I like lemonade, too!

My dear Pony Cousin, The Desert Rose, has nominated me for this fine award.
And i must thank her profusely because it is in the rules: i.e. number 2, below.

Also i must thank her because she is an awesome Pony Cousin.
You see, this Pony Cousin spent hours and hours (and used up a lot of cowgirl lemonade) to come up with the details for the rides in the last PC Stampede.

All of the arena equipment that can be seen in the pix of the Stampede, Desert Rose brought.
That includes barrels, poles, cactus, and apparatus for the Obstacle Course.

All of the details of each trail ride, Desert Rose thought up.


The Desert Rose spent much time in selecting costumes to wear in each event.

She made sure that there were ribbons and trophies for each event and for each Pony Cousin.

She orchestrated the order of events and rides, and, more importantly,
when the elements were just unmanageable,
she was flexible.

She tried her best to meet the needs of each of the 12 other Pony Cousins,
as she switched things around and came up with some solutions.

The Desert Rose is one big reason that the Pony Cousin Stampede was such a huge success.

But wait, there's more:
In order to ensure that the Pony Cousins and the Equicousins were ready for the Stampede,
The Desert Rose hosted the PC "Saddle Up Weekend".We met at her barn, which has an indoor arena, an outdoor arena, and trails to ride.

She worked with the new riders, the new ponies, and the old ridersuntil all felt comfortable about the expectations of the Stampede.
All this, she did with patience, a kind heart, and several cups of Starbucks' finest.

For this, and for all that she brings to the Pony Cousin Gang,
i nominate her for the "Pony Cousin Cowgirl Up" Award.
Whatever the task, large or small, the Pony Cousins know that they can count on
The Desert Rose.


And, thanks again, Cousin for the Lemonade Award.

It is known far and wide that SMR enjoys an occasional nip of Jack Daniel's.

And one of my favorite ways to enjoy it on a warm summer afternoon,
is in a delightful concoction called a "Lynchburg Lemonade".
-So named for the location of Jack's Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
-A community that will always be close to my heart.
(Pause here to show reverence.)

Here is my idea of a refreshment:

Lynchburg Lemonade
1 part Jack Daniel's
1 part triple sec
1 part sweet and sour
4 parts (diet) spriteThat's the official recipe.
I, of course, have improved upon the specifics
to make myself a "cowgirl up lemonade":
-where it says "4 parts (diet) sprite": i make it 3 parts.
-where it says "1 Part Jack Daniel's": i make it 2 or 2 and a half.

-Mighty refreshing-

Now, back to the "Lemonade Award".

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

1. Callie, at midwesthorseblog.
Great gal; great blog; great spirit!

2. Trailridingcowgirl at all things horses.
Here's an example of why she needs this award:
It's 17 degrees outside - this cowgirl is sore from a fall on ice -
she goes out to ride her pony anyway.
She has a great time.
I dont know if this award is enough for her.

3. greyhorsematters. I just love her photos and
she is an inspiration for me, because she does all this
and takes care of her grand daughter 3 days a week.

4. the wowfactor, a cowboy's wife: one of the most creative blogs.
One of the first that i ever read.
One of the first i look to open.

5. latigoliz at cowgirlup: this gal has a spirit much like the Pony Cousins.
I love her sense of humor, which, apparently, comes in handy
as she has to deal with, what i surmise to be, a "goofy cat".
(Catch the photos of a kitty named Sunday, in her blog.)

5. leah at barndoortagz: i have enjoyed her blog since i first started blogging.
She seems like one of those gals with whom you would enjoy
visiting at home or around the campfire.

6. trailboss : without electricity for 10 days and all she can do is take amazing photos of the surroundings!
I think that i would be stark raving by then -
or, maybe ...
she has lost her marbles and the photos are part of her "craziness"! Yikes!
I still love her blog.

7. Mikey at horseshoeinghousewife: i think she is amazing, not just because of her skills and knowledge about horses, but because she is a rattlesnake wrangler.
If you are squeamish or are squeamish about rattlesnakes,
stay away from her latest blog!

8. school of life with horses: her love of quarterhorses matches my own.
Her blogs are notes of interest that she comes across. Be sure to check her archive.

9. mrsmom at horsefeathers: she sounds like a no-nonsense kind of gal,
but her blogs show that she can find the humor in everyday stuff.
She's got the cowgirl spirit.

10. browneyedcowgirls: this blog is so informative.
Be sure to check out the archive.
Grab your cup of coffee and sit down to read up on all kinds of things.


-more rules for this award -

3. Link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link this post to the person from whom you received your award.

That would be the Desert Rose!

and remember: if you cant find your happy trail -
you are gonna need to cowgirl up!

Butterflies, Babies, and Stampedes

Many thanks to Victoria Cummings at Teachings of the Horse for this award.

This is certainly a beautiful icon for the blog.

She has probably forgotten that she gave it to me.
My apologies to her for not picking it up immediately
to place it here.
I am afraid that when she gave it to me, i was very much distracted
with the arrival of my first grandchild,
Grace Lauryn.

The distraction (Gracie) continues to keep me from my blogging,
from my scrapbooking, from my shopping,
from my Jack Daniels and my margaritas (probably a good thing),
and, from just about everything.

Baby Grace is the newest of the Pony Cousins.

And future Rodeo Queen.

She is the apple of her (Grand) Poppy's eye,
her Momma's joy, and,

if you look really closely, you will see, on her little finger,

right there, is her Daddy all wrapped around it.

I am the Nana and i am tightly wound around her other little finger.
Gracie's parents allow me all the privileges that a good Nana should have,
so Gracie and i get to spend some quality play time.

Gracie is almost 7 weeks now.
She is starting to focus her eyes on people and things.
She is starting to do things with her mouth and expressions.
We have a couple of games that we play together:
One is "Giddy-up Pony" - the standard gentle "pony bounce" on the knee.
The other is "Jumpy Jump" - where Gracie squats as i support her,
then she straightens her back and legs and pushes off!

Nana also made up a song just for Gracie.

"My little pony runs far and fast.
My little pony never comes in last.
My pretty pony, as golden as the sun...
My pretty pony is my favorite one.


My little pony likes to run and play.
My little pony, i love in every way.
My pretty pony, i jump up on his back.
My little pony is pretty in his tack."

So, you can see that i have very productive days
and stay very busy monitoring Gracie's progress.

As Gracie's Momma goes back to work
and Gracie stays with the nanny,
i will be ready and able to continue my blog.

Also, the Pony Cousins grow more restless as winter recedes.
Soon there will be much reporting to do as plans are laid
for the upcoming spring and summer gatherings and rides.


Until then, all of the Pony Cousins are preparing tack,stocking up on grooming supplies and training aids,
shopping for western wear, and dreaming of the upcoming
Pony Cousin Stampede!

Our new Stampede trail boss is already hard at work,defining the details of our obstacle course
and planning the schedule for trail rides.

The best Chuckwagon Boss of the West has been dreaming up more ways
to tickle our tummies with her "grub".

The Pony Cousin Procurement Team has reserved our quarters for the Stampede.Our bunk house will be ready for us.

The famous Equicousins have their spots reserved, as well.

They will soon have their spring inoculations for such things as West Nile Virus,
which showed its ugly head this past summer on the east side of the mountains,
taking several ponies' lives.

Our Rodeo Queen will polish up her crown and practice with Her Majesty, the Equicousin, Brandy, on her "Grand Parade Entrance," which will start off our Stampede.
Our Stampede Grand Entry may or may not include carrying an egg in a spoon,
but our Rodeo Queen will look "grand" either way.

There will be a few changes in appearance for our Pony Cousins.
Some will have longer manes;

Some will have shorter manes.(Pony Cousins have manes, too!)

Some of our Pony Cousins have invested in riding lessons for themselves.
Some have gotten additional training for their ponies.

Some have been practicing with arena games and arena work.

The Stampede Fever will now begin to rise in the Pony Cousins,
as the weather gets better and the ponies begin to shed.
The Pony Cousin blogs and emails will double in volume
as the excitement increases.

You will be able to feel the heat of
Stampede Fever

as you read each of our blogs!
We hope you can stand it!

Be sure to check out the blogs of the Pony Cousins:

Pony Cousin Rides Again

The Desert Rose

Life on the Farm with Palomino Girl

As We Lose a Pony

Today, The Pony Cousins

mourn the loss of our equicousin, Zoe,

who lost her life to cancer.
Zoe was owned and loved by our friend, Darleene, who shared Zoe with the Pony Cousins.
Zoe was a wonderful mare with a big heart
and several new riders appreciated her good nature on the trails and in the arena.
Our hearts go out to Darleene and we pray for her to find peace.

Don't Cry for the Horses

By Brenda Riley-Seymore

Don't cry for the horses that life has set free

A million white horses forever to be

Don't cry for the horses now in God's hands

As they dance and they prance to a heavenly band.

They were ours as a gift but never to keep

As they close their eyes forever to sleep

Their spirits unbound on silver wings they fly

A million white horses against the blue sky.

Look up into heaven you'll see them above

The horses we lost, the horses we loved

Manes and tails flowing they Gallop through time

They were never yours, they were never mine.

Don't cry for the horses. They will be back someday,

When our time has come they will show us the way

On silver wings they will lift us to the warmth of the sun.

When our life is over and eternity has begun.

We will jump the sun and dance over the moon

A ballet of horses and riders on the winds to a heavenly

tune. Do you hear that soft nicker close to your ear?

Don't cry for the horses, love the ones that are here.

Don't cry for the horses lift up your sad eyes

Can't you see them as they fly by?

A million White Horses free from hunger and pain

Their spirits set free until we ride again.


Dear Lord,
Please accept our Zoe into the kingdom that you have prepared for all good ponies.
Zoe was good-hearted and gave her best for her rider.
Rest in peace, dear Zoe
-Amen

A Herd of Wild Stallions

Continuing the saga of the Pony Cousins ...

- Where we left off ...

...Most families have great stories to tell;
ours is no different.


After the war, Grandpa had passed on, and the last of the 12 children
had moved from the family home.
Grandma looked forward to holiday visits,
where each set of new parents would gather together to fill her empty home again.
With each succeeding visit, there would be new cousins to get to know.

The little Cousins soon found Grandma's house to be a lively and fun place to be.
There was great food, like Grandma's chicken and dumplings;
there were games;
and there was story telling!

As children, the Cousins began to hear the family stories at these gatherings.
Our family has some great story tellers.

It was a magical time.

The Cousins got to know one another and found that
we really enjoyed playing with one another.

If there were spats, they were few and far between, and short in duration.
It's hard to stay mad at Cousins who are so much fun.

Playing games inside the house was okay in bad weather:
we all learned simple card games, the magazine game, and pass the scissors.
And out on Aunt Anna's front lawn was a great place to play
Kick the Can, Red Rover, Mother-May-I, and Dead Rabbit.

But Grandma's house was on the side of a wooded hillside

and there were lots of fun trails on which the Cousins could run, romp, and dream.

Uncle Dan had a large, wonderful barn, just up the road from Grandma's house.
The barn was 2 stories high and was for the comfort of his horses.
Upstairs, there was a rail around the perimeter of the space,
which was perfect for saddles and Indian blankets.

Cousins spent hours and hours perched on the rail,
riding the most fabulous ponies in the West.


There was a preponderance of stallions in this herd ridden
by the roughest, toughest
bunch of outlaws north of the Columbia River.

Most of the Cousins had no idea what a stallion actually was,
but we had seen the pictures and knew them to be the most desired of the equine world.
Out of the barn window, the Cousins watched the world go by as we rode our ponies,
always at a gallop, to faraway towns and ranges.

After a long day of galloping, one of the Cousins would call for a dismount,
and would suggest that we run up Grandma's hill on one of the trails.
And we would leave our fabulous ponies to graze, as we took off running to the hill.

It was on one of these forays up on Grandma's hill that the notion came to us
that the Cousins could be wild ponies, being hunted by cowboys.
Each Cousin selected the pony they would be, and, again,
there was a preponderance of stallions;
but, no matter, each Cousin was allowed a short description
of the pony that they would be.

There was a large and powerful Black Stallion

that reared and whinnied a lot;

There was the inevitable White Stallion with silver mane and tail;
There was a Palomino Stallion, shining like a bar of gold, even on a cloudy day.
There was a flashy Black and White Appaloosa,
(but, was black on the head, neck, shoulder, and body,
and had a white blanket with large feathered spots on his rump)
This elegant and fierce Appy was the clever leader of the herd;


There was an assortment of Pintos, Buckskins, and Greys;
and there was Tony the Pony

(the only boys and the youngest: either Cousin Jimmy or Cousin Derk).

The wild stallions roamed the trails of Grandma's hill,
enjoying the freedom and frenzy of being untamed.
Alas, the inevitable occurred and the imaginary cowboys found ways

to capture the wild horses, one by one.

There was much resistance to training by some of the stallions,
but a patient and gentle-hearted cowboy could win the trust of the wildest of the horses.

However, one poor wild stallion was captured by an evil cowboy
who used whips and meanness and it would bring tears to the eyes
of the roughest and toughest to see the poor, abused stallion,
a shadow of its former self, limping about with unbrushed mane and tail.

That stallion never had a chance to show its true nature, its spirit, or its love, to any human...
until...
the other wild stallions formed a plan to rescue the weak stallion from the wicked cowboy.

Achieving that victory brought much celebration from the other stallions
and they each returned to their kind-hearted cowboys.
And, one by one...
the stallions learned to love the cowboys and respond to their wishes.

It was at this point that it was discovered thatUncle Dan had numerous halters of various sizes,
all hanging within our reach in the barn.

Each of the Cousins found a halter and,
actually could step into it to wear it about our bodies,
with the headstrap over the shoulder.

This opened up a whole bunch of other possibilities for the Cousins
to display the skills of the stallion which they portrayed.

Now the stallions were led to and fro and participated in a variety of events,
such as halter competitions, barrel racing,
cutting horse competition, and general rodeo events.

The stallions were especially proficient in hunter jumping and sliding stops.

The stallions were eager to prove that they retained the skill
of traversing the trails on the hillside and galloped back and forth
from arena to trail until night fall,
when our Moms and Dads grew hoarse in calling us to the house.
When threatened with switches and general discipline,
the stallions stripped off their halters and hung them all neatly on their hooks.

Galloping down the hill to Grandma's house,
the once-again wild stallions quickly planned the "plot" for the next day.

As we hit Grandma's porch with a roar and much stomping,
we heard our parents commenting on how we sounded like a herd of wild horses.

We grinned at one another and took it as a compliment.

The Universal Light

Universal Light

What a beautiful award icon!

And what a beautiful way to express appreciation.
The award was designed by Kimmy Sharing Light
and was passed on to me by Cactus Jack, who, of course, also won it.
The Universal Light Award is an honor for those who share the light by inspiring others.

Kimmy says that "Inspiring others adds to the goodness in this world;
it encourages others on the journeys that they are making."

I am appreciative of receiving this award, and, if i have inspired anyone with the stories of the Pony Cousins, i am happy, because there have been a lot of people who have inspired me.
In fact, it probably takes a lot more people to inspire me than it takes for most people,
but, i am told, that it is "part of my charm!"

But seriously ...

The story of the Pony Cousins has been quite a journey.
If there was a title for this story, I guess it would be:

"The Dream Begins the Journey"

It is the story of seven 50-something cousins
just having fun getting together on weekends.
And that is a whole other story, believe me.

My Cousins are an inspiring bunch, i must say.
I could go on and on about their stories
and how they have inspired me and others.

But since we are talking about inspiring others ...


Even though the story behind the "Pony Cousins" is fairly recent,
our story of inspiration actually goes way, way back.
Way back to the story of 12 siblings raised in a small logging town in Washington.

This was a typical family raised with love, with Christian values, and a lot of fun.
The 12 siblings were our parents, and their parents, our grandparents,
were all the inspiration that any of our parents needed.

As a young couple, the grandparents traveled by wagon, by train, and another wagon

from West Virginia to the Northwest, where they settled to raise their large family.

Newly arrived in Washington, the Grandfather, just a youth, really;
tall and lanky, a shock of dark hair, bright, dark eyes;
was starting life with a young family and a healthy respect for practicality.

The Grandmother, short in stature, but so vibrant in nature
that she seemed bigger than life to me, as a child.
She was a hard worker, by nature, but gentle in spirit,
and she had a high pitched squeal for a laugh,
that popped out of her with whatever delighted her.
Her high Christian ideals laid the foundation for raising her family.
She said that her Bible was the only Book that she needed, or wanted, to read.

The Bible was always beside her rocker, except when she went to Meeting.
With little formal education herself, she took delight in seeing her children in school.
She had a great sense of humor, lots of common sense,
and a clever way about her that belied her simple upbringing.
It is easy to see how she inspired her 6 daughters to be good mothers
and her 4 surviving sons to be good fathers.

This story of our family is the same story that is told by many families of that era:
the difficulties of moving;
the hardships of getting settled;
the good times and the bad;
struggling to make lives easier and better for the children;
sending boys to war.

The end of the war brought their sons home to begin their families.
and the Grandparents had the joy of watching love grow with each new family
established by the siblings.

Not long after, the family grieved the death of the Grandfather
and the youngest boy gave up his college aspirations
to get a job to help support his mother.
Because this is what families did for one another.

And this is where the new family stories begin.
Our parents have been a constant source of inspiration for us.
We watched as they conducted their lives through the turbulence of the world around us.
We watched as they struggled and succeeded.
We watched as they formed life-long partnerships.
We watched as they raised us to be the people we are.

We look to our parents and grandparents for our inspiration for living each day;
for inspiration to meet the challenges, with our hearts in the right places
and our heads on straight.

Determination; strength of will and heart; self-reliance; honor; and passion.
These are the ideals that our parents modeled for us, as they had been modeled for them.

We have been inspired to work hard, to earn our own way and our own successes.
We have been inspired to do our duty, to live our lives with honor.
We have been inspired to reach out for those who are struggling.
We have been inspired to lean on family for advice and support.
We are forever inspired to respect our God.

This should be enough inspiration to make all of the Cousins the most perfect people ever!

Well, here's a news flash: we are not perfect.

I think that is quite safe to say that each and every Cousin has made one (or more) mistakes.
I think that each Cousin has one or two regrets.
But, no matter what may lead us away from being the inspired people that we want to be,
we will always have each other.


The Pony Cousins may have formed this bond that we have, around some other passion.
But it was our love of horses that sealed it for us.
We may or may not end up with some great stories to tell,
but i think that we have a pretty good start.

So, you see: most families have great stories to tell;
ours is no different.

Adventures of the Pony Cousins: 2009

As i listen to the gunfire that is all around me on this festive New Year's Eve,
i pause to envision the year 2009.

What kinds of surprises are awaiting all of us?
There have been a huge number of unexpected occurrences each year from as far back as i can remember.

And 2008 has to be the topper with the appearance of my newest Pony Girl, Baby Grace.

The Pony Cousins have many options to consider.

I think that all of the Pony Cousins desire to return to the Flying Horseshoe.
What a wonderful location for our Pony Cousin Stampede.




It was just our misfortune last August to select the hottest weekend of the summer.
And, as rough and tough as the Pony Cousins may be...
We were no match for temps at and above 105.

Foremost in our upcoming discussions is whether we want to select a different date.

Chances are good that selecting the same approximate date for next summer
may result in similar circumstances.

The Pony Cousins may also do some shuffling as to Stampede Bosses.

Now that we are aware of the various duties and challenges,
we may find some Cousins better suited for the positions.

At the last Stampede, we saw Pony Cousin Missi step into a role
for which she proved invaluable.
She may want to consider taking over a different position.

Pony Cousin Bronco Betsy cannot be replaced in the chuckwagon,
for there would be a riot in protest among the Cousins.

(I know that many of you had to clean the drool off of your computer screens
when you read about our "Chuckwagon Fare".)

And who knows if there will be other pregnancies or other maladies
to keep some Cousins from some of the activities and chores?

So, lots of consideration about the Stampede, but we have found that
we have other family and friends who would like to join us in such an escapade.
Pony Cousins must now consider the possibility of another date and, possibly, another location for an "extended family stampede".You see, there is a chance that having too much fun, can be a problem.

The Pony Cousins have a lot of reflecting, discussing, and planning to do in this new year.
We will set our sights high and aim for the best plans we can.

And you can bet that the Pony Cousins will have a lot of fun on the way to our next set of goals.


Have a rootin', tootin' New Year!