What a beautiful day Friday at RPHSA's Stonegate Farm schooling show with Wart, husband and grand daughter. Wart is starting to understand what he's at a show for. He got more comfortable hanging out at the back gate. I am so proud of his progress! It certainly has been on his terms. We're looking forward to the next learning opportunity.
The good, bad and the ugly of our first show of the season ended with an OK courtesy round where Wart finally got "it" a little more together; finally coming forward into my hand! He is a very challenging horse to ride yet he tries so hard. With four out of the last five years "off" for one issue or another, I'm finally getting more time in on the horses. One round at a time! Thanks to all at Carriage House who put on a wonderful show at a beautiful venue.
John
John Paul Strzok
Born April 20, 1943 in Gilman, WI to the late Ignatz and Genevieve (Polnaszek) Strzok. He passed peacefully at home on July 1, 2022 with his favorite TV Western, “Matt Dillon” (Gunsmoke), playing along with Johnny Cash, two of his heroes.
“Johnny Popper” helped on the Gilman farm until the family moved to Stanley in 1972; there he enjoyed helping many local farmers who became his friends. Farming spurred a life-long love of anything mechanical, especially tractors; he enjoyed collecting toy tractors and buttons from farm events. Attending local truck and tractor pulls were favorite summertime activities, along with an annual entry of an original drawing into the Northern WI State Fair. He was a loyal John Deere man.
John loved giving his beautiful coloring pages to people he met along life’s journey; people whom he loved, providers who helped him or anyone who touched his heart. John started working at Chippewa River Industries in Chippewa Falls, WI in 1981, enjoying his various jobs there for almost 40 years until his retirement in late 2020. John participated in track and bowling with Special Olympics; he enjoyed riding his bicycle through his last days. The last ten years of life were spent at 3R Ranch of Chippewa Falls, WI, where he enjoyed a farm-like lifestyle helping with horse, garden, woods and shop activities. He will be deeply missed by his housemate, Pat, and his caregivers, Spencer and Kathy Jerome.
John is blessed with a loving family who supported and nurtured him. He is survived by two sisters, Dolores (the late Michael) Michalek of Chicago, IL and Marcella (George) Zednek of Jupiter, Fl; sister-in-law Eleanore (the late Jerome) Strzok of Lincolnshire, IL, many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Edmund and Jerome, a sister in infancy and nephew Michael.
Services are Friday, July 8, at Plombon Funeral Home in Stanley, WI, where he will be laid to rest in the Strzok Fam
Wart at Stonegate, courtesy in the Limit Eq.
First, thanks to God for looking out for us over the weekend. Early Friday, He sent a Good Samaritan in the form of a young man on I-94W who drove up next to our rig , rolled down his passenger side window and warned me that I had a trailer tire blown out. Fortuitously, the Knapp exit was right there so we took it, parked, and waited about 1.5 hours for Irvington Garage to rescue us by changing our tire. We made it to Stonegate Farm
just in time to hurry and get into the first class (with no warm-up, of course!). Wart had a wonderful first horse show experience showing in the tiny cross rail divisions. He has made such progress over the last year and had the right kind of reinforcement at the show. He met many new friends and is realizing not all situations are horrible. He seems happy to have found his tribe and is enjoying his new job. Penny went to the Bit & Spur on
Saturday and participated in the Walk Trot classes in her third show this season. She was curious but not afraid to be back at a familiar place under saddle for the first time. Not a winner, but a good school getting more experience being in the ring with other horses she is not allowed to be the boss of! The guys had a good time; they especially enjoyed Rolando's steak quesadillas at Stonegate. Yum!!
Penny leaving MSH and loading better all the time!
