MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH

July 19th,  2010

Life seems to go by so very fast these days ( I guess that is a sign of growing older). It seems as if the summer just began and now we are about 3 ½ weeks away from school starting. I will not be ready for the kids to return again this year because I truly enjoy having them home during the summer months.

It is hot in Oklahoma this time of year and the donkeys seem to be taking it all in stride. The maternity ward looks like it could explode any minute with new babies. I am sure when they start we will have several foals all at once.

Shane is doing an amazing job at the riding pen. We have several new saddle donkeys ready to go. I am constantly amazed at his common sense approach to breaking the donkeys. Becca’s donkey Patty needed some time under harness so Shane had one of the Cowboys cut thistles while bugging Patty around the farm. I think He must have taken some lessons from his Uncle Bill about killing two birds with one stone. Shane has been taking Becca, Dozer, Wesley, Kimber, Nancy, and whoever else happens to be here on any given day out on the trail for two to three hours about three days a week. The kids have a blast picking blackberries, plums, peaches, or raspberries during a break on the trail. The sure come home with some tall tales. What great adventures they have and what wonderful memories they are creating. The donkeys get some hours under saddle and it is good all of the way around.

The Great Celebration in Shelbyville has come and gone this year. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed our new stalls, which worked out great for us. We got to see many friends that we had not seen in a long time and everyone was truly pleased to see Dozer looking so well. He had a treatment on Thursday of that week, so He felt really rough during the trip, but He was Cowboy Tough and competed in the pleasure class on Friday.

We will be attending a show in Ft. Smith Arkansas the first weekend in August. The Missouri State Fair will be in August as well and then The Texas State Fair the first weekend in October.

Dozer is now three months into his immunization treatment therapy at The Children’s Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh. We have three more months to go every three weeks and then we will be going every six weeks for up to two years. He will have another MRI the first part of August and we are praying for it to be clean and clear. He is doing amazingly well and we feel so very blessed. His passion at living life to the fullest amazes me daily. Please continue to remember Dozer in your daily prayers.

MEANWHILE WE ARE LIVING LIFE, BACK AT THE RANCH!