Unicorner Farm News & Views: 25 Things About Me

My buddy, Becky of Sittin & Spinnin "tagged" me for this cute little exercise of memory... Come up with 25 facts about myself that most folks don't know. And I get to tag others to join in the fun. I chose these four ladies from my favorite blogs:

Kathy http://blog.sheepthrillsfarm.com/
Gerry http://olderrose.blogspot.com/
Debbie http://ribbonwoodcottage.blogspot.com/
Julie http://willowsrest.blogspot.com/

I was born in Waco, Texas on August 18, 1953, three months after one of the worst tornados hit.
I enjoy doing genealogy research. I’m a mixed breed… Norwegian dad and German mom.
I have always lived within a 50 mile radius from where my parents and grandparents were born. Maybe that is why I love to travel?
I have only one sister, Gwyn, but we have a close knit extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. I was a mean little sister and my cousins love to tell stories of how I bossed them around. Especially in the “horse club” that I made them be in.
My first pet was a gray cat named Smokey. Cats have always been special and I couldn’t be without one BUT I love all animals and have been “horse crazy” all my life.
After years of begging, I finally got my horse in 1968; actually he had been my grandfather’s horse. Grandpa had passed away in 1967 and they sold his farm and equipment and livestock by auction. I do believe I would have died of disappointment if we weren’t the high bidder on that stocky sorrel quarter horse gelding with a very original name, Trigger.
I didn’t particularly like school until I was a senior. They opened up the vocational agriculture class to girls then and I became a member of the FFA (Future Farmers of America). I still have my blue and gold jacket. If only I could still fit into it.
I’ve always been overweight, except Mom tells me that my legs were so skinny when I was a baby that she always covered them up before taking pictures. I bet my butt made up for it. I do have short feet… I wear a 6½ size shoe.
I had two Rambouillet ewes as my ag project, I showed them at the Waco fair and took 5th and 6th place (out of six).
My first car was a 1968 Pontiac GTO…wow, could it go fast! I probably hold some sort of record for speeding tickets… I still get them. Even now in my Pontiac Grand Am, Bob says it’s because it is red.
I studied to be an animal technician (vet assistant) at nearby Texas State Technical Institute. I totally enjoyed the course… and the boys… TSTI had about 98% male enrollment. I took a job as a small animal vet assistant.
The second time I set eyes on my future hubby Bob, I was riding my horse, Trigger. The first time had been a year earlier when we drag raced (my car – the ’68 GTO won… 3 times). Since I was with a boyfriend I didn’t pay much attention to the “loser”. Bob and I became close “friends” when he stated keeping his horse at the same pasture as mine. When my then boyfriend broke up with me, Mom suggested I go out with my friend, Bobby. We are still best friends 37 years later. We married in April of 1973.
Bob and I loved to go to horse auctions (still do) and we would buy small Shetland ponies for $10 to $25 and clean them up and work with them a bit, then sell them for a small profit. If we had just known then about the soon-to-be miniature horse craze.
One night at an auction a man brought a Shetland Sheepdog puppy to sell at the auction. We bought Kelby and started our “dog days”.
Our only child, Jeffrey was born January 1, 1975, and was the first baby of the New Year. A local bank gave him the interest on a million dollars. $254 sounded like a lot of money back then.
I took a dog grooming class at the local community college and started to work at a pet shop when Jeff was six months old. My mom and Bob’s grandmother “Gingaw” babysat for us whenever we needed it. Gingaw still does – she is nearly 98 and Jeff is 34. Actually he has grown up nicely, and is a coach in Lewisville, Texas.
I found an Irish Setter pup I just had to buy. We began obedience training and showing. Dawn was a challenge to train, but eventually earned her CDX title. While obedience training we met a great couple, Charles and Ann, who would become our “bestest” lifelong friends. We raised Keeshonden and Schipperkes for several years.
We lived in the country until 1977 but then gas got so expensive… it went from .39 to over a $1.00 a gallon! We bought a house in Waco and had to find homes for the horses and ponies. I gave Trigger to a good friend I had met while working at the vet’s.
Ann and I opened a grooming shop of our own in 1978 and named it K-9’s & Kit-10’s. Then came the “cat days” ... we found out that you could also show cats! Ann bought a pair of Birman cats and we started going to cat shows. We groomed to afford our hobby of showing and raising cats. We had many different breeds after that, from Cornish Rex, Scottish Folds, Persian, Siamese, Burmese and always some great Household Pets. One year we had six HHP’s in the International Top Twenty. We were asked to join the judging program for the International Cat Association.
Sad days in 1981, Bob and I split up for 4 months. That didn’t work out so we re-married. Guess the grass was the same color… At least now I have two anniversaries a year to celebrate.
In 1986, we moved back to the country. Bob called it a spaghetti farm because it had very little road frontage and then stretched way back. But FINALLY we could have horses again. We had several quarter horses and a large pony. Our son Jeff never shared the same interest in horses that we have. I teased him that he was switched at birth. He also likes sports but Bob and I are totally sports challenged. I was horrible at sports, I was the kid always picked last for the team.
In 1988 I got my cat judging license and began traveling a lot to cat shows. This time my expenses were paid and I even got paid a small amount per cat. I have really enjoyed going to Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany to judge as well as all over the U.S. The farthest place I have gone to judge is Tokyo, Japan.
After grooming for over 20 years, I became burned out and dreaded my job. Dog grooming can be hard and dirty work. We had moved in with a veterinarian and it wasn’t the same. I gave Ann my half of the business and “retired”. Ann and her husband still have the shop and do the best grooming in town.
I have always enjoyed computers; Bob and I had a VIC 20, then a Commodore 64 and finally made the plunge and bought our first PC. We started a BBS – the precursor to websites and it was named Unicorner. Why? I had started a collection of unicorns before they became popular. I loved playing with various computer programs and taught myself Word Perfect and other programs. I signed up with a temporary agency and began doing odd jobs.
It became kind of boring riding up and down the spaghetti farm, so we started looking around at alternative livestock. Exotic animals were “in” and we loved to go to the exotic livestock auctions. Ostriches and emus were selling for thousands of dollars. We watched the rise and fall of potbellied pigs and other exotics. I liked the looks of the llamas and ended up buying a cute young male that was halter broken. Chipper was really fun and we attended llama club meetings and studied up on them, planning to start our llama herd. At one llama show and sale in 1994 there were also miniature horses. Bob was impressed with one little filly and before I knew it we owned a miniature horse. His reasoning for llamas vs. minis was that the minis took a lot less grooming! Good point.
In 1995 the temp agency sent me to Manitou as an accounting clerk. Being computer savvy I did odd jobs for various departments. The president of the company offered me a permanent job “I couldn’t refuse” in the sales department. And I’m still here.
By 1998 we had realized 6 acres wasn’t enough land. We had started with 3 minis and built a 3 stall barn, by the time it was finished we had six. Soon we had babies, and built more barns. We shopped and shopped all around the county for more land. Finally our realtor showed us a place we felt was totally out of our range. A big two story house on 55 acres with 4 stock ponds. The good Lord must have willed it be ours because on Valentine’s Day 11 years ago we both sold our old house and bought the new one.
Many things have happened through these past 11 years, Chipper the llama has passed on, but we still have Robin, that first miniature horse. At one point we had as many as 64 miniatures. Now it hovers in the mid-twenties. We were heavy into showing and produced several shows on our own. Bob was on the board of the American Miniature Horse Registry/Shetland Pony Club. Priorities change… Dad passed away in 2002 and Mom depends on us to get to church and family outings. Gwyn now has granddaughters, maybe one day we will. We are more active in our little country church; Canaan Baptist has the distinction of being right down the road from former President Bush’s ranch. Helping at Vacation Bible School is one of the highlights of my year.
We still have a couple of gratuitous Quarter horses if we ever get the hankering to ride. I have four pet cats (two barn and two Birman crosses in the house); and I still help with cat shows and judge all over the world. Bob added two draft horses he has always wanted. And I’ve circled back to sheep. We have a growing flock of Tunis sheep and I’m active in the National Tunis Sheep Registry. I still enjoy working on computers and do graphics work and websites for friends. And I’m getting the bug to move again. Maybe to downsize a bit…