Prepping for the Weekend

Almost a month ago, I went to a local fun show to snap some pics, get my name out & have a little larf. The feedback I got from the kids & adults I snapped pics of was very encouraging, so - I'm headed back this weeked to do it all over again! My plan is basically to take pics for nearly ALL of the 4th of July weekend. Between snapping pics of my kiddos, the horse kids, and the fireworks, I should have puh-lenty to edit come monday.

Last month, I showed up a hair late for the beginning of the festivities, but did manage to get a few good pictures of the kids doing showmanship, and some of the pleasure classes. Some of my favorites from that part of the day were the ones waiting to show - like this girl here....

She looked so intent on what was going on in the arena. So serious.
At some point, there were a couple horses being ridden by kids that I know, who apparently wanted to say hello to me - so I snapped their pics too. Check out the eyelashes. what fun!!


And the glassy-glossy reflection - you can see my flannel shirt, and another horse in this one's eye. Wild.

Of course, some were just plain tired of all of it. This boy cracked me up. I swear to you, when I crept up to snap a few pics, I did NOT wake him up. I'm somewhat sure he was snoring as I left. Yes, horses snore .... some of them.


I got a much better pic of this little girl and her horse (the one ON the horse, that is) but already, I'm getting picture heavy here.

Some were a little anxious from time to time....


No good reason to put this one in here, other than to say that this boy was a stud not too long ago. Not just any stud. The daddy to the two foals I raised here on the farm. I am particulary fond of him. Hims a good boy.

And, of course, there were lots of pics to be taken in the speed classes. This girl was one of my favorites of the day .... she turned the barrels right, didn't look too aggressive or scared during the run, didn't whip her horse (that I saw), and the color scheme she chose flowed well with both her & her horse's coloring. You don't think that matters? Oh, it does. To me anyhow. Look at the important parts of the picture. Really. Her expression is concentration. She is sitting well in the seat, not leaning too far one way or the other, good loose rein, and as a result - a willing, ready to please horse. Look at his ears. They are bright, and attentive, one locked on to her looking for her cues. Great.

There were actually, quite a few good shots that day. Just about every rider I snapped gave up at least one good shot.

Anyhow, I'm getting ready to do it all over again.

Stay tuned for more!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend started out exactly as it should have -- once it got started. I didn't get a sitter, so I couldn't go down to the big car show and snap pics of hot rods like I wanted to so so SO badly. However, that didn't mean I couldn't snap some pictures!
For instance, we had a lot of these this weekend.

Yep. Not much comes close to the first few fresh local crops. We had asparagus, and now we're getting into the good stuff. Fresh, still warm from the field Michigan strawberries ... yum.
The boys had some - surprisingly, even Big guy got in on the picture - he doesn't like to eat fruit or veggies. It's a struggle. But, with a little powdered sugar, apparently, they're ok.

Little guy was doing fine. Must have had 5 or 6 before big mean ol' Daddy cut him off. It was ugly. As seen below. Please, pay no attention to the strawberry juice dripping off his widdle face.

His Dad was not prepared for his tenacity. He just climbed up on him & TOOK another berry. Bit his Dad trying to get it. Then we got this look ...

Kinda looks like 'Yeah, Dad, that's what I thought!'

So he gave up and fed him a few more.

Memorial Day, we had a special moment that just kinda came together fast. I ran out of the house barefooted with my camera to snap these. Gramma was going to take a ride in the Model T. She hasn't wanted to get out of the house since last fall, so this was big. And in the T. WOW.

Got a couple shots with Big guy on the running boards, I liked this one best - Gramma's laugh is so easy & carefree.


They had to do a quick check on the T at the barn then off they went. I got this from a strategic spot.

Hit the brakes (no one was anywhere near me at all) and snapped this as they turned the corner... I love that car. It's wicked crazy to drive, but very very cool.

This is Red Arrow Highway. No joke - the old girl was clocked at a solid 40mph. I'm thinkin' she'd do more if she got a good tune up. Dad is working on it. I'm trying to get him to let me help.

Finally, at the cemetary. That's where we were headed. To visit my Grampa's grave, which had just been decorated the day before by Dad with the flowers I picked out. I miss him every day. He was a WW2 navy vet that saw just about every battle in the pacific, and was on the beach after the bomb went off in Hiroshima. He passed away from Cancer the day of our Wedding reception. I see a lot of him in our youngest.

This is my Uncle Don's stone. He was just about to graduate from HS with a full scholarship to Texas A&M for Music when he died from his injuries from a tragic car accident. I hope the other person responsible for his death is still haunted by their carelessness & disregard. It nearly destroyed both of my grandparents & my Dad.

Got a lovely one of Gramma looking towards the headstones. Though, it is hard to see her with the glare on the windshield. That's Dad getting water for the flowers in the back ground.

The two of them - love them both so terribly much. Gramma was smiling the whole time from what I saw.

On the way home, I hit the brakes again to catch this one, with Gram's arm hangin' out the window, enjoying her little trip.

Turning down our road towards the old family farm.

It was a wild day after that. We'd rushed at the cemetary because of the thunder rolling around. Dad didn't want to get caught in the weather with the old car. (it's a 1927, in case you wondered)

Grampa had refurbished it a few years before I was born, so it's always been a part of our family. It's always been there. And, it's hard to hear that old engine chuggin' away without thinking of Grampa, and his perfect imitation of it.

The only thing that can stop me crying is when Dad hits the Aaooga horn. Yep. that did it.

Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and had a chance to thank a veteran. They are the reason we can do as we please. God Bless the U.S. Military, and the ones that never came home.

Ugh .... High School Reunions.

A friend posted on FB yesterday her contemplations of possibly going to her HS Reunion. Boy, did that get me thinkin'. I went to our 10 year reunion a few years back, with a friend that really really wanted to go. I however, really, really, really did NOT. But, I love her, and know how much it meant to her to go, so we did. What a freaking laugh fest. It was (apparently) billed as a tail gate party at the school's big homecoming game. I wouldn't know, because I wasn't actually invited. I thought to myself - that's not too bad. Maybe these people have relaxed a little, you know - gotten more down to earth. I should have known better. To me, a tail gate party is just that - grills, coolers - in the parking lot. Maybe a boom box. No. These people catered it, and held it in the cafeteria. Really? WOW. Whoever planned it - wow. Ya sure lived up to Lakeshore's reputation. That's all I'm going to say.

Yikes. How many of you reading this knows what the hell that thing is? If you don't that's my old school mascot. It's a lancer. No, not a knight. A lancer. Medieval re-enactors are rolling their eyes somewhere, I'm sure.
This was/is one of the biggest schools in the area. They have great programs for college bound kids that are overly focused on academics. As you can tell, I was not one of them. I entered my rebellious stage early. Some time in elementary school, I think. No, maybe it was at birth. I don't know. either way, I did not like being told what I should be/what I should do/how I should think. That in it's own could have made life at this particular school system hell.
But, I was WAY too stubborn for that.
***note to people thinking about putting their child in this school system - if your kid is extremely competitive this is SO the school for them. IF they are extremely sensitive - please, for their sake, look elsewhere. There is a ridiculously high population of these predatory creatures.

Evil little fashionista wanna bees that generally need their butt's kicked. Hmmm. They never bothered me much. Probably because I once (okay, maybe twice) threatened to swing them around by their hair if they crossed me.

Of course, I was not a high style kinda girl. I wasn't even trendy. I have dressed in a similar style since I was a kid, all through HS, and still to this day, pretty much dress in the same manner. Around here, it's always been a generally accepted look. So, it was quite unfortunate for me when during my tender teenage years, the grunge look came in.

First off - who the hell decided to call it GRUNGE??? It's not grungy. It's comfy. It's layered. Warm. Sure, it can be a little eclectic, but wtf? Everyone I knew took regular showers, so where is it grungy??

Let me explain my general Michigan style. Cuz, It needs to be explained, because it's not grungy.
I wore/wear my hair long. I never never styled it. Hell, I was lucky if it stayed brushed from my room to the car. I did not, and still do not own a hairdryer, or curling iron. No hairspray either. No product at all, in fact.

I wore concert tees from my favorite bands. This one was my favorite, bar none. For the record, I rarely wear concert shirts any more. I stick now to plain colors, or snarky one liners.

A big baggy flannel shirt that my Dad could quite comfortably wear was a MUST. The better to hide in, my dear. So functional. And, necessary in Michigan. You see, it can be 30 in the morning, 68 by noon - 80 by 3, and near freezing after dark. And it's May, folks. Ya need to LAYER.

Red is the standard 'I'm a hunter' color. I have 3. Love them all. I sport one much like this nowadays. My favorite one at the moment has a cream colored back ground with several different browns as the stripes. I ADORE it!!

Torn up jeans were a must have for me. However, as I said - I was not being stylish. I bought my jeans whole. I wore them whole until they got a hole --- then I kept wearing them until they were completely shredded. I remember my dad BEGGING to take me to the mall to buy me new clothes because he hated my jeans. I usually refused. I hated clothes shopping. Still do.

However, I generally toss the torn jeans nowadays. Too many biting flies out at the horse barn. Don't want to make it too easy for them.

BLACK Converse Chuck Taylor's All Stars were a daily MUST. THIS is the one thing that I came on from the group I hung with - the only thing that I picked up in High School from someone else. Before that, I wore work boots, tennis shoes or cowboy boots.

The thing about these Chuckies - to me they are absolutley irresistable to NOT write on. I had song lyrics on my toes, down the sides of the rubber strip, on the heels, insides of the shoe on the white canvas - on the star logo.... and then there was the paint. These shoes were incredibly embarrasing to me unless I had a little paint on them. By the time I was done, they were undeniably mine. Paint splatters, worn out ink pen lyrics & poems, sayings & even friendly teachers would add to my shoe graffiti. I guess they thought if I was doing it to my shoes, I wasn't doing it anywhere else.

Mine were always black. In retrospect, I should have embraced the colors. If I did, it's very likely that I would have a collection much like this guy right here.

I wasn't a bad kid. I kept my head down, minded my own business unless someone tried to hassle me, or a close friend. Never did my homework, but aced all the tests - so, passed with solid C's most of the time. I was never interested in sports, which, in that school, is like an automatic snub from both kids & teachers. It's almost like they think non-athletes are automatically trouble makers. I was artsy, but tough. Didn't do drugs, didn't drink, didn't date - I'd had offers on all 3, I just chose not to. More than can be said for those 'squeaky clean' athlete types.

*sigh*

As I type this, I am more confused than ever as to why anyone would want to relive their High School experience. I don't care how happy you were in HS, that was an awful awkward self absorbed point of life for everyone that lived through it. WHY? WHY would you want to go back to it?
I have no plans to attend another HS reunion. Those that are worth talking to, I talk to. I get theses lovely updates on Facebook from the people that I think were/are nice. And, to our class's credit - that's most of them. I would love to get with any of them individually, but a formal at the school kind of function? NO THANKS. No disrespect to those that love them, but I never was one for large school functions.

Homeschooling Is Fun-ny.

This is the face I got a little bit ago. This is his "I-am-so-not-happy-right-now" look. It shouldn't but it cracks me up. Here was how our conversation went:
Big Boy: 'Do I have to do more Swedish right now?'
Big Mean Mommy: 'Yes, keep going - you're doing great!'
Big Boy: ' But Mom, this is hard.'
Big Mean Mommy: ' I know honey, but you really are doing great. Just keep repeating it back when they say it. You'll get it fast.'
Big Boy: 'But, I got like, 6 wrong. I stink at this.'
Big Mean Mommy: 'How many questions were there?'
Big Boy: 'I think it said there was 62. But I got 6 wrong!!!!'
(he was very upset. Have I mentioned he's a perfectionist?)
Big Mean Mommy: 'Honey, that's great!
Big Boy: 'No it's not. I got 6 wrong. Why are we learning Swedish anyhow? Why can't we learn Paris?' (French, people. He was refering to French.)
Big Mean Mommy: 'Because it's what some of Mommy's ancestors spoke, and I think we should learn it too. It's pretty'.
Big Boy:'Paris talk is pretty too.'
Big Mean Mommy: 'Yes, it is, but I can't yell at you in public in French. Too many people know French in this part of the world. I can get mad in Swedish and only you, me & your brother will know what the hell I'm saying. So study up.'

He is doing well, and he's quite proud of himself. He shows off to his dad all the time.

As would be natural, he wanted to know where Sweden was, and if it had any volcanoes. So we checked the map.....Yep. There it is. I couldn't find any volcanic info, though .... google has failed me before.

While I was at it, I showed him where our 'cousin' Anne lives in Sweden. It's a tiny little town to the extreme south, near Denmark. But, lets face it. A map doesn't always give you a feel for a place. So I found a few pics from the Skane reigon. Now, tell me - who wouldn't want to visit this place - especially during harvest time???

I could SO live here. Except for the whole crazy-gun control thing. Yeah, that wouldn't fly too well with me. Otherwise.... Yowza! See .... that could be MY little red house, tucked into the pretty pretty yellow field, with the forests in the background!

Thankfully, I think I still have a few years before I need to use Swedish girls' infamously famous good looks *ahem, ahem* as bait for him to continue his scholarly endeavors into Svenska. But when I do, that's one area I'm sure Google will not fail me. Oy.

My Lovely Lady Memorial Project

Quite a while back, I talked about my crazy psycho redhead horse that eventually had to be put down. If you missed it, and have no idea what I'm talking about now - here's a link for ya. Just be sure you have time to read all 5 parts - or stop at 4 and forget number 5 ever happened. That's fine too. Bring a tissue if you're into horse operas. http://qtswede.blogspot.com/2009/08/lady-part-one.html

Anyhow, the truth is - I finished my rough sketch quite a while ago. Check out the date in the corner of the last photo, near her neck.
Yeah. It's been a little while.
I thought I should share these here, and mention that I have yet to decide if this should be watercolor or oil paint, or if I should transfer this contour/line drawing to a nicer sheet of paper and just finish it out as a drawing. If you have an opinion, chuck it at me! I am kind of stuck!

I made her eye a little softer than it was in real life. I like to imagine she's not stressed out in the hereafter/heaven/whatever you believe in.

I focused on that dang crooked blaze for all of about 15 minutes. I can't express it's weirdness in a line drawing anymore than I have. You can't tell, but the inside of that nostril is black.

I kind of left the mane out at this point, short of it's general shape - mostly because, well.... she wasn't chestnut as I was taught. Chestnut is kind of the same color mane, body & tail, and she had just about every color in the horsey rainbow in her mane & tail. That, I was told, was Sorrel. Sorrel is kind of hard to paint/draw because you want to find the definition between the different colors - but you can't, because they aren't clumped up. It's kind of irritating when you're in that super-focused-need-to-get-it-just-right mode.

Overall, I think I have a solid start, but do I go with the laid back near translucent glow that comes from watercolors, or the deep, radiating warmth that only oil paints can exude?

Or should I scrap the idea of either in favor of a black & while highly intensive contour/line drawing shaded from here to Tecumseh? I feel the need for color. Ugh. This stinks.