HORSE RACE GAME GAME PLAY INSTRUCTIONS: You will need a deck of cards, pair of dice, and your Horse Race Game Board. First, remove the Aces, Kings, and Jokers. Shuffle and deal out all the cards. Not everyone will necessarily get the same amount of cards. Place all the horses on the starting line. Before the race begins, 4 horses must be scratched. So that begins with the player to the left of the dealer rolling the dice. The total of the two dice is the horse number scratched, and it is moved back to the first row. For example if the total was nine, then the horse in row nine is moved back to the 5 cent row. Then all players check to see if they have any nines, and pay 5 cents in the pot for every nine they had in their hand. Then the nines are removed and placed to the side. Then the next player to the left rolls the dice for the 2nd scratched horse. The number of that horse is moved two rows back to the 10 cent row, which costs 10 cents per card for anyone with that matching card. This continues two more time for the 15 cent and 20 cent row which will mean that there is now 4 scratched horses. If by chance, a person is rolling the dice, and the dice equals a horse already scratched, then that person puts in the amount of that scratched horse. Which will be 5,10, 15 or 20 cents, then the player passes the dice to the next player. Note: a dice pair roll that is a five and a six = 11 so that is a Jack. And if you roll a pair of sixes = 12 so that is a Queen. The horses that remain on the starting line are now ready for the race. The next player rolls the dice, and that amount, is the horse that moves up one spot. If that amount equals a scratched horse, then that player pays the scratched value of that horse which will be either 5,10,15 or 20 cents depending which row that horse is on. Players keep taking turns until one horse crosses the finish line. (The Last hole at the top of the board. past the red finish line.) The cards in your hand determine the payout of the winnings. If for example the 10th horse wins the race and you have a 10 in your hand, then you would win 25% of the pot. If you have all four 10 s in your hand, then you would win 100% of the pot. No matching cards, no winnings. Once the pot is divided, Then the horses are once again placed at the starting line, then the cards are placed to the next player and shuffled, then the next race can begin again. NOTE: If people don't want to play for money, then use poker chips or some other substitute. 2-10 players can play this game.

Hi everyone, I’ve been thinking about all your suggestions and I really appreciate them! I’m gong to try to focus on landscaping and put up big Christmas wreaths. I’m concerned that adding cupolas etc is throwing money at it and won’t solve my major design issues... you guys are right that without a proper plan we are lucky it turned out as well as it did! We can always add something later! I guess that is beauty of learning how to build ourselves!

I rode horses from 5 to 59 when I had to give up riding due to medical issues. I rode English and Western, dressage, jumping, trail, cutting horses (cow work). I worked on a ranch as a trail guide, rode on an equestrian team, and was part of the local emergency animal rescue group where we helped get horses out of the path of the California wild fires. I think back over my life and the impact that horses had on my life and can't imagine what my life would have been without that connection. When life was hard, they were there to support me. When I was a kid I trusted them to take care of me. When I was a teen and young adult I gained confidence knowing I could control a 1000 lb animal. But when I was a fully formed adult human being (No more teenage brain), I learned what a great honor it was to gain a horses trust. They are fear and flight animals, they will run if they are afraid, they are afraid of everything that is not part of their experience. It is what keeps them alive. When you gain their trust they will do anything you ask, even those things that frighten them, because they trust that you will not let anything happen to them. But you have to be patient and consistent and confident in order to earn their trust. It doesn't happen over night, it can take months and continues to build over years. Horses read our emotions, they know if you are distracted or anxious or afraid or angry and they react to those ques, so to be their lead mare you have to let go of all the other things in the world except what is happening between you and your horse. I have often thought that the people who worked for me needed to thank my horses. It was my horses who taught me to be calm and rational and keep my wits about me because that is what they needed from me. My horses taught me that when they didn't do what I asked it was my fault. They would do anything I asked, but they could only do what I asked if I clearly communicated what I wanted to them in a manner that they could understand. They taught me to be patient and give them time to get used to new experiences. Let them sniff and snort and chew on new ideas and wait until they were ready before I pushed them forward. I learned not to keep asking them to do something when they were already doing what I asked. (Don't keep digging in your heels after the have started running). I learned that bonding often means just hanging together, not doing anything and not saying a word. I love my dogs and cats and family and friends, but they all let me get away with being a snot. My horses demanded that I be the person they needed me to be or be at risk of losing their trust. The bond I had with my horses was magical.

Jeanne, yes thank you for a fun swap month. Weather wise here has not been a fun month. Hail two or three different nights last week. Storms almost every day. We live on a small hill and still have water standing in the yard. Tornadoes all around us. High winds up to 77 miles an hour. Last night the wind was so bad the electrical wires beside our house and across the street caught fire, broke and looked like fireworks. Our power was off from before 6pm until around 11 today. Annie, the bees were shining bright in the yard, so I brought them inside. They made enough light in the bathrooms that we could go in without having to use other lights. Pretty cool. Tracking says your package is out for delivery. Hope y’all are all having a good month.