Hay HAY Hay

New Friends

The New Guy

A few days ago I posted a photo of this handsome horse that appeared in the barn last week. His name is Charlie and he is a 18+ hands, 2002 lbs. Belgian Draft horse. He doesn't belong to us, but since Tiffany is at the neighbor's, our neighbor was kind enough to bring him over so we'd have a horse to drive.

Charlie just returned from a one-semester stay at Michigan State where he was used in the draft horse driving class. He has also spent a few seasons working for the Amish. He's a real sweet guy and very laid back.

Jubilee has established herself as the alpha horse, and seems to have a big more spring in her step as she reminds the new guy who is in charge. However, Charlie seems to respect his elders and the two of them are getting along fine.

Fun Friday Video

Peace

It's amazing how animals can connect us with what's really important. Take Jubilee and Charlie-- give them some water, food, and companionship, and they're two happy campers.

There's nothing like watching animals for a few minutes to take your mind off of human problems: finances, violence, politics. For other creatures it's simple things that keep them going, and keep them satisfied.

Sidekick

Our neighbor stopped by the other day, and our Golden Retriever/Malamute mix was very excited to see a new person. The neighbor said, "Kobe, we've got to turn you into a farm dog."

Alas, while Kobe was born on a farm, being a true farm dog isn't in his future. Perhaps it's the Malamute in him, but he has never been very good at the recall command (okay, and maybe his owners deserve some blame for that, too-- but when we got him we had a fenced in yard for him to roam around in). And we live right on a very busy road, so letting him roam off-leash is out of the question.

Would I like to have a pet that dogs my every step as I tend to the outdoor chores? Yes-- it makes me feel a bit safer knowing that there's a sidekick around. Fortunately, I do have another four-legged sidekick who oversees my every move-- Sassy the cat!

Sassy basks in the fall sun as she watches me clean out stalls

While her mousing skills are questionable, her ability to supervise is extraordinary. The only times she won't follow a human around is during breakfast and when the human is messing with the fire in the wood boiler. This 11 lbs. tri-colored fur ball shows no fear around the two draft horses we've got stomping around. She always is present as I round the horses up from the field and bring them into the stalls for their evening meals. It's a tough job wrangling a 2000 lbs. horse, so I'm happy she's there to assist :-). 

Sassy always makes sure I make it safely down the hill after visiting the horses in their pasture.

And she always comes running at the promise of food or a head scratch.

 I used to think she was such a pest when she first started coming around, but I'm glad she didn't give up on us. She has turned out to be a lovely pet, and we are very thankful to have her as part of our farm family. 

It's Always Nice...

It's always nice to to walk into a barn and find one of these waiting for you!

Stay tuned for more details about this handsome guy!

Fun Friday-Farmer Style

Toot-a-loo, Tiffany...

I write this post with mixed emotions: guilt, humility, relief, and happiness. I have made the decision to sell Tiffany (a.k.a. the Sassy Belgian or Miss Thang). While I am not a religious person, I believe that everything and everyone in this world is connected, I believe that we all have a destiny, that we all have a place, and that we all belong somewhere. I believe that if we do all we can, offer ourselves and our intent to the Universe, and let things play out, that everything will be okay in the end.

“No matter how scared, or tired, or ill you are; no matter how lost, or confused, or desperate you become; no matter how lonely, depressed or cranky you feel…if you just do what you can, with what you have, from right where you are, it will always be enough.” - The Law Of Relevance,” the Universe of Mike Dooley

Today's Tiffany is not the horse I bought in July. She was mellow, sweet, and did everything she was suppose to when I bought her. I was very wary of getting a horse that I couldn't handle, and her previous owner let me drive her several times, ride her, and come by his barn during the week to get her out and brush her. I think the major factors in the change in her behavior are: a) she has always lived in a large herd of horses, but when she and Jubilee moved to our farm, Tiff became the "alpha" horse for the first time (and she liked it), b) she started testing me from day one, and sometimes I was slow to respond--she sensed a weakness in me early on, and continued to test it.

I have never made the choice not to keep an animal that I have adopted or bought. If you bring that animal into your life, it's your responsibility to look after its health and well being. On the other hand, I've never had a pet that tested my range of experience like this mare. She gave me a reality check on my ability to handle a large, spirited, confident, and intelligent animal. I have years of experience around horses, but having never owned one before, I have been amazed at how challenging it can be. When you ride other people's horses, you get leave at the end of the day, and the owner/trainer is left to deal with any issues that may arise. When they're yours, you are responsible for the animal's actions and how those actions may affect other beings.

Tiffany is not a mean horse. However, she has always had the intent of having things her way, which created a few issues for an inexperienced owner like me (and Jubilee). The girl's got personality, but she needs a more experienced owner that can handle her attitude.

I felt a huge rush of relief and happiness when our neighbor called and offered to take her to his place. Relief that I wouldn't have to deal with mood swings, and happy that the selling process was taking a baby step forward. Happiness that I would be able to find another horse that would be a good fit for our farm.

For the time being, Tiffany will be staying with her former owner and draft-horse-expert neighbor. He will be working with her to get her ready to sell.

Tiffany has taught me a lot-- a lot that I would not have learned from a mellow old gelding. These lessons have helped me become a better horse-woman, and helped me learn my limitations.

Countdown to Chickens

It's snowing pretty hard outside-- something about the bleakness of winter always makes me think of spring, warm weather, green grass, blue sky, and warm weather projects. Today I took the plunge and ordered chickens-- they will arrive from the hatchery in April. That means we have a little over four months to prepare for them, which includes buying the necessary supplies and building them a secure place to live. Yes, I could have bought them from a feed store, but this way I have a set deadline on when they will arrive (and I'm a girl who likes deadlines).

I loved this clip from the Muppet Movie. Our chickens won't be this talented or flashy, but I'm hoping this new project will be fun!

Work for warmth

This was awaiting me beside the barn when I arrived home yesterday evening:

"This" being a five-foot high stack of firewood. I knew something was up when I pulled into the driveway and saw large tire marks in the gravel. So our weekend project will be stacking up wood piles only to keep unstacking them throughout the cold season.

This is the fourth (and final) load of wood we will get for our wood boiler for the winter. Last winter was very mild, and being newbies to rural living, we had to kind of scrounge for wood all season. Luckily, we have really great neighbors who kept us supplied. But, this winter we wanted to be prepared, so we ordered all of our firewood in advance. I managed to stack a fraction of it with about 30 minutes of work early this morning. I stack all the pieces that I can comfortably pick up, and Will chops the rest into manageable logs.

I wasn't sure how I would like heating our house with wood-- even though last winter was mild, I hated going out to stoke the fire. Mostly because many of the logs we had were HEAVY, and really hard for me to toss into the chamber. But, this season has been much better because we have smaller pieces of wood.

It's nice getting a functional fitness workout stacking the logs. It also is a great reminder that energy doesn't just happen-- there's hot, sweaty worked involved, whether your house is heated by coal, natural gas, electricity, or wood.The only difference between these is who is doing the work-- you or someone else.

My favorite benefit to wood heat is the unlimited hot water we have all winter long :-).

See you later, Ali!

Ali will soon be leaving us for Alabama. She is almost finished with her University coursework and is moving back home for a few months before returning to Michigan in May to walk for graduation. She stopped by the farm earlier to say goodbye to everyone.

Not only did Ali make great progress with Tiffany (including getting her to half-pass and do flying lead changes), she came out to take care of the horses and barn cat Sassy when we were busy or out of town. I honestly never worried about our animals when they were under Ali's care because she is knowledgeable and most importantly, dependable! We know she is going on to great things, and feel very fortunate that our paths have crossed.

The older I get the more I realize that things happen for a reason. People come into our lives for a reason. And everything in life is a learning experience.  We all learned a lot from Ali, and we are going to miss her!

And I really hope Ali doesn't mind that I swiped this super cute photo from her Facebook page!

Snow

The snow has come, and I'm afraid it's here to stay. Since the weather has turned cold, the grass hasn't been growing, so the horses have been enjoying hay. They've started drinking more water since it's gotten colder (I guessing it's because the hay is dry, unlike the grass).

The other "side effect" of feeding the girls hay is that they are RAVENOUS when it's breakfast/dinner time. They're definitely getting enough to eat, but not having access to forage 24/7 means they eat their hay in a couple of hours, and then have to dwell on not having anything to munch on until it's feeding time again. I do have to say, they are thrilled when they see me come out of the barn hauling those bales!

Up Close & Personal

It's high time this blog showed some love for Jubilee, Tiffany's older (and certainly wiser) pasture mate.

Jubi belongs to our neighbor, who was kind enough to send her over to our place to keep Tiffany company.

We don't know much about Jubi's past, but her list of accomplishments include:

• Having 10 foals
• Gracing the cover of a magazine
• Surviving Tiffany's diva moments and mood swings

JubiLinda gets out to be groomed and to graze in the hayfield. The one thing I love about Jubi is as soon as you put the halter on, she knows that we're going somewhere. It may just be in the barn to the cross ties, but she's all business-no lolly gagging around! She'll even pick up her feet as you go to reach for them (but keeping a hold on her feet is another story-she's a little fussy about her nails).

Tired Tiffany

Ali has been riding Tiffany pretty hard lately. This photo was taken after their ride last weekend. Tiff is advancing in her basic flat work, is much more balanced, and has continued to improve her side passing. Ali also started working with her on flying lead changes. (And of course my video of all this cool stuff somehow disappeared off my camera... sigh...)

Queen of the Wood Pile

The wood pile is one of Sassy's favorite outside hangouts...

... Until she spots an opportunity for a head rub, and then she's off!

Me and My Shadow

Lap warmer

Barn cat Sassy has many talents: catching mice, lounging in the sun, eating all her food, and begging for attention. I was pleased to receive this photo from our barn sitter, showing a particularly useful winter skill: LAP WARMER!

She's a Jumper

And now she's jumping!

A Shout Out

Ms. Tiff got a shout out from her trainer, Ali, on Ali's blog, "The Art of Perpetual Bliss." You can check it out at http://artofperpetualbliss.blogspot.com/2012/11/miss-thang.html.

Enjoying the view

Darn Blogger for not letting me rotate these photos!

From the Top

The view from the tallest horse on the tallest hill on the farm. Sometimes it's just nice to pause and enjoy the scenery...

In the driver's seat

One of Sassy's favorite places to nap is the wagon seat. But, she's not keen on taking a ride. Her other preferred "bed" is the old car seat that serves as the driver's seat on the old black cart.

Getting the Nails Done

Tiffany had her first farrier appointment on Tuesday. She was a very patient girl after having to wait in the barn for half an hour. I was a little concerned she would not fully cooperate, so we went to the round pen first to work off some excess energy (which is why she is sweaty in her photo).
She was so very good for the farrier and only made a few halfhearted efforts to pull her foot away.
I'm sure her feet and self confidence are feeling better now that her nails have had a trim and been filed.

Patiently waiting for the farrier...

Before...

Another before...

After

Tiff's in training

One of the reasons I bought Tiff is that she's broke to ride and drive. She has a lot more experience with driving than with riding, so I am enlisting the experience and knowledge of Ali, a student at the local university. She has lots of experience training hunter\jumpers, leading trail rides, and giving lessons. While I rode saddleseat growing up, I'm limited in my knowledge of working with horses to get them trail ready. (I'm a little embarassed to say I've only been trail riding a couple of times-most of my experience has been riding around rings and up and down barn aisleways). So, Ali not only agreed to train Tiff once a week, she will also be giving me a few riding lessons.

At any rate (after about an hour of horse fiascos-which is another post), Ali put Tiff through her paces. They walked, trotted, cantered, backed, and pivoted. Tiff was so well behaved and gave her rider 100% effort. Ali had a blast riding her and I can't wait to hop on myself!

Tiffany taking Ali for a ride.

At the auction

Sassy and the frog

Earning Her Keep

After months of watching Sassy sleep, eat, and lounge, I was seriously doubting her willingness to earn her food. But, I was happy (although somewhat grossed out) to find a half of a mouse lying next to her food bowl.

Ever since Twerp passed, she's been out on patrol, climbing the stall walls in the barn, and picking up the slack. Guess this kitty's a keeper!

Driving

We've hitched up Tiffany three times in the last week, and she's been really good. No balking or hissy fits-when she's with the cart, it's all business. She's a little hot to trot starting out, but after a few minutes of trotting figure eights and serpentines, she settles down into a nice, relaxed walk.



Our neighbor came over to help the first two drives I took her out, but Sunday marked a huge milestone for us: Will and I hooked up Tiffany all by ourselves (and it was Will's first time assisting)! It took us a long time because I wanted to be sure everything was snapped, buckled, and hooked up correctly, and we ended up having a lovely drive. Will was great-he stayed around to watch our drive (just in case), and then helped me get her back into the cross ties and unhitched. He even led her back to the field-his first time ever leading horse!

Nothing like a good roll in the dirt after getting brushed...

Not the most flattering picture ;-).

Garden Update

It rained a lot last week-- about two inches over three days. We really needed it-- I'm hoping for a second cutting of hay to fill up the barn for the horses for the winter. Our neighbor said the other day he has no extra hay to sell-there is enough for the horses in the area, and not much else.

In regards to the garden, I moved some of the perennials out of their containers and into the ground. One of the rail planters now holds lettuce seeds and the big porch planters have mums.

One squash plant continues to hold on, and I should get a couple more vegetables off of that. A couple of the watermelons are getting large, and I think one may be ready to pick in the next week! It seems we have two melons per plant.

I have about half a dozen ripe tomatoes that aren't cracked-- it was heartbreaking to go into the garden today and pick dozens of fruits that were cracked and inedible. There are a couple of peppers growing, and the onions haven't seen much growth. Next year I'm trying those in a self-watering container.

The daylilies are about to have a second round of blooms.

Twerp

Twerp was hit by a car on Monday evening. So sad-- he wasn't even a year old. We buried him in the yard next to Taylor. Rest in peace, little kitty...

Walking Stick

This "twig" was stuck to the side of the house last night. I thought it was an odd place for a stick to be, and it seemed really semetrical, so I ran in the house to get Will. After gently blowing on the twig, it moved!

A search on Wikipedia revealed that walking sticks live all over the world and are masters of disguise. Some grow to be 12 inches long! Our little friend was probably about four inches long.

I had never seen a walking stick except on TV, so it was very cool to see one in person. I feel fortunate this one spent some time in the side of our house.

In the cross ties...

On the prowl...

Twerp gets around-you may see him in the fields, in the barn, in the yard. He's always looking for something to catch, which makes us happy when his prey is a mouse or chipmunk.

He also hones his hunting skills on butterflies and grasshoppers.

Stalking a grasshopper...

Sassy is content to nap on the wagon, sprawl in the driveway, and lounge on the deck. I've never seen her hunting mice, but she enjoys playing with rocks and chasing butterflies.



And both cats are very curious about their large neighbors!

Garden Update

The tomatoes continue to ripen, but they are cracking-- ugh! I read that tomatoes crack when there is a drastic change in moisture, so I'm betting our weeks-long dry spell followed by a few days of rain is what did them in. One plant shows evidence of tomato hornworm activity, but I haven't been able to nab the little sucker.

Another summer squash plant succumbed to the vine borers, so now I'm down to one and it's only a matter of time before it's gone, too. The pepper plants are still short, but I did harvest a small pepper off of one, and there are a couple more peppers coming along.

In place of the squash, I planted six strawberry plants that I got on sale for 50% off. They won't produce until next summer, but hopefully getting them in the ground this summer will give them a good foundation for next spring. There are six more strawberry plants waiting to go into the raised beds once the peppers, tomatoes, and melons come out.

I also did some work in the flower beds and containers as well this week.

Iris that were liberated from the woods-- there's about 20 plants in the bucket.

The iris were planted around the deck.

I love this pony planter, but I hated having to water the marigold and violet that called it home every single day. Out with the old flowers, and in with a new succulent that doesn't require daily watering.

Strawberry plants

Daylilies, coneflowers, daisies, and rudbeckia in the front of the house.

One of the peppers

One of the larger onions

Lettuce seedlings before thinning.

Cracked tomatoes

A little bell pepper

Japanese beetles destroyed this vine and its counterpart in the rail planters. Since they looked so bad, I went ahead and pulled them out.

The petunias are still going strong!