.
At the time of the accident, I wasn't happy about not being able to ride for three months (it ended up being six months before I rode again) and I was really disappointed I wouldn't be able to take care of my horses over the winter.
During the summer months, the horses live off the pasture which has a creek so there really isn't a need for me to check on them twice a day.
But in the winter, we feed them square bales, their water needs checked so it doesn't freeze and the horses need monitored in case they need a blanket. The cold weather forces me to visit them twice a day and I love it!
The horses and I get into a routine. They know the drill. Each horse has their own feeder and they are expected to stay at that feeder no matter how good their buddy's pile looks. The routine gives the horses security and I love seeing my barnyard working like clockwork.
But just as we started gearing up for winter last year, I found myself stuck in the house, not even able to really visit the horses because I couldn't risk slipping on the ice and falling. I ventured out a few times, but I couldn't cuddle with them because of the brace.
That was really hard.
Winter is my second favorite season(fall is first) because I love the cold and I love going out twice a day to do chores(even though I don't always feel like it, I'm always rewarded when I do it anyway)
Then, by the time I was back in the saddle and able to do chores again, it was spring and the horses were back on pasture.
We have great times in the summer too, but it's just not the same as the winter routine.
Smoke and I grew even closer over the summer(if that's even possible) and we're a great team. She understands me so well, its scary.
I was afraid our relationship would be damaged because of how badly our confidence had been shaken, in ourselves and in each other, but Smoke helped me take it one step at a time and  we have done more riding and tried more new things than we did the year before.
I don't ride her quite as fast anymore and that does frustrate her, but we've been doing other things to keep our rides interesting for both of us.
One of the things I really enjoyed learning with her this summer was bareback riding. As I moved up to bigger, faster horses, I had kind of given up bareback riding, but Smoke is such a good girl, although she is the fastest horse I've ever ridden, that I felt comfortable trying it with her.
We practiced a lot....circles, figure eights, other weird patterns :) and it was great to ride her without the added burden of a saddle. She loved it, I loved it.
My back doesn't really bother me that much. Occasionally, if I've been over doing it, it'll remind me to slow down :) but over all, I usually forget that it really hasn't been that long since I broke it. I don't have to wear my brace anymore and unless I decide to take a spill off a galloping horse again, I don't think I'll have anymore issues with it :)
One year....wow.
 

We've had a crazy week as far as horses go :)
Abby started limping really bad on Tuesday. She would barely put any weight on her left front foot.
Mom called the vet and he came out on Wednesday.
Turns out she had an abscess in her hoof that was causing all the trouble.
The vet drilled into her hoof from the top and bottom as far as he could without causing damage to relieve the pressure, then put some ointment on it and put a cast on it.
She still has the cast on  and we have to giver her penicillin shots every day but she is walking much better and is in less pain. It will be awhile before she is ready to work again, but I think she'll recover completely.
Lena has been limping slightly on her right front for several weeks. I had the farrier check her out and he thought she just strained her shoulder and said to giver her some time off. We didn't ride her at all, but she continued to limp so Mom had the vet check her out while he was there. He said it seems like just a strained muscle and that she'll get over it in time. He also informed us that she is much older than we thought. We were told she was 22ish, but he says she is almost 30! And she just had a baby!! But he says she is very healthy and sound for her age.
 Ashwin needed his teeth floated and that was not a pleasant experience for him. I wish I had been able to with him, but I had to be at the auction hall that day. He was pretty stressed out that evening when I got home, but I stayed with him for awhile and he calmed down. We were also surprised at his age. When we first got  him, because of his body size and his jitteriness I thought he was under ten. Then the farrier checked his teeth and said he was 15-16...and the vet says he is over 20! So that would explain why he is such a well trained, beginner safe horse. He's going to need a little extra attention this winter, but he's worth it!
Bannie also needed his teeth floated, but other that was perfectly healthy.
Smoke was in fine shape too. She has been a little sore the last few days. We were riding last week right after a rain and she slipped in the mud and fell. Her shoulder was bothering her and she did wrench it pretty bad when we went down, but I rode her this afternoon and she was fine.
Rio is healthy as a horse(pun intended!) but he's not too happy right now because we are weaning him. He is six months old and it's time. He was pretty mad at me yesterday when I took him away. We put him in a separate pasture with Smoke and Bannie. They don't like to be separated and Smoke is like a second mother to him, so he won't feel completely abandoned. Lena is having a hard time with it too, but it will pass. Rio has been trying to nurse on Smoke...she lets him, though she isn't thrilled about it. Of course, she doesn't have any milk, but he finds comfort in the familiarity of suckling.
The pasture where we are keeping Lena, Abby and Ashwin is much quieter now that the two bossy horses aren't there :)
Well, that's enough updates on horses, but here is two things I've been wanting to share.
First, Bethany has been following my blog for awhile and we have gotten to be good friends through emailing.
She asked me to send a picture of Ashwin and in return, she sent me this drawing with permission to share it with all of you :)

It is so Ashwin! She did a great job. Thanks for letting me share this, Bethany!

Back in May, we had a missionary family over and we went fishing and rode horses. The three youngest girls loved the horses. Mrs. Champlin emailed Mom the other day. The youngest little girl, Joanna, asks her repeatedly, "When are we going back to Bannie's house?" and she named her puppy Black Banner. Awww! You must be a handsome man, Ban :)
Have a great weekend!

I'm on time for once!!
I've spent the last two weeks working at the hall getting an auction finished, so I haven't had much of a chance to get pictures.
I have today off so this morning I headed out, camera in hand, to see what I could find.
Fall is my favorite time of year to take pictures. The colors are so vibrant and everything is beautiful. The seasons are changing rapidly.
It is really, really hard to choose a favorite but I like the one of Bannie's eye. I also really like the ones of the sheep. They are hard to get pictures of because they live on 35 acres and are pretty much completely wild. I had my long lens on so I was able to get some close ups. Chico is our alpaca. Alpaca's are canine aggressive and we got him to protect the sheep from coyotes and foxes. He does a great job and he counts the sheep every night. He hums if one is missing. He's not friendly to people, but that's fine because we want him attached to the sheep.
What's your favorite this week?

Today I got my evaluation of Whisper back!
Here's what the Lisa, the lady who read it, had to say:

What you have submitted for publication involves a wonderfully planned out plot with excellent characterization.  This story was a great read that kept my attention from the first page.  You have a terrific writing style. I can tell that you have done much planning and preparation in crafting your work – especially the way you have thought out the characters and movement that happens in the story.  This is not an easy feat. I often found myself wondering if this story were based on real people and/or events.  Your prose is very nicely written with details that capture the reader and since we write best about what we know, I had to wonder if this were loosely based on true events. I found myself really connected with your characters and what was going on.  It is easy to have too much going on too soon – not in your case.  Your plot is slow and methodical and you use your dialogue to move the plot along.   Your characters are lifelike and I love it when I leave a story feeling like I know them.  Characterization is one of the most important elements of any successful story.  You did not rush or force anything.  You have crafted a quality piece of writing.
 
Wow! I have to admit that I was nervous about what they would have to say, but I was floored when I saw the email.
Once again, I want to thank all of you who have commented or shown your support of this project in anyway.
Next week I will be putting up the author's note I am including at the end of the book so stay posted!

I've been needing some pictures of me with the horses for awhile now, but finding time to do them wasn't easy! Mom and I finally had a chance to take them yesterday. The horses were cooperative...for the most part! We got some really nice ones, but of course, you always have those few that just make you laugh!
After we finished with the pictures of me with each horse, we did all three horses together and some other fun ones. We also got a much belated graduation picture :)
With each horse below, the first picture is the one I will be using, but I've included some funny ones too :)

Well, I missed Friday again :) Friday morning Mom and I headed out for Indiana to the tenth annual Dunkard Brethren Ladies Retreat. There were a 115 ladies there and it lasted from Friday afternoon until 2:30 today. It was a lot of fun, in spite of the cold! It rained some and the temperature fell into the forties, but there was lots of food, fellowship and some great talks.
Here's a few pictures I took while we were there. If I really had to name a favorite, probably the speed boat out on the water would win though I really like the cute barn style house on the island.

A quick update on Whisper...I have talked to the publishing company and submitted the manuscript for evaluation. I'll know more about time frame and such after I get that back next week.
For now I'm just reading through it tweaking things here and there.
My favorite parts of the book are the prologue and epilogue. This is my first time to write something as if the person in the story is the one telling it so it was really neat for me to write these parts.
Thank you for all your comments...you've all been so encouraging!!

Dad got his first deer ever today with his first shot! He used a cross bow and got this big healthy doe.
Seth got a doe the first day of youth hunt so we have two toward our winter meant supply.
We sold our beef cows so now we rely on whatever deer the guys get.
Great job guys!