Dear Friends and Relatives,

Wow, our sincere apologies ! Thank you so much for all your cards, phone calls, and letters of inquiry telling us how much you missed not getting our Newsletter. It may be hard to catch up, but I will try to be as concise as possible. “Just the facts Mam... just the facts”... (for those of you who are old enough to remember that phrase !)

A year after mom’s passing, my “Life Partner”... Mr. Mark Johnsen, suffered and survived a major heart attack. Although he was forced to permanently retire from the Police Department, he keeps busy at the ranch, and has just had his pilot’s license restored. He has also just finished completion of his new 100’ x 40’ “auto barn” on the property for his classic cars, and Cabin Cruiser boat. (I told him the plane would have to find a barn somewhere else !)

A few months after Mark’s heart attack... we suffered a tornado. It took out the trailer we had just refurbished for ranch managers, but no horses were injured, nor barns or main house damaged. Then we suffered a major ice storm that winter... which took out a few trees that were barely hanging in there from the tornado, and helped to weaken our wooden fence line. Hey... we all suffer major storms in our lifetime, but what counts..., is how well you sing in the rain ! It sure makes you value the strength of neighbors, family, and friends.

We also lost a wonderful friend and client, Mr. Bill Campbell, of Tandem Club Arabians... who had many accolades for his horsemanship here, and abroad. He purchased The Rumor from us as a 2-yr-old, yet never bred him. When one of my other clients asked my advice as to which stallion she should breed her mare to, I told her... The Rumor. Last year the two were joined by natural service. Just a couple of months before the resulting foal was due, we were informed that Bill was diagnosed with cancer. Not being able to foal the mare through, it was imperative she be moved just 2 weeks before her delivery date. We all scrambled to find her a “safe haven”. The big day arrived... both for Bill and the new foal. The same day one came into this world... the other left. Bill never saw what he had waited 10 years to see, and The Rumor lost his best friend.

This year has seen wonderful rainfall for us, which has blossomed into one of the prettiest Fall color displays I can remember here. The ranch will be afforded new “white” pipe fencing next year; mares will be bred again, and we look forward to making new friends, and the awkward steps of new foals the year after... foals sired by The Rumor... as we, and Ms. Jane Hunter bought him back ! “The rest of the story” ... is in the below links.

Happy Holidays! From Jocarta