Merry Christmas 08

Merry Christmas!! Odin, his sister and his folks came to my house for Christmas this year and we had a great time. Odin made me this wonderful/beautiful/useful entry way, shoe holder, coat hanger and mirror. It is just great!Here is a picture of it by itself! It is so cool.

Here is a picture of us at dinner.

Montana Weather

I thought I'd share a little bit of Montana with you!! This week it has only been 19 below, but last week it was even more chilly.

So, Odin gave me my Christmas present early... This is what 40 below looks like...

Happy Thanksgiving 08

I spent Thanksgiving again with Odin and his family up near Ossette, MT (a small town that no longer exists but the easiest way to describe where the North farm is). This is the 2nd year that Odin and I have hunted driving around in his Uncle Ronnie's Blazer. As you can see Calli really gets into it as well. This year, Calli found a Coyote to chase and gave a valiant effort to keep up, but she was no match for the Coyote's speed and agility, thank goodness.

Calli's new friend is Uncle Ronnie who let her lay on his lap during Friday's all day hunting adventure.Friday's hunting took us up to the Canadian border, ~ 100 miles total and only ~ 1/4 of a mile out of the 100 was paved. I've never been to Canada so I decided to have Odin take my picture on both sides of the border next to one of the markers. No passport needed!!Saturday morning Odin and I went out hunting again around the North farm and I shot my buck. He was in a gully and then came out onto the prairie. So, I took a shot, missed and then realized that there were no more bullets in the gun! I couldn't believe it, I meant to check it and so Odin kindly hoofed it back to the vehicle. I knelt down so I'd be smaller and prayed that this buck was the stupidest buck there ever was. Well, he must have been, cause he started walking towards me instead of running away and by the time Odin got back with more bullets, he was about 50 yards away. I got a good shot and he went down. It was pretty exciting, but once he was down, the phrase "now the work starts" came to mind. We finally got him taken care of and back to the Blazer and then I even helped skin him and everything. All this happened before noon! Frankly, I'm pooped!

He was not very big, but for a first buck he's not too bad!

Clinton Anderson

A couple friends and I were able to go to Kalispell to see Clinton Anderson on tour. (http://www.downunderhorsemanship.com/) He is a horse trainer originally from Australia. He is all about gaining your horse's respect. It was a very informative and interesting weekend. I have found a lot of his training techniques to be really helpful with Rio. Rio tends to be a little disrespectful. For example, when I first got Rio I was enthraled with how friendly he was and how he always wanted to be next to me. That was okay, but I didn't set any boundaries and pretty soon I was been pushed around and shouldered into. That was somewhat uncomfortable and a little worrisome as he is ~ 8 times bigger than me! Anyways, I'm sure anxious to try the things I learned with Rio.
P.S. The picture is of Jen, myself and Courtney in front of Clinton's huge semi.

Pumpkins

These are the pumpkins Odin and I carved.

Halloween Ghosts

So, Odin had this idea for Donkey...




Since it was soooo cute on Donkey, I thought I'd see if Rio would wear it. He surprised me!

Pedro and Jake

Well, Pedro has made friends with more than just humans!!

New Saddle

So, as you can see from the first two pictures, I've come to realize that my saddle (of 8 years) does not fit my rather large Quarter Horse! So, I set out to find out as much about saddle fit and saddle trees, riggings, etc as possible. The saddle maker at Grizzly Saddlery, here in Great Falls was a great help and patiently answered my qustions. So, I decided to begin looking at saddles, their pricing, and other information. Well, Odin and I were in Missoula this weekend and I found a used saddle that had all the specifications Rio and I needed, for a good price. So, I went out on a limb and bought it. It fits him well (as seen in the 3rd pic) and it is comfortably broke in already! I'll keep you posted on how it all goes! :o)

I finally caught it!!

So, Rio and Pedro are quite the playmates! I finally caught them playing together and was able to take several pictures. Sorry they are so far away.

Sept. 14th

Well, I finally have internet at home so I can update everyone and post more pics! This weekend, I bought an insulated garage door, which my garage desperately needed, that Odin found on Craig's List, for $160! We put it together and it works great! The last picture is what is left of my old garage door. Each piece was really heavy, but you can see that part of it was only panelling.

I also thought everyone would enjoy seeing Odin "ride" Pedro. Odin is tall enough that he can touch on either side and put hardly any weight on Pedro's back. Pedro seems to be saying "Are you kidding me?"

New addition to the crew

Yesterday, Odin and I went and got a buddy for Rio! He is a Miniature Donkey named Pedro. He is ~ 15 years old, loves horses and is uncut (yep you are thinking correctly). He does not act "uncut" thankfully and has a lot of kiddo experience. He is very sweet and kind, but you wouldn't think so seeing Rio's reaction. Rio was convinced that Pedro was a Grizzly disguised as a little donkey. He spent hours as far a way as possible, running like a maniac and snorting at him. Pedro would respond with a few squeaks of a bray and that would send Rio into another panic attack.
After Rio's response, I thought this companion might not work out, but towards the end of the evening and after A LOT of coaxing with apple pellets, Rio finally came into the corral next to Pedro and it was safe to lock him in.
This morning, Pedro and Rio have been sniffing noses and nipping at each other. Maybe it will work out after all!
The first picture is of Pedro. How could you resist or be scared of that adorable little face, not to mention the big ears?
The second picture is of Rio, still on high alert, but getting somewhat closer to the "disguised grizzly"!

John Preston Hansen

On August 8th, my Grandpa Hansen passed away. He meant a lot to me and here was what I shared at his Memorial.

August 16th 2008
John Preston Hansen
Just the name brings a specific “qualities” to my mind. As his granddaughter, I observed and was the recipient of my grandpa’s:
- Strength – My grandpa was always a formidable force to me, a rock, someone to count on. As his health started to fail, it was difficult for me see grandpa in that light, to me he was and still is the grandpa who did it all.
- Devotion – His devotion to grandma and his family, made me want to find a husband who had those same qualities. He may not have always worn his devotion on his sleeve, but often as grandma was stating with pride what their children and granddaughters were doing, you could sneak a peek at grandpa’s face and see the same pride written there as well.
- Ethics – One always knew how Grandpa felt about things. He was never one to beat around the bush or worry about how something he said would be seen or thought of by another. Grandpa voiced his beliefs and let the chips fall as they may. This created tension between people at times, but ultimately you knew where you stood with Grandpa.
- Care – Grandpa cared for his family, for his country, and for the community in which he and grandma lived. There was one summer that I was working in Susanville at a summer camp and I didn’t have a car. My parents were out of town and I was extremely homesick. I called grandpa and grandma and asked if they would come and get me so that I could come home for the weekend. Their response to this request was “We’ll be there in 2 hours”. I knew I could always count on them to be there for me. Once I moved away to Montana, every conversation with Grandpa, would include him asking me how my job was, how my horses were doing (an interest we both shared) and how things were going with my house. He was always genuinely interested in my life.
- Patriotism – There has never been a doubt in my mind, where Grandpa stood when it came to how he felt about his country, the armed forces and freedom.
- Gentle – I will always remember the first time I saw Grandpa cry and I know that there were certain things that were always close to Grandpa’s heart - Grandma, his family and tradition. One time I mentioned what a handsome couple he and Grandma were. Grandpa became teary eyed and just grinned. One day, Grandpa was showing me the brand that used to be the Phipps family brand and he was telling me the names of the generations that might have used the brand. The names were Preston…, and … Preston. Over and over I heard the name Preston and so I stopped Grandpa and said “I guess I didn’t realize what a family tradition the name ‘Preston’ is.” “So, I guess I will just have to name one of my future sons Preston to carry on the family tradition?!” Again, Grandpa teared up and said “I guess so.”
As you can probably tell, my Grandpa, John Preston Hansen has been one important and influential man in my life. I wish each and every one of my cousins could have experienced Grandpa in the way I got to, but I know that each granddaughter no matter how much time they were able to spend with him, had a special place in Grandpa’s heart.
Grandpa, you will be sorely missed, but I trust that you are right now keeping Mommy company and that I will see you again someday.

June 23, 2008

This last weekend Odin, Calli, and I went camping at Crystal Lake, which is near Lewistown, MT. It was a lot of fun. The lake is ~1 mile in length, but is only 15 feet deep in its deepest area. It was soooo clear you could see the bottom and it looked green from up above. It had some nice hiking trails around the area as well. Darin and Shauna joined us on Saturday afternoon and we hiked up to a spring. Unfortunately, I forgot to pack the S’mores. That was a real bummer. On Friday, Odin surprised me with bicycles for the both of us to take with us. It was a lot of fun to get back on a bicycle. It has been forever since I’ve ridden a bike. I hadn’t forgotten though!
Tonight, I was going to ride with Courtney Feldman, so I got up pretty early to get everything ready. First I had to get the trailer out of the corral (Odin and I had the idea that it could be in there, off of the grass and easy for me to work on loading and unloading with my horses). It was a good idea until it took me ½ an hour to get it out of there. I finally had to back it all the way out, which took some skill I might add! Anyways, I got my trailer out of the corral and then gave Rio a bath so that he’d look really nice. He bathes so easily and for the most part stands still. He looked really nice and I went in to get ready (I had to work at Eagle Mount from 12 noon to 5 pm, so I was going to trailer him to EM, then corral him there until I was done then trailer him to where Courtney and I were going to ride). I came back outside to load him and GUESS WHAT????? He would NOT load. Boy was I upset. He’s been in my trailer several times, before. I finally had to give up, go to Eagle Mount and inform Courtney of the change in plans. So Courtney decided to trailer her horse to my place. On the way she had a flat tire and got swarmed by mosquitoes! She finally made it, but it was too late to ride, so we had ice cream and looked at maps of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. It turned out to be a pretty good evening. We’re going to try to ride together again another night.

April 28th

Well, Julie, Molly, and several other therapists are now on our way to Las Vegas, NV for “The Young Child with Special Needs” conference. We are all excited and anxious to further our learning and on top of that be able to see Las Vegas! I’ve never been to Las Vegas and am excited to see the lights and the tall buildings. I have brought my computer with me so that we won’t miss any episodes of Dancing with the Stars! Julie and I are especially dedicated fans of the show.
My neighbor Lori is watching my place and animals while I am gone. I fully trust her, but it is still hard to leave one’s pets behind and not worry about whether my dog Calli will eat while I’m gone or whether or not there was enough hay for the horse, while I’m gone!
I’m currently feeding grass hay and “the boys” (Outlaw and Rio) are requiring some supplement to that to maintain their weight. I’m giving the sweet cob, but I may add a supplement lick to that as well, to make sure they are getting enough vitamins and such.
Rio has been a lot of fun to ride. He is such a goof-ball. He is very friendly, insisting on being in the middle of every conversation over the fence with the neighbor. He also knows how to untie himself (note to self – never leave him tied for too long by himself) and carry his own lead rope like a dog (what command to give a horse? – “drop” “give” – none work for your information)! When I am riding him and stop to talk to a neighbor, he will not stand still until the neighbor pets him and gives him the attention that he obviously believes he observes. I’m sure more of his personality will be observed as we get to know eat other better.
Odin and I have working on the outside of my house. I sure can’t wait until I can plant my garden and flower beds. It has been nice and warm here recently, but we are not out of the cold/snowy weather yet. Lori and Jim say that it is safe to plant around Mother’s day, so I’m trying to be patient. I’m going to plant rhubarb, carrots, green beans, corn and maybe some pumpkins. In my flower bed on the east side of the house, I’m thinking of planting a few roses. I really want to plant a couple of Bleeding Heart plants, but they are not very hardy and I’m going to need some weather and limited water hardy plants.
I am going to be working a full day at Eagle Mount’s Hippotherapy program, Mondays, and then working a 4-10 week at Benefis. I’m not sure how that is going to go, but I guess we are going to find out. I also have been hearing from families and other professionals that the only other Pediatric Occupational Therapist in town is ending her business and so I am already having an influx of children moving to Benefis. I’m not sure how I am going to serve all these kiddos, but I am sure that I’ll do my best to figure out a way.
Odin continues to be a loving, caring boyfriend. He is really busy right now with work as all the farmers are getting ready to seed their crops. Odin and his co-worker have to make sure that everyone’s GPS is working appropriately. During this time of year, he puts in long hours and many miles. He knows so many country roads and the “back way” to everywhere, making afternoon drives and road trips a lot of fun. Odin’s mom, Rhonda, is currently visiting in Great Falls and is staying with Shannon, Odin’s sister. She is a wonderful cook and makes sure no one is lacking sweets.