Tuesday, January 31, 2012

It sure has been busy for late January. Today- last day of the month- it is supposed to be in the low 50's!! Hard to believe but easy to enjoy. We sure get a lot done every day.

The gang has been working hard on getting ready for the upcoming demos at the Harrisburg Horse Expo. We will have a flag being carried around ( and going over jumps and being passed from rider to rider ) the soccer ball will get kicked around, one rider dressed in costume and much more- it's been great that we've been able to to coordinate some group practices.

This past Sunday Rob worked on getting the sink put in downstairs. I've some new cabinets and counter space, and soon a nice double stainless steel sink. I've had more inquiries on shipped breedings, so we will be all set for it.

Yesterday I worked at the house in the morning, doing some web site updates, work on finishing some spreadsheets and a bunch of paperwork, including working on sending out my Florida notices ( my Florida trip is booked for March 8-16th ). I then set off with truck and trailer to pick up grain and a load of sawdust, got home and got all that unloaded, worked three horses then hit the road again to do teeth. I was glad to get home, even though I did have to get back on the computer for a bit.

This morning I'll do a bit more 'office' work, put a roast in the crock pot, drop the baby at the sitters, pick up some round bales then get to work. Should get a lot of riding done today. :)


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Wednesday, January 25, 2012


It's a productive day. We did have two RNRS calls last night, so I took care of finishing that work this morning, then after taking the truck and trailer to the car wash I headed to Hamlin for a couple of round bales, then hit the bank and grocery store. Got back to the ranch and the gals had all the stalls done, so we worked on filling tanks and Julie hooked up to the 2-Horse to get some loading training in on her Paso gelding Cowboy. He did pretty good, and we'll do a bit more with him later. Barn isles are swept, Julie is working Sneak, Erin is finishing up lunch hay and water, and it's just barely noon. Good morning!
This afternoon we will have a full house, Nic, Alaina, Robbie and I will practice with the four horses going to the expo, and Conni is coming to ride Jet. Then I've a scrumptious dinner planned. Not a bad day.
This pic is the ad going onto the PFHA e-news, Catherine King did a great job on it.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

40 degrees at 5:30 in the morning in late January! Hope to make it a good, productive day. Should be picking up some counter tops and a stainless steel double sink today for the basement project, had another inquiry on a breeding to Calif so I need to be sure to have my 'lab' up and running so that we have no issues come breeding season.
Had good rides on JQ and Pastor yesterday, Erin got Al ridden and Achilles worked. Julie has lesson today, and I hope to get several ridden this afternoon after my work/errands are all completed. Yesterday was a lot of running, round bales, bank, grain, library and so on, and Rob and I had to go on a Removal Service call in the evening. Makes for an long day, but at least the Hubby and I got some time to sit and chat.
I've faxes to send for the Horse Expo, so I am off to get that done before the monster..er..Hunter wakes up!


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Sunday, January 22, 2012

We got home just in time. Drove through the snow all day on Thursday, wasn't too awful bad until it started to get dark, then the roads really slicked up. We were close to where Shanna goes to college, so we ended up staying at her apartment for the night. ( though we first hung out with a few of her friends, college guys who happened to be brewing beer that evening- they and Hunter got along great! :) ) Left the next morning, drove 3 1/2 hours to a barn near Sunbury to do teeth, and made it home by around 5 or so. I was exhausted!! It was a very long but productive trip. Woke up on Saturday to a good amount of fresh snow, was very glad we didn't have to drive in it.
Spent all of Saturday morning helping Rob with snow removal, then helped Julie finish stalls. Fit in working a horse or two, and then went to the house to collapse! I was very much in need of a day off.
Today ( my day off ) Rob and I went for a nice breakfast out, spent some time ( and Money ) at Sams Club, came home to unload groceries and started cleaning house. I've just finished unpacking my suitcase, and now I am done ( other than making dinner ) I'm planning on relaxing for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow will be nice out, a high near 50 ( so they say ) and we will get plenty of horses worked. I'll make a feed run, maybe get some round bales too, and go from there. Looks like a nice week ahead.


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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

One good thing about being on the road is that it gives me a bit of extra time to think. ( Though I suppose that can be a bad thing as well! ) Had a great talk with Rick Shaffer while working at his place on my way to Illinois, and what he had to say really encouraged me to get back into hosting some Gaited Horse Clinics, so here is what I have planned;


RO-NO
Ranch Spring Clinic Series: The Gaited Horse. February 18,
start
time 9:00 a.m.

3-24-12 and 4-28-12 are the dates for the 2nd
and 3rd clinics.

Gaited Horse Trainer Nola Haupert-Keill will
work one-on-one with horse/rider teams on a variety of topics/issues. Group work
at the end of the day. Please RSVP to reserve your spot. More info to follow.
Please contact us if you have any questions. Coffee and donuts will be provided.
Bring a packed lunch and a chair. $50 for horse/handler team, $20 for
auditors.

570-351-7966
www.ro-noranch.com


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Friday, January 13, 2012

It's 7:30 a.m. and Shanna, Hunter and I are in a hotel room in Indiana. We hit the road just before noon on Wednesday, headed for Somerset PA to work at Rick Shaffers doing some horses teeth. Spent the night in Somerset, as I had more work at a neighboring farm on Thursday. Left there around noon and headed towards Chicago, directly into a snow storm. We made it all the way into Indiana before the roads got too bad to continue. We're only about 150 miles away from my sisters, and I hated stopping when we were so close, but it would have been insane to try to continue. It is still snowing, but we will probably try to hit the road in an hour or so. Trucks are moving on the highway, so we'll see how it looks in a bit.

I've work to do outside of Chicago today, and fortunately they do not mind that I'll be behind schedule. Tomorrow is a super busy day, Sunday is busy, but I will cut it a bit short as my brother and his girlfriend will be coming to my sisters for dinner. Monday I will take one of my nephews along for a bit while I work, and Tuesday the other nephew will join me.

Gotta run, Hunter knows that there is a waffle machine in the breakfast room, so we need to go feed him!


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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

After a few hours of work on Sunday at Liberty Reins Ranch, Rob, Robbie, Jim, Jeff and I successfully got fencing fixed and horses moved to a different pasture; Jim got a good part of her turnout scraped; the guys fixed some lighting issues; and two stalls were put in. Felt very good to help gather this group and help out a friend. We will hopefully find another Sunday in the upcoming months to do more for her. Deb has done so much for us here at RO-NO, it's nice to be able to reciprocate and help her further her plans in her outreach towards our Veterans.

Yesterday I was running-running-running all day. Started out getting a ton of paperwork done and bills paid. I'll be gone so I have to make sure all is in order her at the ranch before I go. Then I hooked up the dump trailer, dropped it at the feed mill so that I could more easily get all of my errands and work done. Went on a dentistry call, hit the library, gas station, bank and grocery store. Then back to the feed store to load up on grain, hooked up trailer and went for a load of sawdust. Home to unload groceries, grain and sawdust, then back to the house to do more paperwork- and poof! the day was gone. Never enough time to get everything done!

Today will be more of the same- perhaps a little less hectic. ( or perhaps not- now that I think of the long 'to-do' list sitting on my kitchen counter!)


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Sunday, January 8, 2012

Made pancakes with bacon in them for breakfast ( Robbie loves bacon- so we were experimenting- they were very good.) In an hour Rob, Robbie, Jim, Jeff and I will hit the road, headed to work at Liberty Reins Ranch for the day. Deb B needs help getting some stuff done, so we got a little group together to go help out. After that the Keills are off to a family B-Day party for Rob's nephew.

My trip preparations are nearly all set. Shanna, Hunter and I will hit the road late Wednesday morning. We'll head to Somerset PA to do teeth, stay over and hit another barn the next morning then proceed on to Illinois. My schedule is jam-packed for the week, and we will be home on the 20th. The weather is looking pretty good for the trip, and it looks like it will stay half decent here as well. Monday I will get a big load of grain, hopefully a load of sawdust as well. Will hit the bank and the library ( have to have books on CD for the trip!) May also see about checking out a couple of DVD's for Hunter, give him something new to watch during the long truck ride. Tuesday I'll finish up all the preparations to hit the road ( laundry! ) and we should be set to go.

Yesterdays weather was fantastic, Maribelle even came out for a ride on her Torey. Lots of us hit the trail, and all in all it was a very nice, productive day. We keep calling this the winter that wasn't! Even if it starts to get cold and nasty now, it wont seem as bad as past winters, simply because we all know that March is only 7 weeks away!!! Next month we have the Horse Expo, then I head to Florida in early March, we may hit a Paso show in VA in April, and we've the family trip to work/visit my folks in AZ in April as well, then the shows start in May! Wow... I think the Dillsburg show will be here before I turn around twice!!

We saw that Pastor was ranked high up under the PFHA # 1 Stallion. His sire, Profeta, has been the Top Stallion for several years, and for several years our Pastor has been ranked one of the top stallions under him. It was so nice to see his ranking ( # 5 ) Makes us very proud of our little fino stallion. JQ did well also, ranked #12 under Jarenero, who was #8.


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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Bbbrrrrr......It's 4 degrees this morning. Am not looking forward to suiting up and heading to the barn, but I do want to go give everyone fresh water, so down to the barn we will go. Hopefully it will end up being a little bit warmer out today than it was yesterday. It wasn't too bad out early, I headed to the barn at 6:40 to start hay and water and it was 22 degrees and no wind. By 9 the temp had dropped to 18 and the wind was up, and that is pretty much how it stayed all day. We did not work horses, just too cold.

A week today Hunter, Shanna and I will be on the road. Still don't have my schedule totally set, but I think we will end up working in south-western PA on our was west. My schedule has already really filled up for the time that we will be in Illinois, and I have work in central PA to do on the way home.

We are getting an area in the basement cleared out to get our 'breeding lab' set up. I stopped by 'Green Demolitions' yesterday to look at some sinks and counter space. Not sure yet just what all I want to get set up, just know that I do want a sink in the basement, that will be handy for all types of stuff. Spring will get here before I know it and I want to be sure to have everything all set for breeding season.

Today Kokomo goes to his new home. Sabine V. is a local gal who has mules, and she is adding him to her herd of 'knuckleheads'. I'm very pleased that he is going to her, as she is knowledgeable about mules and will give him the work and TLC that he deserves.


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