Donkey Talk

Got this great magazine at Tractor Supply the other day when I was in there. Wonderful articles in it and something really interesting to me. Speaking donkey, you know talking to your donkey and what he means when he does certain things. Like for instance, Pokey with the head jerking, tail switching and stomping his feet. He's mad and he is letting me know it and that is also a bad attitude when it comes to feeding time. Bad Pokey!!!
Well, the book said to stomp the ground hard, use your hand behind you butt like a tail switching it and glare at them to get a response. LOL I did this to Pokey, just the foot stomping, when he came to eat with his little bad ass attitude and it stopped him in his tracks! He backed up with a surprised look on his face, the ears came up and he looked at me with a much more pleasant look on his face and asked if he could eat.
Yes, we WILL be working on his manners, no more little brat like in the picture below. Ears back, head jerked up and tail switching. Now we will ask politely for our supper or breakfast!
Who knew a foot stomp could mean so much???

Pictures of the Past

In looking for pictures of a dog I came across some old pictures of old horses; and a wedding invitation from 1910. So I thought I would do a post on the past. The picture below is my great-grandfather Pinkney Abbott. I have never heard of this name before but that is what is on his tombstone. I believe there are more pictures of him somewhere........but that's another post. The barn looks to be fairly new here I don't know what the date is of the picture. I love the two mule hitch and the buckboard wagon. I wonder why the wagon tongue is so long? Anyone know, I have no clue.

Below is a picture of a wedding invitation that my grandmother had addressed to her parents; Mr. and Mrs. Silvester Helm.


The folded wedding invitation with embossed flowers and wedding bells.

Inside, with the names and dates (click on picture to see close up), it says:
Mr. and Mrs. S. Helm request your presence at the marriage of their daughter Clara Belle to Mr. Seth L. Abbott, Wednesday afternoon, June first nineteen hundred and ten at two o'clock Belpre, Ohio.


The picture below is dated June 1st 1910 the day my grandparents got married. The young girl in the picture, far left if my grandfather's sister Alice, then my grandmother, grandfather and the horse is Lady. I know this because it's on the back of the picture. The little dog, I don't know it is not named.

This is a rug I hooked that was in Early American Life Crafts Directory for 2007. I added more elements than what is in the photo; more of the farm. The orchard, the barn and the family cemetery. I moved them up on a hill behind the barn so more of the farm could be seen.

Again I don't know when this picture was taken but that is my sister in the wagon with grandpa so maybe it's in the early 40's. She and my brother stayed with our grandparents when our mom was in a sanatorium with TB; this was before I was born. Looks to be two horses but it could be a mule on the other side of the horse. No names on the back of the picture.

This is my brother when he was Arizona in 1959, the year before our mother died. He worked on a cattle ranch then, this is the only picture I have of him riding a horse. Looks like the stirrups are too short. My brother was 6'4" tall, looks like a good sized horse. I see a rope, did my brother rope cattle too? Don't know I never asked him much about this picture and now I can't; wish I had because I would like to know more now.

Ahhhh, now this one.........this is me back in 1966. How funny is this? I had been to the Belpre Homecoming Parade; this was a big thing in our town the end of summer. A parade to kick it off, carnival rides in the park, lots of food and a gathering of people, a reunion of sorts. I won a trophy that year, just for being in the parade, wow, I thought it was really something! Notice the white hooves of my horse Trigger, this was my first horse. His feet, stirrups and the reins were all done white with liquid shoe polish. Why??? Thought it looks cool I guess. Even my blanket has some kind of tinsel like glitter stuff sewn on it. My aunt and uncle in Arizona had sent me the turquiose pants, pink shirt and turquoise hat; my boots were a gift from my brother at Christmas; oh, yes I had a turquoise bolo tie too! I had taught Trigger to park out, he had to look like a show horse.
How fun looking back at the past.