Back in Belle Meade country

Watching the snow disappear as I drove south on Sunday was delightful. Riding in a simple hacking jacket on Monday was wonderful. We had a great hunt, several short, fast runs. The hounds seemed to have a tough time hanging onto scent but it was fun to be riding with my southern friends again. The beer party wagon met us at the end of hunt again tho' we did make it back before dark. The bonfire was waiting for us at Boots Hall, the Belle Meade clubhouse, as we lined up in the  traditional "gauntlet" style double row to thank the huntsman and staff at day's end. A lovely shrimp and grits dinner awaited. It is good to be back.

Our "Downton Abbey" dinner ...going south.

My friend Isabel hosted a wonderful "Downton Abbey" dinner party with a very traditional 5 course British menu from poached salmon to Beef Wellington with Paula's delicious bread pudding to top it off!! Yum! and I must say, our gentleman looked pretty yummy too!. Dashing and debonair in their tuxes one and all. It was a really fun evening and Christy even found her grandmother's designer dresses from 1910. Wearing one beautiful gown, she displayed the other for us to see. They are all period museum quality, so it was fun to see what they actually wore. Christy kept saying there were no zippers then, so she was reluctant to sit for fear the fragile material might tear as it was form fitting!!
I left the next morning for my hunting vacation in Georgia. After getting stuck on some ice in my own driveway at 6am, after my wonderful husband trudged 1/2 mile down the drive, in the dark, to hold two confused horses that I had to unload, I managed to get on the road. After a 10 hr drive I was so happy to unload in Georgia, taking off down jackets, sweaters, and horse blankets, to enjoy some 50 degree weather.  Great to see my Belle Meade friends, though this morning they may be accusing these Marylanders of bringing the snow south!! It is supposed to snow here tomorrow, with freezing rain! Hopefully it will be short-lived. Our hosts may be upset but 1" of snow and 20 degrees is a piece of cake after the polar freezes in Maryland.  I am off this morning to ride in a T-shirt!!

January sunrise over snow

When I can get past the cold it is really beautiful in the woods with the snow. I rode yesterday and it was lovely and quiet. I love checking out all the animal tracks and listening to the silence of the snow covered landscape. It has been cold for so many days that 15 degrees felt like riding weather! Walking to and from the barn in the early dawn reminds me that one of the sounds of winter is the crunch of snow. I walked down the hill fence line to check if the 'Gator could get through yet (it couldn't) and thought how perfect was the unmarked snow. The brushstrokes of a wingtip and a few tiny prints mark where an owl perhaps touched down when hunting. The fox leave a straight line of tracks with the occasionally hole where they pounced. There are many, many deer in the woods. And the beaver "lake" was frozen over. The horses are managing, double blanketed, with heaters in the troughs. So when it is 95 degrees this summer I will remember this cold and shiver once, in the heat!
 Here is another picture of my beautiful daughter who has landed her first commercial! A regional ad spot in California for a big chain store. Something about Twinkies and a jingle- but so exciting for her!

dealing with the cold....

I can write about the cold snap now because it has broken! and it is now about 27 degrees!! The past few days were brutal. I am from Canada, have lived in Valdez, Alaska, but Maryland at -10 degrees is the worst! My face actually hurt walking to and from the barn. All the horses were brought in, doubled up in some stalls and the barn shut as tight as possible. I have never done that before in 30 years in Maryland unless it was a blizzard, which is as rare as the cold of the past few days. Thank God all the horses behaved, only one casualty. One mare kicked a back board, putting her foot through the board! At least she didn't kick her stall buddy. I think they appreciated the barn that night. Mucking out nine stalls, with doubled up horses was a bitch tho'!  One way to stay fit. I think I should offer fitness opportunities for free, " Come for natural fitness!!"  Only the other peeps trying to empty frozen water buckets, throwing hay bales and mucking will understand that.
The snow is gone now, but the ground is still frozen. No hunting until there is a little thawing. My upcoming trip to Belle Meade Hunt in Georgia can't come soon enough. And I have accepted an invitation to go hunting in the Santa Barbara area of California. A joint meet with SantaYnez Hounds, Los Altos Hounds and Red Rock Hounds from Reno, Nevada with members of 6 other California hunt members invited. This should be epic and this Eastern foxhunter is going west to join them. I am meeting foxhunting friends who moved to Long Beach and San Diego last year and this should be interesting. I have never hunted in California before but I hear the country is beautiful. Santa Ynez say they hunt coyote, boar and hare!!! Must be those giant jackrabbits with antlers!!! Can't wait.

Christmas 2013

We have had a wonderful Christmas. The best part is having all the kids here . Now, the boxes are put out because it is Boxing Day and I am going hunting. Sarah and Kevin are going to visit friends, Will is playing basketball with high school buddies and Sam and Steph are, hopefully, enjoying time off work! Mike did go to work, oh well! I saw a beautiful red fox this morning in the back pasture, which is always a welcome sight. ( I know I am not just feeding raccoons!). It is cold and by tonight frosty again. Mike tried to use his new telescope last night but starting with the moon might be easiest, hopefully it will rise earlier tonight.  There were lots of stars but it was really cold -numb fingers! Happy Boxing Day , Happy Hunting to my fox hunting friends  and Happy New Year to everyone !

spreading Christmas joy to all.....

The most wonderful time of the year.....yes, for most of us it a wonderful, joyous, love-filled celebration. The kids are coming into town today !!! I am so excited to see them. I was up early and  placing the gifts around the tree. I know the brightly wrapped boxes are not the real meaning of Christmas but it is a " real" pleasure to think of little things to bring smiles to my family. I love trying to find or make a unique gift  that has some significance to their lives. We are all " the three kings" bearing gifts to our cherish ones.   Perhaps it is my way of honoring the holy spirit to gather family under one roof for a couple of days and tell them how special they are to me with a thoughtful expression of my love. Yes, the real meaning of Christmas is the gathering and exchange of love. The Spirit that binds family together and makes us cherish this time of year is hopefully carried through to all parts of our lives. We can make it real by the change dropped into the Salvation Army pots, by the smiles to strangers and the patience given to hassled store clerks. By the extra pats to the dogs and horses in my life. It is the softening that lets me bring the barn cat into the basement because he is lonely outside. It is the chicken scraps I give to the foxes I feed behind the woods ( or raccoons!). It is the stockings filled and given to adult children who secretly still love them!! It is the donations given to charities, the thanks and silent prayers sent overseas to troops who miss their families. The Spirit of Christmas Love is everywhere and it is what makes this such a special time of year. Let us remember the less fortunate and do what we can to make all it special for everyone. Happy Holidays to all my friends and family.

there will be a brighter star in the heavens....

We may never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again in our lifetimes. This morning I heard a quote from him which was " Difficult times can break some men and make others." His whole life was an example of how to face adversity and stay true to yourself, without hatred or condemnation.  What I remember most about Mandela, other than all the  history we know, is his smile. He beams in his pictures and his joy for life is evident. He was the master of his soul! At this Christmas time I urge everyone to honor Mandela's memory by doing something wonderful for someone else. You remember the bumper sticker of past that said, "Random Acts of Beauty and Forgiveness", well, in his memory I want to make someone else smile today and hope they try to pass it on. We can all "play it forward" this season and keep his joy and kindness alive.  May we all
find peace and joy.