Destruction and Repair

I have mentioned in a previous post how Jack likes to scratch and rub on things, which often results in the destruction of whatever he rubs on. His most recent act of itchy demolition was in the barn, in Peg's stall. Peg and Jack share a pen behind the barn that connects the two stalls, so they switch places frequently. Jack apparently got an itch while he was dozing in Peg's corner, and he leaned with all his considerable weight and strength against the plywood wall. This caused all the nails in that section of plywood to be pulled through the wood. The sheet of plywood was hanging loose, like a curtain, from the top nails. Very interesting!

What an innocent face!

I took it upon myself to fix the damage today. It was raining a bit, but I wanted to cross the task off my list. Out I went, and I got started. The boys (Peg and Jack) were in residence, so I was expecting some amusement during my work. They always think it is great fun to "help" me do things. However, Jack hates getting wet. He stood in his stall and ignored me entirely.

Peg dutifully stood beside me and watched each stroke of the hammer as I nailed the siding back in place. When I had to crouch down to put in the last nail, he put his head down to get a better look. I offered him the hammer and told him to help me. Peg took the hammer and swung it a few times, but he apparently thought it was more fun to watch than to work.

"Am I swinging it right?"

He gave it back to me. In the meantime, it had begun to rain hard. I told Peg that I was getting too wet to stand out there anymore, and I went into his stall for shelter. He had only been standing in the rain because I was, so he came in, too. Peg always makes my jobs in the barn more fun. He is great company. I am so thankful that God has given me such a special horse!

The Beast

Yesterday, I was folding clothes in Momma and Daddy's room when I noticed a sleeping beauty on Daddy's chair. Or should I call him a sleeping beast? Spunkabitty loves to show of his unusual features for the camera.

A frightful sight, but we love him anyway.

Here are some of the pictures that Momma took of us giving pony-rides to our neighbors' grandchildren. Peg and Buddy behaved admirably, as usual. They really seem to enjoy giving rides to their little friends. Buddy especially does a good job.

Ben perches atop Buddy as his sister swings

He takes all the activity buzzing around him in stride. One of his many child-pleasing tricks is to allow them to slide off over his tail.

Malcolm prepares to slide down Buddy's tail

(Of course, Annie has put in extensive training and testing to make sure everything goes smoothly and safely. The credit cannot all go to Buddy, though he thinks it should.)

Busy Life

We have been sooo busy!

Over the past few months, we have held a tea,

a place setting at our tea

doctored a dog with a haematoma in her ear,

poor Abby felt miserable, but she got to be inside

helped some friends pack so they could move to Texas, gone on vacation, given lots of pony-rides, put in our garden, and more.

Poco and I also had a birthday.

my dairy-free Chocolate Truffle Cake

We've also had a few horsey incidents. Poco had an eye infection, then Peg got a strange, unexplained leg injury that caused his whole lower leg to swell (He is better now, thank the Lord.). Rusty is struggling with his summer heaves. Poco apparently had an encounter with a poisonous snake, and she has a nasty bite on her belly. Thankfully, Buddy and Jack are healthy and well. All of them are looking really nice now that they have their summer coats. There are dapples on Jack's sleek, dun sides. He is such a pretty boy.

I am sorry I have not been regular in my blog posting. I hope to do a better job in future.

Home Again: Part Two

Daddy, Annie, and me walking down the trail


After our backpacking trip, we went to the airport and picked up Momma. We got settled in at the chalet, which was called Southern Exposure. Southern Exposure is a pretty nice chalet, but one of the best features (at least in my opinion) is that the National Park boundary is a few feet from the back door. The park was practically our back yard. We were all excited to look out the back door one morning and see a juvenile black bear. He was apparently attracted by the Jimmy Dean sausages Momma was cooking for Daddy's breakfast. Our rush to the window startled him, and he quickly left. Momma and I saw him one other morning, as well. On two evenings, we heard howling right outside the house. It was a pack of red wolves or perhaps coyotes. However, we didn't spend much time in our chalet. Most of our days were spent hiking, bringing Daddy, Annie, and me to a total of 42.7 miles and Momma to 20 miles.

Daddy and Annie on Charlie's Bunion

Our favorite hike for the week was Charlie's Bunion. It was 4 miles one way, thus 8 miles round-trip. We hiked out to a rocky outcrop from which one had almost a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. We had lunch there, and then Daddy and Annie climbed out onto the point of the rock. Momma and I, being of a more cautious temperament (and somewhat afraid of heights) took some convincing to go out there. Once we were up on the rocks, I was glad that I went. The views were amazing.

Annie and me at Charlie's Bunion

One of the views from the Bunion

Another fun hike led us to an old homesite. We were able to see the old cabin, the barn, and the springhouse. The remains of an orchard stood nearby. This cabin belonged to the Walker sisters, who stayed on in their home even after the National Park was created. I enjoyed reading about their history.

The Walker Sisters' Cabin

We also went to Chimneys picnic area and played in the stream. There are many boulders in the stream there, so many that it is possible to hop across and back without getting wet (unless you slip and fall in, like Momma did). We play in that stream every time we go to the Smokies. On our last day, we went into Gatlinburg and had dinner. We rode the skylift up and down the mountain, and we went to the top of an observation tower. It was all quite interesting. We were also able to meet up with a friend of ours who is working as a park ranger in the National Park. It was good to see her again.