Some people think that well-bred horses never end up needing rescue, that it's only "grade" horses that find themselves on the truck to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. Well, t hat's not true. Here's a list of "papered" Morgans that just ForeverMorgans has rescued in the past few years. If you're familiar with Morgans, you'll definitely recognize some of the prefixes. These are the ones who came through with their papers or that we were able to identify after rescue; there are many more whose papers were not sent with them (perhaps to hide who sent them to auction, perhaps because they were lost along the way) but who are clearly of Morgan type, as well as half Morgans. Other registered Morgans that found themselves in this situation are not on this list because they were private rescues that FM assisted in or is aware of.

These are just the ones that our small group was able to help.

So don't kid yourself. Very well-bred horses (of every breed, including Morgan) end up at the auction ending in a trip on the slaughter truck.

To me, this says that ANY horse of ANY breed can end up at risk, and we don't just need to ban slaughter (that's the easy part), we FIRST really really need to come up with an alternative for these horses for the rest of their lives, or we're condemning the horses to a fate worse than slaughter.

In the meantime, ForeverMorgans is looking for foster homes and forever homes anywhere we can find them.  If you are able and willing to open your heart to these Morgans at risk and offer them a place to live and a place in your life, or if you are able to help in other ways, please go to ForeverMorgans and look at the ways we need help.  We're made up strictly of volunteers, and we, and the Morgans, need all the help we can get.

2010
Dragonsmeade Gravitas (#169885)
Rum Brook Vintage Rhythm (#0138088)
W-B Sentiment (#0135589)
Derawnda Roy Rogers (#0171420)
Derawnda's Robin (#0171425)
Golden Acres Music Man (#0136838)
WAR Le Fire Bird (#0147392) J
DS Lady Shbian (#0175565)
Linda's Legal Emilie (#0175692)

2009
Derawnda Jonathan (#0166091)
Merlin Lady Mariah (#0140305)
Big Creek Cracker Jack(#06146139)

2008
Pleasantview's Chances (#0167701)
Simply Katrina (#0128182)
Pure Country Purfect (in foal) (#0162952)
Windvali Classic Jazz (in foal) (#0123761)
Coachman's Hellopenna (#0135689)
Dream Acres Alexus(#0129163)
BBY Vainglorious (#0162194)
IMM Material Girl (in foal) (#0153732)

2007
Once Upon a Legend (#0134139)
Cy Dons Claudette (#0131282)

2006
Singing Winds Sundance (#0131336)
JDS Final Justice (#0137484)
The Creek Rainier (#0148528)
Coachman's Encore (#0132193)
JMF Jubilation (#0090386)
Sunday Morning (#0157378)

2005
HVK Radiant Flaire (#0122465)
Rocky Acres Feel That Fire (#0135240)
Taproot Forget-Me-Not (#090878)
Black Orchid Elizabeth (#0133966)
W-S Anual Eclipse (#0133246)
C Vale Mystique (#0131863)
Runnymedes Galaxy (#0124906)
Woodborne Cosmo Kramer (#0141135)

*The mare in the photo above is not a rescue, but my late beloved Lydia (Covenant Lydia K).

Forbes just came out with a Migration Pattern Interactive Map based on information from the IRS about movements across the country. 

From the looks of it, Travis County, Texas (Austin, primarily), Williamson County, Texas (Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander), and Harris County, Texas (Houston and environs) are the Place to Be.

Now, this is no surprise to those of us who live and play in Central Texas and have for decades - we KNOW it's a great place to live!  But it's interesting to see how many other people have figured this out recently.  I knew it was getting more crowded (the traffic tells me that, as well as folks talking about "THE" I35), but the visual is amazing. Looks like lots of folks from California and even more from the Northeast (headed to Austin and Houston, respectively) have figured it out. 

Spread the word.  That's it - just spread the word and hope she's found.

Living out on the ranch, we've often had to drive into Austin, or at least Georgetown, for good pizza whenever we get the craving (or plan our pizza cravings around someone being in town and have them pick it up on the way home, and as everyone knows, pizza cravings should be spontaneous!). 

Then, one day when we'd driven up to Brookshire Brothers in Salado and Green's Sausage House in Zabcikville (yes, we are all about the food, why do you ask?), we noticed a place on the highway, out by itself, right as we took the exit to head home.  Made a note to check it out. 

A few weeks later, we did.  We will never be driving into town for pizza again! 

Five minutes from the ranch, in turns out, is a hidden treasure, probably the best pizza I've ever had (though I could wish for a deep dish crust, I'm perfectly happy with their Italian Sausage, red onion, bell pepper, mushroom and black olive on a whole wheat crust, maybe throw on some spinach to get my greens, or their Meaters specialty pizza).   We used to get pizza once every two or three months - now it's a regular Friday night tradition.  I haven't managed to try their Alfredo sauce pizza yet - keep getting stuck on the tomato/basil sauce version and have a hard time getting past it. 

Trust me, it's really worth the drive.  Technically in Salado, closer to Jarrell, and MUCH closer to Prairie Dell, but really easy to get to - just take I35 exit 280, head to the west side of the highway, grab your pizza (or eat it there), and it's just as easy to get back on the highway heading either direction.  You'll be glad you made the effort - but, on the other hand, I suspect you'll find yourself with a new addiction.

I feel your pain.  There are many events in Austin, Texas, that I've gone to in past, thoroughly enjoyed, but don't go to any longer because it's just such a pain to fight the crowds.

However, this year, if you really want to hear the music, but you don't want to slog your way through masses of people, you have an alternative.  Shhhhhhh.  Don't tell anybody! 

The alternative is a relatively new venue in Taylor, Texas, just a short hop east out of Austin down Highway 79.  The Armadillo Hall (run by a former long-time employee of Armadillo World Headquarters of blessed memory) opened up last year in Taylor.  They responded to an ad in the Chronicle looking for venues for bands, and were told there were 3 bands looking for a place to play.  One thing led to another, and now there are 50 bands playing at Armadillo Hall, Wednesday through Sunday, at the first annual Armadillo Fest.  As they say, not in competition with SXSW, but an alternative place for the locals to go and hear some great music. 

So, check out the lineup (and the prices! $5.00 cover in advance, $7.00 at the door!, $14.00 for all day on Saturday!).  Boogie with the Armadillo!  You might find that that sweet, quick drive to Taylor is definitely worth it.

And, when the festival is over, try them out later - they've got big plans!  

Leesa just stated what I thought when I saw the meme about where you're born traveling around Facebook.  While we want to be open and friendly, we do need to think about what information we're sharing with the internet and the uses to which it could be put. 

The geese mentioned in my prior post were a hint.  Yesterday confirmed it.  Beautiful blue sky, sunshine, temps in the high 70's.  And the flowers decided to come out and play!  It's springtime out here on the ranch near Jarrell, Texas.

The plum tree by the house put out not only buds, but blossoms!

Likewise, the peach tree in the front yard had budded out a couple of days ago.

Yesterday, some decided to bloom - it was just too nice not to! 

These purple flowers are usually our first harbinger of spring, beating the others by a couple of weeks, but this year, everyone decided to party at the same time!

Wild flowers also put in a show.  I used to pick bouquets of these flowers (I can't remember their name), weeds, really, for my mother, when I was a tiny girl growing up in East Texas.  They still hold fond memories for me - she had a green thumb and a garden that was a showplace, but she was always delighted to receive these offerings. 

The animals all were delighted that it is spring in Central Texas, as well.  

This little calf (another sign of spring) is trying mightily to find milk in the hay that the big cows keep insisting on eating.  Much puzzlement at "Why are we doing this, again?"

Texana Donkey Girl came over to chat across the fence about the weather.

Even the goldfish (enjoying the droppings of bits of hay left by the horses in the horse tank as they drank) were enjoying warmer water! 

We may have some coolish weather, still, maybe not (as the old saying goes, "Don't like Central Texas weather?  Wait a minute!"), but it's sure good to see it's on its way after the "interesting" winter we've had out here in the country in Williamson County!

One of the travails of moving to a new community is learning all over again the things that are second-hand in your old one.  You know where things are - you know where the grocery store is (and what it's called) and where the dry cleaners is and all those sorts of things.  When you move to a new place, all of that is new and sometimes a little scary. 

I've even read on forums people complaining because there's not enough grocery stores in Austin, Texas, not enough variety!  Well, that's clearly nonsense, but they are new to the area and they probably haven't taken the time to drive around to find the numerous alternatives. 

To make it easier for those of you moving here, I'm going to give some hints as to the best places to buy groceries.  Not all of them - that would take too long and would take all of the adventure out of it - but enough to get you started and keep you fed while you get your bearings.  

First, there's H.E.B. (named for the  founder, Howard E. Butt, and it's pronounced H - E - B).  It's a Texas chain, and one of the larger chains in our area.  There are several different kinds of HEBs, from the rather ordinary super market through upscale supermarkets with wine stewards to the crown jewel, Central Market. As a confirmed foodie, I initially had a very hard time shopping at Central Market without coming out with a few hundred dollars worth of things that I absolutely could not live without and had not known existed until I'd entered the doors - now I've got the swing of it and can actually go in and only buy one or two things that I can't live without and didn't know existed.  The Central Market on North Lamar has a cafe that is a gathering place for friends and groups and Meetups, and both Central Markets in Austin have live music in the cafe.  Plus cooking lessons. 

You could shop only at H.E.B. and feed yourself and your family just fine, and you'll find them all over Central Texas.  But there's more options!

Another supermarket that is found throughout our area is Randall's.  Similar to H.E.B., Randall's used to be a bit more expensive, but recently they lowered prices dramatically and are more in line.  I can find some things at Randall's that I can't at H.E.B., and vice versa.  (The Randall's at William Cannon and Mopac, however, has really good chocolate chip cookies in their bakery, just in case you're interested.)

Brookshire Brothers is another Texas chain.  They're found more in the small towns surrounding Austin, and while they're usually smaller stores, a really nice one has recently opened in Salado - was there just today picking up the makings for a marinara sauce, and noticed a very nice and unusual selection of wines among other things.  I'll be going to that one a lot more often, I think. 

Crestview Minimax has been serving Austinites since 1953.  Located in the hot Crestview area of Austin, it's an old-time neighborhood grocery. 

Most of the small towns around Austin have their own local grocery stores, like the Jarrell Supermarket.  (And most of those local grocery stores don't have websites, because everyone who lives there knows everything they need to know about them already.)  As Jarrell has grown, so has the store's offerings, and it's a great place to shop or pick up a pizza and a movie without having to drive into Georgetown or Salado. You can find something similar in most of the small towns, if you should be on a day trip and suddenly need to drop into a grocery store or, of course, if you move to one of those small towns.

Another small chain that's been around Austin for a while is Fresh Plus.  There are a few sprinkled around town (Clarksville, Hyde Park, etc.), and while a little pricey, they're a good neighborhood grocery. 

Another blog will cover the health and organic food stores around the area, from the Whole Foods flag ship store on 6th Street (you did know that Whole Foods was born in Austin in a tiny building on 5th Street, right?) on down.  We've just scratched the surface of places in Austin to buy food.

I went out to throw some hay to the horses and donkey girls and cows a little while ago.  Got a couple of cart loads in the feeder and was filling the cart again.  Had heard some geese overhead, heading North, a bit earlier, and suddenly realized that they were REALLY REALLY LOUD!  (The ranch here outside of Jarrell, Texas, is on a major migration route, so we're used to seeing all sorts of birds coming through this time of year, but this was really a racket.)  So I stopped what I was doing and went to where I could see better.  Phil was already watching, and had spotted them.

Rather than the regular "V" of geese that we usually see, there was a giant spiral of geese, all in one place, yelling their fool heads off.  Going round and round and round, an enormous number of them.  We were trying to figure out what they were doing, and looking for the binoculars. 

Then, suddenly, a smaller V took off from the spiral and headed northeast. 

A little while later, another smaller V took off. 

Gradually, a few geese at a time, the giant spiral turned into perhaps 5 or 6 Vs, leaving one after another in a row.

In the meantime, we could hear another flock coming in from the south. 

Then another one.

And another one. 

And another.

All told, including the giant one that broke into several smaller ones, there must have been 10 or 12 flocks heading north. 

I think it's spring, folks.  The geese have spoken. 

We've been signed up on the Do Not Call List from the very first day it became available.  It's been a blessing, save for two things.  One is those cretins who ignore it and call us anyway - they get turned in promptly (it's quick and easy and you can do it online and it might even help get them to stop doing it). 

The other, sadly, is one of the categories that is exempt - political campaign calls.  I've gotten lots and lots and LOTS of those over the past few days, always computerized.  Since I make my decisions on how to vote not based on party line but on the person and the issue, I certainly don't make it based on how many times some computer calls me and urges me to do so. 

Although I've contemplated making an exception, in this case.  I've had it seriously cross my mind to keep a record of who calls me this way, ignoring the Do Not Call List and my expressed preference not to be contacted that way, just because they can, and NOT voting for them.  (Boy, do I really wish there was a "None of the Above" on every ballot - I've wanted this since the first year I voted, and I still want it!)  

Now, given how I feel about this, how likely do you think I am to do cold calling, or to ignore the Do Not Call list when calling anyone on business?   In my opinion, I might as well go up to them with a big sign saying, "DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ME!"