Welcome To My Blog! Life in the farm is interesting and fun, and I hope you enjoy sharing the ups and downs of a life full of animals.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

We are the Winners, Winners, Winners.....

Our undefeatedness continues!!! YAY! Girls Varsity Field Hockey continues!

Monday we had a game with Villa Maria, and we destroyed them 5-1. ( we had to let them have a goal so they didnt feel TOO bad)

And today, another game: Vs HP Dupont. Again, we won, although by smaller numbers. 2-0 :)

Our amazing goalies have only let in 3 goals, TOTAL for the season so far.

The Question is: Will we remain undefeated?

I really, truly think the answer will be yes. But time will tell....

So Wish me Luck!

Cheers! -- Quinn

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Tournament At Ligonier!

On Friday,around noon, we headed to Ligonier. Ligonier is in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. The reason: A Tournament. Our bus had the Boys Varsity Soccer Team and the Girl's Varsity Field Hockey Team. 6 hours later ( an hour later than it was supposed to be...) we arrived at Ligonier,unloaded our stuff, met our hosts and ate a big dinner provided by the school. I really lucked out: I had a fantastic host family and a great buddy. The next morning we headed back to the school, and the games began. Our first game, against a team called Aquina (?) was good, although VERY muddy. The field was in the middle of a few hills, and it had been raining a lot. I feel like this game was a good warm up, and we crushed them 5-0! Our second game, right after the first, was against a pretty good team. Still, we played well and ended up with a 3-0 score. :) Then we had lunch ( they had yummy cookies...) and we had our last game with the home team, Valley School. This was definetely our hardest game, and was a tough win. We ended up with a 2-0 score with them, and they managed to shoot on our goalie once, a feat none of the other teams managed.
I think It was great that our team finally managed to figure out how to work the ball around the field and work together, especially after tieing our first two games. I am hopeful that we may continue last year's legacy of an undefeated season. So far, so good. :) Well, thats it!

Cheers! -- Quinn

Thursday, September 22, 2011

A tie and a Tournament!

So, Yesterday we had our second field hockey game. We totally dominated the field, but unfortuanately didn't get the ball in the goal. It was an 0-0 game. :/

Tomorrow we leave for Ligoneer, near Pittsburgh for a tournament. We play 3 other schools on Saturday, and get hosted. ( awkward... slightly.)

So yeah.

I'll tell more when I return Sunday!

Cheers! -- Quinn

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Rosie: The Huntress


Rosie, or Rosie the Rivetor (her registered name), or brat, or kitty…….. she has many names. But most of the time we call her Rosie.

Anyway. Rosie is a 4 year old Scottish Terrier, and is a stubborn and feisty girl. She does what she wants, when she wants. Obediance is not one of her talents. I love her all the more for it. She pretends she doesn’t love you, but when she sneaks up and cuddles in bed with you after you have gone asleep,  you know she cares.

Rosie is also a hunter, through and through. Her breed was created to kill rats and go down holes, but this little prey-driven dog thinks she weighs a hundred pounds or something. If it is alive, and moves, she kills it. Or tries. It doesn’t work with deer or horses. She just barks and chases them. But squirrels, mice, rats, birds, wasps and flies are all fair game. Yes, she does hunt flies. She bites them out of the air when they buzz around. The other thing she has defeated is a mink… yes, I said a mink. Those ferocious little rabbit and chicken eating creatures that are a foot long with muscley necks for biting and breaking necks. They also have very sharp teeth. But the one Rosie killed was no match for her, for  she bore not one single bite mark.

Rosie has good things and bad things about her, like every creature. We love her to pieces, even through all her naughty and playful tricks.

Thats all for today!


Cheers! -Quinn A.A

Monday, September 19, 2011

Fox- Hunting: A sport of Hounds and Horses

^ Well, I can't really say much more than that....
I have actually only been fox-hunting a few times, but have always enjoyed it. I plan to go more often and take Google so he gets more good experiences in his head.

Fox-hunting originated in the United Kingdom, but is practiced all over the world including in Russia, Australia,Canada, Ireland and many other countries.

In this sport trained hounds are used to scent out foxes, and give chase. The hounds have amazing voices- I love the sound of their baying. The Master of the Foxhounds takes care of the hunt- he manages it, often owns the hounds, spends the cap money, and often is the largest financial contributor to the hunt. They have the final say over everything in the hunt.

The Kennelsman looks after the hounds, and makes sure everything is done before and after hunts return.

The Huntsman directs the hounds during the hunt, and often carries a horn to communicate to the followers, Whippers-in, and hounds. The Huntsman may also be the Kennelsman.

Whippers-in are the Huntman's assistants. They carry large whips and control  the hounds, keeping them from straying or hunting other animals.
In the U.S.A foxes are rarely killed, mostly chased for sport. Sometimes the foxes seem to enjoy the sport, leading the hounds and riders on long, twisting chases. When the fox goes to ground it is usually left alone.

For large hunts, The attire is very formal, with scarlet coats, tall boots, and certain colored breeches. However, for smaller hunts, like the one near me, It tends to be more relaxed, allowing simple breeches and polo shirts. Attire deviates depending on the hunt.

Fox-hunting can be formal, or relaxed. It can be slow and easy, or fast and aggresive. It really depends on the area. I highly suggest you try it at least once, and find a hunt suitable to you. I think you will enjoy it.

P.S- I know I don't blog often enough, but I hope that when I do you find it interesting and worthwhile to read. I will be trying to do more educational posts, like the above, rather than ME ME ME! Lol. Oh, and feel free to comment. I don't bite. Most of the time....

Cheers! -- Quinn A.A.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Plantation= Little Elation

Wow, that is kind of a depressing title. Hmmm.
This weekend (and Friday) was Plantation Field Horse Trials.  For me, Plantation officially started Thurday night when a party of 4 eventers rolled in to spend the weekende in our home.  They also brought 2 dogs and 4 vehicles, bringing our numbers to this:
10 people- 4 eventers in various rooms, 2 riders on 3rd floor, and Andie and Brian in the cottage.
7 dogs- Zippy and Dooky with the eventers, Scruffy on the third floor, Sammy and Beau in the cottage and of course, our dogs, Rosie and Sim. Hmmm.
Our broken car in the garage, plus our other car and truck. 4 vehicles for the eventers, 1 for 3rd floor, and 2 for the cottage= 10 vehicles.
It was a wee bit crowded. ( I dont ever remember saying wee is RL...)
On Friday I rushed after school to Plantation, arriving in time to see Sprite's slightly nervous dressage test. It wasnt her best test,but it wasn't her worst either. She was competing at Preliminary level, By the way. Two hours later was SJ, again slightly nervous and she ticked one of the rails. Molly did a fantastic job riding her.
Sprite warming up for XC- she is actually jumping a jump beside the one you see. :P
On Saturday she prepared for the very large, very hard cross-country course. There had already been several falls at a coffin, and I was nervous. I think Molly was too. Sprite began her cross country course beautifully, jumping each jump enthusiastically and forward, with her usual high kick. Then they reached number 10, the coffin. Sprite jumped in extra big and kicked up. Unfortuanately the steep hill caused her to flip over and do almost a 390 flip. She fell onto her nose, then jumped up and galloped through some Roses and Trees.
Molly and her were both fine, except slightly rattled and bearing a few scratches.
I am dissapointed, but I know it was an honest, green mistake. Sprite didn't know that jumping in that big would cause her to flip. Next time she won't do it.

Molly also rode Sabrina, who had a gorgeous dressage test ( a 29!!! ), but had some trouble with the jump. She did go out and do the coffin on Sabrina, and I think that made her feel much better. :)

That about sums it up. Thanks to my entire two followers.. LOL.


Google this morning.
Cheers! -- Quinn A.A.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Yearbook Staff

Short post today, for I have a busy life.
I MADE YEARBOOK STAFF! I am super excited. It's a two year commitment, and we choose colors, design it, write articles, etc. It will be lots of fun. I also think I will enjoy fueling my creativity in a prouductive way in school. Unfortuanately I can't tell you anything we do.... top secret. ;)
Anyway, look for these posts in the future:
Fox-hunting
Beekeeping
Molly Rosin
Lacrosse

Cheers, Quinn A.A

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Brandywine Festival of the Arts!

That's where I headed for the afternoon. We've been several times, and it is always great. :) . But there is never enough time to see everything.... anyway, I forgot to take pics. Shame, shame. Bad me. It was amazing, seeing artists of every craft come to sell their hand-made wares. I love the environment. Since I only got my ears pierced this year ( very late, I know... :P) my mom got me three pairs of earings that I can wear every day so I dont have to just wear my sapphire studs. YAY! They are so pretty :). I also got a really cool belt.. It's blue with jumping horses on it. I is excited... lol.

On a more sobering note... today is 9/11 and the 10th anniversary of it. Never Forget. It's a motto.

Cheers! -- Quinn A.A
~~ pics to come!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Sunday at Seneca!

First off, I should apologize for this being waaaay late. Too bad.

Sunday was an a reconized event at Seneca and....

WOAH! We had a BUSY day! Ten horses came: Mr.Nunn and Red Horse Harry, Jenn Nunn and Maiden, Hannah Metz and Anna, Bryce Kinnamon and Toulousse, Maddie and Zia Zavata, Me and Google, and Molly with: Delaware Love Doctor, Alpine, Kynymont Sterling O’ Grady, and Kynynmont’s Cody.

The first trailer left at 5:30 A.M for our 2 and a half hour journey, and the second left at 7.

Maddie says peace out...
Google had a really good dressage test, except I messed up and did an extra circle. I thought he deserved a better score than the 43 the judge gave him. L . Our show-jump was good, although we had an unlucky rail on a big, red oxer. I hate the color red. He went pretty good on Cross Country, but we were unfortuanately eliminated due to me jumping the wrong jump. L

Hannah and Anna did REALLY well! They had a nice dressage test, and double clean Cross Country and Show-Jump rounds. CONGRATULATIONS!

Jenn had a really nice dressage test! J

Mr. Nunn took Red Horse through his first event, and Harry enjoyed the experience.

Bryce had a great dressage test (34), clear Show Jump and a coupla time faults cross-country, but a smooth round! Good job finishing your first recognized!

Maddie and Zia:
YAY! Baby Zia, at only 4 years old, rocked the intro division. She had a good dressage test, double clear Stadium, and went too fast Cross-country! But it was too fast in a good way- she had a nice, collected hand-gallop going for her there.

Delaware Love Doctor placed 4th in the beginner novice division for his very first event! He was very good.
Grady got 1st! Yay! He was really good. Such a man. J
Alpine was very good- calm dressage, great show-jump. She had a few green moments on cross-country, but that’s ok.
Cody was good too, but also had a few green moments.

I am so proud of everyone! It was a great weekend.

That’s all for today!
Cheers! – Quinn A.A

Saturday, September 3, 2011

From Trashcans to Beauty: The Story of Two Lucky Roses.

Several years ago my mom brought home two of the most pathetic roses I have ever seen. Ever. They had no leaves, and were simply a ball of roots and a few stems poking out. She told me they had been rescued from a trashcan. That explaineed their patheticness. I decided they deserved a second chance, and planted them right away. Slowly, painfully slowly, they grew leaves throughout that summer.

The next spring they were still alive, and they continued their recovery period. By the end of the summer we were rewarded with one rose. Yay!

The next summer, three roses.

And this year? Nine total.  See for yourself the reward they gave us. It may not be much to you, but for me it is Victory!




This weeks reward- please ignore holey leaves.



Last weeks reward! :)
That's all for Today!
Cheers -- Quinn A.A.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Broody Mama in the House!




Daine with her three little babies.
The chicken house, that is. Daine sat faithfully on the three eggs I allowed her to sit on, and then they hatched last Friday, the day before Hurricane Irene. Daine is a first time mom, and very proud of her babies. Daine is a buff brahma bantam and mille fluer d’uccle cross. We are delighted to have her and her chicks around. The funny part is that Daine is the daughter of last year’s broody hen, Goldie the buff brahma bantam. Now she is the broody of the family.
Two of the chicks have EE's for moms, and the last one could be any banty hen in the coop-- buff brahma, d'uccle, buff brahma/d'uccle cross, etc.
Not sure who the dad is either-- could be the mille fleur
d'uccle roo, or the mille fleur d'uccle/ buff brahma banty
cross roo. Hmmm.....
EE/? baby
mystery bantam baby
EE/? baby











That's all for now!
Cheers! -- Quinn A.A.