Christmas Tagged

 I know I have been MIA for awhile. I promise I'll do better after the holidays, but since my crazy cousin tagged me, I figured I better post rather than listen to her nag.

1) What is your favorite part of the holiday season?
Seeing all the Christmas lights and decorations.
 
2) Who do you celebrate Christmas with?
My family and cousins.

3) What is your favorite gift you have ever received?
Fern, my Paint filly. I got her before Christmas since it's a bit crazy to get a pet on Christmas, but she was a present.

4) What are your favorite Christmas Carols?
"Carol of the Bells"

5) What is your favorite Christmas food?
Stuffing. My family has the best recipe.

6) Can you sleep on Christmas Eve?
Yeah, I like to sleep.

7) When do you wake up on Christmas morning?
4:30, my usual time. Ranch chores have to be done before presents.

8) What is your most memorable memory?  
Seeing my grandfather dressed as Santa and putting presents under out tree back when we lived in North Dakota. Of course, I didn't know it was my grandfather at the time and it was very magical.

9) What are you Christmas traditions?
It's hard to take time off from the ranch, so we don't do a whole lot. We have a big dinner and spend time in the evening enjoying the tree and our presents while drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies. It's about the only time we're all together and not in a rush to do something else.

10) Do you have a real tree or an artificial tree?

Real, Daddy and my brothers cut it down themselves. Once the ground thaws we go back to where they cut the tree down and plant a few new ones.

Alright, I'm going to be a scrooge and not tag anyone else. I'll try to survive Emily's wrath. If you don't hear from me before February, you know what happened.

-Mac- 

My Friends + Drama

I've met two great girls since I moved here. Olivia is in my class. She's probably my complete opposite, girlie, likes shopping and dancing. She lives with her mom and has lived in several different places in Europe. I'm not exactly sure what her mom does, but I know it's some kind of government work. I just hope Olivia doesn't have to move any time soon! She's an only child and really close with her mom.

Tristan is more like me. She lives nearby on a ranch and loves to ride horses as much as I do. Her oldest brother is a bull rider. Tristan does a lot of 4H stuff and had been busy preparing her cattle for the fair last week. Her steer placed 3rd! She was really proud. Trist has two older brothers, both in their twenties. I would so love to live with her family. It is much more peaceful than mine.

Speaking of my family, there has been a lot of problems going on. For once I'm glad of the long bus ride to and from school since it keeps me from being home. I've come to dread the weekends. You know that Angelica lived with us for awhile when her dads were still in NYC. That's where the problems started. We all love Angelica, but Daddy has never approved of her families life style, that her parents are gay. But Mom is good friends with Martin, Gelly's biological dad. Daddy is just over the moon with anger that she agreed to let Gelly live with us and that Mom works with Martin.

It's just a mess. My parents have always been complete opposites, but still always got along. This was, apparently, the last nail in the coffin. I don't know if they will get divorced. I'm afraid that if they do I will have to live with Mom in the city. I could never leave my horses!

And on top of all that, Chase has been acting out and is constantly in trouble at school and with the police. He's been busted for underage drinking once already and for speeding. I just hope my parents can get their act together soon.

-Mac

Rain and Mud

I think fall might be officially here!

It's been unusually warm the past few weeks. Good for the farmers that we haven't had any killing frost, but getting old. However, it rained last night! It was crisp and refreshing this morning when I went to feed my horses. But, oh the mud! I forgot how nasty it could be. My boots must have weighed ten pounds by the time I got to the barn. My jeans were all splattered, too. Cam laughed when he saw me because some how I had gotten mud in my hair as well! Luckily it came out easily since I didn't have time to shower before the bus came.

Izzy was already to go out in her raincoat and boots. She looked so cute! I couldn't resist taking her with me to check on the cows. Which ended up being a very bad idea since it's breeding season for the cattle. I told Izzy they were playing leapfrog. Her response? "What's leapfrog?" Poor kids these days don't know any games! (Gosh, I sound old!). Luckily she has a very short attention span and forgot about the mating cows by the time we got back to the house.

Remember my black and white barn cat? I've decided what I'm going to do with her. Angelica's cat is still pretty wonky from her dog attack so I'm giving the cat to Angelica. I'm going to take it over this weekend. Angelica's very excited! I'm glad too since Daddy has been chewing me out about the cat again since he found out she's not fixed and his idea of cat population control is not very cat-friendly. Luckily Angelica's dads have no problem paying to have her spayed.

Next post I'll have to talk about my new friends. One I met at school and the other lives nearby. They're both quite cool!

-Mac-

Survey Says...

Since I had not posted in nearly a month, I figured doing the survey that has been going around would be a good way to get back into blogging. Thanks to Sabine and Lucy and Keisha for starting this.

What is your name? Were you named after someone else? Do you like your name?
My name is Mackenzie Juliana Scarlatti. Juliana is after my father Julian. I like my nickname Mac, but I don't feel like a Mackenzie and if anyone calls me that I am most likely not going to respond.

Do you have any pets? If yes, what kinds, and what are their names? If not, why don’t you have any pets?
I have too many pets! One of the perks to living on a ranch. My own pets include: Nicki, Reed, and Fern (horses), and Rex (Golden Retriever). Everyone in my family has their own horse or two and we have a couple of working Collies and barn cats.

Do you like to cook? What’s your favorite food? Are you good at cooking?
I only cook for a special occasion. Like for birthdays or holidays my sibs and I will make dessert. Apparently we are pretty good, but none of us have a passion for it.

Where do you live? Have you ever lived in another country from where you do currently?
I live in Montana. Never been off the mainland. I've lived in NY and ND.

What do you do in your free time?
Ride my horse, of course!

Do you like sports? What are your favorite sport?
Not unless I can do it on my horse. I know I could never kick a ball straight and I'm sure I throw like a girl.

How old are you? Do you like being the age you are? 
I'm 13 and love it.

Do you have a religion? What is it?
I'm Catholic.

How many languages do you speak? What are they? 
I can only speak English. My daddy actually refuses to let us kids learn another language since he is very--I dunno--hard-headed? about the language in America being English and that is only thing we will speak.

Who do you live with?
My parents: Julian and Robin. My brothers: Chase, Cameron, and Blake. My sisters: Evangeline and Isabelle.

Are you a morning or night person?
Night. I love the dark and the sounds of wild animals in the distance.

Would you want to be famous? Why or why not? 
I'd like to be a famous barrel racer, but not, like, a celebrity or anything.

What are five things people don’t know about you?
1. I'd marry Skeet Ulrich if I could
2. I cannot stand the Twilight series 
3. Black Beauty is my favorite book 
4. I don't like having anything in my hair, I always wear it down
5. I can't wait to have my first kiss

Horseback Riding

School is too boring to talk about, so I'm going to post about horseback riding instead. I can't wait for the weather to cool down and I can ride more. Right now it's still warm except very early in the morning.

First thing I had to do was brush Nicki out. If she had some dirt on her back when I put the saddle pad and saddle on it could rub and give her a sore. Plus brushing her is a good bounding time. I talk to her and tell her where we are going to ride and how pretty she is.

 Next the saddle pad goes on. The saddle goes on top and is cinched around her middle, which is a little large I have to admit. I need to ride her more often.

 Now were are ready to go!

 We followed my favorite trail. It's up a gentle slope and has the most shade. Nicki loves to trot and getting her to trot up the hill is good exercise for her.

 We rode for about an hour. Then it was time to do everything I did before the ride in reverse. Off goes the saddle, then the pad. I brushed her out again to get some air to her skin since her hair was flattened with sweat. And it's relaxing for both of  us.

 After that it's treat time! I always carry some apple slices or carrots in my saddle bag. She drools and foams up when she eats an apple and it is quite disgusting. But apples are her favorite and a bit of foamy slime never hurt anyone.

-Mac

School is almost here

I am not ready for school.

I don't know what I'm dreading more: the hour bus ride (one way) or starting 8th grade and not knowing anyone. I wish I was going to school in the nearby town, like Chase does. The kids there are more like me: ranch kids. But my parents insist I go to a Catholic school. I have to grit my teeth and agree. At least Emily and Evan will be there, but they are in 7th grade.

The summer has went by so fast. It seems like it was just June. I've been spending a lot if time with Rex these past weeks. He's still bark-y around the horses so I've been training him to settle down around them. He's getting better and I hope to take him on a ride with Nicki. He needs to learn to be a proper ranch dog. It's funny because he doesn't mind the cows, but the horses still make him excited. Grant it he is still a puppy. A very cute one :)

A black and white cat has been hanging around the barn. She seems pretty friendly so I have been feeding her. Chase says I should just leave her alone, but it wouldn't hurt to have another barn cat. Izzy has been helping me sneak out food. Quite frankly, I think I miss Angelica's cat since  they went home for good a few days ago. I just have to be careful that Daddy doesn't find out. He will have a cow (not literally, of course) if he knows I'm wasting food on a stray cat. Our cats mostly eat what they catch and we leave out dry food. But I've been temping this cat with some wet food and leftovers from the fridge.

Alright I've rambled enough. I hope I don't become like Emily!

Hot

I'm ready for winter.

Seriously, it's been way too hot this past week. Everyone is cranky including the cows. Chase got kicked on Friday and has been in a foul mood since. Daddy telling him to "suck it up" hasn't been helping either. Mom wants him to rest, but Daddy wants him to work. Poor Chase doesn't know what to do. I did his chores yesterday, and it was so miserable. I think I nearly got heat stroke. Angelica tolerates the hear even less than we do and she's been staying inside. Her dads visited over the weekend and she stayed with them and lucked out of the drama.

Sometimes living on a ranch sucks. I'm glad there is so many of us kids to help spread the chores around, but there is till constant work to be done. When school starts Daddy expects us to get up earlier to get our chores done before the bus comes. I am not looking forward to that.

But then something happens and I couldn't imagine not being surrounded by animals. Yesterday my filly--Fern--was perfect during our training session. It'll still be a few years before I can ride her, but there is plenty to teach her now. We do ground work and she did her backing  and turns perfectly. I was so proud of her! Cam and Evan were just as pleased to see the progress I'm making with her. She's going to be a great horse!

About Me + Check out this blog

First off I would like to direct you to The Crazy Doll Ladies Store. Emily is a huge fan of their blog and their store and I thought I would support them as well.

Now, I would like to talk about my family. I'm one of six children. Chase is 17 and starting his last year of high school this fall. I know he can't wait to leave the ranch and go to college. He loves the ranch and wants to have one of his own some day, but Daddy pushes him pretty hard.

Cameron or Cam is 14 and just starting high school. He's considered the lazy one in the family, which isn't saying much because we are all expected to work hard and constantly. Cam wants to have his own businesses when he's older.

I'm the next in line at 13. Evangeline or Evan--as we most often call her-- just turned 12. She's a fireball and never takes "no" for an answer. We fight a lot--which Daddy does not tolerate very well--but I love having her around.

Blake is 8 and an excellent barrel racer. He wants to be a bull rider. Isabelle "Izzy" is 4 and the cutest little mutton rider in the west. She loves animals and she can't wait until lambing next spring since she will be old enough to raise her own lamb.

My daddy was born in South Dakota and is a cowboy to the bone. As a young adult he went to NYC to visit a cousin and met Mom. They stayed in touch by phone and letters and were married a few years later. Mom was in law school at the time. Daddy must have been one smooth talker to persuade her to move to the middle of nowhere. Mom tolerates the ranch, but she doesn't really have a passion for it. Chase, Cam, and myself were born in SD. While Mom was pregnant with Evan, the ranch was having a hard time. We had to sell it and move to NYC where Mom got a job. She gave birth to Evan and was back to work a few weeks later.

Daddy hated NYC and had trouble keeping a job. He saved every penny he made and told Mom we were moving back to SD. Daddy always gets his way, so back to SD we went, new baby Blake as well. To be able to keep this ranch after a year, Mom headed back to NYC, us girls and Blake in tow. I met Angelica then and her family became very close to Mom.

This went on for awhile: going back and forth between the ranch and the city (we had an apartment there). Daddy finally decided this wasn't working and that we were stable enough to sell the ranch and move to Montana. Mom was able to get a job in the city and Daddy got his dream ranch an hour away. Mom commutes and us kids endure the hour bus ride to school.

That would be my life in a nutshell. Oh, and Izzy was born during the back-and-forth years. It's pretty complicated. It seems to be the norm for everyone in our extended family as well. It does make for some exciting stories, though. Anyone else have an unusual childhood?

Today is My Birthday

Hey, I'm new to the blogging world, but my cousin Emily and my friend Angelica insisted I must give it a try. And what better day to start than on your 13th birthday! I'll post a better introduction another day since on a ranch there never is enough time for more of an introduction than "I'm Mac, the cows are this way."

Even on your birthday you don't get to sleep in. Cameron--my 14-year-old brother--got me up at the usual 6am. At least he was polite enough to wish me a "Buon compleanno!" which is Italian for "Happy Birthday". My dad is constantly trying to get us kids to embrace our Italian heritage. I think we do pretty well most of the time.

Without further ado: the birthday party.

 My cake was a chocolate pudding cake. We had hamburgers and fruit as well.

 My cousin Rebecca came from NYC for a visit for my birthday. It was so good to see her again. Her family lived here for awhile, but couldn't adapt to the western lifestyle. Everyone sang to me in what was--probably--the worst sounding "Happy Birthday" ever. But it's the thought that counts.

 Rebecca loves her frilly clothes. I don't mind dressing up, but frills are just not for me.

 Angelica also dressed up in a cute sundress. I met Angelica when I was 8 and she was about 4. My mom and her dad worked at the same law firm.

After cake and the obligatory pictures, it was time to open presents. I couldn't believe what I got.

 A new saddle! My old saddle--though worn and used by my two older brother--was still in good enough condition I didn't think my parents would get me a new one. It's perfect in every way. I'll be using this one for a long time.

It was a fun party, but I was wiped out by the time is was over and I still had chores to do. Then my brothers gave me the second best present: They said they would feed the horses! I couldn't thank them enough. I went straight to my room and spent a few hours getting some much needed relaxation. After I got in my pajamas and snuggled with Rex--my Golden Retriever puppy--Angelica came in.

 She's taken over Cameron's room and Cam is sharing with Blake--who is 8--since he has a bunk bed. I asked her what she wanted and she said she just wanted to wish me one last "happy birthday." She seemed sad: I knew she had to miss her family.  In my family everyone is pretty tough. My dad doesn't care to show a lot of affection and my mom is always working. It's nice having Angelica around to cuddle.

I think I will miss having her around when her family comes back.

--Mac--