A Really Roehl Thanksgiving...

Those who know me know I have me a real super soft spot for food...so, it's no surprise that Thanksgiving happens to be my most favoritest holiday of them all! Except for Christmas, and my Birthday, and Easter, oh yea...Veteran's Day too...but, I digress! I started the day bright eyed and bushy tailed set out to prepare a feast to beat all feasts....and it was done....here's how it went down! After 6 hrs in the kitchen, I forgot the stuffing and gravy.....but I did manage to complete these delicious foods without burning my house down! Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, baked beans, ceasar salad & dressing, rolls, candied yams, home made Sangria, and turkey...gobble gobble gobble!

Sparing no expense, even the punks got china plates and breakable glasses...and nothing got broke!

 

We were so thankful to have Gpa Craig with us again this year...he left for the long haul back home to Cali Friday morning...we can't wait to see him again next year!

 

Speaking of giving thanks....these handy little kitchen gadgets were purchased from Pampered Chef more than 17 years ago and are still pulling their weight for meals like this one today....my apple peeler-corer-slicer processed no less than 24 apples this week, my mini-blender processed fruit for my Sangria as well as my caesar salad dressing, and my food chopper is a God-send for chopping onions and other veggies too!

 

 

Hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and well fed on this day after Thanksgiving....may your blessing be many, and may you appreciate your blessings completely!

 

Happy Trails...Leah

A day to celebrate FAMILY! Featuring: The McCulley Clan

I had the awesome opportunity to visit with Katie McCulley and her adorable family recently...Katie is a former 4-Her of mine...one of our original founding members, actually...she has grown up and now has a husband and 2 beautiful babies of her own....she is very blesed...as I prepare to engage in a food frenzy of thankfullness this afternoon with my own family, I thought I would share these beautiful pics we captured of her family, for which I am also thankful for....

It is “not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” –W.T. Purkiser

Enjoy the slideshow...

 

Happy Thanksgiving...Leah

Keep Calm and Carry on....

Happy Birthday, Marines!

...and Happy Veteran's Day to all.

Life Magazine named the filly in the photo as one of the Top 100 Heroes in American History. She was a former Korean race horse who was purchased by a Marine at a Seoul race track in 1953 for $250, and she served in the Korean War with such distinction she was awarded the rank of Staff Sergeant USMC. Her name would become SSgt Reckless.

One of her battles, the Battle of Vegas, was hopeless. Ch...inese troops outnumbered the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Marines by ten to one. It seemed there was no chance for a victory other than to withdraw the Marines and regroup for a counter attack, but the troops at Vegas were nearly cut off. Escape was almost impossible.

The Battalion determined the best tactic for escape was to protect the movements of the Marines with cover fire, and a heavy “wall of fire” was to be provided by launching continuous rounds from recoilless rifles…otherwise known as reckless rifles. High ground was chosen for the gun placements, but the needed ammunition was heavy. The rugged winding trails leading to their placements were 45 degrees up-hill. Supplying ammo would be difficult, but constant re-arming of the guns was needed in order for the plan to succeed. The “wall of fire” could not stop until the Marines were safe.

Reckless had been trained to supply these “reckless rifles” on the front lines with ammo while avoiding enemy fire as much as possible. Her learning had been swift, and she did her task without assistance from a human.

The battle lasted for five days. In one 24 hour period alone, while under heavy fire, the little sorrel mare made over fifty trips up the rugged winding trails of the forty-five degree hill. On that day she traveled over 35 miles, and carried more than 4 tons of ammo to the gun emplacements with no human assistance. She stopped only once: to put herself between three trapped Marines and enemy fire while “shielding” them to safety. Twice wounded, she was undaunted. She knew the importance of her task, and every Marine in the Battalion knew it, too. They gave her water and food, and cleaned blood from her eyes as she passed them by.

In the end the plan worked, and constant fire never ceased. The fire curtain held, and protected the Marines as they regrouped, and then re-took the territory. The battle was won.

At the end of the battle, Sgt Reckless was given a rub down and special treats. She drank water, beer, and soda from the helmets of grateful Marines. The next day she awoke with lameness. She walked around constantly until the limp went away. After she “shook it off,” she returned to the munitions depot on her own accord….ready to carry ammo up the hill again. It’s what she wanted to do. There would be other battles to fight….this had been just one of many.

On November 10, 1960 she was given the rank of Staff Sergeant, USMC in a ceremony held for her at her Camp Pendleton, Ca. home. In attendance at the ceremony were her comrades in arms from Korea, her two foals whom she had given to the United States Marines and Marine Corp Commandant Gen Randolph Pate whom had fought side by side with her in Korea. Gen. Pate personally presented the stripes to her.

In May of 1968 SSgt Reckless, USMC died. Please never forget her…..and don’t let history forget her, either.

“Knowing what that mare had done, the order was that there was never to be any more weight than a blanket put on that mare’s back again — and that order stood. So, when Reckless went on her daily jog at Camp Pendleton, the Marine accompanying her went on foot."

Her Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sgt-Reckless/168429476628917?ref=ts&fref=ts

Another great site: http://www.cowboysindians.com/Cowboys-Indians/July-2011/Sgt-Reckless/

Fiddle says...

Have a great week!

Our new babies...PONY type...come on people!

As most of you recall, we purchased a young POA mare this summer, Ms. B....my original intent was to train her up to be Randi's pony next year...as fate would have it, that plan didn't pan out....instead, Randi got a more suitable POA and mommy gets to have fun with Ms. B for a couple more years....

after which I hope she goes to Sophie or CJ...well, turns out I like this little mare so much that I decided to bring home her full sibling, Rusty....he was born just this year! He's a project of sorts to see if he turns out anything like his big sis...which would be a very good thing...would have ponies for both the punks covered in that case! We'll see...stay tuned for more as he grows and matures into a fun family show pony...

As luck would have it, my dear sister-in-law lives just down the road from Ms. B and Rusty's breeder and agreed to send us a yearling miniature mare for the punks to play with while their bigger ponies grow up..."Raindrop" is a complete doll, and has endeared herself very quickly to all the kids...Randi hopes to help teach her how to drive and do in-hand trail obstacles in the next couple years....she's already gotten started!

Happy Trails...

Leah

Randi's new 'Pal'...

We did it! Our year long search for a pony for Randi has ended...ironically, it ended exactly where we started a year ago - with Pal! Pal was the first pony we tried as we kicked off our search for her perfect match....alas, the time and circumstances just weren't right to make the deal....so we kept looking, and kept trying, and ultimately kept SPENDING money on ponies that were not working out....imagine my surprise when I contacted Pal's owner, certain he would have sold by now, only to find out that he was still available, and they wanted us to come get him right away!!! All good things in time...it turns out he had sold, but that sale did not go thru when the buyer ended up getting cold feet a few weeks after getting him home....I have to believe fate played a large part in this whole experience, because WE COULD NOT BE HAPPIER WITH PAL! See for yourself...

When she isn't paying attention, Sophie and I take him for a spin too ;)

Consider Randi's pony plate FULL...he has the knowledge and experience to be anything she ever needs...he has a forever home with us! Stay tuned as they learn to work together in preparation for the 2012 POAC show season as well as enjoy some good ole' trail rides and parade fun too!

Happy Trails,

Leah

An EGG-ceptionally EGG-citing Idea!!!

When proposing the idea of keeping chickens to my husband, the response is generally one of stifled laughter and then a look of "huh.. that might work"...ahh the romance and security of our own fabulous chicken flock! There are so many benefits of having a flock of our very own chickens...

• Fresh, organic multi-colored eggs...eggs from home-raised chickens are so so much better tasting that the starch white eggs in the grocery store (in my opinion);
• Soft sound of cluck, cluck, clucking;
• Children scattering chicken feed;
• .....

But wait... I need to be realistic... and focused. I needed to decide what would best meet the needs of my family.

• Two adults and three rapidly growing children.
• Where would I keep them?
• How will I choose them?
• How many do I get?
• What will I feed them?
• How will I deal with jealous friends and family?

Somewhere in it all I know there will also be chicken poop...lots of chicken poop...glorious chicken poop! It's like magical growing solution for your garden!

Sooooooooooo, I sat down and decided that I wouldn't be tempted by the cute little peeps from soft adorable chicks.. I would instead sit down and write down all the goals for my flock. Ahhhh, who am I kidding? I bought the first pair of chickens I fell in love with at a Chicken Swap in the Tractor Supply parking lot...No, I wasn't even going there for the event....fate had me in her grasp, and I couldn't break free...so this lovely pair of Lavendar Orpingtons became mine...and ours....and we could not be happier!

THEN I sat down and generated some goals for our new and growing flock:

• Good & steady egg production
• A non-agressive flock
• Pretty... yes I said it.. Pretty.

With my goals in hand I had to find out what chickens would be productive enough to meet egg consumption of a family of five. I figure we eat about 10-12 medium eggs a week. Then I narrowed it down to the breeds that work best at being good/steady producers and do well in the Virginia climate.

Here's the list I came up with...

ORPINGTON- Lo and Behold my impulse purchase proved to be a great one...as usual....when will my husband come to terms with my ever so accurate and productive whims?? They are revered for their excellent egg laying abilities and good quality meat...although we don't intend on eating our girls, it's good to be prepared in the event of a zombie apocalypse and imminent shutdown of food processing establishments....just sayin'!

PROS: 4-5 Large brown eggs a week year round! These girls got work ethic! Not prone to try to fly away. Friendly. Easily Tamed. Great mothers (inportant for the sustainment of our flock)....and PRETTY! They come in a variety of colors...

CONS: None that I can find!

AUSTRALORP- Not the Marylin Monroe of chickens, but friendly, sweet and can produce more eggs than a Duggar. Australorps are the Australian take on the Orpington breed.

PROS: 4-5 Large brown eggs a week at a steady pace. Not prone to try to fly away. Can produce eggs even into the winter. Friendly. Docile.

CONS: Not so pretty and I worry that the chicken might know I'm only using her for her eggs.

EASTER EGGER- Many hatcheries will sell Easter Egger chickens and call them different names (Ameraucana, Americana). I think maybe some believe they will sell better with a schmancier name.

  

PROS: 4-5 Large pastel colored eggs a week. Good natured, friendly. Not prone to try to fly. Hens come in a variety of colors and usually with a cute soft ear and chin muff of feathers.

CONS: None chicken wise.. but while they are prettier than the Australorp they sit in the seats to watch the Silver Laced Wyandotte runway show.

  

SILVER LACED WYANDOTTE-Most popular and in most demand for a reason. They are just plain gorgeous birds. I picked the silver laced variety but they also come in Red and blue laced and white.

  

PROS: 3-4 eggs medium sized eggs a week. Good natured, friendly.. but most of all.. pretty, pretty, pretty.

CONS: The other hens may resent her for being so pretty AND not producing as many eggs.

 

In addition to my spontaneous impulse trip to the local Tractor Supply where I ultimately and unwittingly purchased a wonderful pair to start our egg laying family, I found the following sites really helpful in making my choices:

www.backyardchickens.com

www.mypetchicken.com

Many hatcheries and websites that sell chickens/chicks require that you purchase at least 15-25 chicks at a time and the shipping fees are almost always $35-$50. So getting them locally is a big plus. I have found craigslist to be very helpful in identifying local sellers...I will be picking up the rest of my little flock soon...

Looking forward to this adventure...stay tuned as our fowl family flourishes!

Beautiful people....& their horses!

I had a wonderful time taking some pics for our good friends Tammy and Daniel Loth this past weekend....they have had a hard time getting good shots of the two of them with their whole herd, so I gladly volunteered to help them out....I hope they can salvage 1 or 2 for their wall....

Beautiful People: Brittany Sinden & Bubbly Babes!

Took some pics last night for a good friend (and former 4-H member)...she is such a great mom and is raising 2 precious punks...so proud of her! I am no professional, but photo ops like these allow me to keep my right and left brain in balance....so much fun! Thanks for letting me shoot you, Brittany Sinden!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Adventures in Academia: 2nd Grade!

My Little Brat started 2nd grade today....this quote best describes her mindset:

"I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught." -Winston Churchill

Seems like just yesterday I was sending her off on her first day of 1st grade......and not so long ago Kindergarten was the big hooplah! It won't be long till Sophie and CJ follow in her steps and head down the education highway as well...sigh.

Happy Trails,
Leah

PRICE REDUCED: We have updated our listing!

Listed at $799,900.00.

We have reduced our price to much less than what we now have into this fine property....our loss is your gain! We are motivated and ready to negotiate! Please call for an appt. to see your new home!

Westwood is one of the original Plantations located on Guinea Station Road, as seen on the Virginia Civil War Trails Map and Guide, Antebellum Homes (Stonewall Jackson Shrine).

Westwood is situated on 65 acres of lush Spotsylvania countryside. It is one of the original Historic Plantations located on Guinea Station Road, and the second oldest in the county. The original home was built in 1818, with a small office and kitchen added in the early 1900's. This home has been witness to many decades of war, prosperity and family. This home was restored about 30 years ago. Additionally, the home and facilities have been lovingly restored over the past 2 years to include a new kitchen, master bathroom, office, and more!

Westwood is located on historic Guinea Station Road. During a night reconnaissance at Chancellorsville on May 2nd, 1863, Stonewall Jackson was wounded by his own men. While being carried from the field, he was dropped on his wounded arm, and he lost around half of his blood as a result. His left arm was amputated, and Jackson was sent by ambulance down Guinea Station Road to the Chandler House, where he spent his final days. Gaze from the front stoop out to what must have only been a dusty country lane and you can almost see the dust cloud left trailing behind Stonewall’s ambulance. If you close your eyes, and listen to the distant whistle of the passing train, you can imagine yourself back in that time, where Westwood stood witness to this historic event.

Westwood is ready to offer you many years of quality country living without sacrificing the comfort of modern conveniences and location. Simplify your life, and build your own history with this endearing Spotsylvania gem.

Westwood has undergone caring continuous improvements from 2007 to date. The land has been cleared and cultivated, the home has been remodeled, and the facilities have been upgraded. New roofing, support structures, septic system, and weather proofing will help ensure Westwood stands for another 100 years!

Beyond the standard conveyances (i.e. appliances, ceiling fans, washer/dryer, etc.), Westwood offers all the equipment and supplies you need to either run your very own equestrian business, or pamper your own ponies in private!

Thinking of sub dividing? We've already documented the process involved...contact our realtor for more information?

Westwood boasts about 40 acres of Orchard Grass hay fields. How about those hay fields? We have documented both the soil and forage maintenance process for you, as well as identified key local farmers to help you, if necessary.

Westwood has been in "Land-Use" status for many years. This status was just revalidated for 2011.

Westwood isn’t just a charming home on a gorgeous piece of land, it is also an income producing property! Consider this unique opportunity to run your very own boarding, training, and/or horse show business. The earning potential is endless!

Westwood is currently operating as a horse boarding business and frequently hosts horse shows and clinics for various state associations.

Westwood averages a gross income of MORE THAN $4500 per month between 2007 and 2010.

What I love about Westwood is the safe, quiet, relaxed, environment. Also, the ability to work my horses year-round! ~Leah Roehl, Owner

What I love about Westwood is the escape Westwood provides from my daily grind in corporate America! ~John Roehl, Owner

What I love about Westwood is playing in the mud, catching Fairy Flies, riding horses with my mom, swimming gin the water troughs, and jumping on round bales! ~Randi Roehl, Owner

What I love about Westwood is working in the garden! ~ Kathy Diggins, Gma & House Guest

What I love about Westwood is the facility has everything to offer and for any style of riding. In addition to that the place is picture perfect!~Corrie Watson, Boarder

What I love about Westwood is the relaxing peace and quiet to ride and spend time with your horse to lose all the stress and just relax!~Ginny Johnson, Boarder

Westwood is the answer to my prayers and I am grateful to you and the rest of the Westwood family! ~Susan Wood, Boarder

If you would like to view a virtual tour of Westwood, click on one of the links provided below:

EXTERIOR:



INTERIOR:



Nearby points of interest:
The Spotsylvania Technology Center & New I95 Interchange (3 miles away)

The Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center (3 miles away)

River Run Mixed Use Development (3 miles away)

Cosner's Corner Shopping Complex (3 miles away)

Please contact our realtor for more information, or to schedule a showing!

Randy Walther, Realtor
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
RE/MAX Bravo
703-624-9500
540-891-8884(fax)
http://www.homes-fredericksburg.net/