After a lot of consideration, we are finally saying goodbye to cable tv. As Anna started to talk about it on FB, it became apparent that we are not alone in our thoughts on this. We are tired of spending around $230 a month for our “bundled” tv/internet/phone. By cutting tv, we will save well over $100 a month. Too often, Anna and I find ourselves sitting in the den at 11:30 at night with some stupid, reality tv or show that is just a ridiculous waste of time.
So, tonight, Anna and I are watching the finale of Biggest Loser. Tomorrow, the cable boxes go back to Comcast. We have been prepping the kids for this change. Maybe we will stick with it for a month, maybe a year, but for now we are going to see how it changes things for our family.
Yesterday afternoon, instead of sledding, we hopped on some horses and rode in the new snow. The kids have been enjoying riding the fuzzy ponies bareback. I think they have discovered it saves time on tacking up and when they are popsicles after the ride, there is less tack to put away. It was about 28F outside and we had a solid 9.5″ of powder in the arena. Alex rode Precious. Vicki rode Devil. I rode Calli and Amanda rode with me. I decided to put my western saddle on Calli (for the first time ever) since I wasn’t sure how she would respond to the snow covered arena and Amanda wanted to come along. Everyone had a blast. Alex only came off once when Precious reared up as Dillon, the new dog, came running up behind her. Vicki rolled off into the powder as she steered a corner too tight while trotting and didn’t have stirrups to keep her balance. Calli did great and Amanda and I stayed in the saddle.
Some of the pictures aren’t great because Anna’s hands were freezing as she used my iPhone. And the horses were moving.
The kids have been enjoying their time in Alabama with cousins and grandparents. Tonight it was time for Grandpa to read The Night Before Christmas. This particular book is made of cloth, made by Grandma for reading to grand kids.
Today at work, I ended up with an unexpected open afternoon. Cold snap last night, bad weather coming tomorrow, first week of November, and Alex was out of school! I headed home at lunch and loaded my new (off Craigslist) 2 seater ladder stand in the truck to take Alex out for a hunt, his second with me this year. Earlier in the season, I had hunted a new property and found a promising area that I was saving for this new stand. However, when we got there, I was disappointed to find another stand in the same area. Ok, we can find a different spot on the property.
However, I also found a pile of apples and a corn feeder. While I am completely supportive of baiting, I limit my baiting to legal areas only. This bait pile is illegal. I’ll let the landowner know (because I know he didn’t put the pile out), but it gave me the chance to discuss with Alex the legal and ethical aspects of hunting.
It was disappointing that I won’t be hunting there anymore, but it was an excellent teaching opportunity for my young hunter wannabe.
I’m sure he will explain it to his sisters when we get home since they were both disappointed that they didn’t get to hunt this year.
Vicki was just standing by the table, learning to sow a little dress. Out of the blue, she says, “Dad, I know you are a farmer and a barefoot horse trimmer. What else are you?”
I responded, “I’m in the Navy.”
She said “Oh yeah.”
Then I asked, “What is Mom?”
She responded, “A farmer. And a Facebooker.”
Yesterday we took the kids to the Ledyard Fair Horse Show. They showed in four classes, three beginner walk-trot classes and one polebending class. The kids and ponies did well, each earning a red ribbon for second place, Vicki and Devil in walk-trot pleasure and Alex and Precious for walk-trot command. They enjoyed the polebending and both cantered their horses to the finish. They got four ribbons each and had a good time. The horse show was fast and prompt for a change and we were home by 1 pm. More pictures below.
