September 2017

School is off to a good start so far.  The 4th week begins tomorrow and we have been keeping pretty busy already.

Last weekend, on Friday night, the Girl Scouts went to scouting night at Clark's Elioak Farm.  We love that place and will always take any opportunity to visit there.  It was a fun night for all the girls.  The Farm has a new train, but it wasn't running that night, so I think we'll be making one more trip before the end of the season to ride the new train, and take a hayride and pick our pumpkins.

On Saturday of last weekend, we went to another one of our favorite places, the Days End Farm Horse Rescue.  It was their Fall Festival and this is one of our favorite events.  The work they do at the farm is amazing and we are happy to support them.  They offer a wrist band for rides and games, so if you buy the wrist band, you can do as many as you want.  Jocelyn did no less than 6 horse rides, and played the games until she had earned enough tickets to get the prize she wanted!!

By far, her favorite ride was on Officer Barney.  He is a beautiful HUGE horse that is a retired Baltimore Police horse.  He lives the life of spoiled luxury at the farm.  This is not the first time we've met him.  Last year Jocelyn got to brush him during Scouting day.  He loved all the attention!!  But at the Fall Festival, she got to ride him.  How do you think she was feeling about that??

Over the last few years, we have been following the story of Quest and Rio, two horses brought onto the farm after they were discovered severely abused and neglected.  No one had taken care of their hooves in years.  I had no idea that they grow like finger nails and have to be trimmed and cared for regularly.   Both the horses had hooves so long they could barely move.  They weighed about 30 pounds a piece.

Rio had been adopted about a year and a half ago, but on the day of the Fall Festival, Quest's adoption was announced and he was presented to his new owner.  It was so heartwarming to see how far he has come since he was rescued - and since the first time we saw him on the farm.  There wasn't a dry eye in the bleachers.  Including mine...

Our fall will include many other fun events. We already have planned lots of Girl Scout activities, including another visit to the Horse Rescue Farm for Scouting Day.  So stay tuned!