Christmas on Paradise Prairie

Yesterday, I drove all of about one mile around the corner from my house to go to an annual fundraising event.  One of my neighbors told me about it, and it sounded like so much fun (because animals were involved), and it was to raise money for charity.  So I went by myself since Patrick was gone out of town for one night on business.

Here is the sign that they also put up at the local grocery store highlighting the event.

When I arrived there was a man in a field along with a lot of other vehicles to help guide me on where to park.  In the distance I could see a warm and inviting fire with people standing around it.

From this point, a tractor decorated with Christmas lights followed by a flatbed with hay barrels in it took you on a hay-ride across the farm to the back where all the events were taking place.

Luckily, there were even more fire circles to stand and get warm.  There were multiple "causes" to donate to such as: The Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, and Educate Rwanda among others.

There was even live music.  A band of instrument players were playing classical Christmas music.  It was so calming to sit on the hay out in the forest and listen to this beautiful music with the smells of hot cocoa and fir in the air.

And lastly, my favorite part: The Petting Zoo! They had a baby camel, a pretty expensive kind of horse that I don't know anything about, two miniature horses (one was 21 and the other 22 yrs old!), miniature goats, donkeys, and my favorite a Llama! :) :) :)

What a great community event.  I am so thankful there are groups of people that come together to support a cause like this.  I loved the fact that it was to benefit multiple causes (rather than just one) and that you were able to choose which to support or support all of them if you like! It was obvious this kind of event required a great deal of planning and work in advance as well as a large group of people coming together to make this happen.  It's great that this was in a rural setting, and of course right around the corner from my house! We are really enjoying being here.  I just think it is so creative that this event even exists.  But really this could be mimicked anywhere or something similar, just an idea for wherever you may be.

Happy Holidays
~Shannon

Backyard Horses

So a little update on our Scone Making & Passing out adventure. We managed to meet all the neighbors except for I believe 3 houses the other night!  One house had a babysitter, and two houses no one was home.

By the end of the night thought I had an email and a nice voicemail. :)

SO looks like I have some more baking to do because Patrick has since eaten the scones...so maybe brownies?

The most interesting neighbor we met was actually a gentleman who lives not next to us but BEHIND us in a different (technically different) neighborhood.  Our land abuts up to his land and we have wonderful views ALL DAY LONG of his two horses galloping around.  He invited us in his house and we sat in his "parlor" and got to know each other.  He said we could feed the horses carrots anytime or even come on over to ride them as well. :)

SO today I  bundled up and walked all the way to the end of our property to greet and feed the horses carrots! Or as I say "CARIES" or at least that's what I say "FOR" my rabbits as I have made up in my head that is how they pronounce it- "CARIES."

As soon as I step foot on the grass beneath me to make my way over to the horses- the grass "Crrruncchhhesss" under my feet and all the way (about 4 acres away are the horses)- they heard me walking (crunches) over to them because after the first footsteps they perked up and stared at me all the way till I got to them.

As I got closer they walked towards me.  Very curiously.  I stuck a carrot through the fence into their widely chomping exposed teeth mouths.  They gobbled them up. The Crunch of when they chew on carrots is so LOUD! I didn't "pet" their heads this time as I was afraid they might mistake my hand for a carrot.  Maybe next time :)

Meet the White horse and the brown horse.  I don't know their names yet.  The white one is the more rambuntious one as I suspected before I even met them- since he is the one always galloping around in the field clearly wanting to play with the brown horse.  Once I fed them CARIES- the white one always tries to take the carrots from the brown one.  Domineering just as I suspected.

Here's our house from the backside where the horses are....

Here is the pole that the area Red Tailed Hawk likes to sit on when he hunts.  Sometimes there are two.  This is his territory. I see him fly back and forth from the pole to the forest and back again. Someone that used to live in the same area as me told me last week that she used to have pairs of Red Tailed Hawks living on her property as well and that it is really neat because you get to watch them raise their young. No pics yet of the actual hawk, but here is his hunting pole :)

And speaking of hungry Rabbits- here is Puffin and Sugarplum getting ready to devour some yummy Kale- Just the curly leaf part though, not the actual stems of course (I have some picky & spoiled rabbits!)

 It's common for Rabbits not to drink enough water, so a quick & easy way to implement more water into their diets without really giving them a choice is to spray water on their vegetables before you give them any- that way they are consuming liquid while they are chomping down on their yummy vegetables.
~Shannon