We've Moved----->

Hot diggity dog--I did it! I did my first post on the new site. With my new-found confidence and knowledge, I guess it is time to bid this blogger site adieu. I'm not going to remove this blog because I'm too sentimental, but new posts will now be found at ggyr.org. Some thoughts as I depart:

• Sniff, sniff--Blogger, you've been mighty good to me. Thanks for the free posting privileges.
• Cindy, thank you for working countless hours creating the perfect site for us. We love it and all the beautiful details (did you see "Meet Our Horses" tab?) you've poured in. Cute stuff!! We love you and cannot thank you enough!
• Kurt, thanks for creating and maintaining our former website these last two years. You came to us offering your services, free of charge, and really got the ball rolling by getting GGYR into the website world. We appreciate you patience, advice, hard work and friendship! We could not have done it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
• Readers, I know change is hard for some of us. I usually complain and kick and whine when I see someone has started a new blog when I am already used to their old one. Take comfort in the fact that I know your pain. But, this new site will be a great thing for me and the ranch in general. It will be so much easier to steer people to ONE location instead of saying, "Well, the website is. . . and the blog is . . ." ggyr.org and we're done!
• When (ha!) you leave a comment on the new site for the first time, your comment will not appear until I approve it. After that happens, your future comments should appear right away.
• Cindy imported almost all the posts from this blog into the new one including comments.
• That being said, if you happen to come back here and comment for some reason, I'll still get an email alert from Blogger.
• Big pictures! Fun.
• Change is good. Let's go out and embrace it.

Wonder if this sets the record for the longest post telling people to update their bookmarks to a new site?!

Remember, ggyr.org. I'll see you there.

I Love Nice People

Galloping Grace exists because so many people give of themselves to make it work. We simply cannot thank them enough for helping us make this ranch a reality. Tonight, just a few for you to appreciate with me.

Patrick and Rosslyn . Cold days, windy days--they were there watering trees. Any time we saw them, they had huge smiles on their faces. If any of you know them, please thank them for all they did for GGYR. We miss them but sure appreciate the time they were able to volunteer.

I love Dan and Betty. I love this picture of Dan and Betty. Love. Love. Love. If you've had the pleasure of meeting them, you know what I'm talking about. Any time they are able to help out at GGYR, we are so thankful.
And that Cindy girl--
She moved far, far away because we discovered her amazing Photoshop talents and used them quite frequently. Cindy, thanks for all you did (and still do via email!!)

I'm sure this post won't get many comments because you all just like the posts that disgust. (You sickos.) If I had something nasty to say about any of the above, I'd throw it in. Sadly, they are just wonderful!! If you have any dirt on any of these people I think are so nice, make sure you let me know. ;)

Happy sappy day to you and yours.

Band Of Brothers

Readers that have been with this blog for the long haul, you probably remember all the pictures of our dog Hank when he was a puppy. What an adorable creature he was!

Jason and Cindy, former GGYR volunteers before they so rudely moved, really liked Hank. Since they were in the market for a new golden, they were excited to learn Hank's breeders were selling more puppies. (Apparently, Hank's mom has been around the block a few times.) Jason and Cindy got their very own adorably precious fur ball. One day this past summer, they brought their little Riley out to meet his big bro. Hank was friendly, but aloof. He had to play it cool with the kid.
Riley just wanted a little love. It was only months before Hank was acting the same way. I think he saw what was coming.

Puppy pile!
Love hurts.

Hank, will you always be my big brother?
Well Riley, I wish I could say yes. In a couple short months your owners are going to whisk you away to some overly humid state to live the remainder of your days. This one day will be our only chance to bond.
Be a good boy and enjoy the ocean for me. I'm going to stay here and chase jackrabbits and roll in horse poop.

And so it was, their only day to know one another. I hate to leave you with a sad ending like this. If you find yourself disappointed, please feel free to blame Jason and Cindy. It is their fault.

The End.

Blessings Abound!

My dear Nancy showed up tonight with a lot of new friends for us to love. Yep, she found several scarecrows on sale and bought them for us to use at the pumpkin stand next year. There were wee ones, big ones, crow ones--a whole lot of fun. Nancy, thanks for the donation. They will bring smiles to many faces next season and make our stand look great at the same time. We love you.

Max got a call a couple weeks back from a lady willing to donate a horse trailer to us. Max, Trish and I got so excited! That was definitely an answer to a prayer. Today was the day we got to meet the sweet lady.

Cindy, her husband, and her mother moved to NM from Iowa. (They just got into town this weekend.) She now lives in a neighborhood where she will not be able to have a horse. When I asked her how she heard about us she replied, "It's a God thing." I told her I knew that, but wondered exactly it came about. :)
She said several weeks back a friend emailed her a link about Galloping Grace. Cindy, our new generous friend, didn't open it. She was busy with so many other things. When she did finally open it, she got chills! Cindy knew then what she wanted to do with her horse trailer she could no longer use--give it to us! She has a friend in Colorado with a similar program, also inspired by Crystal Peaks. She also has a family member (I think) who met with the founder of Crystal Peaks one day for several hours.

Cindy said she later called the friend that had sent her the email and asked why she had. The lady just responded, "I thought you might be interested." The neat thing to me about this story is that the friend of Cindy didn't even know us. She had seen something about GG hanging at the library. ???? I don't even know what that was. It could have been a flier for the pumpkin patch hung by one of our volunteers, Maddie, who also volunteers at the library. Small, wonderful, world.
Fantastically loved horse trailer!

I cannot end this post without telling you that Cindy is not only generous, but she can back up a horse trailer like nobody's business!!! Clearly that is not a skill only possessed by men. I know, I know--a lot of you female readers can also do the same thing. Doesn't stop me from being impressed. There are some things for which I lack zero woman's lib--backing up a horse trailer is one of them! (Also up there--carrying heavy objects and going outside in cold weather to fetch "stuff".)

Cindy and family--welcome to New Mexico! We hope you love it here. Thank you for your incredibly kind donation! We were quite serious about you volunteering at the ranch. We would love to have you.

Oh, oh--thank you to Melissa, Phoebe, and Steph for scooping so much poop today! They got together to have a poop party, a bonding if you will. Diana and David, more terrific volunteers, spent a whole entire day last week scooping and cleaning at GG during one of David's days off. Not to be left out is Maddie, another faithful feces remover. Maddie comes several times a week to help keep the ranch clean.

Our volunteers are the best ever!!! Thank you all.

Sweet. Hot. Snowy. Snuggie!

Max and I both just awoke in the living room--3:37 AM. Guess our little viewing of a 30 minute program (The Office) was more than we could handle. Ah, the life of pumpkin pushers. I'm thinking how boring our November will be. If this post wanders, has type-os, or is just plain boring, please find it in your beating hearts to forgive. I fear I'm still half asleep. I press on. . .

Birthday morning found me surrounded by mouth-watering baked goods. Doesn't everyone know my metabolism has almost shut down completely at my ripe ol' age? DeDee and Scott brought over a HUGE box of cookies from Flying Star, a delicious bakery/restaurant, for all of our snacking pleasure. They just wanted to wish all of us a good day selling pumpkins. It was so very, very thoughtful. This isn't the first time the little cookie fairy has struck. A couple weeks ago DeDee brought bags of baked goods from Starbucks. Thank you so much!

Do you see the bag of bars? Slices of heaven, I tell ya! Dan and Betty not only showed up to help with a field trip, they also came armed with the most delicious pumpkin cheesecake bars on the planet! I think there were three or four plates of these goodies. This morning I ate the last THREE bars! They were that good! D and B, you two are precious and wonderful and I thank you!

Not finished there--Melissa and Phoebe showed up with two boxes of cupcakes from Cake Fetish. If you've ever had items from that bakery, you know they are scrumptious! She also made some interesting candy for me. I think I'll keep those pictures to myself. Melissa, you are too thoughtful. I loved them and I love you!

The next time you see me, you will have a better understanding why I've morphed into a larger version of myself. It is NOT my fault. Sugar and calories have been thrust upon me. It would be rude to not eat it all, wouldn't it?

On to matters from today.

Only a couple hours after a king, an alligator, a puppy, and Humpty Dumpty showed up to get a pumpkin and play,

we were struck by a snow storm of sorts! (OK, a brief NM snow storm, but still!) A few brave customers showed up to buy pumpkins. This particular family gave up before they got theirs, but they get points for attempting it in the first place. Cindy still had a smile on her face. It could be because she and her family are soon moving to South Carolina to sit all day on warm beaches and chuckle at far away friends selling fresh produce in a parking lot. Trish, Melissa, and I wanted to not only demonstrate the crazy conditions, but to show you Melissa's new Snuggie she so selfishly hogs while the rest of us freeze!! I think I'm going to have to go buy myself one. Yes, they appear to be larger versions of airplane blankets with sleeves thrown in for style purposes, but they are super duper warm! Cindy, Melissa, Trish and I huddled under the puny shelter waiting out the flakes. I have to admit it was a great time for me. I am blessed with incredible friends--funny, hardworking, and dedicated. We might have sneaked off to one of our cars if random customers hadn't have kept creeping in. We were all so freezing! That Melissa girl is a thinker though. She commented that we were experiencing a 911 emergency-- a true need for a police officer. She quickly whipped out her phone and called Jack, super volunteer and retired APD. She let him know we were stranded--Max just left us with all the children to take the horses back to the ranch. She asked if wouldn't he please bring hot chocolate and make it quick! Please ignore fact there were three vehicles we could have driven across the street to the gas station for all of our beverage needs. Melissa felt Jack was the man for this job.

When he showed up with six steaming cups, the sun was already appearing. He laughed at us making him do the work when any of us could have done the same thing. Melissa just pointed out that the conditions were fierce--only trained professionals should be out in such conditions. She then said, "Plus, you could drive that truck of yours through a river." How could he argue with such logic? Jack, thanks for coming to our rescue. Those cups of hot chocolate potentially saved our lives.

Well, it's getting early--already 4:50 AM. Guess I had better drag myself to bed for a bit.

And So It Began

Remember that Jason guy who took a picture of Frank in the ER as he lay there with the gaping flesh wound? Well, he came through for me once again! Jason was at the stand working (AGAIN)when these two nice people walked in and asked to buy a pumpkin. Even though we aren't officially open, Max was more than willing to take their $4 and a $1 donation. We had our first sale, and now it's documented for all the world to see. Jason, I thank you for this picture and thinking in terms of a blog post. That is one true friend.

I'd also like to thank you and your amazing family for being there for us all weekend. Thanks for helping to unload 18 big boxes on Saturday and then hanging in there in the thick of things as we picked pumpkins out of the field and then gathered corn stalks by headlight. And all that help Sunday by the five of you??! So fantastic! (Kelsey's cute shirt says, "Welcome to my Website." )

E. family, you are great friends to us and we love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Many more to thank. . .

Wind Beneath Our Wings

What a sappy title!

Do you know that panic when you're about to have hundreds of your closest friends and soon to be friends out to your place and you're scared things look a mess? Felt that before? Know what I'm sayin'?

Well, we do! The good thing is we're super lucky in the sense we have some pretty terrific compadres who show up with the poop needs scooping.

Steph, Jason, and Renee.

Darren.

Cindy and Trish--
There for us. There to rake and lift and haul it all away. There to make us presentable to society.
Thank you, loyal friends. YOU ARE THE BEST!!

And to everyone else who helped prepare for Second Saturday--Carri, Becky, Rebekah--(who am I missing? why is Max in bed? ) thank you so very much!

Adios, Poncho

The word around the ranch is that Poncho, our resident trouble maker/stud muffin, now has a new home. Sniff sniff. Yay! Sniff sniff.

I have mixed emotions. He is such a cute little horse. If looks meant anything, he should be a precious little treat. Sadly he is too much animal (think stud) to coexist near all our docile geldings. We have kindly offered him to many friends, all rudely declining our most generous gift!! (The nerve of some people!)

Because Channel 13 news came out and did a story on GG, we have been blessed with new people to the ranch. There are many new children, a man bringing around 30 bales of hay because he wanted to help, and new volunteers. One of those volunteers is the kind and talented Leah.

Leah just happens to be an incredible horse trainer who thought she might be able to lend her expertise to our equines. She took on the project of working with B. Houdini and Shorty, our skittish haflingers. There is already a marked improvement in the two.

While we were out of town over a week at our family cattle ranch, Leah was one of the volunteers feeding all the horses that had to stay behind because they couldn't/shouldn't participate in cattle drives and the like. Thanks so much, Leah! Thanks also to your family members that came out to help. I can't wait to meet them.

Good time to take a paragraph and thank the other super helpers from last week. Cindy, Jason, Grant, Logan and Kelsey also came out to feed for us. From what I've heard, they did a whole lot of poop scoopin' as well! Thanks, E family! You guys also seem to be there when we need you. Thanks also to Melissa, her hubby, and Phoebe for coming out of the blue to also scoop. How are we this fortunate? Really? There are people who just call up and offer to clean manure? Turns out there also people who show up just to scrub troughs so the horses have clean water. I'm not lying--I couldn't make this kindness up! Deborah, thanks for all your back-breaking help and trusting us with your precious daughter all last week. You two are incredible!

Oooh, I need another paragraph here. The dynamite duo of Steph and Mike, our GG neighbors, never stop helping us in some way or another! I sincerely mean that. They watch the ranch all the time since we do not live out there yet. They call and give updates and what vehicle is outside the gate, when water arrives, or if any of the horses look sick. For the last few weeks they have kept Black at their house while he recovers from a nasty sinus/tooth infection. One day Steph took him over to her place one so she could doctor his tooth and medicate him because we were going out of town. He has stayed this whole time. Nobody loves on or doctors a horse like Steph! Steph and Mike, we love you and thank you for all you do!

Third paragraph here--I can't help it--people are far too kind to us. Thanks to my sweet mama for recently not only purchasing and donating many cottonwood trees to GG, but for going out several days with your aching back to water them! Mom, we love you! The trees will be fabulous in a few years! She was met out there one day by the kind couple of Joe and Bonnie and their friend Frank. Thanks to these people for assisting in the water of our trees. (I had the pleasure of meeting Frank yesterday where I found him watering once again!) One thing I'm not sure I want to thank Joe and Bonnie for--feeding the three stray cats that suddenly reside at GG. :) That's a topic for another post.

Back to the reason for this post. Turns out Leah has always wanted a miniature horse. When Max or Trish or both offered Poncho to her, she was delighted! What are the odds?! She not only knows how to deal with him and his crazy antics, but she wants to! Tuesday night she loaded him up and hauled him away. Funny--she rode IN the trailer with Poncho back to his new home!! He will have a new purpose in life, something we couldn't give him at GG. Leah, thanks for loving our little man when we couldn't. I hope you two make beautiful music together.

Headed for Hollywood

Our pastor at church asked Max to be interviewed as part of his series about careers and doing what God calls us to do instead of being stuck in a job that makes you miserable. Wednesday was the day Max set up to be filmed and interviewed.

If you've ever been out to Galloping Grace, there's a good chance you know how windy it can get out there. Wednesday wasn't windy, it was GALE FORCE WINDS-dy! Ugh and double ugh!

I know these pictures do not do the wind justice, but you can see how unfun the dirt might have been.

Yucko!

Chris, the man filming, took a look at the conditions and asked if there was any place to get out of the wind. Hee hee. Needless to say, the interview was postponed until the following morning.
Being that he is quite the ham bone, my movie star hubby got in front of that camera and talked away . Point a camera at that man and he beams. I didn't get to hear any of it. Trish, Cindy and I decided to give him his space to shine. (Truth be told, when I asked if he wanted us to leave he said yes.)

Chris and Max said things went well. The only problem they had was Hank jumping into the shot several times. I would hear Max holler, "Hank. Call Hank." It was no easy task taking pictures of all the cute kiddos brushing horses and climbing on hay stacks and remembering to watch Hank. After all, I am only one woman. I think Cindy and Trish should have stepped in a bit more and helped me. I'm just saying.

And I'm older with a slipping memory.

And they weren't taking pictures.

And clearly I wasn't getting the job done myself.

If Max and Chris want to blame someone, they should at least consider those two gals.

After the interview, Chris wanted to take footage of children in action. What better activity than scooping poop?
After that, each of the children brushed Red and Cochise while Cindy and I stayed well on the other side of Chris's evil lens. Yep, Cindy is a little camera phobic. I didn't want to make her feel silly for being so camera shy, so I stayed with her in the rear. I am such a great friend.

His interview will play the weekend of April 18. I'll have to let you all know how it goes. Hopefully we can get a copy that can be uploaded to Blogger so you can see for yourselves. If you want to see it in person, let us know and we can all attend together. I can just see it now--Max's cheering section equipped with blow horns and cow bells! Hallelujah.

Have a fantastic week.