Piano Recital

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I have been busy researching barns and fencing, and getting ready for my piano recital. I also have to keep practicing my other instruments and keep up with my school work.

I had my piano recital on Sunday at a local nursing home. It was nice for all of us to play for the residents. They all seemed to enjoy the music. The nursing home had snacks for us after the recital.

Here is a photo my mother took of me AFTER I had played my piece. I played the old song by Simon and Garfunkle called, Scarborough Fair. I played it well, and added a little improv to the song by playing part of it in a higher octave. Once I figure out how to add audio to the blog I will post my song for you.

I don't like cameras flashing while I am playing! My mother promised me that she wouldn't take photos of me when I was playing, but someone else did anyway! The woman who was the activity director took a photo right in the middle of my piece. I had to keep playing and pretend that it didn't bother me.

Sailor and His Favorite Girl

I spent the afternoon training and grooming Sailor. Here are a few photos that you might enjoy!



I am training Sailor to follow me. I am doing this so I can enter Sailor in a "No Halter" class at a local horse show. A "No Halter" class will require Sailor to follow me without a halter on.



Taking the snarls out of Sailor's mane.



More grooming!



Sailor doesn't like crossties very much. Here I am training him to cooperate while on crossties.



Quality time!



How about a kiss?

Nature Scene

Here are some nature photos that I have taken...




Buck in the Meadow
This buck was kind enough to stand still for me!


Flowers by the Lake
Epcot
My mother says, "One can never have too many flowers." I agree!


Elephants by the Tree
Animal Kingdom, Disney World.


More Flowers by the Lake
Epcot

My Brother and Me

Here's a photo of Andrew and me. I am posting it especially for my Aunt Linda! Aunt Linda, just remember this was taken last May. Andrew and I have grown quite a bit since the photo was taken.

Swimming with Dolphins

This is a photo of my brother, Natasha, and me. My brother loved swimming with Natasha, too.





Here I am swimming with Natasha at Discovery Cove. Swimming with her was so exhilarating! Natasha swam so fast! I was pretty psyched the rest of the day.

Discovering Dolphins

Here is a photo my mother took of me and "Natasha" at Discovery Cove in Florida. Discovery Cove is one of the best places I have ever been in my life. Gorgeous scenery with flowers everywhere! The food was delicious! But the best part was being able to get upclose with the dolphins.

I have applied to a marine biology summer camp, and I hope I get accepted! You might think dolphins is an interest that I have that is unrelated to horses. It really isn't. I know a woman who got into horses after she had been a trainer at Sea World for 15 years. She went riding one day with a friend, and fell in love with horses from that one ride. She said that there were many similarities in training dolphins and horses.

The marine biology summer camp I applied to isn't really about dolphins, but I have to start somewhere! If you know about a summer camp that is just about dolphins, please write to me!

Mr. Ed's Stable

Speaking of barns...does anyone remember Mr. Ed's stable?

All I Need to Know in Life I Learned From My Horse

Several years ago there was a book called, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. The following is a take-off from that book. Please add to my list!

All I Need to Know in Life I Learned From My Horse

1. When in doubt, run far, far away.
2. You can never have too many treats.
3. Passing gas in public is nothing to be ashamed of.
4. New shoes are an absolute necessity every 6 weeks.
5. Ignore cues. They're just a prompt to do more work.
6. Everyone loves a good, wet, slobbery kiss.
7. Never run when you can jog. Never jog when you can walk. And never walk when you can stand still.
8. Heaven is eating for at least 10 hours a day... and then sleeping the rest.
10. Eat plenty of roughage.
11. Great legs and a nice rear will get you anywhere. Big, brown eyes help too.
12. When you want your way, stomp hard on the nearest foot.
13. In times of crisis, take a poop.
14. Act dumb when faced with a task you don't want to do.
15. Follow the herd. That way, you can't be singled out to take the blame.
16. A swift kick in the butt will get anyone's attention.
17. Love those who love you back, especially if they have something good to eat.

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

I spent three wonderful weeks at my grandparents house in West Virgina this past summer. I loved sitting on their porch at night watching the deer graze in the meadow and the fireflies dance along the creek. I heard owls calling to each other, and every now and then, I would see one swoop by.

Nature lovers call West Virginia the outdoor recreation capital of the East. That’s not an exaggeration! The Mountain State has world-famous whitewater rivers, great skiing, and fantastic hunting and fishing. West Virgina has the most extensive wilderness areas in the Eastern part of the US.

I love to take photographs whenever I am in West Virginia. I took this photo near Hawk's Nest, and is a good example about why people say, "Almost Heaven, West Virginia!"

Communicating with My Horse

You and your horse. His strength and beauty.
Your knowledge and patience and
determination and understanding and love.
That's what fuses the two of you into this marvelous
partnership that makes you wonder...
"What can heaven offer any better than
what I have here on earth?"

--Monica Dickens (1915-1921), English writer

Dreams Do Come True

A woman never looks better
than on horseback.

--Jane Austen (1689-1762)

I was thinking today about how lucky I am to have Sailor. Currently, he is stabled at a local barn about 6 minutes from my house. But I think he would do much better if he were at my house. This way I could dote on him every day. I could also just horse around with him every day!

My problem is that I do not have a barn yet. I need to build a good barn as soon as possible. If you have ideas about barn design, please let me know! What do you like about your barn? What is missing from your barn that you wish you had?
Thanks for the help!

Get Ready for Spring Riding!

Most horses get little riding during the cold winter months. This is true even in the Carolinas where I live. But in a few weeks, we'll all want to get back in the saddle again!

Some horses are just plain hard to handle when they've had a long vacation from regular riding. Others are always calm and dependable. In either case, lunging may help get your horse ready for whatever type of riding you're going to do this spring.

"The reason to lunge is to exercise your horse. You want to warm him up. You also want to set up a pecking order and train for obedience and correctness," says my instructor, Mrs. Amber.

Here is a photo of Mrs. Amber lunging Sailor with me riding in the saddle!

Happy New Year from Sailor and Me!

Finally, the photo you have all been waiting for----introducing my favorite horse, Sailor! That is me on Sailor, but I guess you figured that out by now.

Happy Birthday to all you Thoroughbreds out there! By the way, all Thoroughbred horses celebrate their birthdays on the same day. No matter when they were born, each year’s crop of foals officially turn 1 (becoming yearlings) the following January 1.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who has been visiting my blog during the past month. I am sorry that I have not been keeping the blog up-to-date, but I have been very sick for the past month. I didn't have energy to do any writing.