Day 8

Left the Abel farm in pretty good time after a nice breakfast. Mike gave us a couple of solar chargers that will help us much in our journey. With much gratitude we leave from this fine home. They will be in our hearts and prayers for a long time. Head for Montana guys. Live your dreams, life is a short gift.
Cold and rainy again today. Heading for the harness shop. We did some time on Vermontville hwy, very busy road & the traffic was flying. Lots of hills, so we backed traffic up a couple of times. But once the kids start a hill we're not stopping in the middle of it. There's always someone in too big of a hurry and they would try passing ...hill or not. Horses are getting better with traffic. Semis don't startle them so much now. Trailers (the banging is loud) and for some reason cement trucks drive Bob nuts. Coming or going. The amish folks we have met say they won't notice a bit of it after a while.  Be a nice thing...maybe I could take the death grip off the reigns and Punkin could stop stressing.When she sees a truck coming her eyes ball come out of her head like Louis Armstrong playin' a high C.
Then we hit Bradley road...dirt and lots of hills. But after 9 miles total we reached the harness shop. Alvin and Vera Mast are great folks, who also happen to be Amish. We got pads for thier collars and got the reins fixed. We also bought some new lead ropes with chains that go under thier bottom jaws. They don't give Punkin much respect when she's walking one so this should help her. That is a lot of animal she is walking. So we should be all set. Got 150lbs more grain too.
While Alvin & I worked out in the rain Punkin visited with Vera a little and she brought us out 4 apples. Oh my goodness these are good apples.Alvin helped me do some adjustments on their harnesses and bridles. Also taught me a few things about hitching them that will be safer for the horses and us. Thanks so much to both. So very worth the trip. I have no problem what-so-ever expressing my ignorance to these knowlegable folks. They been working horses for a long-long time.
Off to Hanks. He is the gentleman who shod the horses and invited us to come spend a night. Bob and Casey are in a huge pasture. And I mean huge. It is just fun to watch them. They don't get that much room to run with us. They are taking a bite and running....taking a bite and running. You get the picture.Like little kids with too many toys running from one to the next. We had a hot shower and great dinner.A beautiful home and great folks. They offered us a warm bed too...but ya know the dogs would have this wagon tore up by morning. Sugar Ray has seperation anxiety...and every other mental illness a dog can have.
People to pray for:
John & Tammy Kehrer, happiness and health
and Tammy's mom Carol for her Parkinsons (please pray for a cure & healing).
Jim and Mary Mitchel to have a good timne and good health in their old age. (they have raised a number of pastors in their family and it was great fun talking with Jim (Mary has a cold).
Been cold and wet all day...and we are whipped!
Sorry we are late with this. Good night and God Bless you all & thanks for being on the journey with us.