Touchstone Farm

                                                                                    Thursday Morn…of the Cheshire Fair!

Dearest Moms and Dads and PF Farm Community,

            We ALL continue to be dazzled and delighted by your children…At the expense of making a bold statement, I think this is my favorite camp session of 20 years.  Each and every girl is sweet, hardworking, loving, fun and funny.  We are having a blast…and sadly, that is why we have not written more blogs…It is because we are just doing so many things and having such fun. I truly hate to see this session come to a close.  You should all be most proud of the parenting job you are doing because you are creating fabulous young people who will take good care of our world. Thank you for sharing them with us!

            Sunday after the Jumper-Palooza’s fun, dawned kind of rainy. A perfect day to lay low and enjoy just being with each other and on the farm!  The kids all slept in late and had a blissfully peaceful morning.  Once everyone had woken up, the girls got to room cleaning and laundry organizing at a leisurely pace.  It was a lovely time of munching on cereal and biscuits while the cooks made brunch.

            The afternoon was the time to go to the pool as the weather cleared up a bit.  Letters were written, books read, much good friendship built, and crafts made.  I am also delighted as the girls each made me a beautiful birthday card.  I read them with tears in my eyes…..but enough of that!

            Mighty plans were made for various Talent Show Acts…What a line-up of talent was seen.  Becky and the staff reported a great night.  I missed it because I was celebrating my b-day with my own kids and returned Monday mid-afternoon, having bought the last harness to put our two beautiful black pony pairs together into a Four-in-Hand to drive a carriage.  This is a big bucket on my Bucket List and should come to be in early September once the harness arrives!!!  We all must have our Bucket List…What is on your’s and are you working toward it!!!???

            Monday was the much awaited day of swimming with the horses. We have a lovely new pond right down the road where we take the girls.  With our Life Guard in tow, we walk down with some of the girls riding bareback on the old trusties that are the swimming ones. This is a real camp highlight. There is even a rope swing to use while the girls are waiting their turn.

            Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the other half of the girls got a riding lesson as this week was pretty filled with specialties and things like the camping trip.  We figured that we should do some lessons in the meantime!  The afternoon saw the girls switching so everyone rode and got to swim with the horses. 

            During the swimming with the horses and lessons, Becky and some staff went to set up the tents for the Pony Camping Trip up the Mountain.  They did not want to start this process after the swimming and rush dinner.  30  girls signed up for the camping trip, so we had to do two nights of it.  Having this many girls and staff trying to cook dinner and swim in the mountain pool is just too hectic, even for me!  So, we decided that Becky would lead one night’s trip and I would lead the second, with good staff of course.

            So, after lessons and swimming with the horses, off Becky trooped to do the camping trip.  Armed with hot dogs, smores and breakfast, plus accoutrements for the horses, they made a merry site!  They had a blast and everyone camp home without one bug bite or stubbed toe.

For those that were staying over at the lodge, they made big plans about the upcoming Pony Farm Fashion Show…or PF’s Next Top Model.  Why they love this so is beyond me, who never had slightest desire to be a model, which I guess is a really good thing!  I think I am a much better Camp Director and Farmer than model!!!

            With gleeful times as they walked down the ‘runway’, they laughed and enjoyed good old clean fun.  After a lovely Vespers, complete with candles burning brightly, they all tiptoed off to slumber land….with them truly being quiet and asleep by 9:30!  These are full days and they are glad to hit their pillow and dream of the fun the next day.

            Tuesday was the Show Prep Day for the kids who were going to the Horse Show the next day, as well at the return at noon of the camping trip troopers.  The horse show kids were selected by each riding group teacher.  One person from each riding group was asked to go to the show.  The criteria was NOT who was the best rider on the fanciest horse…It was who was the most eager learner, hardest worker in the barn, most loving to their horse, and best team player over all.  Each staff person really got into this process and the kids were selected.  I was proud of Andi, our Trainer, who came up with this ‘out of the box’ way of doing horse shows.  She has gotten the PF spirit even after such a short time!

            With coaching, baths and tack cleaning for the horse show team of girls under way, others got to choose a variety of things to do with horses, like going to see the Budweiser Clydesdales, a trip to the falls, a Pony Spa Day and Catch Riding, which is when they ride other girls horses and try out the feel of a different horse.  Still others got ready to go on the camping trip up the mountain.  Off they went with horses and kids and sleeping bags, with the tents already set up.

            I was doing a staff meeting with the year around staff so I got to the camping scene about 5PM. It was the most pitiful thing I have seen in a long time.  They had dutifully followed camp procedure by returning the horses as they heard some distant thunder.  They did not want the kids to swim because the pool was too shallow due to the draught.  And, worst of all, one of our maintenance men had said that the state had just announced a statewide ban on all fires due to the lack of rain….So, there they sat for the evening with no fire, no horses, no swimming and PB and Fluff sandwiches.

            I could not bear the sight.  I immediately announced that we were going to ‘camp’ at my house. You have never seen a group fall on an idea so happily. We all trooped to my home above the hill at camp….with food, kids and stuff.  We built a small fire in my deep firepit, with no threat of starting a woods fire, for sure. We used my grill for the hotdogs and roasted S’mores o’plenty.  They jumped in and out of my hot tub…now a cold tub for the summer and rowed in my boat on the pond in front of my house.  With the entire living room filled with 18 children, we had a blast with me telling stories of the farm and its history, horses and people.  They listened with rapture and I did regale them.  I got even more convinced that I want to write children’s books about the farm in my old age.  They seem to love the gory and glory stories equally.  I don’t know who had more fun, the kids and staff or me…I think it was me!

            The next day I heard the trailers go by to the show as the girls slumbered on.  Once they woke up, we cooked a huge breakfast, with everyone helping…By 9:15, they were loaded and ready to return to camp without a trace of having been there…See, this is yet another testament to how great your girls are!  My tenants hardly knew they were there.

            As the kids rode in the show, the rest of the troopers divided into two teams for Gymkhana games and playing with the Farm Animals, in preparation for my Mom’s Nursing Home visit with her ‘buds’.  A happy morning was passed by all and everyone was ready for lunch.

            So many kids volunteered to help me with the Nursing Home visit that I was a little overwhelmed. 20 kids later, we had the minis, the sheep, the goat and donkey, all four rabbits and two children harnessed, clean and ready in the indoor arena for the van’s arrival. We chose to do it in the indoor as rain was predicted.  We greeted 10 residents and five staff from the nursing home.  With bunnies in baskets, chickens on leases and the rest in halters, the people got to meet all the girls and animals in safety.  Much wonderful interaction happened. The girls then did an Obstacle Course with the animals, followed by an Ice Cream Party with Lemonade.

            As the residents, mostly in wheelchairs, got loaded up in the van, the girls and I ran back to the gardens by the barn and picked flowers. We made 20 bouquets for the residents and the other people who were too old to come.  As each girl gave the old people their bouquet, I just stood there with tears in my eyes. What a lovely site this was…So much joy and happiness in one place. It is hard to believe!

            As my treat to the girls for their generous spirit, we hooked up our new Hay Ride Pair of Haflingers…Magic Mike and Beautiful Ben…and put them to our new Hay Wagon…With the lemonade to refresh us, we had a lovely afternoon hay ride.  What a great addition to the farm to be able to take 12 people all at once down the road.

            Then, with barn chores complete and dinner in our bellies, we were treated to a most spectacular Hawk Show….I want to tell you more about this but the girls are ready for me at the barn, ready to drive again this AM….I love it all…The hawks are too fabulous to shortchange by being in a rush…so I will tell you more tomorrow about this and the Cheshire Fair.

            Until then, please know how fabulous your kids are.  I love them dearly and am so honored that you sent them to our Beloved Pony Farm!!!!!

            Have a great day and know that all is well here.  Most fondly, Boo