Summer and Free Time?

Today is the first day of Summer and what should be a few months of adding more free time to my schedule.  This summer I've created a work schedule that has me home with my kids with the exception of 5 hours 2 days a week when I'll head in to the store to "keep up with the paperwork".  The economy still has us at a place where the store can be manned by one employee at a time and I am lucky enough to have the re-incarnation of superwoman as my employee.  Courtney is everything you'd want in an employee and she wants full time hours - even better.  So my summer will be spent playing tourist with my kids throughout the lovely state of New Hampshire instead of sending them to, and paying for, endless weeks of summer camp.  I'm looking forward to the time we'll have together as no job is more important than being their Mom.
Of course, it's not that easy.  Aside from American Cowboy Supply my husband and I also run a Flag-Works, which just branched out into promotional products and an Internet based business, the Cowboy Mounted Shooters Team Registry which I've always run from our home.  So in-between sightseeing trips I'll be trying to get in some desk time to keep up with my "extra curricular" businesses.  I guess it would also be nice to squeeze in a few rides on Kitt too.
I'm hoping that the time I'm not in the store this summer feels like "free time".  Sometimes kids can make you feel even busier.  Free time or not, the one thing I know is how precious the time I spend with my kids this summer will be.

The Good Ole Happy Holidays

This year, I feel I've actually had time to get into the Christmas spirit. I don't know how or why, I just feel it more than I have in the past few years. It may have to do with things seemingly getting better with the economy so there is less stress in the world. It may have to do with my state of mind, which has been a bit more relaxed than usual. It may have something to do with the trip we made to our local mall last week......yes, that must be it. I still can't get it off my mind.
This past Thursday we made our journey to see Santa. Last year my kids decided they didn't need to let him in on what they wanted because he knew anyway and that white beard and red suit made him a bit scary. This year they felt they needed to go and see him for themselves, and with lists as long as theirs were, they had to be sure he knew what they wanted. So off we went, heading to the crowds and mayhem. I had spoken to a friend of mine that works at the mall to get the scoop on the best time to arrive and the best place to park. Crowds aren't a favorite of mine and Thursday was probably the coldest night we've seen this year in New Hampshire. I always like to plan ahead!
When we arrived, husband in tow, Santa was on dinner break so we walked around a bit to get more into the spirit of things. It was great to see all the decorations and the kids excitement, especially when they saw a man with a white beard and red exercise suit walking around looking suspiciously like the big man himself! As we made our way back to "Santa's station" to get in line, Liberty & Lexington kept an eye out for elves, Santa or anything else resembling the spirit of the holiday. About 20 minutes after arriving in line (we were second, yeah!) along came Santa. One of those moments forever embedded in your mind happened to me just then. As he approached, my son Lexington saw him, got wide eyes and hollered "He IS real!" I don't think the smile came off of any of our faces for the rest of the night.
This Holiday season, remember all the "real" things that happen in life. Things change but some things, somehow, stay the same and are with us forever. Merry Christmas!

Cowboy Mounted Shooters!

So what they say is correct, owners of a business do not have the time to blog. I love writing, so I'm going to do the best to keep up now that the weather has turned. Less riding, more time - right?

I'm happy to say things have been busy. The store is thriving, my kids have been playing soccer and attending scouting meetings, and we're readying the house for winter. And, oh yeah, we've started another business! Crazy right? Not really. This has been something I've been working on for two years now and actually doing for free to help promote other associations. It's time to go big and make some money for my time and effort. What I'm talking about is CowboyMountedShooters.com. This is the end result (or should I say just the beginning?) of the High Point Quarter Horse Cowboy Mounted Shooter award I started first in my home state of New Hampshire and then took Regionally in New England. The original purpose of the program in NH was to promote Quarter Horses within the Mounted Shooting community. It worked well and I expanded the program out to include all of AQHA Region 6. The program was a success. I not only increased the awareness of the competitiveness of the Quarter Horse in the sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting, but I also increased the membership in the local affiliates. Finally the Mounted Shooters had a reason to join their local AQHA affiliate as they needed to be a member to sign up for the program. I did get a lot of grief however. The other breeds felt left out. They also wanted to be recognized and compete within their breed division. As soon as I was able to secure the web domain cowboymountedshooters.com I knew it was time to take things further and include all breeds.

I am thrilled to announce the creation of the first Cowboy Mounted Shooting Team recognition program, Cowboy Mounted Shooters.com. I say team because all points are tallied based on a horse and rider team. We don't point just the horse or just point the rider, you are recognized as a team. Cowboy Mounted Shooting has many elements, however the most important is the relationship and communication between horse and rider. You want to shoot the course as best you can and not have to worry about your horse getting confused or not taking a cue. Navigating a course at a high speed while shooting a .45 takes skill and lots of trust between the horse and rider. There is a lot of work done one on one before competing. Imagine going through all of that training and when the winners are announced they announce your horse and leave you out! Hummm. Now I know horses can't understand "human talk", but I know many "humans" who are so proud of their horse that they want them recognized! Without your horse, your teammate, would you be as good? Some Mounted Shooters have a few different horses they compete on. They're all different teams as no two horses are the same. They all take one on one work and from that you get the end result in competition. Teams will compete against other horses within their breed or in the grade horse division on a national, regional and state level. We're starting with recognizing 7 different breeds and will add more as necessary.

So here we go! I've enlisted one of the best known names in the sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting to help out, Frank Turben. Frank was with the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association since it's creation and just moved on this year to start some new ventures. He will be creating our website, including registration and point tracking, through his website company frankturben.com. Working with Frank has been a joy. He is a seasoned professional and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a great website. I've also consulted with Andra Olsen from A.J. Horses and representative of Colt Firearms. Aside from being one of the top Cowboy Mounted Shooters in the country, Andra is a smart businesswoman. She has been very gracious and never hesitates to let me bounce ideas off her. With Frank, Andra, and of course, my husband Patrick, I've assembled fabulous a team to take CowboyMountedShooters.com national.

Stay tuned.......

Houston, We Have a Little Stinker

This morning I was down at the barn mucking stalls during what New Hampshire gets from a close call with a tropical storm - Heavy Rain and Wind. I do enjoy mucking, as many horse owner do, for some strange reason. For me it has a lot to do with being able to get some alone time, being able to listen (and sometimes even sing) to good country music, and getting an outlet for some good old physical work. This morning was extra special though because with every breeze that came through the barn door and down the aisle I got a reminder of the joy I would have when I re-entered our home. I would have the opportunity to announce to the family that "we caught a little stinker"! Yes, this year the Page family has had the opportunity to relocate probably half of the skunk population in the town of Webster!
It started in the Spring. We noticed that either our two barn cats had grown an obsessive appetite for kibbles or we had an invader helping themselves to the dinner bowl. After my husband walked in one night to see a skunk huddled in the back corner of the barn aisle we knew what the "issue" was. After consulting with his brother, the owner of Advanced Wildlife Services, we began setting up live animal traps in the barn aisle. For those of you think we'd just get "skunked", the trick is to cover them with a tarp (or in this case an old towel) and the skunk will keep his (or her) smell to themselves. Also, apparently they can't lift their tail to spray from a trap even if they wanted to. So when you catch one, the only smell you can smell is a faint odor left on their fur from the last animal (or person) they sprayed. ah ha!
This has become an exciting event for our family. My husband usually is the one who heads down to the barn to "check things out". If the trap is sprung, he'll call up to the house on his cell phone and announce, in the tone of the astronauts to mission control, "We've caught a little stinker"! I relay the message and the kids spring up, arms stretched up in the air and make kids noises (yeah, alright, good job). They quickly look for their shoes and head down to the barn to view the prisoner. I wait, with a big smile on my face from the excitement of the kids (and joy of the capture) to get all the details; size, how much black vs. white, etc. When my husband is ready, they load the trap (towel still in place) in the truck and head a few miles away, across the river, where the skunk is sure not to find his way "home". I enjoy this time of quiet, now looking forward to the details of the release; how fast did he leave the trap, did he run or waddle, and most importantly, did he try to spray?? After the process is complete the trap is reset and we wait for the next catch.
The other night my husband called up to announce another catch when all of a sudden I heard a squeal (from my husband) the phone sounded like it was dropped and there was a bit of confusion happening on the other end of the line. When Patrick got back on the phone he said, a bit out of breath, that there was another skunk in the barn aside from the one that was captured and it had just run right by him and into an empty stall. Feeling I needed to speak quietly so the skunk wouldn't be disturbed and spray, I whispered, "Ok, I'll let you go now". He whispered back "Ok". When he made his way up to the house he said he had another trap that he set and was hoping to get a double catch for the night! In the morning, sure enough the call came, "We have a double, two little stinkers!" Talk about excitement!
As exciting as the entire event is, the goal is to NOT have any more captures, but to have a skunk free barn. Well, here it is the end of Summer and as I mucked stalls this morning I was anxious to get up to the house and make the announcement. We have a little stinker! Hopefully, eventually, the fun will end!

Are you passionate about a cause?

I try not to get political when blogging. I like to throw out things to think about yet not be controversial. However, this time I'm breaking my own blogging rules and living on the wild side. For this I am passionate about, so I'll give you my views on the subject, tell a story that STILL makes me queasy to think about and send you off with not just my opinion but some good food for thought.

This Friday night I'm attending my first NRA Banquet. It is put on by the local Friends of the NRA Chapter in Concord, NH and the person who chairs the chapter is a good customer and someone I have great respect for. I'm quite excited because my husband loves events like this and we usually go with a fat checkbook and he's ready to spend. Just my type of night out!! We will know many people there and are even bringing another couple with us for the fun.
I've been around guns my entire life. As a child my father went hunting often and I enjoyed tagging along. We learned to respect guns from the beginning. My children have also been around guns their entire life. We have spent time with them reviewing gun safety since they could walk and they understand that guns are for hunting and protection, not toys. There is no mystery there. They have held them, watched Mom & Dad handle, shoot and clean them. When they are a bit older (I'll leave the exact timing up to my husband) they will learn to shoot them, properly. We keep our guns locked up and provide a safe, responsible environment.

There are idiots in the world. This is a known fact. I don't like using such a strong word, but I don't know how else to classify these people, I'm sure you know the type I'm talking about. Right now there is a lot of talk about guns being permitted in bars. There are some States that ban guns from being taken into bars. Let's face it, ban or not there are guns in bars. If there is a ban you will only have idiots with guns in bars, a responsible citizen will respect the law, right or wrong. By not banning guns the responsible gun owner who carries will be able to carry and protect themselves and their families all the time. If there is a shooting in a bar or just about anywhere these days it makes the news. We hear about these "irresponsible gun handlers" all the time. There are also knife attacks, beatings with pipes, home-made bombs, etc. If someone wants to cause injury to others they're going to cause injury. Unfortunately, there are bad people in this world and they're going to be bad no matter what you tell them they can or can't do. I believe the right to carry a gun is important. Let me share a story......
When my kids were young I was a stay-at-home Mom. I think it's the most difficult job I've ever had but also the most rewarding and enjoyable. When my daughter was almost 3 we took her to a private preschool part-time which gave her a chance to socialize with more kids her age and gave my son some Mommy time. We live on a small family farm with plenty to do outside so that's where we spent much of our time enjoying our animals, garden, toys, etc. One sunny day I was outside with my son and one of our hunting dags, Jake. We were working with the bumpers (rubber tubes you throw so the dog can retrieve) and both Jake and my son, Lexington, were enjoying the training event. I heard a car pull into our driveway so I quickly put Jake in the house as he is the type of dog to greet by licking and drive you crazy! After putting Jake in I went around to the front of the house with Lexington close behind looking to now ride his tricycle with the change of locations. I rounded the corner and there was a man standing outside of his pick-up truck. I said hi and asked how I could help him. He said that he was driving past my house and noticed the color of my house. He said he wanted to find out the name of the color as he had just purchased a building that had been that color a long time ago and he wanted to restore the building to the same color it had been. During this, and as he continued to explain, I began to get a bad feeling. First of all I live on a dirt, class 6 road which means it's basically a dirt road that dead ends at the end unless you are into 4 wheeling. No one goes pleasure riding around here. The only neighbor whose house I can see is rarely at her home as it is her second (or third) home. It was the middle of the day and his truck was blocking us from any view of the road had anyone by chance driven by. Something didn't quite seem right. I quickly started thinking of how to get away should he try something but this was complicated. It wasn't about getting away it was about protecting my son. I glanced over at Lex who was riding his trike around with a big smile on his face, loving life. I started feeling queasy. I am very good under pressure and can handle stressful situations better than most, however I realized there were NO options. I had no way to protect my son. I've never felt so helpless. My mind started trying to plan. Running into the house wouldn't work, I wouldn't have the time to grab Lex & run without being caught. The woods wouldn't work as he'd really have us trapped. Screaming would be in vain. The best I could do was sacrifice myself and beg for my son's safety. As all of this went through my head I realized he kept glancing down at my right hand, the hand that still had the dog's training collar control in it. If you've never trained a hunting dog you wouldn't know what this black box with an antenna and numerous buttons is. He obviously didn't have hunting dogs. This device made him nervous and I quickly picked up on that. Normally I would have put the control in the house with the dog but in my rush I forgot to put it down and forgot it was still in my hand. I began holding the control like it had purpose, casually yet firm. The man continued to watch my right hand. I mentioned that as soon as my husband got home, which would be very soon, he might know the name of the color of our house. The man explained that he had to keep going on his drive and got in his car and drove away.
After he left I picked up my son and gave him a big hug. A few tears ran from my eyes as the stress let loose. Lex gave me a quick hug back and quickly wanted to resume pedaling his trike. As I watched him I felt weak. As a Mother I had put us both in a situation where I couldn't have protected him if I needed to. I'm not sure what the purpose of the man's visit was. Maybe he had just been interested in the color of my house, maybe not. At that point it didn't really matter. I had felt one of the worst feelings a parent could ever feel and that is not being able to protect your family. I promised myself I would never again feel that way. I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon and I needed to exercise that right. In New Hampshire you can walk down Main Street with a loaded .45 on your hip, exposed, and be within your legal rights. Of course, not many people do that. To carry concealed you must have a permit and I do. What had just happened is a perfect example of why it's important to have the ability to carry a gun.

So I ask, would you feel safe and in control if confronted with a potentially dangerous situation? How about if your kids were also at risk? Could you protect them? Danger can be anywhere; your home, your office or store, your car or even a restaurant or bar. Get rid of the idiots in the world and I'll feel better about not carrying a gun.

Time to Mix Things up a Bit

This Saturday is my birthday. For the record, I'll be a mere 44 years old. They say these are supposed to be the best years, so far so good. To spice things up a bit, when my husband asked what I wanted to do for my birthday I said I wanted to attend the "know and go clinic" at Riverfare Farm in Webster. The clinic runs through all of the classes in a stock horse show according to the S.H.O.T. rulebook. I've dabbled with team penning before and even entered the trail and pleasure classes in one of Riverfare's shows a few month back. But on Saturday, Kitt and I get to play with the cows and try out the other classes involved in Stock Horse Shows including working cow and reining. In the Spring, Patrick attended the clinic and it gave him things to work on at home. Now he can spin Tucker around like he's been riding for years. He does lead changes like I've never been able to and both he and Tucker enjoy their time in our arena at home. They've "mixed things up". Of course, Cowboy Mounted Shooting is still our passion, but without having other activities to keep both you and your horse entertained things can get a bit "dry". I would know, that's how Kitt and I are feeling. Dry...even bored at times. I don't see the twinkle in Kitt's eye when we're riding around in our arena. Sure, when we go to competitions she's "all that", but otherwise she's bored and so am I. The other night when I was riding I picked up a rope and started playing with it while in the saddle and swinging it above my head to see how Kitt felt about it. She was fine, un-threatened. I, however, felt clumsy and thought I might get tangled and topple off the top of my horse in total embarrassment. Obviously I need to work on my rope handling techniques. So I'm looking forward to the clinic this weekend. Mixing things up will not only teach Kitt and I something new, it will give us some things to work on which in turn will make us a better team.

Vacation

It's that time again. Time for the annual Page Family summer vacation. This year we are heading up to Canada for two weeks. The cabins we stay at I've been going to since I was about 6 yrs. old, minus a 10 year absence, which is a whole other story in itself. Last year was the first time I took my family, first time I had been back in 10 years and it was a very emotional journey for me. The same families have been going for the same time we have, so I grew up with many of the people there. Because while growing up we moved so much (once every 2-3 years) I consider these people the ones I grew up with. The only constant in my life. So the 10 year absence was painful, but I've put that anger behind me and have managed to move on.
Aside from the excitement I feel about having two weeks to spend with my family and friends, I also feel a lot of anxiety about going away for an entire 2 weeks. I'm what people would refer to as a "work-a-holic". I work when I'm at work, I work when I'm at home (like now). I enjoy work. Being away from a computer, TV and telephone will be difficult but just what I probably need. I'll also miss my horses, dogs, cats, guinea pig and rabbits, but again, probably what I need. Having nothing to do but spend quality time with my kids and husband is just what we all need!
So as for the computer, TV and telephone, I'm sure all messages will still be waiting for me when I come back. As for the horses, dogs, cats, etc, I have one of my employees, who is great with animals and very responsible, taking care of things for me. As for spending quality time with my kids and husband, I'm sure as soon as I start doing that this anxiety I feel will leave my body. I will relax, something everyone needs to do occasionally.