Sad Day on the Farm

It's a sad day on Held Farms. Our beloved dog, Queen, has died. I've only known her for about half her life...and on our first meeting, she let me know in no uncertain terms that I was not yet a member of the family. However, after awhile, she decided that if I was going to stay that I would be a tolerable addition to the family. We really became pals when I would give her an egg (usually already cracked) in the evenings. This treat led to some egg stealing, but she never once bothered the chickens. She'd just quietly walk into the henhouse, gently take an egg, and walk it back to her pen and would return to gather another egg until I either noticed what she was up to or she had enough. One evening I found about six eggs.
I was a little concerned when Rachel came along how Queen and Hannah would tolerate her. But from the very beginning they seemed to know she was family and tolerated Rachel's adoration well, even when they could no longer hear or see her coming up to lavish her with pets.
Rest in peace dear Queen. You are a sweet, good dog. I am safe in speaking for us all when I say that we will miss you.

Queen- Enjoying the snow in 2010.

She LOVES horses!

It all started last year innocently enough on her birthday...we spent the day at the fair. Because she loves animals, I took her through the horse barn where we ran into some friends from church. Lilly (and her mom, Andie) let Rachel give Lilly's horse Casper some treats, which led to her sitting on his back inside the stall, and from that moment on, Rachel was smitten. It was further fueled by my dear friend, Maria, and her adorable miniature donkey, Fazoli, who attended Rachel's 2nd birthday party. Forget birthday cake! Maria brought Fazoli!



Rachel "riding" Casper.
 

Maria's miniature donkey, Fazoli, which was the highlight of Rachel's birthday party.

A few months later (and a few horse toys and books later), she had a pony ride at the state park we camped at with friends. She talked her daddy into a second ride the next day.

 

And so the story goes on. I may be wrong, but I don't think this is merely a passing phase. Not only does she love to ride horses, read about horses, watch horses on TV (HRTV is part of our cable package) and YouTube, but she absorbs all knowledge related to horses like a little sponge. She knows what a farrier does and checks Pepper's (and anyone else that will hold still long enough) "hooks" daily. Her Gram has made her saddle blankets for her toy horses - the last time I counted she had about 15 and we've added a few more since then. She puts Nick and I in the barn (bathroom) and closes the stall door (pocket door on the bathroom), but not before she has lovingly provided us with hay and fresh water. Jeannie taught her how to put a horse in stall this weekend (turn it around before you leave the stall so you don't get kicked), so she is now turning me around before she closes the stall door. She knew we needed to tighten the girth on the saddle at her most recent ride and used the correct terminology. She is starting to recognize different breeds, and knows already that she would like to own a Friesian and a Clydesdale. She knows the difference between English and western tack. Shapes, schmapes. She's going to learn the important things.

 

Rachel's obsession with horses has led to a couple of other rides at Lilly's house and also a ride at Jeannie's on Preacher and Daisy (the miniature donkey). Jeannie told her she should get a riding helmet and come back for another ride. Rachel fully expected that we would be going to the store right NOW to get that helmet - a blue one - and then we could go back and ride Preacher some more...

 

 

We all have the things in life that help us relax and make us smile. For me, it's my berry patch. For Nick, it's the farm. My mom has her dogs and my grandpa his golf. I think, though, it's rather unusual to be so passionate about something at so young an age. I marvel at her confidence and lack of fear around these rather large animals.

 

So far, the cowgirl hat and stick horse that Lilly so generously gave Rachel is satiating her passion.

 

 

But the other day, when going through the menagerie of animals we have on the farm, she was quick to point out that "we don't have horses yet".

 

Stay tuned...with her determination, the sky is the limit!






Language of Flowers

One of the many reasons I love my husband is because I come home to find things like this waiting for me:

Peonies are my favorite flower and I especially love these deep pink one that is making a comeback in our front flower bed.
Thank you for the flowers, Nick. I love them and yes, I smell it whenever I walk by!

Living Room Camp Out

On our last trip to my mom's house, Rachel was exhausted but refused to nap. Because we all were in need of a mid-afternoon snooze, mom came up with a solution. She offered Rachel the opportunity to nap on the living room floor. Rachel thought this was the best idea EVER. She eventually did fall asleep- we all did- and the crisis was averted.
This afternoon, as I sat down to eat my lunch and mull over a Monsanto writers block, the phone rang. On the other end was Rachel...sobbing... "MomMom. I just need you." Oh my. Do you want me to come get you? "Yes." (more tears). (We're going through a dramatic phase and I guarantee you her little MomMom meltdown had nothing to do with Nancy, Melvin, or Ginger.)
By the time I got my shoes on and walked down to Nancy's, Rachel was, of course, totally fine, but she did want to come home. So...I made her promise that she would take a nap. I offered her a camp out in the living room and she took it. I set up my work space in the kitchen and when I went to check on her, this is what I found.

It would seem that Rachel isn't the only one who likes camping in the living room. I'm actually a little surprised that Pepper confined her nap to the bottom corner. I would have expected her to have her head on the pillow and Rachel be hanging over onto the bare hardwood floor...

Max's First Day

Yesterday, we brought home our new Great Pyrenees puppy. We got him from family friends in Harrison County that also raise boer goats. We went for a puppy so naturally Rachel took more of an interest in the little boer buck in the pen with the pups.

But, she picked out her puppy and on the way home, with him yowling in the back at the top of his puppy lungs for mile after mile, she decided to call him Max. Whether it was after the boer buck, Max, or Max for her favorite show (Max and Ruby) only Rachel knows.

We finally arrived home and the first thing Max did when we opened his crate door was crawl under the (still hot) car.

Even Pepper came over to coax him to come out.

Snuggles with Gram are a comfort to little puppies as well as little girls.

There was no shortage to pets and snuggles.

Today he was a little more settled in and began showing his little big dog personality. He enjoyed playing with Ginger and followed Rachel up and down the driveway on her tricycle. Rachel gave him the farm tour today where he slopped through the mud. I think he's going to fit right in...
Good thing he's an outside dog, though...he seems to have a fondness for shoes.

Even Pepper played with Max this evening. She was having a pretty good time, until he thought the white tip of her tail was a chew toy. Then Pepper was done playing with the puppy.

Welcome home, Max! We do adore you already!

Tour de Gram's

We can add another milestone to Rachel's list. Today she learned how to pedal her tricycle. She had the idea down last fall...but her little legs were just a hair too short to reach the pedals. But a few months and an inch or so later and she has it all figured out! She had to pedal down to Gram's no fewer than six times today...just because she can. How many Weight Watchers activity points does walking with a tricycle for hours on end come out to?

Hamming it up before she shows off her new skills.

Pedal, pedal!

WEEE! She likes to "go fast" on the hill down the driveway. No worries- if a car is coming she just steers off into the grass. She "knows how to stop" is what she told me this evening.

One of several trips to Gram's today to show off her independent cycling skills.

The result of the Tour de Gram and no nap is a snooze while MomMom fixes dinner.
 



An after dinner tractor ride with Daddy was the only thing that would make her give up riding her tricycle!





Post-Race Thoughts on 13.1

Well...it wasn't pretty, but I did it! I completed the Illinois Half-Marathon. Thank you to Diane who stayed by my side for the entire race and kept me running when I would have been walking and for making sure that my lungs didn't give up at the end. You have always been my best running partner and it was SO AWESOME to spend 13.1 miles catching up on our lives, have a few laughs, and do some sweating together!

I honestly wasn't sure I'd even be able to run the race at all. Two weeks before the race, Rachel got sick. The next day, I got sick- and so did Nancy. All the Held Women were afflicted- even Sarah- but her germs were different than ours. Anyways, it wasn't pretty. Puffs stocks probably rose significantly that week. The week of the race, my nose was no longer a faucet but I had a terrible cough. A trip to the doctor where I explained my plan for the weekend and I left with antibiotic, Allegra, Flonase...pretty much anything she could give me that might help. But I wasn't going to give up. No way. We Kenzie women are not quitters and I was not going to let some virus and hacking out a lung - or two- keep me from the race day fun!

I stayed over at my friend Jen's house. Jen- your home is beautiful. You are the absolute best hostess ever and I enjoyed catching up on the last 12 years in one night! Obviously, we stayed up late talking, which really was fine with me. I wasn't going to sleep anyway. Just looking through the runners guide and laying out my number and shoes for the next morning was enough to make me throw up.

The next morning dawned and God took pity on me and blessed me with the best possible day EVER for running. The temperature was in the 50's for the start. Sun was shining...not much of a breeze. THOUSANDS of crazy people lined up to run either 13.1 or 26.2 miles. The marching band played the 3-in-1 and Illinois Loyalty. The Star Spangled Banner played. Each coral of people started the race based on their prospective finish time. I was at the back...and totally cool with that! Our turn came and we were off...running down 1st street. The first couple of miles went well. I enjoyed the cheering crowds and the frat boys on their porch obviously still a little drunk from the night before. We made the trun onto Green, which looks NOTHING like it used to. Up ahead all I could see were thousands and thousands of runners. It was awesome. I think there may have even been a few behind me too. Around mile 3, I came up behind a man wearing a t-shirt that said "I'm running to find a bathroom". If only I had known how much of a foreshadow that would be... Along the entire route were people cheering us on. It was pretty awesome. Little kids offering high fives (heck ya!) and signs reminding loved ones that beer is at the finish. Things went well until sometime after the mile 7 mark. My biggest runners nightmare played out for real. My stomach and colon revolted. They were no longer interested in running and wanted to make sure I knew it. Now, the runners guide boasting of the number of portapotties on the route. Do you think there were any when I needed one? Oh ho ho no. That would have made it less embarassing. So...we slowed to a brisk walk for mile 7 until up ahead at mile 8, a line of portapotties emerged. I have never been so happy to see a portapottie in my LIFE. I usually refuse to use them. But, all was well. Diane and I jogged and walked miles 8 and 9 through the park that would not end. Lord, it seemed to go on forever! Diane MADE me eat one of the honey energy packets. While I usually enjoy honey on a biscuit or in my tea, I'm here to tell you that in the middle of a 13 mile walk/jog/slow plod, honey does not taste good. At all. It took me 3 miles to get one packet down. I'm researching energy options for future endeavors, because those aren't going to work for me. Mile 10 came into view...on Race Street, right along married student housing. I recognized the balconies of the buildings from pictures taken there when I was about Rachel's age - or smaller. This is where things got ugly. My legs were done. I can't really describe the sensation other than to say it was a burning numbness that started in my calves and slowly spread up my legs and hips over the last 3 miles. With a half mile to go, I decided that I was going to ignore my burning and numb legs and jog into the stadium. Oh, how my lungs were not on board with that idea. Thankfully, Diane, who had run many miles with me in high school track was there as I coughed, hyperventilated, and felt like my lungs might explode after the race. We walked and breathed and walked some more until I could finally breathe again. I did it! I still can't hardly believe it. Craziest part, I think I would even do it again!
So...that is my half marathon story. My Granny is still running hers. 5 more treatments until her finish line. She's going to make it to the end...and I'm sure her finish will be far more graceful than mine. And when she is done, all her family and friends will be cheering for her...me the loudest of all.