Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

... barn stories: abby

Our mom-to-be Abby is a Few Spot Appaloosa also known as a 'Ghost'.  She came to us when she was three years old, and stayed at the breeders for a couple of months while we started her training.  We went every Sunday.  One Sunday there was a snowstorm and we missed a visit.  The breeder said Abby waited for us until Wednesday, never leaving the fence.  That's when we knew she was a horse of great heart. The American Appaloosas were developed by the Nez Perce, and some believe that only tribal leaders or spiritual figures rode a Ghost. Even though a Ghost has very little color (sometimes only one or two splashes), their foals usually come out with lots of spots. Abby is in foal (you can see her tummy is starting to get big!) and she is due at the end of May.  Here's hoping we see spots this spring!

... nature walk: lake merced in san francisco, california

Thank you Sonya for sharing these beautiful and very welcome shots of Lake Merced.  It's so nice to see a little more green creeping in this time of year! If you would like to contribute to our weekly Nature Walk series, you can find information on submitting photos here.

Thanks again Sonya!

... castle in the forest

There it is... the mythical, magical castle peeking out of the snow frosted forest that only exists in fairy tales... except this one is real.  Completely real, all the way down to the fire breathing dragon (made from recycled metal and 'breathing fire' with the help of an old hot air balloon burner, but still). It's so nice to bump into something magical every once in a while.  Sometimes it's a castle.  Sometimes it's an incredibly tall stack of blocks that should fall... but doesn't.  Sometimes it's and un-protested transfer to bedtime.  Sometimes it's a snowstorm. What sorts of magic are you bumping into in your life right now?

Bishop Castle has been under construction for the past 37 years in Rye, Colorado.

... colors in the snow

After a few days of heavy snowstorms, you had to look closely to see any color other than white.  That is... until all the sledding started.

... barn stories: border collies

These Border Collies are a big help when herding the sheep, but herding them into a photo is quite a different story!

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to start introducing the rest of the charismatic, funny, quirky, sweet, loving, sometimes ornery, wonderful animals that I share this land with. The Border Collie with long hair is named Vic.  She came with my first sheep to help me make the transition from city life to farm life.  What the sheepherder didn't tell me, was that she came pregnant with 10 puppies that were born shortly after her arrival! That's how Mona and Riley became part of our family. 

Although it was tempting to keep all ten (they were so adorable!) two puppies at once was about all that we could handle with the sheep, the horses, the birds, the cats, and the goat.  But seeing as they had the same black and white spots as the sheep, we figured they would fit right in!

You'll soon see we have a bit of a spotted theme around here, what with the Borders, the Jacob Sheep, and our Appaloosa horses...

In trying to get their picture, first Riley's tail was in the way.

Second, they looked grumpy.

Third... almost got it!

Fourth, got it!  Wait?  Is that Vic sticking her tongue out at me?

This reminds me of trying to get family pictures.