2005 Happy Holidays

Tim has been busy planting trees -- over 100 this year! Time for some "privacy screening" from the new houses going in on all sides of us. It feels as though we have become a 15-acre island in the middle of new housing. Last summer, on a sunny day, it was like living in a campground. After all these years, we could hear the neighbors and sometimes even see them. On any given day you can find Tim out on the property, mending fences, feeding the animals, splitting firewood and often times on his trusty tractor moving large rocks and landscaping.

I'm keeping busy since the kids started school. Naturally, I spend lots of time volunteering at their school like all the other Moms. I was able to teach the other parents how to make holiday cedar garlands and fresh wreaths during a fun event held at the school. I partook a cookie exchange last night and lots of other fun stuff since school started.

The "Adventures From Black Pond Farm" still happen daily, but I don't have time to post the stories like I used to.

As you know from my past mails, I've been building up my web business (www.VintageBridal.net) and have also been appointed to coordinate charity wedding gown sales, dubbed, "Brides Against Breast Cancer -- National Tour of Gowns". I will be coordinating the sales in Washington State for the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation (www.MakingMemories.org), a charity created to grant memory-making events to patients losing their battle with the disease.

I just returned from the headquarters in Portland Oregon where I picked up over 500 new wedding gowns that were donated to help raise funds to grant dying wishes. These will be sized, priced and made ready to haul to venues all across Washington.

Tim and I purchased a 20-foot enclosed trailer and I have booked two shows for February and will continue to fill the calendar. Shows alternate between Vintage Bridal.net's public appearances and the fundraising sales for the charity. Tim knows how much I enjoy it and is incredibly supportive of my hobbies.

If we did the math correctly, our lil' farmhands will have their pooch pals all through their childhood of exploring the property. Erin named her little girl puppy "Blizzard", because she looks like a black dog running through a blizzard. Preston named his little guy "Bowzer", because he bow-wow-wows while riding in the car. (He hates car rides). The puppies are almost 3 months old and already 20 pounds each. They came to us trained to "sit" before being petted. That will come in handy as they continue to grow LARGER. No knocking a person over for attention! Although they are going to be HUGE, they are a wonderfully mellow mutt-mix. Their Mother is a black lab/ Newfoundland and the neighbor's dog was an Australian cattle dog cross. The litter of 8 were born in Montana and 6 were brought here to new homes. They sure are not hyper little pups, opting to turn into limp noodles when touched instead of jumping around. Very mellow. No interest in the chickens and they think the potbellied pig makes spooky noises...for a dog (with a snout?) Poor Bowzer "discovered" the electric fence yesterday while getting a closer look at the shaggy Scottish highland cattle. He wasn't hurt, but couldn't figure out what snuck up and bit him!

We are working on kennel training them and in two days we've made progress! When they come inside, they go directly to their kennel. It's been great for muddy paws (BIG paws). They also go to their kennel when they want to sleep or to be left alone. We had 4 other kids over today to play with Erin and Preston and the puppies put up with a lot of "loving" from all 6 kids in the house, but then headed to the kennel. They have been a lot of fun.