random farm photos
Monthly Archives: November 2012
wading into a potential manure pile
So what happens when horses outlive their usefulness?
These videos (top and bottom of post) are disturbing. What I find even more disturbing are the whispers running around Chester County about a thoroughbred horse rescue.
First there are the notices posted on Craigslist. There are two current posts on Philadelphia Craigslist, one on Lancaster Craigslist and I was able to pull up others. They are anonymous which leads me to believe they are from inside the horse community out here and are afraid of retaliation. I have the hyperlinks of the postings embedded above (in blue) and here is the text of both:
Then there are a couple of posts on a website called The Chronicle of the Horse (again I am providing the hyperlinks and below the text):
So these people are talking about a horse rescue I actually saw and checked out on Facebook because I thought they did good stuff. TB Rescue or Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue on Fairview Road in Glenmoore.
Now I know horse folks I know will probably be upset that I am asking questions about this, but if people are taking the time to post these things what does that mean exactly? And I believe in animal rescue so I am sure if this is a big misunderstanding this TB Rescue will pop up and leave a comment explaining the situation, right?
However, If it is a case of where there is smoke there is fire, and there is something to this, I expect they or someone associated with them will threaten me?
Disclaimer: This photo has ABSOLUTELY NO significance. Just a photo of a field. Don’t even remember where it was taken, or if it was PA
But at the end of the day am I accusing and naming names or am I simply asking what the heck is going on? And I assume in this country we are allowed to ask questions? Is this a non-profit? Is it listed on the state non-profit/charities database?
People I know are raising eyebrows about these people so is that right or wrong? Isn’t there like a big animal SPCA to take care of this? Large Animal Protection or LAPS? Can they help horses or are they like the equivalent of mall cops? And the horses for this rescue come from where? Philly Parx? What do they have to say? What about their horse rescue and track foundation thing called Turning for Home or whatever?
So here’s hoping this horse rescue steps up and addresses this stuff, right? And I will note to anyone involved with them that I have no idea who is posting on Craigslist around here, in Lancaster and elsewhere, but obviously whoever they are want answers too, right? I also have no idea who is posting on the bulletin board I screen shotted.
Maybe the Humane Society has some answers? The Chester County SPCA? Anyone?
Horses are magnificent and regal creatures. They are also unbelievably expensive to care for. I would be interested in answers to my questions. I just don’t see someone posting all this stuff on Craigslist for fun, do you?
I have no idea what I am wading into here. But (again) someone needs to provide some answers as none of what I know and even more what I don’t know doesn’t sit right with me if that makes any sense? I mean with rescues of other (smaller) domestic animals when it comes to rescues there are as many issues as people who have an opinion. But animal rescue large or small is too important not to get some answers, right?
Remember the article last year about horse abuse in Adams County, PA? They talk about After The Races in Glenmoore? Is that the same as Off the Track Throughbread Rescue because when you click on the hyperlink in the Inquirer article that says “Glenmoore” it links back to Off the Track TB rescue and is it just me or is that confusing? Anyway, that article was horrid about what it descirbed – enough to make you ill.
After The Races is on the Equestrian Life Professional Directory:
The address appears to be identical to Off the Track TB Rescue, huh?
Why the name change I wonder? (All this horse stuff is very confusing to me and I bet it is confusing to the REAL rescue After the Races which is NOT part of this post or possible issue.)
Because I do not want to do a disservice with my questions, please read this from the REAL “After the Races” which again, isn’t part of this, and is actually pending a non-profit status (something I can’t find on the other people):
So you know why I posted the above disclaimer from the group above, well it is simple. As a breast cancer survivor of under two years one of the FIRST things I learned was about fake cancer charities. You would not believe the people that want to take your hard earned money and/or take advantage of people. Not saying any of that is happening here, but I thought it was fair to make the distinction and you all get that, right?
snow idiots
I somehow thought in Chester County there would be fewer snow idiots on the roads. Apparently not. Just did the four-wheel drive crawl down Route 352 which is a total mess between Immaculata and Route 30.
I passed either three or four cars on Route 352 which were either stuck or spun out. The road is slick, which by my humble estimation means SLOW DOWN.
I have a special shout out to that hot footed mama in the maroon Honda mini van who was behind me after she came flying out of Immaculata’s driveway: if you wanted to sit in my lap, you should have asked.
Another shout out in general to the folks from Immaculata who don’t seem to understand they are supposed to stop and look, and maybe use a turn signal before entering the roadway on Route 352.
There was another stuck mini van on the hump of the overpass.
People, we all know PennDOT has selective road treating at best in a nuisance storm like this, so please, slow down.
It is slick out there right now.
Road whiner over and out
’tis the season
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good morning chester county!!!
It’s snowing!!!!
fun in frazer
Ok on the way home this afternoon I finally satisfied my curiousity about the GIANT warehouse “Resellers Consignment Gallery”.
One word: FUN
Amongst rather unattractive things Aunt Tilly jettisoned from her home are some really fun things. Old, new, antique, collectible, and in between. Yes there is a lot of stuff that qualifies as dead furniture, but there are gems. I saw a handful of empire sofas today that yes would require reupholstering (some due to wear, some due to fabric choice), but they were beautiful.
Stuff is pretty much priced to move too.
And no, I did not buy that chair. I wanted to, but my better half nixed the needlepoint of it all. And it is under $100 too :<(
sheeder-hall bridge
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found art…and a couple of random thoughts….
So I went to my favorite barn (The Smithfield Barn) this past weekend and picked up a couple of cool vintage holiday decorations and a watercolor I had seen a few weeks before.
I don’t know how all of you are about art, but once in a great while you see something
that just haunts you until it hangs on your wall.
Mind you, what I bought is nothing fancy, not a secret Renoir or anything, just a lovely watercolor that was framed quite well.
The scene looks like the interior of a church or school house, not sure which. It is signed “Naomi Cadnum 85”.
I am curious as to how this artist’s work ended up here because my research indicates she was from Wellsboro, PA, which is way out there in Tioga County. Thus far I have only found out she was part of the Wellsboro Art Club, and showed often in local art shows at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center. I contacted the Art Center and the woman who replied back had not heard of this woman. But she was active there in the 1980’s and 1990’s as per local newspaper archives of the Wellsboro Gazette I looked up.
I send random e-mails to artists I could find online who seem to be members of this Wellsoboro Art Club, so hopefully someone will be able to tell me this artist’s story. I imagine she was an amateur painter, but I could be wrong.
Every artist has a story, I would like to know hers.
You just never know what you will find in that barn!
And as a special note to my faithful readers: I do get all of your e-mails. I am sorry I can’t answer all of them. And understand that while I appreciate your faith in my investigative blogging of a more activist nature I can’t take on every crusade. I did that for many years while I lived in Lower Merion, and it was in the end, exhausting. If I find an issue that interests me, I will write about it.
One thing that concerns me now is the hodge podge of it all when it comes to development along Lancaster Ave/Lincoln Highway/Route 30. I will note I find particularly concerning the closing of the movie theater in East Whiteland Malvern Patch reported along with the proposed used car dealership being discussed in the Paoli section of Willistown. Car dealerships are like fast food restaurants which are like big box chain store and nail salons. You can indeed have too many.
When I first started this blog I remarked how supremely ugly a lot of Route 30 was throughout Chester County. One would hope that municipalities would learn that curb appeal goes a long way. Apparently they never will. I find that sad. I also find it sad that a regional editor of Patch seems to be dumbing down the Patch sites in Malvern and West Chester and possibly Phoenixville.
I am sorry, but if the formula of Patch is supposed to be hyper-local news, is writing an “opinion” piece that is not even opinion but a request for information news? I understand a lot of people don’t know what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers but is it news? Maybe on a dedicated food site or a blog, but on innumerable Patch sites? Are we all such bobble heads out there? Sorry, but to me this is as inane as the Ode to Diapers that flew across Patch Land in April. In a time when newspapers keep cutting more and more, a hyper-local news outlet should be a little more about what is actually going on versus fluff. Just my opinion of course, but I think Patch is a great resource and should take better advantage of what people actually want and need in local news.
And as for a final word in blogging, you as readers can also be bloggers. Nothing is stopping you. You can be your own voice and express your point of view and advocate for something important to you in your community. You might even like it.
pie they said, we want pie
Before we get into the pie of it all, I must say you know that your blog is getting popular when you get hit with 261 items of spam overnight. Thank you WordPress spam filters for doing double time!
Anyway, sometimes a pie just comes together and my Thanksgiving pie was amazing if I do say so myself.
I made apple this year as per the request of my better half. I made a double crust apple pie with dried apricots, raisins, and cranberries soaked in Calvados. The crust was dusted with turbinado sugar and pink Himalayan sea salt.
Sounds yummy? It was. So what I did was make a double batch of pie crust (I have given you pie crust recipes before so I am not doing again now), pulled out my vintage deep dish pie dish and threw my apple mixture in, sealed it up, did an egg wash and a little dusting (turbinado sugar and the pink sea salt) and voila! Yummy deliciousness!
I used about 8-10 small MacIntosh apples peeled, cored, sliced thin. Tossed them with 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, juice of 1 lemon, fresh grated ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, mace, and 1 1/4 cup of dark raisins, chopped dried apricots, and dried cranberries that had been soaked overnight in Calvados.
I cut my vents, added my pie bird and in it went to a pre-heated oven on a cookie sheet. 400 degrees for 15 minutes, and then 350 degrees for somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes (I forget – so if you are trying to replicate, you will have to simply keep an eye on your pie.)
My yam and pumpkin soufflé topped with toasted butter pecans was a big hit too – another made up mish mosh of a recipe, but I think I am keeping that one to myself for now. And oh yes, I roasted my turkey the way I saw my late father do it time and again, and guess what? It was not dry!
For the record, this chef is on strike for a few days. Executing a fabulous Thanksgiving is like giving birth…and LOL my friend Pamela did just that. (She had a baby girl!)
No, I will not be shopping today. Black Friday is against my religion. For the most part so are malls. For those of you shopping, ditch the mall and check out Main Street. I think supporting independent merchants, small businesses, and BARN sales is where it is at!
And if you are looking for that perfect hostess gift for holiday parties, or a fun present, consider my recently Blurb published photography book chestercountyramblings….four seasons!
call it a tablescape and I might have to hurt you
In the Sandra Lee-ification of America we can no longer just set the table for anything, let alone a holiday. It is a “tablescape” or worse yet a “holiday tablescape”.
It is a phrase to me that is like nails on a chalkboard. It brings up visions of outfits that match kitchen decor that matches seasons and unless you are Sandra Lee or Barbie who the heck does that???
It also reminds me of a Christmas party we went to every year as a kid. The entire family had matching/coordinated outfits and the wife always had them all lined up at the staircase by the front hall door when you entered – like they were the Patridge Family or something. My old, old friends will know exactly what party I am referring to. We. All. Went. Every. Year. Mind you the wife in this equation has long since remarried and we think she just settles now for matching her and hubby #2 to decor. Does white marble come in pants I wonder? She’s a tablescape kind of gal.
I am sorry, I know I am being supremely irreverent. The phrase tablescape just does it to me…like when people say too often that is how they “roll” (I wonder, are they a wheel of cheese or something?)
I am all for dressing up the table and having fun but we call it setting the table in my neighborhood. Sometimes with a centerpiece, sometimes just a collection of fun candlesticks or oil lamps. And I don’t need Martha Stewart to tell me how to set my table, either. Lordy women of America! It’s not rocket science, just have fun. As long as the cutlery and glasses aren’t plastic and the plates paper, it’s all good. That is the stuff picnics and cook outs are made of.
So anyway, my table was looking for some vintage Thanksgiving fun, so I stopped into a new favorite local haunt, Frazer Antiques.
I found the cutest vintage turkeys – they are salt and pepper shakers only I am just 
using them on my table as a decorative touch. I also wanted inexpensive vintage dishes for dinner. Found those too – Steubanville Adam Antique.
And best of all, I finally found a turkey platter I couldn’t kill.
And speaking of Frazer Antiques, they have a holiday sale starting November 23rd which runs through December 31st!
They have a special Holiday Open House on November 30th from 3 pm to 8 pm.
Frazer Antiques is located at 351 Lancaster Avenue, Frazer, PA 19355 –
(610)-651-8299 and they are open daily (except holidays) 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Check them out. They are loaded with all sorts of fun stuff! And as one of the most frugal women in captivity when it comes to antiques and vintage collectibles I can honestly tell you the pricing is pretty darn good and a lot of stuff has wiggle room. And they must be a go to place for holiday table accessories because while I was there this afternoon a couple of husbands were sent in by their wives to hunt for extra serving pieces and other table accessories.