Wednesday, February 27, 2013
More chickens are coming!
Last week I placed an order for 25 broiler chickens which will arrive in early April. We'll only have them for a couple of months as they are destined for our dinner plates and the freezer. We're splitting the order with our neighbor since this is an "exploratory" project into the world of meat birds.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
One horse open sleigh...
Today we had an amazing opportunity to hitch Charlie Boy up to a cutter (or a one-horse open sleigh)! The cutter was on loan from a woman who wanted to go for a ride in it, and of course we were happy to oblige. The cutter is probably over 75 years old-- it had been sitting in the barn on the family farm for years before her parents had it restored by the Amish. This was the first time it had been pulled by a horse in several decades. We are so lucky that she allowed us to use it and take her and her family for a spin around our hayfield!
 |
| Holding Charlie while he gets hitched up (I got the easy job). |
 |
| Jubilee was NOT amused that her buddy left her alone. |
 |
| Even my husband joined in on the fun! |
Thursday, February 14, 2013
First Impressions
Last Saturday Rocky was hurt, so we trailered Charlie Boy over to Four Green Fields Farms to use for sleigh rides. Charlie Boy got a chance to meet his dad, Charlie, Sr., for maybe the first time. They got along really well, even though the younger Charlie is a little out of shape and sometimes straggled behind.
Here are some photos from their first time being driven together.
Here are some photos from their first time being driven together.
 |
| Charlie (green halter) checks out Charlie Boy (red halter) for the first time. |
 |
| On the trails... |
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Two Great Horses
The first team of draft horses I ever drove consists of Rocky and Charlie. Their owner, Kevin, noticed that I am a wee-bit horse crazy and taught me how to drive, and lets me help out with the wagon and sleigh rides at his farm on the weekends. I started learning how to drive two years ago and now I've progressed enough to take the boys out on my own. Kevin narrates the ride, lets me drive, and I'm just happy having the lines in my hands.
Rocky and Charlie are special horses-- they work hard, love attention from everyone (including loud little kids), and never do anything stupid. Some horses you have to worry about, but these two guys always do the right thing. I always thought of them as really good horses, but something happened last weekend that changed that.
We were slated to do a sleigh ride on Sunday afternoon. We had just enough snow for the ride, and Kevin and I headed down to the warming house to pick up the customers. Things were going smoothly until we rounded a corner and headed up a hill.
Charlie stopped. Rocky stopped. Charlie was standing dead still. This was very unusual because horses usually trot up the hills--the momentum helps them pull the load.
Me: "Step up, Charlie."
Charlie still doesn't move.
Kevin: "The trail is icey."
Me (to myself): OH s#!&...
Kevin hopped off to help the boys on the ice. I stayed on the lines, and we got up the hill. The horses (and driver) were a little shaken so we took a quick break, and continued on.
We were shocked that there was ice, and we NEVER would have taken the horses out if we had known about the treacherous conditions. We had a warm spell the week before, but all of the ice had melted in the other areas we had been on.
Before we went up the next hill, Kevin walked ahead to check out the trail, and it had ice on it. (At this point, we had to go forward, there was nowhere to turn the sleigh around because we were in the woods, and we had about 8 people on the ride). Even though we tried out best to avoid the icey spots, the boys still had trouble keeping traction. For some reason, it seemed like Charlie was having a tougher go of things-- he slipped, but kept on his feet. He slipped again, and again-but he fought his way up the hill. Rocky seemed to be doing okay (but to be honest, I was paying more attention to Charlie because he tends to be more easily shaken than Rocky). We stopped when we got to the top of the hill-- Charlie was trembling. We paused to let the horses regain their composure before we continued on.
We had one more hill to climb--probably the steepest one on the driving trails. Kevin figured that any moisture would have drained off the hill, and that there would not be any ice. We were about 3/4 of the way to the top when the horses started to slide. Rocky was able to move to the right to get some traction, and he and Charlie braced themselves to keep the sleigh from sliding back down the hill. Kevin jumped off, asked everyone to get off the wagon to make it lighter for the horses, and went up to Rocky and Charlie. Our customers were great and quietly got off the wagon. In the meantime, I just kept my attention on the boys, my eyes didn't leave them for a second.
We have to get up the hill, you boys are not going to fall, we're going to get up the hill.
The horses were bracing so much against the weight of the sleigh I was wondering how in the world they were going to be able to even lift a hoof to move us forward. Whatever happened, I was the only human along for the ride at that point, so I blocked out any "what ifs" and kept repeating:
We're going to get up the hill.
Kevin did or said something to get the boys to move. I was so focused on the 4,000 lbs. of draft power at the other end of the lines that I wasn't paying much attention to anything else going on. But when they started to step up, I knew we were going to be okay-- they pulled that wagon straight to the top of the hill.
Obviously we didn't climb anymore inclines that day-- we stuck to the flat open fields.
It didn't occur to me how stressful the whole situation was until the horses were tied to the hitch rail because you have to be "in the moment" when something dangerous or wrong happen on a drive. There's a lot to be said for staying calm and focused in times of crisis, and that goes for humans and horses.
A lot of horses would have blown up, freaked out, took off, fallen, the list goes on and on. But Rocky and Charlie knew their job-- pull the load, hold the load, and don't let it slip back. They showed how much HEART they have and handled the situation as best they could. They kept us out of trouble, and I will always remember them at their best on that icey day.
 |
| Rocky and Charlie pose after taking out a group from the Make-A-Wish organization in December. |
Rocky and Charlie are special horses-- they work hard, love attention from everyone (including loud little kids), and never do anything stupid. Some horses you have to worry about, but these two guys always do the right thing. I always thought of them as really good horses, but something happened last weekend that changed that.
We were slated to do a sleigh ride on Sunday afternoon. We had just enough snow for the ride, and Kevin and I headed down to the warming house to pick up the customers. Things were going smoothly until we rounded a corner and headed up a hill.
Charlie stopped. Rocky stopped. Charlie was standing dead still. This was very unusual because horses usually trot up the hills--the momentum helps them pull the load.
Me: "Step up, Charlie."
Charlie still doesn't move.
Kevin: "The trail is icey."
Me (to myself): OH s#!&...
Kevin hopped off to help the boys on the ice. I stayed on the lines, and we got up the hill. The horses (and driver) were a little shaken so we took a quick break, and continued on.
We were shocked that there was ice, and we NEVER would have taken the horses out if we had known about the treacherous conditions. We had a warm spell the week before, but all of the ice had melted in the other areas we had been on.
Before we went up the next hill, Kevin walked ahead to check out the trail, and it had ice on it. (At this point, we had to go forward, there was nowhere to turn the sleigh around because we were in the woods, and we had about 8 people on the ride). Even though we tried out best to avoid the icey spots, the boys still had trouble keeping traction. For some reason, it seemed like Charlie was having a tougher go of things-- he slipped, but kept on his feet. He slipped again, and again-but he fought his way up the hill. Rocky seemed to be doing okay (but to be honest, I was paying more attention to Charlie because he tends to be more easily shaken than Rocky). We stopped when we got to the top of the hill-- Charlie was trembling. We paused to let the horses regain their composure before we continued on.
We had one more hill to climb--probably the steepest one on the driving trails. Kevin figured that any moisture would have drained off the hill, and that there would not be any ice. We were about 3/4 of the way to the top when the horses started to slide. Rocky was able to move to the right to get some traction, and he and Charlie braced themselves to keep the sleigh from sliding back down the hill. Kevin jumped off, asked everyone to get off the wagon to make it lighter for the horses, and went up to Rocky and Charlie. Our customers were great and quietly got off the wagon. In the meantime, I just kept my attention on the boys, my eyes didn't leave them for a second.
We have to get up the hill, you boys are not going to fall, we're going to get up the hill.
The horses were bracing so much against the weight of the sleigh I was wondering how in the world they were going to be able to even lift a hoof to move us forward. Whatever happened, I was the only human along for the ride at that point, so I blocked out any "what ifs" and kept repeating:
We're going to get up the hill.
Kevin did or said something to get the boys to move. I was so focused on the 4,000 lbs. of draft power at the other end of the lines that I wasn't paying much attention to anything else going on. But when they started to step up, I knew we were going to be okay-- they pulled that wagon straight to the top of the hill.
Obviously we didn't climb anymore inclines that day-- we stuck to the flat open fields.
It didn't occur to me how stressful the whole situation was until the horses were tied to the hitch rail because you have to be "in the moment" when something dangerous or wrong happen on a drive. There's a lot to be said for staying calm and focused in times of crisis, and that goes for humans and horses.
A lot of horses would have blown up, freaked out, took off, fallen, the list goes on and on. But Rocky and Charlie knew their job-- pull the load, hold the load, and don't let it slip back. They showed how much HEART they have and handled the situation as best they could. They kept us out of trouble, and I will always remember them at their best on that icey day.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
It's SOOOO Cold!
The highs around here have been in the single digits the last few days thanks to a blast of Arctic air-- it's the coldest winter we've had since living in Michigan. Having been born and raised in the South (where the coldest temps I ever remember were in the 20s), and not having a lot of outdoor chores during that time of my life, it's been a bit of a wake-up call to spend upwards of 1 1/2 hours a day outside the warm comforts of the house in frigid conditions. Over the last few days, I have really changed my previous definition on the word "cold."
The outdoor animals seem to be faring well, even with wind chills of -20 degrees. Charlie seems no worse for the wear, but poor Jubilee has icicles hanging from her whiskers. Sassy has been staying put inside the barn in her box lined with an old fleece bathrobe. She has also been enjoying her new heated water bowl that keeps her water from freezing.
For the first time this winter, I have had to psych myself up to go outside. Layers are my best friend: a base layer, then my regular jeans, a waffle shirt, a hooded sweatshirt, insulated Carhartt coveralls, a gator, a warm (but very unflattering) pink hat, a work coat, glove liners, insulated cowhide gloves, sock liners, Smart Wool socks, and my Bog boots usually keep the chill off. However, the Arctic cold settles in through four layers of clothing in a manner of minutes. I've taken to jogging from the house to the feed room, from the feed room to get the horses, from the barn to the outdoor water tank, and from the hay area to the tractor, and from the tractor to the wood boiler. Getting my blood pumping keeps hands from getting numb and keeps me warm.
Unfortunately, there are no pictures this week. If I take my gloves off outside it's only a matter of moments before my skin is tingling in pain and going numb.
However, I do have some photos from our warm spell last week-- enjoy! (And sorry most of them are sideways-- for some reason Blogger and my cell phone camera don't get along).
The outdoor animals seem to be faring well, even with wind chills of -20 degrees. Charlie seems no worse for the wear, but poor Jubilee has icicles hanging from her whiskers. Sassy has been staying put inside the barn in her box lined with an old fleece bathrobe. She has also been enjoying her new heated water bowl that keeps her water from freezing.
For the first time this winter, I have had to psych myself up to go outside. Layers are my best friend: a base layer, then my regular jeans, a waffle shirt, a hooded sweatshirt, insulated Carhartt coveralls, a gator, a warm (but very unflattering) pink hat, a work coat, glove liners, insulated cowhide gloves, sock liners, Smart Wool socks, and my Bog boots usually keep the chill off. However, the Arctic cold settles in through four layers of clothing in a manner of minutes. I've taken to jogging from the house to the feed room, from the feed room to get the horses, from the barn to the outdoor water tank, and from the hay area to the tractor, and from the tractor to the wood boiler. Getting my blood pumping keeps hands from getting numb and keeps me warm.
Unfortunately, there are no pictures this week. If I take my gloves off outside it's only a matter of moments before my skin is tingling in pain and going numb.
However, I do have some photos from our warm spell last week-- enjoy! (And sorry most of them are sideways-- for some reason Blogger and my cell phone camera don't get along).
 |
| Great photo of Mr. Charlie-- it took me several takes to get a shot with his ears up. |
 |
 |
| Kobe and Charlie have become buddies! |
 |
| Sassy continues to monitor the situation from the hay bales. |
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Driving Charlie
We hitched up Charlie Boy for a drive a few weeks ago. He was a perfect gentleman. After a couple of minutes of trotting (he was a little excited about being in a new field and having to pull a noisy cart with the tires crunching through the snow), he settled right down and plodded along without a care in the world.
 |
| My driving mentor Kevin on the lines. |
 |
| Dashing through the snow... I really want a sleigh... |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)