Pre-post note: I did not take all of these photos. One was taken by my mother and a couple by Mrs. Stagner, a long-time reenactor.
Last weekend Cookie, D, and I went to a reenactment an hour from home. As it turned out, I did not participate in any battles, but I did attract a lot of attention--and not because I'm pregnant. No, it was the little kitten trotting after me on a harness and leash that attracted all the attention. On Sunday at officer's call, I and the kitten were mentioned, according to the battery commander and my husband--and they weren't the ones that mentioned me. Now how is that for attracting attention!
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| Headed out to watch Saturday's battle |
Cookie was occasionally finicky, and always wanting to park in the shade (even under my skirt, little peeping tom....), but because of his unwillingness to be carried everywhere, he walked most places I brought him. He did spend a good amount of time tied to his crate in "camp", sleeping or staying out of the way, and he didn't mind too much. He did get to meet the horses, and didn't like the bay Walker D rode on the field, Clyde, because the gelding kept getting in his face. The big, red 8-year-old Walker gelding, the "off wheel" horse on the cannon team, however, was more to the kitten's liking. The youngest horse on the team, Jeb is also a little crazy at times, but has gotten better with work.
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| Napping... |
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| At Sunday's battle |
The battery had its own section away from the rest of the campers, and that was nice. D had originally been intended to be the lead rider on the cannon team, while my sister-in-law and another battery member would swap off riding wheel. However, neither of the intended wheel riders ended up coming, and the battery commander swapped plans. A seasoned wheel driver was assigned to ride lead, and an experienced rider rode wheel for the first time. Apparently it was interesting, and D supervised that, while also sort of apprenticing under the battery commander so that he could take over whenever the older man could not make it to reenactments. My beloved knows every position on the gun and also has done everything involving horses on the cannon, and therefore has the most knowledge out of any of the people in the battery, so he can command it without any trouble. I was proud to see him taking command of the battery while the commander himself left it in his care to help some nearby cavalry in the battle.
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| In-camp fun on Saturday with the 3rd Texas Cavalry |
My sister and oldest of three brothers came out Friday night and slept with us under the stars. We found a double pine to lay our heads under, and set canvas down and blankets and sleeping bags beneath that. Our boxes and coolers we lined on both sides of us, and covered with canvas.
On Saturday, the rest of my family came out for the day. They watched the battle and walked around the sutlers and hung out with me before supper came, and then they went home. My other two siblings, that had come Friday, stayed through Sunday's battle. My sister was powder monkey; my brother was "sponge".
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| Saturday's battle (Trixie-lead-and Jeb-rear-are the two horses nearest the camera) |
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| Saturday night ball |
After Saturday's battle, the team stood near where I was watching, and so we walked up to them while they waited, and Cookie freaked out the only mare and non-Tennessee Walker on the team, Trixie. She snorted and moved away from him, but clashed against Ice, the "on" lead horse beside her, and settled down. Trixie is the "off lead" horse.
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| Post-battle Sunday, D unsaddling Clyde (we were Yankee that day...) |
Clyde did up getting ridden by the kitten momentarily after Sunday's battle when D tried to pick me up and take me back to camp--but although he held the kitten in front of him for a few minutes, Clyde was jumping around too much for me to climb aboard, and so Cookie got set back down and D rode back with the team while I walked.
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| Post-battle Sunday, emptying the guns (and D getting the drop on my siblings) |
After Sunday battle, we were all packed up, and we and friends went to the local Cracker Barrel for supper. Cookie stayed in the crate, and then he rode with us for the rest of the way home.
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| He does a better job of watching the road than D does (LOL!) |
My in-laws went out to Tennessee Sunday night, so we are in charge if watching their kittens, Victorio and Geronimo. These are two "flame-tipped" boys who have developed a friendship with the Cookie over the past week, and they are having lots of fun together.
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| Victorio and Geronimo |
Kelly has been in the house multiple times--first on Friday, before we left for the reenactment, and then on Tuesday. Only on Tuesday, she freaked Victorio out by her mere presence, and his hissing and growling kept her from being inside long enough for me to get pictures. I do, however, have photos of her being inside, eating Cookie's food no less, on Friday.
Today, D has the day off, and we are going to the family's craniosacral therapist, who I have seen once already. She treated me after my wreck with Sneaky, and she is a most wonderful person. I am excited, since we have been waiting for an appointment to open up for a couple weeks now, and she is a very nice older lady I enjoy being around. My problem: lower back/tailbone pain and hip pain. It was aggravated by lying on the hard ground at night at the reenactment, so Monday morning it was incredibly painful, momentarily, to walk on my right hip. The pain has diminished, but it really needs alignment.
The baby is fine--he or she is kicking, rolling, punching around in there like it owns the place... which I guess it does. Boy, when this pregnancy gets farther along, I'll be having boat loads of fun with all that activity going on...
I love my husband. He treasures me more than I deserve, and I only hope I am repaying him with my own love and respect in return. He is my world, my everything. We have known each other for over 18 months now, and it has been just over a year since he popped the question to me. Every day, I am thankful I said yes. And every day, I thank God for the gift of my big, adorable, loving sweetheart, and the baby of ours I am carrying. I also thank God for cats. They are wonderful entertainment when I am not feeling well or have no energy!
Oh and a horse photo update: No photos of Sneaky, though. He was too far away and the lighting was terrible.
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| L-R: Sue, Mandy (black thing way back there), Kaylen, Dingus, Windy |
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| Jack |
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