Jacob's Passions

Jacob is a fascinating young man, if I do say so myself. He is sincere and dependable. He cares about people and animals. He would rather be outdoors than anywhere else. The school year is about one month too long for him! These pictures show some of his favorite things. Four-wheelers, first and foremost. Here you see him on his beloved Suzuki Z400. He had to pay for part of it by mowing yards and picking up pine cones on his Pap Trick's farm. The young man on the other ATV is Jackson, a very good friend Jacob calls his "brother from another mother!" The next picture is Jacob driving the Farmall M in the Carnival Antique Car Parade. His sister, Jordana, and one of his good friends, Kennedy, rode along. And then we have Jacob with two of his good friends, Levi and Lewis. This picture was taken at our school's May Day Festival where the country kids were allowed to have a tractor display. And the last two pictures are of Jacob's animals. The holstein is a 4-H project, named Bandit. This steer thinks he's a dog - probably walks on a lead better than most canines! And then there is Jacob with one of his ducklings. Jacob loves his chickens and ducks. Jacob is fond of saying, "It all started with a chicken!" This is a reference to the first rooster we got - a white leghorn we named "Foghorn."

The Love Between a Girl & Her Horse

My beautiful daughter, Jordana, has never smiled so grand as she has since we surprised her with her horse, Mac. She started taking lessons last year. One of the horses at the stable came up for sale and we were lucky enough to buy him. Jordana had no idea. One night she went for her lesson and there was a sign on the door, "Te Dee Mac loved by Jordana" - she was so shocked, she couldn't believe he was hers. It's been fun to watch the bond between them grow. Jordana has a wonderful trainer, Tipson, who has really taken Jordana's skills to the next level. And the young lady on the white horse is Jen, who has become a friend and mentor. What better way to spend an afternoon than riding your favorite horse and chatting with a good friend? Life is good!

Barn Progress

The barn continues to progress. It's getting close to being done. Over the weekend, Jesse worked on the stall fronts. We had gone back and forth with several designs. Finally, Jesse made a trip to our Amish neighbor's new barn and took pictures. We built the gates and fronts very similar to theirs. Best of all, our horses will be able to put their noses out for visitors to scratch. I love to scratch horse noses! My mom and step dad came out for several hours on Sunday to help. And on Monday evening, our good friend, Jim, came and helped spread 18 ton of screenings (very fine stones) in the aisle. Another friend loaned us a machine that compacts the screenings until they are almost like asphalt. We have to put the divider gates between the stalls yet and build the cubbies to store tack and then the barn is done! We have to finish the pasture fence and then the horses can come home!!!

And, speaking of horses: here are pictures of Belle's baby, Hot Dog (the brown one), and Kate's baby, Kater Tot (the gray one). How do you like the names? Hot Dog and Kater Tot! The babies aren't ours and their names are just for fun. They'll go off with their new owners at the end of the summer. But we are going to enjoy them while they're here!

Carnival Pet Parade

The Carnival Pet Parade was held on Monday, June 7th. Jacob and Jordana helped with the 4-H float and had a good time with their friends. The theme was "Goin' Green" and the kids did a great job showing all the ways we can "reduce, reuse, recycle." Our 4-H is a really super group of kids and we are lucky enough to have long-time leaders who guide so well.

Jesse and I thought about hitching Classy for the parade . . . But we were concerned about the slow pace of the parade and how she would do without her hitch mate, Kate (who is currently on maternity leave!) In the end, we decided to just walk Classy. She was the last "participant" and made a very dramatic ending for the parade!

The Barn

As many of you know, we are in the process of building a barn. It's not too big, but will give us plenty of room for our menagerie! On May 18th, the Amish started construction and less than a week later, the outside was completed. Since then, we've worked to install the water and electric and to begin the stalls. We've been lucky to have quite a bit of help from family and friends. We probably won't be finished for another two weeks or so. But we are very pleased with how it's coming.