Herd increases

Not the best of photos, but my horse herd multiplied a bit yesterday, and NO STALLS TO CLEAN. Actually, before I get on with this herd, it's nice to announce that I received a good report from the Spokane Equestrian Center boot camp Wednesday evening.

Both Lily and Lefty are doing okay. Both have learned a few pointers about "my space - your space," and Lily fetish for pawing the surface while tied is meeting with resistance. Monty says both are "legging up" on the horse walkers, and Lily has been instructed that five rounds is not sufficient. She must do more. No surprises. Monty says it's boot came, and they're both working hard. The dogs and I miss 'em a lot.

Now for the herd above. The Painted Ponies were already there. My cousin Barb from Phoenix introduced these wonderful equine collectors' items to me with the horse on the right. I bought the Appaloosa a couple of years ago in Phoenix Airport. Since then, I've been buying them for my sisters.

The rest of the herd showed up yesterday, thanks to my dear friend Shirley. And, of course, there's a story to tell. When we moved to the Lovestead here in Selle, we left our home of 30 years over on Great Northern Road near the airport. That place, with its beautiful classic red barn, once belonged to a man named Ed Senft. His wife was a teacher.

My mother first got to know Ed over the fences, when she moved us out to the North Boyer farm in 1950. Ed's place bordered our 40 acres. It got split up over the years after Ed and his wife moved to town and lived out their years in a home near Shirley's. We always referred to our place as either the Senft place or the Crape place. Calvin Crape, a horse logger, owned it before us.

Anyway, both Ed and his wife are gone now, and I've had the pleasure of serving on a committee which awards healthy scholarships to SHS grads who want to go into teaching. The fund comes from Mrs. Senft's estate, and Shirley oversees it.

A while back, Shirley called and said she'd found a box of horse figurines among the Senft belongings. She wanted it to go to someone who would appreciate it. Yes, I told her, I would very much appreciate it because I do love all things horses---and to have something of additional historical significance to me and my family would be an honor.

So, Shirley hauled the horses in their shoebox container to Slate's yesterday and handed them over. I'm guessing they have to be at least 60 years old. Long lives for horses! And live they will forever among the Lovestead menagerie of critters and collectibles. Thank you so much, Shirley. I guarantee you'll never have to call out the human society or PETA, cuz I'll take good care of these horses. And, I'm sure Annie will afterward---especially cuz she won't have to shovel up after them.