Wierd weather week at Sprucelands.

Lots of rain. Looking out the front door.

It has been a very short week, and a very strange weather week. Not much to write actually except that we had all kinds of storms blow through here. Like much of the country there were thunderstorms and tornado warnings and watches. Camp is very, very wet.

I've been looking around a bit. Actually, I'm afraid to look around too much. However, it's needed so I know what we have to clean up across the next 6-8 weeks. There is a huge tree down along the Al Capone trail that will need to be cleaned up, a huge beech tree. It is blocking one of our favorite trails.

I'm sure there are more trees down. This afternoon Tsz and I are going for a trail ride. That should open my eyes very wide to what is ahead of us.

By the way, here is an announcement: I am making the Memorial Day weekend into a work weekend. Any clinic helpers, staff, parents, or families who want to come lend us a hand, there will be much to do. I am hoping the rains subside so things will dry out. That would be a huge plus.

We will work on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. However, if you can only come for a day, no problem. Any help will be welcomed. I am especially interested this year in dads with chain saws.

So off to the barn. Sunshine. Horses. Stalls. Lessons. A trail ride. Today will be a good day.

Comments always welcome.

You helped me fill my void.

Special connections are awesome.

Saturday was my first day back at the barn after Kokomo's burial and it was rough. I didn't know I was feeling so sad, although Friday was not an easy day. This was different.
This was getting in touch with the void that I felt from days and weeks of worry over our beloved sick horse. My inclination was to walk directly to the indoor arena so that I could check on Kokomo. That had become part of our routine, and then we would cheer him enthusiastically and give him a pep talk about the day ahead. Yesterday that couldn't happen.

So I fed the horses in the barn and then I took a walk to the back dressage pasture to feed Kokomo. I carried a bucket of his uneaten grain and spread it on his ground, a green way to bid farewell. And then miracle of miracles, two geese flew overhead one way and then back again, as if paying tribute to a fallen hero. Nature's way...and somehow God's way of saying Kokomo is in good hands.


Ah, the mud just doesn't come off right now.

More miracles happened yesterday. Madison, Max and Mason arrived with their smiles and carrying a pot of yellow tulips. Madison rode in a lesson with Kalayne. It was an exciting time. Madison cantered on Honey all the way around the indoor arena. It was her very first full canter. She did so well. Max raked the aisle of the indoor and helped me clean stalls. He is a hard worker.

Then Lia and her dad Norm arrived with special tea and cookies from Wegmans. We went down to the house for a long visit, catching up on Lia's school news and chatting about Kokomo. Our time together was priceless. I realized once again that I am fortunate to have such caring, thoughtful people in my life. I feel so loved.

Back at the barn, Lia wanted to spend time with Casper. He has captivated Lia for quite some time. She connects with him in a way that is special and unique. They do seem to understand each other, and I like that. Over the years, many campers have surprised me with a connection to a certain horse. The horse I would least expect them to love attracts them and suddenly the match is a miracle made in heaven.


Such love is truly from the heart.

So Lia enjoyed Casper, trying her best to groom the mud off him. That's just not quite possible just yet. The horses are of course shedding but they are hanging on to their coats a bit longer, at least until they are sure the cold nights are gone for good.

After Lia and her dad left for Rochester, I accepted two hay deliveries, fed horses, put them out for the night, and cleaned the rest of the stalls. Temperatures warmed into the high 60's. It was so pleasant. I hated to leave the barn.

Reflecting on my very full day, I began to feel as though I could move on. I found myself feeling closer than usual with our horses as if Kokomo was reminding me that they are each important and special, and instead of shutting my feelings off, I should love them with all of my heart as I have loved him.

Your comments are always welcome here.

Visits from Sprucelands Alumni make my day!

Now this is a happy clan!

The very afternoon that Kokomo was put down I had visitors. I drove down from the barn, the vet behind me, and in the parking lot at the lodge was Peter Alizio and his family. I was quickly reminded how during a crisis there are friends around us to sustain, strengthen and love.

For those of you who do not know Peter, he was a camper way, way back in the 1980's. He remembers the earliest days of my learning how to be a good camp director. And even as I was learning, he had a remarkably great time, building memories and relationships that have lasted him a lifetime.

I loved meeting Peter's wife and three boys. The boys are energy, curiosity, and caring all rolled into one. They are smart, good thinkers, filled with questions and eagerness to learn. The three of them together are ready to run the world, and Peter and his wife are doing what they can to encourage their enthusiasm.


Meet Anthony, Louis and E.J.

Peter wanted to look all around camp. With his family, he went up on boys hill to look into his cabin. They went to the barn and visited inside the lodge. I wished there was water in the lake, and yet it gave him the opportunity to see our lake in bare bones format.

We went over to Smokey's for supper and talked together. It was positively wonderful to hear the boys share their school and sports lives. I felt even happier to feel the love that Peter and his wife offer their family.

It sounds as though Peter's older brother Paul is about to be married after surviving a horrific automobile accident a few years ago. He is very lucky. And together Peter and Paul are making a difference to the world in their chosen life work. If I understand it correctly, they are teaming up together to help folks with lower income housing.

Visits from our alumni are wonderful. This one was aptly timed. I am grateful to see your families because as we talk I realize that Sprucelands made a positive difference to you. In one way or another, the spirit we loved here and how you approach life today may have been influenced by what we shared.

Thank you for stopping, Peter. You smoothed the waters in my very difficult day.

Comments always welcome.

Sprucelands says 'goodbye' to Kokomo.

Yesterday - Thursday morning - Kokomo had a spell that was scary. He was in overwhelming pain. Lorie and I did not understand what was happening as Kokomo spun around in circles, crying out with sounds mimicking a calf who had lost his mother. Kokomo was totally asking for help. His spell would come and go. For about an hour, he was that uncomfortable. I called the vet.

Fact was that the discomfort Kokomo was experiencing seemed to pass. Interestingly, he went back to eating hay and we wondered if he simply went through a choke. Fact was he eventually lay down and slept comfortably. The vet arrived around 4:00 p.m.

Lorie and I were united in the belief that something was very wrong with Kokomo. He was not going to get well even with all our prayers and hopes and dreams for full recovery. Not with all the different grains and hays. Not with our tender loving care. Not with reading his facebook messages to him, telling him jokes, or lavishing him with our hugs and kisses. The vet confirmed he had a huge tumor attached to his spleen.

Kokomo and I had a lengthy conversation yesterday afternoon. We walked the indoor arena and talked about his good life. Part of our conversation was looking back over his illness to assess the positive messages we tried so hard to communicate. The biggest and most important message was to fight the good fight. No matter what curves are thrown your way, give your all, stand as tall as you are able, and fight the good fight.

Kokomo touched more lives than I ever imagined possible. He was trusted and loved by so many of you. His good looks, his solid ride, and his flair for the unpredictable at times, made us better riders and certainly better people. Now Kokomo gives lessons elsewhere.

One day Kokomo will greet us in all his handsome glory, prancing in the light and holding his head up high. For now, he is the newcomer, reuniting with old friends like Fella and Buddy, Midnight, Babe and Liz. I do believe we listened to Kokomo and made the right decision. Now I have to believe he is happy and feeling very free.

Thanks to Lorie for all her caring these past few months. Thank you to everyone who stood by Kokomo's side and loved him no matter what. And thank you, Kokomo, for doing all you could to keep on keeping on. You were special.

Comments welcome.

Sprucelands Kokomo update just for you.

It's all about connection.

I would guess it's about time to update you all on Kokomo.

We have been watching him very closely. I was concerned because last week he measured 40 lbs. less than the week before. Lorie and I live in hope that our measurement was an error. He is eating and drinking a bit more than before, just not like his normal enthusiastic self. He picks both at his grain and his hay.

Many of you have written with suggestions for his diet. We have about every brand of sweetfeed available to him. We've tried apple juice, carrots, apples, raspberry jello, and applesauce. None of those things seem to entice him. He reminds me of how I feel when I'm getting over the flu. Eating just isn't his priority.

For a long time, Kokomo wouldn't lay down. He just stood and hung his head and didn't eat at all. That was him for nearly six or seven weeks. That's dropping tons of weight and muscle tone. Now he lays down, seems to rest comfortably, sometimes stretches out and sighs like it feels really good. I often will sit on the arena floor with him and rub his body. We talk about you guys and memories of camp. I share my concerns and frustrations. It's actually a pleasant time.


You can see the shaved patch on his neck where he had an IV.

Last Saturday Kalayne and her mom were here. Kalayne had a chance to sit with Kokomo for a while. He was very accepting and seemed to enjoy her company. He does love company. Lorie's daughter comes over and spends time with him too. She puts on his halter, walks him around, and snuggles. They talk together. I think he looks forward to her being here.

I talked with the vet last Saturday. I actually called to have Kokomo put down because he seemed so feeble and uncomfortable. However, bless our vet. She talked me out of it. Said to wait another week or two. Unless there's an emergency we're trying to give his body some time to tell us what is going on. If there are new developments, I'll let you know. And since I'm being straight with you, we're watching him to see if cancer is an issue. 

We so wish this guy could talk to us about what is going on.

What we're really managing here is a hospices situation. While we all grieve and cheer Kokomo in fighting the good fight, we hope that he will return to his happy life. That's our biggest wish of all. If not, then he will move on. We will have our memories and lots of stories to tell about a horse with a very courageous heart.

It's interesting that Kokomo continues to touch people just as he has done for his 18 or so years. I watch you come and go. He perks up his ears, receives you with as much dignity as he is able, and he trusts you.

You connect with each other and then bid farewell never knowing if it will be your last. That's hard. Lorie and I do the same thing every night and pray he will be eating when we walk in the next morning. It's day to day hope that a miracle will happen...and yet there have been many already. He is still alive.

Comments welcome...and any donations you can make to the Kokomo fund will be appreciated. As a thank you, I will send you a frameable card from Kokomo that you can have as a keepsake for your contribution and hang on your wall. Send to: Sprucelands, P.O. Box 54, Java Center, NY 14082

Sprucelands First Weekend Clinic 2011

What a wonderful group for our first weekend clinic!

What a beautiful weekend! Temperatures in the 60-70’s dried up mud. Our clinic helpers and clinic participants shed winter coats. Smiles and pleasant chatter filled our weekend clinic. The horses were happy to have a major grooming so they could be rid of winter hair.

Friday night our first Girl Scout clinic checked into Sprucelands. All abuzz with excitement, these 4th grade girls enthusiastically gathered in the lodge fire circle to learn safety rules. Best part of this time is that clinic helpers get acquainted with the girls, learning names and gleaning information to help with the task of matching each scout to a horse. 

Clinic helpers and Girl Scouts worked together to learn saddle and bridle parts.

This was Sprucelands first spring clinic. It meant helpers were nervous over building trust with the scouts while teaching horsemanship and keeping the scouts safe. Big challenge for a new helper. The scouts however were receptive to any and all horse information. They were the best troop for the maiden clinic.

A fringe benefit to every weekend clinic is that new friendships happen. The scouts connect almost immediately with Sprucelands clinic helpers. They laugh, giggle, absorb data, and love our horses, giving tender loving care while praising the horses often. I watch them build memories that will obviously last far beyond the weekend.


Riding lessons introduced the basics of balance and moving with the horse.

Saturday we hustled to the barn for morning feeding, then returned to the barn after breakfast for a morning of grooming and tacking up, leading and riding, and stall cleaning. Saddle and bridle parts were quickly learned; safety rules were practiced. Best of all, the girls gathered around their horses for camaraderie and moments of connection with each other and their new equine friend.

Riding lessons and classes in horse parts, colors, and markings filled Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning horse games in gymkhana format caught everyone in a skills-practice mode. An obstacle course challenged steering skills. Eggs were carried on a spoon to strengthen rider balance. Riders rode to music when they played musical stalls so they might feel the rhythm of riding in partnership with a horse.


Meet Romeo and his new friends.

The grand finale was a horse show on Sunday afternoon. I felt the girls and horses dragging their feet through the show. Some of it was the unnatural heat of 70 degree April weather; some of it was the fact these 4th graders did not want to go home and leave their horses behind.

Sprucelands weekend riding clinics are magical. Anyone who participates enjoys their escape from real world responsibilities, cell phones, TVs and video games. I believe the leaders found themselves winding down, realizing that the pace they keep ‘out there’ is stressful, demanding and hectic. This was a pleasant back-to-the-basics break from it all.


Sprucelands Forever! Yes! Yes! Yes!

The girls walk a little taller now. They also sit a little straighter because they know a trick for doing that. Their confidence has bloomed. After all, if they can manage a big horse, they can manage anything. They have a horse ribbon to prove their new expertise and a smile that goes from ear to ear. That smile confirms that they owned a horse for a whole weekend, and it was beautiful.

Your comments welcome always.

Sprucelands Clinic Helper Training Weekend

We are ready to tackle our first Girl Scout Weekend!

Our Clinic Helper Training weekend took place from Friday through Sunday. The most wonderful, enthusiastic group of aspiring leaders gathered to talk about the why, what, where, when, and how of Sprucelands Weekend Riding Clinics.

Every spring from March through June and every fall from September through November, Sprucelands offers weekend clinics to groups that can gather 15-21 riders together. Many Girl Scout troops earn badges. There is a Special Needs Adult group that comes every fall. In addition, a few weekends focus on trail ride skills, enjoying the colorful scenery from horseback.


Teachers are created through weekend clinics.

In order to succeed at those weekends, good leadership is needed. I learned a long time ago that kids learn best from other kids. So the Clinic Helper program was born over 20 years ago.

I teach young people how to enthusiastically and professionally pass along the horsemanship skills and knowledge they have learned. They offer safety and support to riders both on and off horses. Feeding, grooming, tacking up, leading, horse and bridle parts, saddle parts, and horse colors and markings are all taught as part of the whole horse experience in a weekend clinic. In addition, riding lessons, a gymkhana and a horse show bring skills together in hands-on fun.


Often riders pass along what they know from their own riding experiences.

The Clinic Helper Training weekend is always exciting for me. I see such potential in our helpers. Some have been helpers for a number of years. Others are new and green. Ready to tackle the adventure and eager to learn about PR skills, they role play what it is to interact with the Girl Scouts and how it feels to speak in front of a group. They are schooled in the clinic routines and data that is offered the scouts.

This is a group of budding teachers, and they have a huge heart. They learn the importance of accepting others for whom they are, including them in a group and applauding successes as they happen. From their own horse experiences, they pass on a true respect for horses as partners and friends.

Responsibility, dedication, commitment and playful fun absorbs us all across the weekend as we build the clinic helper team. Now with enthusiasm, the clinic helpers anticipate this next weekend when our first scout clinic enjoys Sprucelands and the whole horse experience.

Comments forever welcome.