The kitchen floor is coming nicely but slowly. The floor looks beautiful once the glue is scrubbed off. The scrubbing is hard, rather back breaking, work. The glue turns quite like cow poop in consistency, thick, goopy and runny. Same color too for that matter.

We got the first seeds started in the greenhouse, after spending what seemed like all week shoveling in lots of well composted poop. We planted spinach, lettuce, radishes, peas and the rest of the garlic that I didn’t get planted last fall.

The goat is doing good. Did I forget to mention that we got a goat? Well we did, and her name is Jenny Drum. She is a smash hit amongst the children. We are teaching her to be a dog, Daisy is thrilled to have a buddy.

Cade and Ava have been up for the weekend. We have been having a blast, riding, feeding the goat and playing. Odie is proving to be quite a nice kids horse. Even Cowboy Bill hopped up on him for a short spin. Not that he is a kid. It was nice to see him on a horse again though. I realized after Ava, Goblin Child and I were all on horses that I had forgotten the riding helmet. I didn’t have it in me to get off and have to do it all again. So we hoped for the best and had a nice ride without it, fortunately.

Now, Justin, could I make one request? Please just a little punctuation? Periods at least? I know that I can’t spell so I’m not one to talk, but just the slightest effort would be nice on your behalf. I know you are typing on your phone and that has got to be miserable but I also know that you are brilliant and usually I love your writing style, but right now I want to know what Sabbath is talking about? Pees out? A little more clarification please?

Not horses hooves exactly, the blog Hooves. Have I ever mentioned that it is the best blog ever?

As much as I enjoy her usual commentary and insight into conformation, in this case it is the best ever for a different reason. Her latest post was on what breed is best suited to the average rider. Not a person who wants a race horse or high level dressage horse, although the breed she chose can do dressage very nicely, but normal people trail riding, working cattle, driving and showing at lower levels in almost anything. A breed that can stay sound with hard riding and is level headed enough that amateurs can handle them. From that limited description the breed should be recognizable already. Read the blog here.

Of course she chose Morgans!

I have looked back through the comments many times a day enjoying the stories people wrote in with telling of the great Morgans they have experienced. She outlined the reasons far better than I ever could, there are so many. She didn’t mention heart, their willingness to keep going no matter what and how just plain old fun to ride a good energetic Morgan is. I suppose those things are subjective though and she was going on more concrete reasoning.

I am going to steal my favorite comment and post it here. It was to well written not to be read a few more times,  I am sure the author won’t mind:

I am what I believe is an average horse owner, have had Morgans for my whole horse life. Starting with a grade gelding when I was twelve, (I will be fifty-six in two months) My first gelding was too much horse for a green twelve year old, but we went on to have many great experiences together as I grew up and was my kids first horse. My first purebred Morgan, a foundation, western working bred gelding, who’s name was Brandies Tallyjack, just in case his breeder should happen across this, was the greatest horse ever. Got him as a green three year old and had him all his life. Any thing I wanted to try, he would do. When we came upon a team penning practice while out on a trail ride, he became a team penning horse with out having seen a cow before. When dressage sounded fun, he could do that. Parades, no problem. Babysitting, that was fine. And while doing these things people always came to look, and tell me how beautiful he was. He was sound and healthy his whole life. After he passed away, there have been more Morgans in the family, one a beautiful gaited mare, who had to find a new home because of an abscess that we could not fix at our barn (no shoes allowed, no matter why), one gelding who went off to live with our daughter, and now a twenty year old gelding from a Morgan rescue. He has saddlebred out crosses from back in the thirties,I would not hold that against him, he is very obviously a Morgan! He can be intimidating from the ground as he is sixteen two hands, very up headed and alert, but he is very well behaved. Started his life as a country pleasure show horse, spent most of his life as an amish road horse, and now he is learning to neck rein and work off my leg. He is peppy for adults, but trustworthy with the little ones. All that to say, I would agree that Morgans make a great horse for the average owner!

I remember that little grade Morgan gelding he was a perfect first horse. Tally, Brandies Tallyjack, was indeed one of the most beautiful horses ever. He was a dark liver chestnut, nearly black in some lights, with a bright red main and tail. He definitely  attracted attention where ever they went. The gelding that came to live with me is my own darling Coyote, my best horse ever.

I am sad to see the comments winding down. It was so nice to join a gathering of fellow Morgan enthusiasts. All of us sharing our love of such a great breed.