horses – The Hermits' Rest

Moving mud around

No blog yesterday, because the day didn’t feature anything worth mentioning to the blogosphere. Today wasn’t much more exciting, since I was mostly problem solving issues of no interest to anyone other than me and a couple of coworkers. At least my mind is occupied!

Some birds are still hiding. This Green Heron thought it was invisible.

It’s been a nice couple of days full of interesting birds, like a Canada Warbler, which of course didn’t pose. We’re getting quite a variety these days.

I enjoyed a visit with this friendly Lark Sparrow. They are brave little guys.

The highlight of the day, at least for those of us in the household who do horse care, is that more work is being done around the pens (rain slowed progress down, but all the rails are back up!). I heard noises outside, and when I checked it out, the tractor was busy moving dirt from the big pile that created our tiny pond into the pens.

The dirt has smoothed out the areas than have sunken in since Kathleen bought sand to put in the pens when they were first finished. The mud from rains, especially where it dripped off the shelter roof, is very slick and no fun for horses or people.

We hope this will help drainage, but it’s been pointed out that the new dirt will just make new and different puddles. And it’s darned clay-ish in this part of the property.

Butterflies drink from the clay mud. It has minerals.

It sounds like the shelter extension will go up soon. It will have a gutter that will drain away from the pens and give the horses a much nicer shelter and a dry shaded place for grooming, hoof trimming, and veterinary stuff.

Bonus photo of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

There are even rumors of a concrete pad for bathing. I don’t know…that sounds awfully fancy! It’s fun to dream of, though. And Apache could sure use a bath!

Weird thing about grief

I’m grieving the fact that my horse Drew has gone to greener pastures (literally, east Texas, where it’s damp). I’m grateful for all the very kind words from many of you. It will just take me a few days to feel more centered.

At least I’m happy that I got my fig tree that friends were holding for me. Yay Figgy.

Today reminded me of something I’ve noticed before when I experienced grief. I get really accident prone. This is apparently a known consequence of grieving, in addition to memory lapses and decreased spatial senses (thanks AI). I didn’t put 2 and 2 together and figure out why I was so “off” today until this evening. Now I get it.

Like this mushroom, I’m not quite right.

Nothing bad happened, I just had odd accidents. For example, I was operating the gate to go to the garage and somehow got my thumbnail stuck in the link of a chain in the locking mechanism. That caused me to drop the can of Precious Coke Zero I was carrying. I extricated myself without breaking my freshly painted nail. But when I got into the Jeep to go get Figgy, I foolishly opened the can. Soda all over my clean jeans. Sigh.

I later dropped the phone (it’s fine) and scratched myself on the gate to the chickens. At least I got two eggs today!

And finally, after serving myself some comfort ice cream, I sat down to eat it, and it all plopped out of the bowl onto my cute shirt and the already soda-stained jeans. Sheesh.

I have heard that horses “grieve” the loss of a herd member. I wonder if the remaining four here are grieving or having the most relaxed day in years? I’m not sure. I did ride Apache today, as you could guess from the photo above. He’s getting back into the swing of things again, though being sick hasn’t helped the progress. He did great in the round pen today, but as soon as I walked him out of it, he did an Apache fit and I thought he was going to buck his way back to the barn. But, ha! I remembered the one-rein stop. He stopped.

He had a look on his face like he was very disappointed I remembered how to do that. And I competently got him to follow or lead Dusty and Kathleen around the outside of the pen until he quit thinking about exiting. At least Tarrin taught me something!

My vision for the future. So many chickadees.

Things will improve, I’m sure. We got some good rain this evening. And I got through another Mother’s Day burying my grief over my estranged son. It helped that my other son remembered me and so did my bonus daughter up near Dallas (two weeks until her son is due!).

Oops. The weather service just called. Big storm coming. Lee is bringing Figgy inside the screened porch!

Even when it’s for the best, rehoming an animal is hard

This is difficult to write, because I’m in danger of veering off into blaming myself, berating myself for being such a wimp, etc. But the goal of this post is to focus on what’s best for everyone.

Nope. Dusty isn’t going anywhere. Kathleen now rides him for hours!

As you may know, my little gray gelding, Drew or Droodles, has had some issues ever since he got kicked in the head by Fiona (mini-donkey). His boundaries are not good, and it takes constant vigilance to remind him to give humans and other horses space. Consequently, my son got kicked by him and had spleen damage, I got knocked into a metal fence rail and needed stitches, and just this week, Kathleen got crowded into a fence and kicked. Not to mention damage inflicted on other horses. I just can’t have any more injuries caused by my horse. (Note that I can go on and on about his good qualities—I love him.)

We had already been trying to find him a place where he’d fit in better. We had decided that he needed somewhere he’d be worked with every day by experienced horse people, and where he could have a job.

These guys need to be in a calm environment, too.

Kathleen’s stepson just happens to be a genuine cowboy, trained by his dad and others. He works with a very good trainer who has helped him with a couple of horses who’ve turned out really well. After this last accident, the family agreed to get Drew over there sooner rather than later. The time for waffling over it had ended.

Drew meets his new trainer. And his dog.

I’m convinced that Drew will adapt well to the new style of training he’ll get, and that the education I already got him will speed things up. Being worked with more often will keep his mind busy and build back his muscles. No matter how much I’d hoped for it, my work and travel schedule would never keep him where he needs to be.

So yep, my family and my other horses will be safer. I can work with Apache more easily without Drew raising a ruckus. The water troughs won’t have him chomping on the spigots (though it’s good there’s now a cage around the automatic waterers, since Spice is a big splasher, too). Drew will be in a more suitable situation with the cowboys, ropes, and all that. My hope is he will be happier.

Do I get to ride in this heirloom trailer?

But I’m very sad. I promised him I’d keep him safe, and now after just four years I’ve let him be shipped off. That’s normal, though. Even with his flaws, he was a lot of fun, and his curiosity always made me laugh. Sara said it was bittersweet when I told her. That’s it. Bittersweet.

At least he’s still in the family, and I’ve been promised photos and videos. I’m truly grateful that Drew has found such a good new situation with good people.

Stopping now before I go into blaming myself. It is all for the best, just sad.

Good news: the rods in the horse pens are all back up and properly welded. More safety! More gratitude for the help on this.

Can we have ONE crisis-less week, or even day?

That cloud of misfortune over our family is getting too big for its britches. We aren’t looking for constant tranquility, just a bit less ebb and more flow. The inconveniences, illnesses, deaths, and accidents are just piling on.

I picked myself flowers to bring a little nature inside.

Yesterday Lee drove all the way back to where the RV is, because he’d left his wallet. Yep. Made it nearly a week of lots of driving with no wallet. And in this place, you need ID, even if you’re white and straight and look male.

That’s nothing, really. And hey, I’m only slightly sick now. It was an okay day of work and I was looking forward to my 1:1 with my boss when Kathleen called. She never calls when we are both here. Well, she was feeding horses when Drew pinned her against the gate and kicked her right above her hip. Dammit.

Let’s look at pretty plants, not at someone who is hurt.

So I called 911 and got Drew away from her (he had been nuzzling her like horses do when they throw you to the ground—why are you down there?). It didn’t take too long for the guys to arrive. I am not an EMT so I can’t judge, but they didn’t seem very good at getting her on the gurney.

Off she went. I went back to work until I remembered to feed my son’s pets while he’s in the Old Country. At the same time as I realized I didn’t have car keys, FedEx came. Dogs barked as usual. Kept barking as I set boxes down. Were still barking when I got in the car…so I checked on them. Yes, as if animals hadn’t caused enough injuries today, Penney was trying to eat Harvey. He was trying, in his old and unstable way, to fight back. Carlton was trying to break it up. Too much hysteria led to a mess.

By the time I threw my bag at Penney to make her leave, blood was everywhere. No one was mortally wounded, but Harvey gushed a bit. That didn’t last long. Lee had to do a lot of cleaning of wounds and floors while I fed Potato and Dewey, the grandcat and rat. I admit I stayed with them and basked in their calmness and cuteness for a while.

I told myself that things come in threes (not really a believer), so I was happy to discover the third thing was just weird. Right by my car as I was driving to the road, a very large mama cow decided to mount an equally large and thankfully calm bull. That’s some power dynamics.

I wound down at the birding hut, where Nature at last decided to smile on me. I enjoyed watching two sweet-faced heifers checking me out across the fence. They were so graceful and curious. I bet they’ll make wonderful and respectful mama cows.

The good news is that Kathleen is “only” severely bruised and has no broken bones or damaged organs. Since this is the third time Droodles and his boundary issues have caused an injury, he is going to go to another location. There will be a trainer there who will give him the work he needs to be his best and will keep him away from short women or inexperienced people.

Safety first. Four years down the drain. I’m not the right person for him, nor is Kathleen. We are not up to what is needed.

This has not been a fun day. But we handled everything and have made rational decisions. I’m proud of all of the family. I’m not proud of one horse and one particular dog.

A Bit of a Break

Today was the first “normal” day in over a week. Other than work, it was just lovely, too. While the wildflowers aren’t overly spectacular this year, looking at them makes it impossible not to live in the moment.

The dandelions of many species were beautiful this morning (pre mowing)

Though the bluebonnets have mostly gone to seed, the other roadside flowers are making up for it, which makes butterflies happy.

The weather was pleasantly warm, and in the morning, the wind was just right. It was perfect for getting the horses’ hooves trimmed. Apache is still shedding profusely on his white spots, and the wind blew the hair away from poor Terry while he trimmed.

Meanwhile, Vlassic scrounged for hoof trimmings.

The horses were so good, and they all look great now that the cracks are smoothed down.

I was charmed at how Mabel and Apache waited their turns nose to nose. They have become good friends.

Even Drew was in a good mood, asking to have his face rubbed, then, get this, mouthing and licking my hand sweetly and gently. We had an absolutely relaxing and pleasant time together. He’s settling down into a fine companion.

The time spent with the horses is so good for me. Dusty and Spice are always so friendly and well mannered. We now have a happy, balanced herd. I’m glad to now have Kathleen’s help with them, too. It’s helped me move forward.

Tomorrow should be either fun or wet. We will see!

The Triumphant Return

Today had a big highlight. The day was fine, and I took a lunch break in the early afternoon between meetings. It was beautiful.

I took a little walk down the road to see if there were any new wildflowers popping up. I’m happy to report a few old friends have returned.

As I was pondering how pretty it will look when all the gaillardia is blooming, I spotted something vaguely familiar inside the horse pasture. I went to investigate and damn, there it was, one of Apache’s lost boots from last year, which disappeared after a hard April rain.

I went through the pasture over and over last year, and finally guessed the boots had washed away in flooding. Nope. I just missed it. So I picked it up and headed back home through the pasture, looking at water in the arroyo and admiring pink evening primroses.

I looked over toward the pond and something black caught my eye. Damn! It was the other boot! Now, I know I’d driven and walked by this part of the pasture many times. But today was my lucky day. I found them both.

They’re a bit worse for wear, but still usable. one had a wasp nest in it (small and empty).

I headed toward the pens to put away the boots, and saw all the horses had been napping in there. Drew spotted me and headed right over. The two paints took their time joining him, then Mabel and Dusty wandered over. Everyone was very interested in the boots, but headed off to eat that nice grass that came up.

That was certainly a nice lunch break. The mystery of the disappearance of the boots has been solved!

My New Weed-eater

Spring at last! Ostara greetings to all! Maybe no more freezes to kill our grass.

Since it was a pretty day, I took a walk at lunch and even read for a few minutes on the porch, next to my lovely petunias that smell so good (white petunias are impressive!).

After work and poultry and equine feeding, I enjoyed some time with Apache, just walking around. My son had come over to get some eggs, so we were chatting, when we noticed what Apache was munching on.

Was it grass? No! It was prickly sow-thistle. These plants are like ugly dandelions with big thorns on the leaves.

Yep, Apache was methodically mowing down all these non-native plants. I was impressed. After my son left, I watched Apache’s grazing pattern. Somehow he was able to avoid all the other wildflowers (other than field madder, which he also liked) and just focus on his favorite greenery. I wonder how they know? Scent? Feel? This is when I wish I could ask my former horse trainer. She’d know.

After we ran out of armored dandelions, Apache kindly switched to weed-eating around the garbage dumpster. He even provided fertilization services (not pictured). It turns out, my new lawn maintenance tool is pretty good! Too bad it costs so much to keep it up and running!

Excellent long grass around the dumpster to trim!

I helped him burn off the calories from all that snacking by getting some good exercise in before returning him to his herd. Our pleasant walk ended the week on a good note!

Enjoy your weekend!

Funny? Weird? Fun? Today Was All That

Where to start? First, I laughed SO hard yesterday at my dear cousin, who was kind enough to call and wish me happy birthday. The problem was that she wished me a happy 67th birthday. No, I correct, I’m 68. You can’t be, she exclaimed, because I’m older than you and will be 68 in November. No, you turned 68 last November. Now, we have known each other since infancy and can’t figure out how old we are. Finally I brought up an age calculator and asked it how old I was. It said 68. My cousin wailed that she had lost a year. That was so dang funny.

Also funny. The hopeful looks on these two faces as Dusty’s morning food was being prepared. They can’t believe he eats and they don’t (we have a new fattening up Dusty campaign and he eats feed twice a day)

Now for the weird. Kathleen spent all day today cleaning the tack room as only a Kathleen who’s feeling better can clean. When she has energy, she really has it. There’s a distinct lack of mouse and rat poop in the room now.

But, she discovered weird/icky things in her deep cleaning. First, Tipper has created a litter box area under a chair, sans litter box. So, suckers that we are, we’re getting the cat a litter box. And food. And water.

The tack area also sparkles. I wanted to take the ribbons down because they remind me of Tarrin, but Kathleen said I worked hard for them and should keep them out. Okay.

But what was weird was what she found under the desk. It was someone else’s poop! Our best guess is a raccoon, which it kind of resembles. But we aren’t sure. Guesses?

Maybe Vlassic? But why? He has many acres to poop in.

Another weird thing happened at work. My colleague and I were trying out all the possible voices to use in a web-based training I’m making (so they won’t have to rely on my voice after I’m gone). We found one that sounds quite real. It’s so real that I think it’s Captain Ake from Star Fleet Academy (Holly Hunter). Of course we chose her so I can chuckle as I hear Ake talking about project management software.

Now for the fun part. My friend, Melanie invited me to share wine and a cheese board with her after work. We had fun picking out cheese from Wisconsin, “the cheese capital of the US.” Then we got a lesson in the use of cheese utensils from the shop owner, who plans to give classes. It all made us laugh.

The “interesting” wrapper of one cheese.

It was lots of fun sipping prosecco and munching on snacks. I learned a lot about the history of this county (in sum, everyone really IS related) and got to chat with a few other women who were there. It was a great way to end my extended birthday, and everyone else got barbecue for dinner, so they didn’t miss me at all!

I will now snuggle into my side of the bed just like my sleeping partner (Lee has Penney in his sleeping chair)

A New Farm Worker?

Busy times and many surprises at the Hermits’ Rest today. I had 5 hours of meetings through early afternoon, so I took a break to relax and enjoy the animals. I didn’t relax, though.

Darryl certainly doesn’t seem relaxed, either.

First I took a big hunk of chickweed over to the poultry pals. They had a little plant party and tossed it all around. That was cute. Not so cute was seeing little moving shapes in the supposedly sealed storage bin for the chicken feed…again.

There’s no denying it. House mice are cute.

I went ahead and fed the birds, dreading having to remove more mice. I left the lid of the bin open to encourage a voluntary exit.

I went back to the bin and removed the four bags of feed. I was happy to see that there was now only one mouse left. The other had flung itself out. They literally flung themselves at the sides of the bin hoping to get high enough to escape. I tried to get the remaining mouse out with a feed scoop, then almost got it to run into a more cup-like scoop. Instead, as I leaned over to encourage it to enter the cup, it jumped on my shirt and ran up my arm! Cute as that was, I admit to flinging it off me. Last I saw it was climbing the screened enclosure to get away.

Soon as we’re finished eating we will look for mice.

I hope it didn’t go near the turkeys and chickens, because they are doing a great job keeping rodents out of their area.

Next, I thought I could go enjoy more peaceful time with the horses. I saw that either Terry had left the tack room door open yesterday or the wind had got it (it no longer latches). That made me a little more cautious as I entered. Good thing I was ready, because I apparently have a new helper in the tack room. Tipper, the black-and-white cat who’s been hanging around for over a month, was lounging in my pink chair.

I thought about it and decided the kitty is welcome there. It certainly will have enough to eat. Maybe at least one of my mouse/rat problems will be lessened. Thanks, new farm worker!

I did get my horse relaxation in, finally. Apache wanted me to rub between his ears and got so relaxed that he started yawning away. He kept it up for five minutes!

Then I looked over where Drew and Spice were hanging out and realized Spice was yawning, too. I guess it’s contagious in horses as well as humans!

We did a Year of the Horse tarot reading in my group tonight, and I got three cards with horses on them!

Equine Encouragement

Good news, the lymph nodes are behaving themselves again. Just a slight hiccup, and that’s all good.

I’d been worrying a bit about the horses’ health, especially since I no longer have anyone to consult when there’s a problem. I really miss having Sara next door when something happens, and not having anyone to help with Apache’s usual spring grass issues is very hard.

So, I was glad when the farrier came today and trimmed all their feet and declared them good. It’s true, Apache has no redness or signs of lameness, and both Mabel’s and Spice’s hooves are less cracked than in the past. Maybe I can take care of them with no help. And I do have Vicki down the road with all her many contacts. I feel reassured.

The best part of the morning was that I let Terry work on Drew alone, and got to spend quality time with Fiona while I watched. Now, I do make sure she gets plenty of interaction, but I hadn’t just hung out with her in a while, thanks to my job lasting later in the afternoon and not feeling a lot of horse joy in the past few weeks.

Today, though, I felt her breathing on my hand and then her little body leaning lightly on my hip. I just rubbed her fuzzy forehead and silky ears and relaxed. She’d tell me where to pet and I’d keep going.

When we moved on to work on Apache, I went in the pen to hold his lead and pet him more (I’d already groomed and hugged on him). Sure enough, I heard rhythmic breathing, then there was a tug on the rope. Fiona had found her way into the next pen for more affection. I indulged.

The years I’ve had with Fiona and Apache sharing their kind hearts with me have been a privilege. Just listening to Fiona breathe calms me (she’s always been a loud breather). And leaning on Apache’s neck while he reaches his head around is just the ideal hug.

The best neck for hugging (Goldie was #2)

I’m encouraged that perhaps I’m ready to get back into more horse activities without feeling sad. I need to get there!