Merry Christmas!

Well, Christmas is over.  The tree has been taken down and most of the decorations have already been packed away.  The last of the visitors have left.  I think it was a great celebration this year.  We had the opportunity to hang out with family we hadn't seen in almost a year.  I just wanted to post before the new year.  So Merry Christmas!!!  And Happy New Year!!!

Heartstrings Yarn Studio

On my way out of Chico on Friday I stopped by this little yarn shop that I had walked to one of my first weeks at Chico State.  It is called Heartstrings Yarn Studio.  Honestly, I have to say I wasn’t overly impressed during my first visit.  Although the selection of yarn is INCREDIBLE, there is a lack of local yarns.  I know I went in with expectations of tons of local yarns because this is an “Ag” county and therefore there has to be more local spinners and fiber suppliers.

Even though I wasn’t completely awed my first visit, Heartstrings is one of the (if not the) only yarn shop in Chico.  And I wanted some “good” yarn.  After 10 years I have grown tired of Red Heart Super Saver acrylic yarn.  I was in the mood for some sock yarn, I want to learn to knit socks two at a time on circular needles.  

I think I chose a good day, there was no one in the store (okay one other person) and the sales lady was so kind to help me.  It was awesome.  I told her I was looking for some sock yarn, she showed me the selection.  I picked out a nice merino wool and an alpaca/merino blend.  Both are delicious!  

Then I told the sales lady I was looking to make some crocheted potholders.  She showed me her selection of 100% cottons as well as the sales bins that I could dig through to find some cotton yarns.  It was great fun!  

I came away with my two sock yarns, a new set of circular needles, and some great information about the local spinning group.  I even applied for a job there!  Boy it would be great if I could work there!

On my second visit my mind was changed regarding this quaint little yarn shop.  I quite like it. The selection of yarn and needles is quite extensive and the staff is very knowledgable.  I will someday be a supplier for high quality fiber rovings and yarn to shops such as Heartstrings Yarn Studio.'

Check out there website at http://heartstringsyarn.com/ 

KnitPicks Podcast

I have recently become addicted to the Knit Picks Podcasts.  I’m not exactly sure what the appeal is, since I don’t knit very much.  It must be all the chatting about yarn, dying, spinning, and interviews with authors.  I checked out the website and they have so much amazing yarn.  The only downfall is that I can’t snuggle with it before I commit to buying.  Their prices aren’t bad either.  I really love that (at least for now) there is FREE shipping for order over $50!  And that is not a hard number to hit!  

I was listening to an old podcast from July 3, 2008, it was an interview with Gale Zucker the photographer for Shear Spirit.  I have yet to check out the book but I loved the interview!  Kelley, the podcast hostess, asked Gale if she could have any livestock in on a little farm what would she have.  Her answer to my great delight...alpacas and goats!  I was pulling some bread out of the oven and when I heard that I started laughing out loud!  I thought I was the only one on this planet that was that crazy to pick that combination of livestock.  I was happy to hear I’m not the only crazy person on the planet.  

I will eventually buy some Knit Picks’ yarn, but until I have some disposable income, I will be content with what I have and enjoy listening to the podcast.  www.knitpicks.com

Daily Audio Bible

Last year (2010), I discovered the Daily Audio Bible on itunes.  I listened on and off that year, but this year I have been (fairly) constant in listening to the Daily Audio Bible daily.  What is the Daily Audio Bible you ask?  It is the Bible being read every day every year, going through the entire Bible in one year.  Each day is a bit from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Proverbs and Psalms.  I enjoy being about to listen to the Bible and each week it is read from a different translation.

My only complaint (sort of), is that at the end there are called in prayer requests.  Sometimes I feel that some of the people are whining, selfish, and just annoying.  I usually just turn it off after the daily reading, so that in itself just by passes the problem.  

If you want to get in on this awesome way to go through the entire Bible every day of the year go to iTunes and search Daily Audio Bible and it will come right up or go to this link http://www.dailyaudiobible.com  

I feel loved...

Last weekend, my family took our traditional trip up the mountain to cut down our own Christmas tree as Little Bear Creek Tree Farm.  It was quite the hunt finding the perfect tree, but we found it.  Today, when I was chatting with my little sister she informs me that I have to come home this weekend so we can decorate our Christmas tree.  I told her if I didn’t come home this weekend I’d probably come home next weekend.  She said, that I had to come home this weekend because she needed to be able to take pictures in front of the tree with her boyfriend and “their” rabbit, Stella for the Christmas cards she intends to send out this year.  And I thought she just loved me and wanted to see me.  

December, Already?

I really cannot believe it is already the first day of the last month of this year!  I have no idea where this year went.  Okay, I do...it graduated from the future to the present to the past.  I have kept myself busy with work, then school, and now school and job hunting.  It has been a good eleven months, the only thing that could have made it better would have been to keep my job and have a free ride at school.  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to work for everything I need and want myself.  I will hopefully have a few posts this month of some yummy treats and look for a post or two on cleaning up and seasoning old cast iron cookware!

Spin, Spin, Spin!!! Yarn, Yarn, Yarn!

I'm off for an entire week from school!  I'm home and watching Sunday night football with my dad and my dogs next to a really lovely fire.  I could stay this way forever!  Today I decided to finally teach my self to learn to spin using a drop spindle.  I'm so excited!  My yarn is so ugly and beautiful at the same time!

I bought a drop spindle before I went away to school and about 5 oz. of roving to play with while at school.  Needless to say that didn't really happen.  I could never get relaxed enough to justify spending time playing with wool.  But I'm home for a week and the only other things that have my attention is some scholarship applications, my dogs, bunnies, and chickies, my family and quite a bit of time will be spent in the kitchen.



After watching a few videos on youtube.com this morning, I finally got out my roving and spindle and seriously started to learn.  I'm still in the "park and draft" level of skill but I will improve this week!  I'm really enjoying it and can't wait to be making my own yarn start to finish!

The Birthday Wishlist

My 22nd Birthday is coming up the day after tomorrow.  I may be a little old for wish lists, but honestly I don't care...I still got a few people giving me birthday presents!  And here it is:

88-Key Digital Piano, so I can take my music with me wherever I'm at

The Bread Bible

The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl DVD (my original won't play)

The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides DVD

This is only a taste of my full wish list, but you get the gist!

Too Long Since I Posted Last

Wow!  Really?  No posts since July 13?  Where has the time gone?  Well, I guess I've been a little consumed with the major changes in my life.  I've moved from my childhood home, to a trailer in the middle of nowhere on my parent's property to a one-bedroom apartment in Chico.  I've gone from working at the best college student job ever (and not going to school) to going to school full time and searching for a job in a new town.  I have been working on creating a shop on Etsy and selling Disney Pins on Ebay.  Both of which are still major works in progress.  I have met new people, left everyone I know, joined new clubs, even traveled with one of them already!

I will never forget what my uncle said when I came home for the weekend shortly after I moved.  I told him I was living in a trailer and going to school; his reply, "So, your moving up in the world."in the most sarcastic tone you can imagine.  Yeah, no one in my family really puts much value in higher education.  That includes myself.  Yet, I know that to get where I want to in the world, I need that piece of paper.

But, I'm adjusting, I'm going to get a job (or maybe all of you will buy stuff via this blog on Amazon and help me not have to get a real job!), and I'm going to get through this!

Zucchini Bread...one of many batches

Anyone that plants a garden every year knows that no matter what you can't plant only one zucchini plant.  It just doesn't seem right that one meager plant won't produce enough zucchini, right?  Well, since you've planted three or four zucchini plants you will probably have them coming out of your ears in the next few weeks.  We've already got a few.

So, what to do with all that extra zucchini?  Make zucchini bread, of course!  Zucchini bread is a great way to use those zucchini that got a bit too big!  It is a quick bread that can be made in loaf pans, fluted pans and even miniature cake pans!

Zucchini Bread

 

Cream together:

3 eggs

2 1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups peeled, grated zucchini

Add:

3 cups flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup nuts (optional)

Bake in greased and floured pans at 325 degrees F. 

The amount of time you bake the bread varies, depending on the size of the pan used; with a normal loaf pan, it usually takes around an hour; with the miniture cake pans I used, it only took around 25 to 30 minutes.  The best thing you can do the first time you bake is keep a good eye on it, but don't open the oven too much(you don't want to temperature going up and down!)!



California State Fair 2011

I'm so excited to be able to go to the 2011 California State Fair!  For the past four years, my friend Jessica and I have volunteered as judges for the Equine Champion Challenge.  In exchange we recieve tickets and parking passes.  I love the Champion Challenge program!  It gives youth exhibitors the opportunity to be judged on their knowledge of specific species of livestock (there are sections for rabbits, poultry, horses, cattle, goats, and swine) and learn more about the different species. 

Check out http://www.bigfun.org/ for more information on the California State Fair.  It will be running from July 14 through July 31.

Rabbitry Update

Over a decade ago I was introduced to the world of rabbits.  My younger sister purchased her first rabbit in the Fall of 2000 and I purchased my first rabbit in the Spring of 2007.  The gap between the purchase of her first bunny and mine does not mean I wasn't invovled with them during all those years. 

My sister's first rabbit was a black Mini Rex, christened "Blackey" (what kind of name would you expect an eight year old to name a black rabbit?).  Next came a pair of Mini Lops, Adam and Eve (yeah...I know).  From Adam and Eve we got three rabbits who reigned the show tables for three years.  These Mini Lops were named Lady Clair, Jack-Jack, and Ringo.  From Lady Clair we got another rabbit; a Chestnut Agouti named Shar-Pei, who also did well on the show tables. 

I got into Flemish Giants.  My first pair was a Sandy Doe named Myrtle Mae and a Fawn Buck named Mr. Wilson.  From these two I got a few good bunnies for the show table, but unfortunately there are not many people raising Flemish in my area. 

Now, I am down to five Mini Lops from my sisters rabbitry (she sold her rabbitry to me) and 2 from my rabbitry. 

Mini Lop Solid Black Buck - Adam - 8 years old

Flemish Giant Fawn Doe - Harlow - 3 years old

Flemish Giant Sandy Doe - Myrtle Mae - 5 years old

Mini Lop Solid Black Doe - Emma Pearl - 5 years old

Mini Lop Solid Gold Tipped Steel Doe - Lady Clair - 6 years old 

Mini Lop Buck Solid Gold-Tipped Steel - Jack-Jack - 6 years old



Mini Lop Solid Chestnut Agouti Buck - Shar-Pei - 5 years old



German Canning Jars

I was looking through this catalog we have, Lehman's and I found these awesome looking canning jars.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I love the Ball Mason jars we all use for canning our garden produce.  But these jars were beautiful!  The name of these jars is Weck Canning Jars.  They are all glass, including the lids!  And they come in different shapes and sizes!  Unfortunately, they are a little pricey...coming in at a set of six for around $20. 

For the time being, until I come into a fortune, I will be sticking to American-Made Ball Mason canning jars. 

Movie Review: Secretariat

I just watched a great movie "Secretariat"  I came out in theatres last October, I wanted to go see it for my birthday, but it didn't work out.  Finally, it became available through Netflix and I love this movie.  It is a wonderful, "feel good" movie that everyone can enjoy.  The music is great, lots of seventies-gospel songs!  My mom's favorite being "Oh Happy Day" 

I highly recommend at least renting it, if you don't want to commit to actually purchasing the movie.  I love watching the racing scenes!  Even though I know the outcomes, I still find myself yelling "Go! Go! Go!  C'mon Go!" at the TV! 

And did anyone watch the Belmont Stakes yesterday?  I heard it was great!

French Toast

As promised, the rest of the French Toast adventure. Tuesday night I sliced my braided loaf up into thick slices; I think around 1-inch thick. I left the slices out overnight to dry and become a little stale. To make really great French Toast the bread cannot be fresh! Wednesday morning, after my morning chores I started breakfast. The first step was to start soaking the bread in an egg and milk mixture.

French Toast

3 eggs
Milk (between ½ cup and 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Mix eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg in a shallow dish (cake/pie pans work great!). Soak thick slices of day-old-bread in egg mixture on both sides. Make sure it is soaked through and not dry in the middle. Sprinkle some more cinnamon sugar on the bread. Grease a griddle or a frying pan (I like to use butter, but Pam or non-stick spray works). When the butter is melted and the pan is hot place your soaked slices of bread on the pan. After a few minutes (2-3 minutes) flip the toast over. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Serve warm with butter, syrup, powdered sugar or anything else you want to top it with.

While my slices were soaking up the yummy egg mixture, I made some whipped cream to top my toast. We have this awesome nitrous oxide whip cream dispenser for whipped cream. I put about ¼ to 1/3 cup of sugar, fill it half way with whipping cream and around a teaspoon of vanilla. Then close the dispenser and shake. To whip screw on the nitrous oxide cream charger and shake some more. I like to dance around the kitchen while I shake the container about 24 times.

Then I toasted my French toast on the stove top in a medium frying pan. Served up two slices on a small plate with butter, fresh whipped cream, strawberry syrup and powdered sugar. One of my favorite sweet breakfast treats and really quite simple! Enjoy!

Baking...continued

In my last post I mentioned making a braided loaf for French Toast.  The recipe I used comes from Heartland Baking: All-American Cakes, Cookies, Pies and Pastries, Breads and Bars.  I love how this loaf comes out! Beautiful golden brown, yeasty and yummy!

I can't wait for French Toast on Wednesday morning.  I will slice this bread up Tuesday night and leave it to dry out over night.  Stay tuned to see how it turns out!

More Baking!

So last night after I got off work, I decided to do a bit of baking.  First, I wanted biscuits to go with my strawberry jam/syrup left over from my canning endevour.  Second, I want French Toast some day this week and needed bread. 

Biscuits take me less than no time to make and are second nature to me.  The recipe I use is based from Baking Powder Biscuits in the "Fannie Farmer Cook Book".  I have to double it to get the yield the book says for the single batch; this is because I make huge biscuits and not little baby ones like they want me to make. 

I say "based" because I change it up a bit.  I substitute whole milk for buttermilk when it is available.  I use butter when it isn't too expensive instead of shorening or crisco.  I add different cheeses when it is used as a side for dinner. 

Baking Powder Biscuits

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

8 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup butter/shortening

1 1/3 whole milk/buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease two (2) 8-inch round cake pans.  Mix flour, salt, baking powder, cream of tartar, sugar in bowl.  Cut in butter/shortening until it resembles course meal.  Add milk and stir until dough forms a ball.  Knead 14 times on a floured board and pat until 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  Cut into rounds with a 2-inch round cutter.  Place touching in greased cake pans and bake for 15-20 minutes.

I use my Kitchen Aid to mix and knead the dough.  So my adjustment is to mix with dough hook until the dough has formed a ball around the hook.  I then pat to 1/2 inch thick and cut. 

Also try adding chives, rosemary, and other herbs and spices to the biscuit dough.  For a nice crust brush tops with butter, oil or egg-wash.  Above all enjoy your homemade biscuits!

Fun Weather!

Oh my gosh! This weather is completely AWESOME!!!! I love these late spring storms! These past few weeks have been great with the showers, down pours, thunder storms and hail! The biggest bonus of this weather...I don't have to water my garden! And more of this rain to come...wow, God is AWESOME and HE can do whatever he wants with our weather WHENEVER HE wants!

Now, I'm going to comfort my dog, Roxy...who is NOT thrilled with the thunder.

County Fair 2011

Thursday I had the enjoyment of attending the opening day of the Sacramento County Fair at Cal Expo.  Dad was volunteering that the Sacramento Area Beekeeper's Association (SABA) booth and I just was there because I enjoy the Fair.  Dad had a great time talking to the little school kids.  I walked around the Fair stopping to talk to exhibitors.  I found some Flemish Giants being shown be a FFA girl, it was one of my babies baby.  I love seeing that! 

After wandering around seeing who was there (and who wasn't) I stopped and watched the swine show. I was really impressed with the judge.  He explained to not only the exhibitors, but the audience as well, why he placed the hogs in the way he did.  Then I went over the the Market Lamb show and Market Turkey show rings.  I was really waiting for the market and dairy goat shows. 

While I was watching the turkey show, I had quite a few school groups come up next to me, spouting some very incorrect versions of what was going on.  I heard that they were having turkey races, cock fights, and even one parent asked me if  the animals in the ring were actually turkeys...I really had no idea what to think. 

After the Turkey Show finally ended, the goats came into the show ring!  I was so excited for the goat show because that is the field I'm going into.  The judge for the goat show was also very impressive, explaining his placings and the good points and faults of each goat.  Unfortunately, I did not get to see the Dairy or Nigerian Dwarf goat shows, as they were being shown on Friday.

Before we left, Dad and I watched some of the Market Beef Show.  Again, the judge was very informative and explained his reasons for placing the animals as he did.

In all, I had a fun time at the County Fair!

Strawberry Jammin'

Yesterday afternoon my wonderful Dad bought fresh strawberries for me to make into jam! I came home from work and the 12 baskets he bought for me made the kitchen smell like a strawberry patch! Yummy! Dad made two baskets into sugar coated strawberries (a great snack at any hour) and I made seven into jam this morning!

I don't really know why I like making strawberry jam so much. I never eat store-bought jam, but mine I love the taste! As is my norm, I base my recipe off the one in Ball's Blue Book of Preserving and add a bit of my own twist (which will be even twistier next year).

Strawberry Jam

2 quarts strawberries
1 package powdered pectin
7 cups sugar
Honey (I really don't know how much...maybe 1/2 a cup)

Wash and drain strawberries, remove stems and crush. Combine strawberries and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. Stir in honey and sugar. Bring back to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute or until gelling point (I'll explain that shortly) stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam. Ladle into hot jars leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Make sure to label and date the jars before storing them in your pantry...it's never nice to eat mystery canned goods. Oh, it make about 7 or 8 half-pint jars of jam.

Okay, as promised an explaination of "gelling point". If you want jam (and not ice-cream topping) you need to make sure you jam is gelled. To do this I put a metal spoon in the freezer when I start. When I think it is getting close to gelling, I pull the spoon out of the freezer, dip it in the boiling jam-to-be and pull it out and away from the steaming pot. If the jam is still syrupy it is not even close. Wash off the spoon and stick it back in the freezer. Keep that pot boiling and constantly stir. I go for about two to five minutes before testing it again. When you've reach the gelling point the jam falls off the spoon in a sheet. You can also use a candy/jelly thermometer.

Just an observation, this batch of jam came out super dark! It looks very cool! And it tastes super yummy!

Granola Greatness!

Last week one of my co-workers brought in some homemade granola mix that she had made for her daughter as part of a "final's week survival kit". That inspired me to try to make some myself. It will be a good snack for me while I'm in college and just in general.

I admit, I didn't scour the internet for recipes. I did however do a few google searches that came up with many granola recipes that called for pure maple syrup. Sorry, I can't afford any pure maple syrup in my present situation. So I continued my hunt. I found a recipe for Honey Granola in a cookbook I already had "1999 Taste of Home Annual Recipes".  I had to, of course, spice it up a little to my own taste (and what we had in the pantry), but I really like the turn out!

1/4 c. Honey (I like local honey)
1/4 c. melted butter
1 tbsp. brown sugar (light or dark)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 c. rolled oats (Quaker Oatmeal!)
1/2 c. unprocessed bran
1/2 c. salted peanuts (Planters!)

Take a 9-inch square baking pan, mix honey, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Add the rolled oats and bran and mix together.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Stir in the peanuts.  Cool.  And ENJOY!  Store in a cover container.

Next time I want to add raisins and maybe pretzels and white chocolate chips or something.  If you have any good granola or other easy to transport snack recipes, send them my way!  God Bless!

Eggbert!

Everyone, meet Eggbert! He is my new pig! Made out of Red Heart SuperSaver yarn. He is about 18 inches long and about 7 inches tall, complete with blue button eyes and a curly tail. I named him Eggbert, because I say that if I were to get another puppy, my dog Arnold would want him called Eggbert.

I had no pattern for Eggbert he evolved as I crocheted. I started with his head, the snout first then the rest. Next came his body with a brown belt around his belly. Last was his legs, ears and tail.

Currently, Eggbert is spending the next week at the Sacramento County Fair and was judged yesterday morning. I have yet to discover his placing, but I'm hoping that he is loved by the judges.

I plan on making a cow, horse, goat and sheep to keep Eggbert company. The next project I work on will be made out of more "natural" yarn. I have decided to move away from acrylic and nylon yarns and focus more on wools, cottons, bamboos, angoras, alpaca, and other "natural" yarns. I'm not a crazy hippie, just a young lady, with a desire to move toward back to our roots.

With my next project-with-out-a-pattern, I will definitely write it down and let everyone in on my secret. I regret not doing that with Eggbert, but there was so much ripping out stitches and trying again, it would have been impossible to read. If anyone out there has any patterns for crocheted animals I would be more than happy to recieve them.

Good Luck at Fair Eggbert! And God Bless everyone else!

Let There Be Yarn!

Despite the fact that I have been actively using yarn for nearly a decade, I still use the cheapest yarn I can find in the local chain craft store.  A few years ago I decided I would raise alpacas for fiber and offspring sales.  But that is still in the future.  So I have taken on the mission to find out everything I can about turning that fiber I will be shearing off my future alpacas (and since then I have added fiber goats and sheep to my dreams). 

I went to the library and checked out three books on handspinning and dying fiber.  I just finished the first book this morning.  It is called  by Judith MacKenzie McCuin.  Now, I haven't much experience actually using this book so at the moment this in purely a "reader's review". 

I found Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning a very excellent and informative book.  There were great pictures detailing each section.  It not only covered spinning on a wheel or drop spindle, but also covered a little on dying and spinning exotic fibers.  There was also a section on how to cable, ply and create different artistic effects while spinning yarn.  I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning to handspin. I plan to use this book when I actually attempt to teach myself to spin my own yarn. 

Now I know what questions to ask the people who are in the handspinning competition at County Fair!   Until next time!  God Bless!

Natural Horsemanship

What do you think of when you hear someone say "Natural Horsemanship"? I admit I was skeptical about it at first. But as I read more and more on the subject, the more I realized it isn't a crazy training method that some hippie dude thought up. It is a logical training method that helps you build a lifelong relationship with your horse. Which isn't that what you want out of your horse? A lifelong relationship?

I just finished reading a book my friend let me borrow Natural Horse●Man●Ship by Pat Parelli (published by Western Horseman). I really loved the book. If you are looking for a tell-me-all-your-horse-training-secrets-horse-training-book this is not your book. It does have tons of valuable information, but not the last educational resource you would buy. I'll tell you what I loved about this book. Parelli constantly reiterates his points. He says the same key points over and over again, so you actually retain what he wants you to retain.
I liked the book was divided into three sections – an Overview, On the Ground and In the Saddle. Each section had the same subsections – Attitude, Knowledge, Tools, Techniques, Time and Imagination. I learned that attitude – both mine and my horses are very important both of us have to have a "want to" attitude otherwise we can't make any progress. I also loved that the tools used in training were detailed out. I never quite understood the different kinds of bits, whether a nylon flat halter or a rope halter was better, or the different types or reins. Thanks to this book I'm beginning to understand!

Pat Parelli makes many valuable points throughout his book. The ones that stuck with me the most are "if you take the time it takes, it takes less time", "ask…tell…promise", "I've got one rule. There are no rules", "do it for the horse, not to him", and I don't remember how exactly it was worded but something to the effect of "don't work your horse, play with him and work on yourself."

I think one of my favorite parts of the book was the subsection on Imagination in the In The Saddle section. Pat Parelli talked about using your imagination to recreate events you would like to do with your horse such as cutting, reining, dressage, barrel racing, pole bend and whatever other horsey activities you and your horse can do without actually having the real equipment. Use your imagination! Be a kid again! Remember playing Survivor in the backyard or lava monster on the playground? Do that again with your horse, imagine there are cattle out there to rope when you're playing, or there are barrels out there to run around. Create the situation in your mind and act it out. In other words PLAY! Have FUN! And who doesn't want to have fun?

Since I read this book I'm extremely interested in Pat Parelli's training methods and am in search of any Parelli educational materials I can get my hands on. I have spent many hours in the past few weeks on Pat Parelli's website http://www.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com/ and on http://www.youtube.com/ learning all I can about Parelli Natural Horse Training. I will probably buy Pat Parelli's entire training kits but until I have a horse of my own and money to invest in that I shall have to be patient.

I highly recommend investing in this book Natural Horse●Man●Ship by Pat Parelli. It was one of the best horse training books I have read. I also recommend check out Pat Parelli's website http://www.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com/ and also if you get RDF-TV check out his tv show "The Horseman's Apprentice" and it can also be watched on http://www.thehorsemansapprentice.com/.
Until next time! God Bless!