Once again, I find myself apologizing for not being around.  With the end of winter, I spend every spare moment at the barn.  I much prefer the clip-clop of hooves to the click-clack of computer keys.

   As for news updates....

   Night Light had her baby!  He is a beautiful, lively, skittish little colt!  His registered name is Oakridge Stormcloud.  Any ideas for a barn name?  He is a nondiscript dark brown color, although he was almost black when he was born.  He has a star, and a dorsal stripe.  One of his hooves is half white.  He is so cute!  Stick around for photos!

     Assadullah Barakzai (aka Bob) has moved to California.  (It figures.  I finally learned how to spell and pronounce his name, and he's gone!)  His family however, is still across the street.  Amaal is over at our house every day playing basketball.  We are still hoping this can be a good Gospel opportunity, but it turns out they are Muslims....    Their father abandoned them when Amaal was eight, and he tells us he hates his father.  I can't really blame him, I probably would too. 

      I'll be visiting all your blogs in the coming days.  I have missed all of your writings! 

    I hope all of you had a good Easter!  I did; it was great spending time with family.  Night Light hasn't had her foal yet, but you can bet you will know when she does! 

    I rode a horse named Lincoln today.  It wasn't a great ride, but I'd rather ride a bad horse on a bad day than not ride at all.  That's just the way I am... 

   Okay,I have a funny story after all.  I was canoeing the other day with my brother and sister.  Ben decided to throw his paddle into the middle of the pond for some reason.  As I was reaching out for it, I dropped my paddle.  I was like, "Okay Rachel, you are going to have to get us out of this."  Silence.  "Rachel?"  Silence.  "Ummm... I don't have a paddle."

    So there we were, stuck in the middle of the pond, with no paddles.  We paddled with everything we had; sticks, hands, even shoes.  No good.  So we decided to rock.  We sychronized our rocking back and forth so we moved.  We probably looked like idiots to anyone passing by...  We were about to reach dry land, when the canoe turned around.  We could only make it go backwards, so we had to start all over again, heading to the opposite bank.  It took us an hour and a half to get out of there!

   In case you were wondering, we used a snow shovel to get back out and retrieve the paddles.

Red is the color,

Of soft rose petals,

And also the color,

Of soldiers’ blood.

Red is the sunset,

The sunrise too,

Like blood spilled out,

In the skies.

Red is the lips,

Pouring forth words,

Akin to the blood,

That leaks from a wound.

White is a dove,

A peace-time flag,

The same pale color,

Of a dead man’s face.

    I have finally begun riding again!  The off season is pretty short, but it feels like forever.  I know, the footing is dangerous during winter, and I would never in a million years want a horse to get hurt. 

    My first lesson of the season was Friday.  My new class is advanced, and I love the challenge.  I didn't get to ride my favorite horse, but the horse I did ride, Toby, is a close second.  He was amazing!  His get-up-and-go almost got-up-and-galloped.  He wanted to go SO fast!  His jumping was amazing though. 

   Night Light's foal should come any day now.  There's a pool going at the barn as to when he/she will be born.  Night Light is as frisky as ever though, running around like she doesn't have 40 or so extra pounds hanging in her belly.

    Sorry I haven't been around lately.  Computer difficulties, work, and school have kept me out of the blogosphere. 

    Not much has really happened around here lately.  "Bob" and his family have been around a lot.  They borrow our phone, our basketball hoop, and other things.  They are a very friendly family, but it is hard to understand them.

     I am still working on those rescue entries, for those of you who have asked. 

    I do have a funny story to share.  My dad preached at our church two Sundays, because our pastor was away.  Now, there is a Law of Physics in CT that goes something like this:  "If 1,000 people are in a room, and something strange has to happen to one of them, it will be Dave W. (my dad)" 

     My dad went in the pastor's office to discuss the service with the worship leader.  A few minutes later, I noticed a crowd of people standing around the door.  The door had gotten stuck, and my dad couldn't get out.  He was laughing of course.  One of the elders said, "We could put the microphone outside the door, and he can preach from inside."   Thankfully, someone had a screw driver in their pocket, and took off the door knob.  When dad stepped out, the whole congregation clapped!  It was so funny!

    That's about all I've got at the moment, but I promise to write as soon as I have something interesting.  Or I'll just make something up....   

    Yesterday I was rudely awakened by the doorbell.  I briefly wondered who it was, but decided to go back to sleep.  Then my sister started freaking out over by the window.  I went to see who it was.  He was a little man, only a bit taller than me, and he was dressed rather strangely.  He held a cup in front of him, asking my dad for something.  We thought maybe he was homeless of something. 

    By the time we got downstairs, he was gone.  And guess what he had come for?  Sugar.  Mom said he is a refugee from Afganistan.  He moved in the apartment across the street.

      Later in the day, he came back with his sister and her two children.  They came just to thank us for the sugar.  They are very nice, but I can't pronounce his name, let alone spell it!  Asaddooluh?  Esetdulah?  His sister doesn't speak English, and he has such a thick accent, it is hard to understand him.  Anyway, my whole family is thinking this could be a great gospel oppurtunity. 

    In the future, I think I'll just call him Bob.