Well Monday started out with my usual roll out around 6'ish. I did my routines of a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and intercessory prayers for those I know and love. Afterwards I headed out to check on the gardens and give it a drink. Nancy decided we would go by her mom's and take the lawn mower and suck up the leaves which have covered her yard. I loaded up the mower when she received a text from Eddie Harris who was still in N.C. that his brother Phil was at the horse show in Tampa and that he was expecting us to visit. Well that changed the order in which we do the day. I knew I would need to shower after working in GG's yard before going to Tampa so I decided lets do that chore last and that's what we did. We did drop off the mower on the way.
Well we found the entrance to the fair ground which is not the normal one. We were allowed in at no charge to roam around the stables and exposition rings and watched several competitions. The horses and their riders were the real stuff that's seen on TV and in magazines. Nancy was in her glory as she heard the names of horses that she is familiar with in her quarter horse journals. We visited the Harris Tractor/trailer shop which was loaded with all types of horse and rider equipments and clothing many of which were decorated with silver. The prices on these were top dollar but the hand tooled craftsmanship is spectacular. Most of the riders and the horses in the competitions were using Harris Products and the riders were wearing their line of clothing as well which featured hand tooled silver. They made for some beautiful combinations that coordinated with the horse and rider.
We left there sometime around 4'ish after about 3-4 hours in the hot sun and headed to GG's where I sucked up the oak leaves and bagged them. We collected 6 large bags of leaves then headed home. I had to wear a mask as the lack of rain made for a dusty job. Nancy took off on a walk through the hood while I picked green beans and harvested lettuces for a salad. We decided to eat left over pork and sauerkraut for supper and saved the salad for lunch. After the clean up I settled in to the Rose Bowl game and saw a good game down to the last play. It was a great game between USC and Penn State with USC winning by a field goal. I didn't watch as many of the usual New Year's Day bowl games for a change this year as the format has changed for the championship game next Monday in Tampa.
Well that was about it for the day so after a hot shower I watched a little of the late game but found it boring so it wasn't long before the late night hours caught up with me. We met and made new friends from the mountains as Phil and his wife gave us the grand tour of their huge vehicle which they take to shows throughout the country. It is just magnificent and much like the vehicles the NASCAR teams use to transport their race cars. It was a fun day and we saw some gorgeous animals and one little boy must have been between the age of 5-7 who showed a beautiful horse in the big ring who was decked out on a Harris Saddle as well, LATER
