Horses, Goats and Piggies, Oh My!!

When I was a child, I loved horses. I dreamed about owning a horse someday. I collected Breyer models and even participated in “showing” them via snail mail and photos (no email in those prehistoric days!) I even won a few ribbons.

I nagged my mom to get a horse—so much so that when it came around to my younger sister nagging for a horse, Mom gave in! Amy was a member of the prestigious Westernaires riding team that exhibited at the yearly National Western Stock Show rodeos.

And she got a horse. Which, apparently, is extremely contagious. I am warning you now—get one horse and you’ll want another. And another…. Well, you get the picture.

If you get lucky.

I ended up living in a small town with a pack of dogs (some of which are grand-dogs “temporarily” living at our house, according to my daughters, who keep NOT taking them home.) The Home Owners Association would have a cow if we ever—erm…got a cow—or any other kind of livestock, for that matter. Otherwise, I would definitely own a horse. <<cough—horses—cough>> And a pig.

But alas, it is not to be. This little glimpse into my childlike heart may help you understand why I love writing Western romances so much. Ranches have horses. Goats. Piggies. And even, in the book I’m currently writing, sheep. Thankfully, I have a vivid imagination. I'm all about living vicariously. 

But I get to go one step further. My sister, who owned her first horse in high school, now runs an animal sanctuary called Happy Haven Farm & Sanctuary. She has horses, goats, donkeys, piggies, a llama, dogs and a whole host of kitties, among other things. Thanks to her, I have the privilege of accompanying her on an occasional trail ride into the gorgeous Rocky Mountains on beautiful horses. And since I also have a certain affinity for piggies, I’m a piggie sponsor.

Happy Haven has a unique mission: To provide a safe place for struggling individuals, both human and animal, to find love, compassion, healing, and confidence. Happy Haven Farm & Sanctuary (HHFS) is a dual purpose non-profit, serving as both an animal centered healing & educational ranch for children and military as well as a full time sanctuary for a number of unwanted animals. Aside from minimal adoption fees, HHFS is completely funded through donations.
ON THE SANCTUARY SIDE WE ARE FIRST AND FOREMOST A SANCTUARY NOT A RESCUE. THAT MEANS THE MAJORITY OF THE ANIMALS AT HHFS ARE HERE FOR LIFE.

Amy takes on the animals who can’t be rehomed and give them permanent lodging and loving. Really cool, right?

But horses need hay, and hay costs money. HHFS is currently running a hay drive. You can help horses who would otherwise be abandoned to a kill lot to have a happy home with my sister. I'll bet if everyone who reads this donated only $5 it would make a huge difference.

So as you read my current release, The Cowboy's Baby Blessing, I hope, if you love animals the way I do, that you'll think about how you can help real horses make it through the next winter. 

You can donate to Happy Haven's Hay Drive HERE.

Awesomesauce!

And now I want to know--what is your favorite ranch animal? 

The Day We Met

Once upon a time, there was a young lady, we’ll call her Deb, who was bantering about with her friends, a married couple who, as young married couples often do, thought that their single friends ought to be just as happy in their wedded bliss as they were. This particular couple boasted of an amazing track record—every one of the friends they had set up on blind dates ended up getting married.

Of course, the young lady laughed and said that they could give it their best shot if they wanted, but it would never happen to her. Because she had much going on in her life, she promptly forgot all about the conversation.

Until one day she got a phone call from that very couple, inviting her to dinner. With <<ahem>> another guest. A man named Joe.

“Goodness, no,” Deb protested. “We were just joking, right?”

“Oh, he knows this isn’t a real blind date,” the couple assured her.

Even so, Deb was nervous when the day came. What if Joe had the wrong impression? How embarrassing would that be?

She arrived early with a dessert she’d made, a peach cobbler all ready to be warmed up and served. Her heart jumped into her throat when someone knocked on the door—only to have it plummet when she caught sight of the man on the other side. She hadn’t expected the blind date to be Prince Charming, but this guy? 

Not her type at all. Her friends were way, way off.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered the man in the doorway wasn’t Joe, and she realized at that moment that, in her heart of hearts, she secretly hoped that maybe her friends had set her up with The One.

Another knock sounded a few minutes later, and this time, it was Joe in the doorway. Deb’s gaze met his big baby blues and she was a goner. Buh-bye, heart.

His sense of humor matched his good looks and they had much in common besides having mutual friends. Dinner went well—at least until dessert. Their friend presented Deb’s special cobbler with a flourish.

“I don’t really care for warm fruit,” Joe immediately remarked. A moment later, the whole table shook as his friend gave him a good, solid kick in the shin. Whoops!

Deb gave him a pass, and at the end of the evening, he walked her out to her car. Suddenly shaking with nerves, Deb made an inane remark about how pretty the stars were that night. 

Great. He probably thought she was an idiot.

“Can I call you?” he asked.

Maybe he was fond of idiots, or he was the one giving her a pass this time. She didn’t hesitate. 

“Of course. I might have a pen and paper in my car.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve already got your number.” (Yes, this was well before the advent of the cell phone, when people had to write down their phone numbers in order to exchange them.)

The little sneak had gotten Deb’s phone number from their friends before he and Deb left for the evening. Smooth move.

Elated and full of delight, Deb went home and called her best friend.

“How does the name Deb Kastner sound?” she asked, bubbling over with enthusiasm. (She’d had to ask Joe to spell his name several times during the course of the evening. K-A-What, again?)

"Nice," her best friend responded. "Why?"

“Because I’ve just met the man I’m going to marry.”

And indeed, she had. Six months to the day later, Deb became Joe’s wife. 

Now, thirty years, three daughters and two grandchildren later, they are still going strong.

Be sure to catch Deb Kastner's next novel, The Cowboy's Baby Blessing, available June 20th at a store near you.