The Unblog - 4th of July
THE UNBLOG…
Well, I did my first blog, got three readers and no comment from anyone. Not a very impressive start for a man who likes to talk and entertain.
Anyway, we had a great pre-4th celebration, with seven trail riders showing up to spend two hours on the trail. We had a conglomeration of horses, a couple of walkers, ungraded white gelding, two other Godknowswhat horses that did pretty well for their first outing. Virginia and I have Kentucky Mountain Saddle horses and except for a bit of stubbornness, they really are very fine horses… unless of course you tell them not to go to the barn when they want to go to the barn.
The day started off pretty hot and humid but dried a little toward noon. By the time we were riding it was hot but not stifling. Still we kept to the creeks and woods where it was much cooler.
We do this every Fourth of July, just s small group of friends that meet every Thursday evening for a couple of hours of chit-chat. Bonding this way in the country means always being there when the other guy needs you, like the time I was being operated on for colon cancer and they didn’t know if I would make it. My friend Vernon showed up and stayed with Virginia all the way through the operation. He and Virginia were the first ones I saw when I came out of the anesthetic.
Of course I was pretty groggy and I kept thinking it was very nice of this man and wife to come visit me… but who the hell were they. A couple of days later my wife let me know who they were. But that’s the kind of thing I mean. When Virginia had her pacemaker installed, Vernon and his wife Helen were there all the way through and took an active role in grilling the doctor so we all knew what was going on. Friends like that just don’t come along all that often.
Anyway we started this tradition of meeting every Thursday night. At first it was an exercise night for the girls and a horse riding night for the boys. Pretty soon the only weights the girls were lifting were their forks because of all the goodies lying around. The men joined in. So on the Fourth, we meet, ride and have a barbecue afterwards.
This year Vernon told his wife he had invited forty-two people but he didn’t know how many were coming. Actually about fourteen did. We roasted a goat which Vernon provided. All the women brought something along, baked beans and that kind of thing, plenty of desserts. We left the table stuffed and feeling guilty about the waistline… but very, very content.
Later in the evening, we had fireworks. Each year one of the men provides the fireworks which last about forty-five minutes. All kinds including the ones that don’t go where you expect them to go and really create buzz. One of them almost landed in the box of fireworks. Somewhere they picked up these sparklers that emitted smoke. So much smoke we couldn’t see a thing. But the up side is we did not have any bugs either.
Eventually the fireworks petered out and just as the last one fizzled out, we heard this tremendous nnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaa. That was the goat we didn’t eat giving his personal opinion about the entire affair.
Raising goats is the new thing now that tobacco is gone. We seem to be importing tobacco from other countries where it does not grow as well so rural people have had to find other sources of income. Those that aren’t planting pot and such are turning to goats (ostriches are out) and creating a new industry.
On the subject of new professions, I started writing and published my first book Tears and Tales last July. Animal rescue stories along with some human rescue stories. We are just learning the marketing business but so far we have been picked up by the Kentucky Horse Park Gift Shop and the Greenbrier, WV. I am excited about both because both are top flight gift shops. We also heard from an organization that is using animals to assist physically challenged and ill people.
They’ve asked me to visit their facility and I am just elated about that. I mean anyone can write a book that makes money and hits the best seller lists… but how many people can write a book that really helps people?
Well, O.K. so there are hundreds but better a big fish in a little pond than having no water at all.
Have to close now. Hope to hear from you.
Russell
Well, I did my first blog, got three readers and no comment from anyone. Not a very impressive start for a man who likes to talk and entertain.
Anyway, we had a great pre-4th celebration, with seven trail riders showing up to spend two hours on the trail. We had a conglomeration of horses, a couple of walkers, ungraded white gelding, two other Godknowswhat horses that did pretty well for their first outing. Virginia and I have Kentucky Mountain Saddle horses and except for a bit of stubbornness, they really are very fine horses… unless of course you tell them not to go to the barn when they want to go to the barn.
The day started off pretty hot and humid but dried a little toward noon. By the time we were riding it was hot but not stifling. Still we kept to the creeks and woods where it was much cooler.
We do this every Fourth of July, just s small group of friends that meet every Thursday evening for a couple of hours of chit-chat. Bonding this way in the country means always being there when the other guy needs you, like the time I was being operated on for colon cancer and they didn’t know if I would make it. My friend Vernon showed up and stayed with Virginia all the way through the operation. He and Virginia were the first ones I saw when I came out of the anesthetic.
Of course I was pretty groggy and I kept thinking it was very nice of this man and wife to come visit me… but who the hell were they. A couple of days later my wife let me know who they were. But that’s the kind of thing I mean. When Virginia had her pacemaker installed, Vernon and his wife Helen were there all the way through and took an active role in grilling the doctor so we all knew what was going on. Friends like that just don’t come along all that often.
Anyway we started this tradition of meeting every Thursday night. At first it was an exercise night for the girls and a horse riding night for the boys. Pretty soon the only weights the girls were lifting were their forks because of all the goodies lying around. The men joined in. So on the Fourth, we meet, ride and have a barbecue afterwards.
This year Vernon told his wife he had invited forty-two people but he didn’t know how many were coming. Actually about fourteen did. We roasted a goat which Vernon provided. All the women brought something along, baked beans and that kind of thing, plenty of desserts. We left the table stuffed and feeling guilty about the waistline… but very, very content.
Later in the evening, we had fireworks. Each year one of the men provides the fireworks which last about forty-five minutes. All kinds including the ones that don’t go where you expect them to go and really create buzz. One of them almost landed in the box of fireworks. Somewhere they picked up these sparklers that emitted smoke. So much smoke we couldn’t see a thing. But the up side is we did not have any bugs either.
Eventually the fireworks petered out and just as the last one fizzled out, we heard this tremendous nnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaa. That was the goat we didn’t eat giving his personal opinion about the entire affair.
Raising goats is the new thing now that tobacco is gone. We seem to be importing tobacco from other countries where it does not grow as well so rural people have had to find other sources of income. Those that aren’t planting pot and such are turning to goats (ostriches are out) and creating a new industry.
On the subject of new professions, I started writing and published my first book Tears and Tales last July. Animal rescue stories along with some human rescue stories. We are just learning the marketing business but so far we have been picked up by the Kentucky Horse Park Gift Shop and the Greenbrier, WV. I am excited about both because both are top flight gift shops. We also heard from an organization that is using animals to assist physically challenged and ill people.
They’ve asked me to visit their facility and I am just elated about that. I mean anyone can write a book that makes money and hits the best seller lists… but how many people can write a book that really helps people?
Well, O.K. so there are hundreds but better a big fish in a little pond than having no water at all.
Have to close now. Hope to hear from you.
Russell
posted by Russell | 6:42 PM
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