Country Time Acres Blog

On Saturday, November 12, 2011 the C-Line Stables in Townsend, Delaware will host “The Nutcracker’s Stallion”. The program begins at 2:00 with a reading by author, Katie Hardiman followed by a performance by Jowana Lamb and Her Amazing Paints, Sundae and Dakota. Books are available for purchase and will be signed by the author. There will be coloring pages and gift bags for the kids. The program is free of charge and open to the public. For more information call Jowana Lamb at 302-284-9898.

       I am always amazed with the speed of technology but,  I just love Facebook!  Not only is it  great for social networking but, the photo’s and  information we can get by “sharing” is priceless.  I would like to share some of these images with my readers.  With the economy the way it is more and more people find it difficult to feed  and care for their animals. My animals are like my children so, I could never imagine having to give them away because I couldn’t feed them or had no home for them. I think that all creatures take comfort in feeling safe. It doesn’t matter what life throws at you,  things just seem to feel better in the arms of the one you love or who loves you.  This is one of the most touching photo’s I have ever seen. Here we have a man who is homeless and wants nothing for himself but, wants food for his puppies. Those puppies feel safe and find comfort in the arms of this man.  It is a shame that we live in one of richest countries in the world and yet we have people living on the streets. Bless this man and his puppies. I hope they find compassion from their fellow neighbors and may their be plenty of food and shelter for them. May we all be inspired by this photo.

This photo can be found on Facebook: I’m a stray. I’m worth loving. Owner of the photo is unknown. If the owner of this photo wants it removed or a credit for sharing please contact Jowana Lamb.

The new years gives us the opportunity to focus on new beginnings.

Two weeks have already passed into the new year. My, how time flies. Last year had it’s ups and downs but, I survived yet another year. One of the highlites was the arrival of my grandson, Kaidyn. I now have two gradsons who both are the light of  my life. I was very successful n reaching my fitness goal of losing 10 pounds. With lots of exercise and some drastic diet changes I lost 20 pounds and am the same size I was when I was first married some 30 years ago.  Terry took a job as a manager of a fitness center which lead to my new career as an instructor and salesperson for the same center. Over the past six months I have acheived certification in group fitness, step, core strength and kick boxing. Which leads to this years goals.  Physically, I feel more fit than I have in years but, I can’t honestly say the same for my mental health. Over the years I feel that I have been getting so involved in the goals and dreams of others that I no longer know what I want out of life. All of my time has been spent going to work and doing housework. My life was becoming to boreing!! I wrote a list of all the things I loved to do that I no longer had time for. What an eye opener. Such things as playing the piano, sewing, cake decorating, scrapbooking and the list went on. The worst thing was no time for my horses. They are my passion, my dream. When I am performing with them I am happy. I could not let this go on. While the weather is cold I have made it my mission to get my house in order and when the weather permits, to hell with the house work. It’s time to play! George Bernard Shaw says ” We don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing.

Makhi enjoys being a big brother.

Grandparents are important people in a child’s life.

I always wanted a big family with lots of kids. My daughter’s, Jenna and Tracy are my world. Terry and I didn’t really have grandparents that were a part  of our life. We had hoped our parents would be different but, it didn’t turn out quite the way we invisioned. Oh, our parents were there but, they didn’t really spend much quality time with the girls. Tracy’s boyfriend, Leon has a son, Makhi and he is  our unofficial grandson. It was hard to get close to him for fear some judge would yank him from our lives. It’s a complicated situation. I am sure it’s hard for a woman to be a mother to a child she really has no say over. Now that Tracy is a mother I hope that she and her family can settle down into a somewhat normal routine. Once a week I get Makhi and we spend the afternoon playing games, doing puzzles, cooking and grooming horses. He will start school next week and I will miss this special time. I want to be a positive influence on his life, someone he can depend on and someone he has many happy memories of. Now we will share that time with his brother, Kaidyn. It doesn’t matter how many grandchildren there are, each will be special in some way and I will have that something special we like to do together. Some people don’t like being grandparents because it makes them feel old.  I feel the opposite, children keep us young. We don’t stop playing because we get old, we grow old because we stop playing. “George Bernard Shaw”.  Did you visit?  Leave a comment!!!

Foals, Summer and Libby enjoy playtime.

Yesterday, I returned to Whirlly Bird Farm to help Elaine and her sons with their horses and to check on their progress. A few weeks ago I played with 2 week old Summer (the white one) and was able to play with a string and almost got her haltered. During this visit she came to me within a few minutes. Our shy little foal, Libby wouldn’t get close enough to touch but did get within a few feet of me. The two foals enjoy playtime away from their mothers. I also got to see the newest arrival, Sadie who was just a few hours old. It was extremely hot and both mother and foal were due for some much needed rest.

During this visit I played with two of their miniature horses demonstrating the use of the friendly game with a carrot stick, the porcupine game to move the front and backend of the horse, moving the backend with a carrot stick and backing the horse up with the stick and using the porcupine game. I also demonstrated the yo-yo game. With all these babies there will be plenty of playtime projects and Elaine and the boys will continue to work on haltering so they can begin leading the mothers and foals around the pasture. The best thing about this family is they aren’t in a hurry and understand that’s so important in the building of any relationship. I look forward to hearing their progress and my next visit.  Did you visit?  Leave a comment!

Playing the friendly game with the halter.

Fourty five minutes later I was able to touch Lady all over.

A few weeks ago my friend, Elaine asked me if I could help her with a few of her horses. She had two mares (miniature horses) that each had foals. Breezy had a two week old foal and Lady’s was four weeks old. Lady had been neglected, she didn’t like being touched and her foal wouldn’t let anyone near her. I am a firm believer in natural horsemanship and find that Pat Parelli’s seven games is the best place to start. All games begin with the friendly game. If we are to build a relationship with the horse they must first know we do not intend to hurt them. I began by playing with Breezy, first by rubbing her all over with my hand. When I went to pass behind her she turned. This tells me the horse does not trust me. When this happens I go back to the beginning, starting at the head and play the game until she lets me go all the way around her.After sucessfully playing the game with my hand  I played it with a savvy string and with a rope halter. While playing with her I played with her baby Summer too. Playing with her feet and legs is important and eventually I was able to get the halter on her foal. I didn’t tie it, I will save that for another day when she is more comfortable with the idea.

Lady on the other hand was a different story. I let her and her foal stay in the pen while I worked with the other horses. From time to time I would get close enough to let her sniff my hand. I never let her know I wanted to touch her, it had to be her idea. Eventually I was able to touch her face and then rub her on her body and even hug her. Libby, her foal wouldn’t let me to close.  While hugging her mother I would stroke her back gently and then take my hand away. The idea was to get her use to being touched without asking for to much.  Elaine, was quite emotional when she saw me with Lady. She really wanted to get close to her horse. If we take small steps it will make a huge difference in the relationship with our horse.  That night Elaine and her son went out to play with the horses. While she was successful with Summer and Breezy she was quite upset that  after almost an hour of trying, Lady wouldn’t let her near. She wanted to be with this horse so much that she didn’t realize the pressure she was putting on her. It’s like when someone is giving you a dirty look or starring at you, you can feel the pressure without them even touching you. Once she understood this she tried again and was more successful. I look forward to more stories about the horses of Whirlly Bird Farms.   Did you visit?  Leave a comment!

The girls of Country Time 4-H love spending time in the kitchen!

Need a cool dessert Fast? Grab a cup and some cookie dough!

We all know what it’s like when you suddenly need a cool idea for a special treat and don’t have much time to make it. This recipe uses an 18 ounce roll of refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough, 36 miniature Snickers bars, baking cups and a can of chocolate frosting.

Heat oven to 375. For each cookie cup wrap a heaping teaspoon of cookie dough around  1 candy bar, enclosing it almost completely and forming a ball. Place in a paper baking cup. Place cups on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Centers will sink slightly. Cool 1 minute and remove from cookie sheet, cool 15 minutes. Spoon chocolate frosting into pastry bag  with a star tip and pipe frosting on top of each cup.

I didn’t get any where near 36 cups out of this recipe but, they were so good it didn’t matter. They were gone the minute they hit the table!!!  Did you visit?  Leave a comment!

Sometimes it is very difficult to be a nice person. We are all surrounded by evil and pressured by work, family and society to do things that really aren’t in our character just to fit in or survive.  Sometimes I stop to take a good look at the situation and myself and ask “Is this the person I really want to be? Or is this the way people really see me and if it’s so, what am I going to do to change it?”  Recently I did an event at the elementary school  my children attended and where I served as a P.T.A. President. I told my husband, Terry that I saw some of the teachers who were there when I was there and that not one of them spoke to me, said hello or even thanked me for coming to the event. He said ” Well no wonder, those teachers hated you!”  So, I thought about it.  When I took the office as President no one else wanted it. I knew that not everyone would like the job I did but, I put my a full effort into the job. And it was a job. Why shouldn’t they have  hated me?  After all, I worked 40 hours a week as a volunteer, in the classroom, helping in the library, planning events, raising thousands of dollars and teaching dance classes. When I look in the mirror what do I see? That after 15 years nothing has changed. Those few teachers are still as mean and snotty as ever and here I am, at their school as a volunteer, helping to make thier event a success and servicing their students.  What I discovered is that even though those people made every effort to make my life miserable, I didn’t let that change me. I am only human and I certainly wasn’t perfect but, I can live with that. I am a good person!

When the world says, “Give up, Hope whispers, ‘try it one more time.” ” Unknown”.   I believe that kindness and patience and faith are more powerful than negativity. “Buck Brannaman”.  Thank you for visiting.

Handmade gifts are always special.

Ok, I hear this every Christmas, I’m not giving out cards this year. Once I buy the stamps and the cards it’s just  too expensive. Here is my thought on this. First of all, I know that Christmas comes every year . You are probably going to get one card from me this year and Christmas will be it. I purchase my cards after Christmas or when they are on sale. I  purchase my special horse cards in October. Then I start buying stamps as soon as the Christmas ones are available. This year I got a call from my friend, Carol Deas telling me what a beautiful card she had received from me. Nothing makes your day like going to the mailbox and getting those cards. Forget the e-cards, sure you can send them all with the click of a button but, oh, how impersonal!  During Christmas mine are strung across the livingroom wall. Those cards are as much a part of my holiday tradition as the Christmas tree. So, prepare for next year, I hear the cost of stamps aren’t going up. For the cost of about a dollar or a little bit more you can send a greeting that will warm the entire household and tell everyone just how much you care.

Did you visit?  Leave a comment. Don’t forget to check the side bar Pages/Events 2010 for performances and store showings. happy New Year!!!

The bond of love ties a family together.

Well, in a few hours my daughter Jenna, will be on a plane flying back to California. When will I see her again, I really don’t know. I can not imagine a Christmas without her but, I don’t want every Christmas to end with the gloom of saying goodbye. Sometimes it’s hard being a mother. For twenty years my whole life rotated around my children. Then suddenly, they are all grown up and making a life of their own. One even moves to the other side of the country, how do you deal with that? You want your  child to be happy; to grown and the only way to do that is to let go. Even if it is breaking your heart. You don’t want them to feel guilty for leaving you but, now there is a emptiness. Everytime something good happens it ends with, “Gosh, I wish Jenna was here” or “My mom would have loved this”. You wait for her calls but, it’s just not the same. The only way to share your excitement is through pictures on your blog or video’s on You-Tube. When she is sad or hurting the only comfort you can give is the sound of your voice when all you really want to do is give her a hug. Modern technology is great, the telephone and web-cam are “the next thing to being there” but, the reality is, you just want to be there. Out of sight out of mind, the farther away she is the less I will see her, until one day she is just a figure in the background; that family member we “don’t see very often”. At some time or another we all face that question of moving away. Maybe it’s a job or great opportunity. I would love milder winters and more room for my horses but, I keep coming back to the same thing. Just as being a mother was important to me, so is being a grandmother. I didn’t have grandparents in my life. I want to see their first ballgames and schoolplays. To teach them to ride and care for a horse and do simple things like picking tomatoes from the garden and playing Go Fish.  The family tie is like the bow we tie our shoes with. The loop is the members that leave and come back, the string,the  ones that want the connection of family without the committment and in the center is that tight little knot, the mother and father that hold the family together, no matter what. In the end we only want one thing, to love our children and to be a part of their life and we will do that in what ever manner we have to. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to be a mother, but it’s the most important thing I will ever be. Of all things great and small, a mother’s love is best of all “Unknown”.

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