Tuesday 27 October 2009

After a hectic week last week filled with interviews, tests for typing and skills I was chosen to go to Orientation with a National school photography group called Lifetouch, not as a photographer but as a telephonist in their call centre. This will be incoming calls, parents placing orders and fixing problems with missing prints and problems with packages and will be through the Department of Manpower until the middle of December or thereabouts. After that Lifetouch will have the option of extending our contracts and working for them directly so we will see. We started our training yesterday morning at 8am (it is in Muncie which is about 30 - 45 minutes drive away) and my friend Lisa recommended me for the position and she is training with me which is great because we can commute together which helps with travelling costs.

We are all having brain overload problems at the moment LOL because there is so much to learn but I will keep you posted. Lisa and I opted for the 10am to 6.30pm shift Friday to Tuesday with Wednesday and Thursday being our days off, the weekends hours are slightly different by pretty much in that ballpark. It is like being back at school LOL.

So forgive me for the short post but I have HOMEWORK!!!!!! Geez can you believe it LOL.

We passed the Elk farm on our way home this evening but it was gloomy and raining, but I did manage to get this one shot of a baby on the farm. There is a magnificent stag in another pasture with an amazing huge rack of horns. Of course yesterday when we went past the sun was shining and weather beautiful and I didnt have my camera, go figure!! We will be going back though because it is pretty much on our route home, we go to work in the dark but return when it is still light. That will change on Sunday when we turn our clocks back though and of course we will be on our new time schedule so it will give me an extra hour to sleep in on Sunday but it will be light when we go to work and dark when we come home. Yay, I have to say it is taking some getting used to having to get up so early and of course winter is setting in.

Talk soon and ((((((Hugs))))))) to you all.

Lori
xx

Monday 19 October 2009

Well the stretches with no posts seem to be getting longer and longer !!

I completed that temp job, it was very physical and last Wednesday was a 12 hour shift and Thursday an 11 hour shift so I was pretty tired by the time I had finished.

I am looking at another temp position at the moment which will entail far less physical exertion, my friend Lisa is starting there on Friday. The position is in Muncie and is with a photography company who do school portraits etc. They are looking for people to answer phones and take orders as they are extremely busy at the moment.

Todays picture is of Herbie, taken a few weeks ago, he is so cute.

Nothing much else to report, trying to keep my head above water (((Hugs))) to you all.

Lori

Thursday 1 October 2009

The trail riding went well this past weekend, we didnt get there in enough time to spend a long time on the trails, but Michelle and I did a short ride and Kendal got to compete in the games that had been arranged for the members and it was amazing to see her change from a nervous 12 year old when we first arrived into a confident rider who just didnt want to go home! She was trotting and cantering around the whole camp area and went for a short trail ride after the games with Danny and his wife (our new friends). The pictures are a few from our day and the one of the gal and puppy were a chance snap which I really liked. No cropping here this is as it came out of the camera with me laying on the floor shooting up (I was sitting on the fenceline of the arena shooting the games and they were standing a bit down the rail watching too).

Can you believe it is October already? Our temps here are already getting close to freezing for the lows, we always have a few bouts of "Indian summer" but with the strange weather we have been experiencing this past summer I done know what to expect. We only got two cuttings of hay and on the one field only one and it is ready to cut again now but the temps are too cold to cut and get it dry enough to bale. Oh well that is life I suppose and typical of Indiana, yet another variation of summer, I have been here going on 8 and a half years and every season has been different, keeps you guessing LOL.

I still have too many horses but I just can't take them to a sale, the implications make me feel ill. So it is going tobe another long winter.

I am starting my first job on Monday, my first official employment since arriving here in USA. It has been incredibly hard to find even that position because I have never officially worked here or contributed to Social Security because my time was taken up with the care of Larry and the horses. It is a menial job, and short term, but an income, and has the potential to become something more permanent. It is also close to home so I dont have to worry about travelling long distances in these coming winter months if it turns into a full time position. Wish me luck LOL.

Hope you are all well ((((Hugs)))).

Lori
xx

Saturday 26 September 2009

Michelle, Kendal and I went to our last show early this morning. We got lost and arrived 10 minutes before the first class which was also our first class!!!! Michelle threw her clothes on and I tried to patch BB up and we flew into the fray LOL.

Unfortunately she didnt fare too well in her first two classes but in her three with Kendal she had started to warm up and she brought home a first in Color, second in Youth Halter (10-13 yr old) and a 4th in Youth Showmanship which was combined with one entrant with an older division. This show let us see how far Kendal has come in confidence and even though there werent stacks of entrants, she did a great job, watch out for them in 2010 LOL!!

The first pic is one I took of her after I gave her a leg up onto BB after her classes holding her ribbons, blue for first and red foir second, and the fourth place is hiding behind, and the second pic is of BB when we put her out in the muddy field about an hour later and she got right down and rolled all that beautiful cleaning off that we had done LOL. I swear she was smiling at us, look at her mouth, she is grinning LOL (click on pics for larger version).

We are going to take Kendal for her first Trail Ride tomorrow and they are going to have a small contesting show at the club which we are hoping she will ride in, even if she only walks for the first time (barrel racing, poles etc.). I have a feeling she will enjoy it, I know if it wasnt limited to kids I would sure be in there too!!!

Hope you are all having a great weekend. (((Hugs)))

Lori
xx

Thursday 24 September 2009

Here are a few more shots from my outing yesterday, more detail shots, I love shooting these, some of them work and some dont and it is great when you get one that does.



They also show you how much work goes into getting these horses ready for display. I shot these first two while they were tacking the horses up getting them ready to hitch up. They prepared one horse at a time and put it in it's traces then they moved onto the next and there were 8 of them!!

Bud the dalmation was still quite energetic here, this was one of the few shots I got earlier on when they passed the first time (thanks to the two darned 18 wheelers that got in the way!!)

Well need to get more work done, hope you enjoyed these (((Hugs)))

Lori
xx

Wednesday 23 September 2009 - Second Post

Just had to post this which was taken earlier in the afternoon while they were still preparing the horses. Man are these guys gorgeous and kudos to the handlers for the pristine condition that they are in!! ((((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

Wednesday 23 September 2009

I had a break from the norm today, Lisa telephoned me asking me if I wanted to see the Budweiser Clydesdales which would be in a town a few miles from us. These are fantastic horses!!! and boy are these guys on the ball. The Budweiser Clydesdales are visiting Jay and Randolph counties in Indiana this week to honor Jay Miller for his many years of service with Anheuser-Busch. The owner of Jay County Beverage of Portland, Indiana, Jay Miller, has sold Anheuser-Busch products for more than 60 years and you can see him here riding shotgun with the drivers today during a parade in his and their honor. Bud the dalmation can be seen behind them. I have stacks more to edit.

I also got to photograph one of our other local celebrities from a local Country Music radio station (102.5 WMDH). I just started listening to this station a few months ago so it was a nice surprise to see them represented there.

So I didnt do too much constructive work today, but it was a nice break despite the high humidity and big trucks getting in the way!!! Long story you dont want to know LOL.

(((((Hugs)))))

Lori
xx