Wednesday, March 26, 2008

CET Test Cases....

This has been such a great week so far and it is only Wednesday! I wanted to take a quick moment and report on my test cases. They are all out in the field growing. I couldn’t be happier with how this product has worked and the farm is just as happy with the progress. I also have the farm giving a water conditioner to incoming cattle, which is all natural as well, and it has been AMAZING! They are very, very, thrilled with it and my sales on this product has really taken off. I honestly cant keep it in stock which is always a wonderful thing! I love to see the product HELP people and even though, I continue to make money, the benefit of seeing their herd health improve is wonderful as well.

I am lucky enough to be meeting one of the co-owners of Cutting Edge Technology tonight for dinner. He drove down here to speak with me and introduce himself. I am really looking forward to talking with him over dinner. Leigh will be attending as well, she handles my advertising and she will speak to him concerning my plans for advertising in 2008.

I am very happy with how these products are taking off and how well they are working. I have been fortunate to get some amazing clients in the past 2 months!!

On another note, the weather is great today and I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy it!

There will be more updates in the future.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

As Seasons Change...





Well we are all ready for spring, and it is right around the corner. Such great things happen in spring, the grass grows, flowers bloom, and the world chirps. Plus there is all the wonderful outdoor activities that come with it. Keeneland will be here in a couple of weeks, late night beers on a local patio, and riding after work as well. I always feel like this is sort of when the year starts, when we can all actually get outside and enjoy it. I am so excited for spring this year, I feel like it is a preview for how wonderful the summer will be. I thrive on the days being longer and feeling like when I get off work, I have an entire day ahead of me.



Leigh and I were down at the barn last night, feeding the horses and brushing them while they ate, and their winter coats, were just pouring off of them. It is so nice to see them shed and get ready for the spring season. For me that is always a sign spring is so near. The horses all feel great and are so ready for nicer days. I feel that this spring and summer is going to be an amazing one. Leigh and I have so many great things planned this year. We will be going to Colorado at the end of April to see our great friends Mark and Colleen. It will be so nice to see them, and we are going to get to participate in a local branding while we are there! I have a feeling it will be a wonderful trip, as there is nothing better than catching up with old friends.



Leigh and I both have some new possibilities on the horizon that keep us both so excited. My feed adventure is really taking off and I have some ads coming out in some local equine magazines real soon, which I cant wait to see. It is funny, because Leigh and I look back on past weeks, past months and past years, and even though so much has changed, some for the good, some for the bad, we always have great things in the works, and couldn’t be more fortunate for that.



I hope everyone is excited about this coming summer and we look forward to having all of our wonderful friends over for a cold beer on our patio, and some new friends as well.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

A Snowy Weekend.....


This weekend has been great. Earlier in the week I was on the phone with my mother and she told me that we were supposed to get a winter storm this weekend. I took that with a grain of salt because (no offense Bill Meck) the weather people are rarely right. Yet on Friday afternoon my offices let out early and Anne and I met at Tractor Supply to load up on feed for the horses just in case we got snowed in. Friday night we went down to the barn to get the horses all settled in their stalls. There was probably about about an inch of snow blanketing the farm at that point and it was starting to get pretty cold. Anne was holding my horse Dually when he was startled by something. Anne and I both looked up and there was our little friend, the red fox. He walked all the way over to the fence and sat down to watch us. He was absolutely beautiful. He was so red against the white snow and his tail was so fluffy, it was the same size as him. Dually knickered at him as so say "Hello my little friend." It was so neat! After we got them fed, Anne and I came in and I put a lasanga in the oven and we cleaned the entire house. I have never been a huge fan of snow or cold weather but there was something very comforting about it this weekend. Just knowing that we may be snowed in and that we weren't EXPECTED to go anywhere or do anything was very nice.


Saturday morning we woke up to about five inches of snow. The farm was gorgeous. We fed the horses and left them tucked in to their warm stalls and then we made waffles for breakfast. I ran on the treadmill and Anne did laundry and read her new Larry McMurty book. That night Paul ventured over and brought the movie In to the Wild. I saw this movie in the theater but Paul didn't get to go with me so we watched it last night. In to the Wild is one of my favorite books. My brother insisted that I read it years ago and I can honestly say that it did change my life a bit. So Paul and I snuggled up on the couch and watched it. It is such a beautiful film.


This morning we all got up and Paul headed to Starbucks while Anne and I headed to the barn to turn the boys out. All three of them were so excited to play in the snow. They ran and played and had such a great time. Anne and I headed to the grocery to buy some groceries for the week. When we got home Anne made her famous cheese dip and we have munched on it all day while lounging around the house, just reading and relaxing. PLUS, we turned our clocks forward today which is so exciting. It is just a matter of time that Anne and I will be riding until 9:00 at night, and drinking beer on the deck with our friends!! I can't wait!!!!
The above pic is of Difter making snow horses this morning, not to be confused with snow angels!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Patience is a hard lesson to learn...




It seems in the past week or so that my patience has been tested several times. Patience has always been hard for me to grasp but I think as I have gotten older that I have gotten much better at it. When I was younger I had no patience, but of course I relay that to the fact that I had people around me that liked to test my patience! Now, like I said, I am much better at it but I do still have my moments. I had a moment this past week and my family had a great time talking about it for a couple of days. We like to refer to them as “Johnny Walkup” moments because when I behave this way it is JUST like my father. I loved my father dearly but he was great at throwing a fit and getting pissed off and I too inherited this great quality from him. Lucky me!!


It was last week when I was trying to move the truck and trailer and two trees around our driveway were in the way. After trying to maneuver the rig for about 15 minutes, I lost it and cussed and screamed for about two minutes. Anne just stood there and then after my little fit she started dying laughing, which prompted me too as well. She said “Oh my God, you look just like dad” hahahahhaaa It was one of those moments that we are still laughing about. I only have about two a year now, last year I had one about the garden hose. Hahahah, Isn’t that stupid? So in honor of that moronic event last week, we decided to start teaching Anne’s young horse patience this week. Just as it is hard for me to learn, it is hard for Drifter too.


We tied them all up to the fence last night and just let them stand for about 45 minutes. My horses acted great but they have more experience in standing still and quiet. Drifter tried to paw his way to China at first but after about 20 minutes he got tired and stood like a champ. He was a very good boy last night. He will get the hang of it soon and know that he needs to calm down and just stand quietly. It takes time, let’s just hope it doesn’t take him 30 years like it has me!
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