It’s April, which here at the Hermits’ Rest means all the animals get their yearly checkups. It’s so good that Dr Amy comes to the house in the Neuter Scooter or whatever she calls her mobile clinic. With five canines and five equines to treat it’s well worth the site visit fee.
More good news: red yucca means hummingbirds are here!
The routine they came up with is to sedate all the dogs, take care of the horses, then do the dogs. It went pretty well. I even had time to photograph the cool flower stalk on the palmetto bush.
The horses and Fiona all got their Coggins test done plus all their vaccines. Mabel did not like the strangles vaccine this time (it’s nasal) so she had to get some sleepy juice. Fiona didn’t like any of the procedures and then gave the poor assistant who was trying to draw all her spots for the Coggins certificate the stink eye big time.
No photo of Fifi so here are two sparrows splashing in the pool.
Once again, Dusty was the star and behaved perfectly and looked great. He looked at Death’s door a few months ago but today just had loose poop. We blame the grass. Apache was moving slowly, too, which could either be the grass or the fact we upped his medication. Drew was good and let Amy take out a couple of burs, even.
Drew also points out that he is majestic.
The dogs were a bit more exciting, with their worm medicine and nail clipping the hardest. Poor Carlton has a sore toe. Oenney had a little toe nip. Harvey and Vlassic had to be muzzled, but we knew that would happen. Gee, after all Dr Amy has done for Harvey, you’d think he’d be more grateful. They’re doing a test to see how his liver is doing and think his big cyst on his leg is better. He’s a tough old grump.
I’m woozy but less soI just wanna lie here with my toys.
The biggest news is Alfred. He was out deep enough that Lee and I could cut the matts out of his coat! It’s a miracle! That dog sure is sensitive when it comes to grooming.
Some of the removed matted hair.
He looks kind of strange without his dreadlocks and tail flags, but it’s so much better. It was hard to get it all out, but we’re happy about it.
He looks more like a dog now.
It was pleasant to get through all these services with no injuries to any vet techs or animals. And I feel like a responsible pet owner by having everyone treated and checked. I’m happy to have fewer pet dramas for a while.
I do love traveling, if you haven’t noticed. I may not go far, but I love to see new places, especially outside of big cities (for the most part). I also love my home, so I’ve got a little yin and yang thing going on: wherever I am, home or away, I miss the other option a little.
This may be the prettiest thing AI ever made for me.
Visiting our friend near Medina, Texas, was lots of fun. I’m not big on all the talking, but I loved walking around the area and finding new and interesting plants and birds.
Not sure what this is. White milkwort Senega albaScenes on a back road
This morning I heard 45 birds, including many warblers (Golden-cheeked, Orange-crowned, Black-and-white, Nashville, and Northern Parula), woodpeckers, doves, ravens, flycatchers, and Summer Tanagers. It was exciting. And the hills were gorgeous.
Only bird photo. Summer Tanagers
I was ready to go home, though. We did stop at Becker Winery so I could stock up on a couple of wines I like and get my free tasting for being in their wine club. I like this winery because they grow their own grapes in Texas and you can see they’ve been doing it a long time by looking at their vines.
Thick stems mean old vines.
It’s not an upstart winery. They also focus on just wine and lavender, not food, lodging, etc. Their wines have greatly improved since I first tried them.
Once I got home it was so nice to fall back into my routine of talking to Connie Gobbler and the chickens, feeding the horses, and doing their exercises. It’s comforting.
We love you, too. Fiona doesn’t love fly spray, though.
I took a nice long bird walk, too, and as always, enjoyed the native plants, even though the wildflower display this year isn’t great.
This is a simple dock flower, but it’s gorgeous up close.
Yep, when I’m home a part of me misses exploring new places, but when I’m gone I miss the friendly faces there. That’s fine with me. I’ll now stay home until Sunday!
That’s the truth! It’s a lesson that’s been kicking at me for the past six months or so. I really didn’t want to stop working. I really didn’t want to give up the fun I always had buying clothing, shoes, and decorations for my space. I didn’t want to give up on people who’d been important to me in the past or ideals I felt it important to uphold at great cost.
I don’t think I have to always have a bur-free donkey, but Fiona sure looks better. And she is finally shedding!
But I’ve done it. I realized what I thought was right for me actually wasn’t. The transition can be painful. I’ve had a pretty crappy few months, though I’ve tried to share the good stuff here. But I think I’m okay now.
When worst comes to worst, I can just share flowers. Silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
I’m back to coping with an amount of stress I can handle for the most part, which is the only way to get through the huge transition our society is going through with dignity and grace. I’m grateful for friends and mentors who’ve helped out. We all need community support. Having my online friends, my lunch buddies, and my husband and son remind me of what’s good and I hope I give that back.
I got to hang out at our bird sanctuary today with fellow Master Naturalists. That was so good for my soul.
Today I realized I’m not the only one who struggles with transition and change. My poor Apache horse really likes a predictable life. Surprises like the farrier or a horse show aren’t his favorites.
Mabel disliked the hoof surprise a lot, too. She wouldn’t go into a pen to eat today. That pleased the donkey.
Today was riding day, so Apache got all groomed and pretty and did fine on his groundwork, though he still dislikes jumping what he considers a “high” jump.
Do these shoes make me look awkward?
He was displeased at having to go to the new location of the round pen to do the riding. I didn’t push him, just walked and trotted, stopped and started, and leg yielded. However, Lee had mowed some “trails” for us, so I tried Apache out on them. It was funny to see him go into his panic at the unfamiliar, doing his direction changes and left turns.
Why did you make me do this? I do t need personal growth.
Yes, I’ve finally gotten to where I find it more funny than scary, and helped him get some walking on the path done. And when I got off, he had to go back in the round pen and breathe for a while. I figure he’ll get better. He always does, just like me.
I guess the trees are scary. I couldn’t get good photos of him because he thinks he has to move when I move.
Onward and upward, trying to get through transition as smoothly as possible for both me and the animals.
Horses are so educational. Today I spent much of my day with mine, and I greatly enjoyed working with their moods and personalities. Our canine and equine companions each are unique, and reminding ourselves of that helps humans like me feel like a part of something larger than just our contentious society.
So, how did today go? I resolved to get all the horses groomed (and bur free) and put Apache’s boots on to help his feet while the green grass is here. I started by trying to get Apache, only oops, the gate blew open and the other horses got out. Apache just gave me his annoyed look and walked off. I got Drew and Mabel in with food, and Dusty let me halter him. So I doctored his sore tail and made him pretty. He’d rather hang out with humans than escape.
Not bad for an old man.
Since Mabel was in a pen, I haltered her and worked on her coat and burs. She enjoys being rubbed, and kept touching my hand as I brushed her. She was great as I got a few burs out of her tail, but let me know she wasn’t fond of the work I had to do to get the knotted mess from the last rainstorm out of her mane.
You see, my very tall very dark gal loves to get herself even darker by rolling in mud. I think she’s of the opinion that a mud crust is a fashion accessory. Her favorite accessory, though, are mud balls in her mane. They harden into pottery balls, and are matched by mud-covered burrs. It’s quite a sight. And not easy to remove.
No photo, so here is a not-very-artistic rendering of her mane.
I’m glad a bought a gel detangler, because I can rub it in, which is less disturbing to her delicate Thoroughbred nature while I remove burs. I got everything out but the big clay ball and three burs (see excellent illustration) and then I was stuck. The mane had festively rolled round and round the muddy objects. I tried wetting the clay, banding on it, and squishing it. Nope. It was permanent. So I cut it out. Mabel only lost length on a few mane hairs, even though I also had to remove a big matt. I figure she doesn’t have much of a mane anyway, and no one looks at her but me and occasionally Tarrin.
Her mane before the mud ball.
On that note I went to lunch. I needed a break.
I flew away, like these Cedar Waxwings in our tree.
When I got back from exhilarating lunch discussion (and two yummy tacos), it was time to hunt down Drew and Apache. I fed everyone, and got them all lined up except Apache. His snit from yesterday continued and all I could do was get him to take his medicine in the pasture. He was an angry horse man, I guess.
Nope. Not coming in.
However, I did manage to halter Drew over his crown of burs, and settled him in front of a hay bag. Kathleen had agreed to help me out as I tried to get the burs I’d been working on for weeks off him.
He looks deformed, but it looked kind of like this.
Previously, Droodles would last about ten minutes before the head tossing, snapping, and kicking indicated he was done, so I never got to his forehead. However, the two-human approach worked way better. Kathleen crooned at him and did facial massage on him while I removed burs. He was quite calm and, dare I say, relaxed. All in all it went quickly, with no head tossing or stomping (other than at flies).
No burs!
I wish I had a helper more often. I might have done better with Drew. But I’m sure grateful for help from someone who’s studying anatomy and knows where to massage. Maybe he’s feeling a little better now.
Of course he smeared food all over himself for photos.
We took a nice walk together and ended this success on a high note.
He even still has some forelock hair!
So, three out of four horses were accounted for. Kathleen and I went and sat by the pool a while and relaxed. Meanwhile, I saw Apache go into the pens, probably for water and a nap. I seized the moment and headed back over.
My favorite picture from last week. Worth a repeat. All burs are hidden in Drew and Mabel.
The good news is that his snit from yesterday seemed over. He stood still to be haltered and went out with no issues. He was patient as I cleaned his feet and stood like a gentleman while I struggled to put his boots on. They are challenging. No photos because I was too busy grunting.
Then, he walked over to the exercise area and did a lively walk, trot, and canter sequence on the longe line. I didn’t even have a stick to encourage him. That means he feels good AND I was only a day late with his boots.
It was nice to see the normal Apache back. We just have to figure out that gate obstacle!
Maybe. I figure if I keep acting up I won’t have to canter under saddle again.
Whew. Each horse had its own moods and preferences today. With a little help, I accomplished my missions and didn’t get stressed.
PS: Kathleen and I both removed burs from Fiona. She still has some, though.
I’ve been thinking about an issue and debating with myself about it. It’s not earth shattering, but something integral to how I interact with others.
I want to revel in my potential, like these future blossoms.
Because of this, I don’t have the blog entry I planned, nor the rant I’d intended to share on Substack. I’d rather present fully formed ideas than total bull. I write enough of that.
I’m wanting to balance thinking about potential with being resilient now, like these poor flowers than got mowed yesterday and are still blooming.
I’ll get back to you tomorrow. Right now I’m physically exhausted and in pain. I’m not recovering well from last week’s horse adventures. Neither is the horse, so we’re together in our elderly aches and pains.
Apache reflected how I felt this afternoon, depleted. He’d have been less depleted if he hadn’t decided to leave his pen and make me go track him down in the pasture. I get it. He’s tired.
He practiced opening and shutting gates long enough at Tarrin’s today that I think he gets the idea that he needs to step up his game and move his butt when asked. I’m hoping we will soon have a practice gate of our own here so I can patiently work on these skills.
Our nemesis. The gate obstacle.
Back to pondering.
PS: Apache “helped” me take photos of Tarrin’s working equitation-style obstacles so I can maybe get some of my own. He wanted to be in every picture. He had to touch each object. What a guy.
This is what rusted on your shirt, right Suna? I did good on this obstacle! (It’s true, he let me spear the ring with the garrocha pole.)
The freedom is getting to me. I may have mentioned that I randomly decided to have a color theme for each month this year. January was black. I was pretty sad that month. The rest of the year is more cheerful, with pink February and purple March.
Purple nails.
I had written orange down for April, but all last month I was planning for green. So I switched to green for April. Because I’m my own boss! Yes! I just wish I paid me more.
Green nails
But not just nails, oh no! It’s hair, too. I’ve never had green hair before. It’s, um, green all right.
I’m laughing at the greenness. Plus braids. It looks like high school me.
I will wear a lot of green, but I’m not gonna go nuts. Just some touches for whimsy. I just need fun right now to keep me going. This doesn’t cost much and I no longer care what people think about how I look (not that I ever did).
I indulged myself today by taking all the time I needed to tally up the birds I saw in March. I have a spreadsheet, you know. I keep track of birds I see at the Hermits’ Rest, elsewhere in Texas, and other states I visit. I share the findings for each month on the blog, too. You can see for yourself what the 84 birds here in March were. You can also see last year, too. I discovered that the only other time Merlin heard a Short-eared Owl was last March. This information alone spurs me on to make it until March 2026!
I really should see them in winter. Maybe they’re migrating in March. Photo from Pexels.
Speaking of green stuff and our ranch, the whole property other than pastures was mowed and trimmed today. It looks very neat. They accidentally mowed the wildflowers on the roadside, which made me sad. Maybe some flowers will come back. The wildflower strip that’s not mowed still looks pretty ragged, so we may just need to try again next year.
Oops.
There’s good news, though. They moved the round pen to the little field in front of the house, so I’ll have a lot more space for horse training equipment. I can have a gate to practice on, my own cowboy curtain, etc.! Note that, as set up, the round pen is sort of a trapezoid. We will fix it.
Very green. Fits the theme.
I introduced Apache to the new location today. The goal was to just get him over there, but we made it in and did some circles and figure eights. He was not thrilled, but I handled it fine. Then we went back and trotted in the circle-ish area where the pen used to be. He’s such a creature of habit. He still balks at the higher jump. It’s okay.
No photos of the horse today, but, look! I have a blurry photo to show the Northern Harrier does exist here!
What’s the point of all this babbling? I want to encourage you to go and find your fun and indulge in what you love. It’s more important now than ever. The joy we can bring to ourselves is ours and ours alone. I’m not going to let my right to do silly things get taken away, because these little things strengthen me to keep fighting for my rights and the rights of people I care about. I think that’s true for us all.
Yes. My toes are green, too.
I declare April to be not only the cruelest month, but also the greenest. So mote it be.
It feels that way, right now, even though I don’t want to do things that cost money (if a recession comes, blame me, because this consumer has stopped spending on anything not horse related).
He’s not too expensive. Just some fungal spray.
All right, then, why do I feel so free? It’s obvious! There’s no pesky job eating up my time. That feels very freeing. I’m liberated, from a scheduling point of view.
She’s free as a bird, or in this case, a turkey with her favorite water bucket and some chickweed.
For example, I had a dental checkup today. Once I got the gas pump to work at the old Cefco station (second time in a row there that I’ve had problems), I made it on time, zipped in, and 40 minutes of cheerful conversation and scraping later, I was free to explore my old stomping grounds in the vortex between Cedar Park and Round Rock, Texas.
Google maps provided this photo of the actual round rock in Round Rock, which was part of the Chisholm Trail.
First I went to the grocery store, the fancy H-E-B where our problem ward Edie used to work. At least I’m over my terror of that place. I had so much fun. Clearly, I’ve not been getting out much lately when seeing the vast offerings of a US grocery store is exciting. I got a lunch sandwich, some rice and couscous side dishes, and hair accessories I’ve been needing for months. It felt weird to spend money. I’m getting the hang of my new frugal lifestyle.
Carlton points out that while he is not free, he’s pretty inexpensive.
I took my lunch over to Brushy Creek Lake Park, a place I used to go pretty often before it was fancy. Brushy Creek is beautiful in this part of Williamson County, and I thought it would be fun to see what’s living around there. Why not? I didn’t have anywhere else I needed to be!
The lake is still nice and had some shore birds and even white ducks, domesticated I guess. I found many familiar plants that grow in limestone karst areas, and of course, bluebonnets.
One warning, the wooded areas near the lake are covered with very healthy poison ivy!
Do not touch!
But there are also fun water plants and friendlier vines to enjoy.
Smilax rotundifolia or Round leaf greenbrier Flower of this greenbrier Many flower marsh pennywort Hydrocotyle umbellataFlower of pennywort Pearl milk vine Matelea reticulataParrot’s feather Myriophyllum aquaticumSome kind of sedge
I ended up hearing or seeing 45 birds there, which is challenging considering I spent much of my time next to or under Parmer Lane, with its many lanes of traffic.
Under the highway
There were many American and Lesser Goldfinches, the usual Great-tailed Grackles of the greater Austin metro area, and plenty of titmice and sparrows.
Titmouse looking downFemale Eastern BluebirdActing shy or itchy The male bluebird appears to have pooped. White ducksLincoln’s SparrowMockingbird
The biggest highlight for me was hearing two Cooper’s Hawks communicating then seeing one swoop down into a tree right next to me. I couldn’t get a really clear shot, but I was nice and close!
Best shot I could get
On my way out, I checked to see if the labyrinth was still there. It was, and appears to be maintained at least some.
Labyrinth
After I said a silent word of gratitude, I turned to leave. I’d noticed some of the matting under the gravel was showing, making it look like garden hoses, or something.
Hose-like shape
I realized one of the hose-like items was shinier than the others. It was a pretty rat snake sunning itself on the rocks. I enjoyed looking at it for a while. I felt like it was my gift for checking on the labyrinth.
Shiny
On my way home, I drove along the creek to downtown Round Rock. I passed the rock. I was sad to see more new houses, but glad to see at least some of the beautiful wooded areas still thriving. It’s a wonderful bike or hiking trail.
My hiking was to the left. My old house was somewhere near the word “Google.”
There was plenty of time when I got home to hang out with the family and try to clean up Apache. He took so long I didn’t even try to de-mud any others. Mabel has the huge mud balls on her mane again, sigh.
Hair pancakes removed from Apache.
I was glad to see Apache still doing fine, other than a bit sensitive around his face. Funny thing. I raised up his jump as Tarrin suggested. Apache zoomed towards it, then saw it was higher. He put on his brakes and slid in the muddy ground to stop. I’ll have to work on that!
Indicating they’d like to be left alone.
I wonder what crazy stuff I’ll do tomorrow? Whatever I want!
The past week was a lot, so I decided to take some time off and not push myself today. Horses were fed and medicated, and Apache seems fine still. It rained more, so I’m proud I got the necessary chores done and could relax the rest of the day.
I took it slow, like these turtles who miraculously didn’t flee when I appeared, like they usually do.
I wandered around listening to birds and munching on native plants this morning. Some of this stuff should go in meals, like saw green briar shoots, beaked cornsalad (not related to corn), and chickweed. I see why the chickens like it so much. It’s zesty!
Cornsalad (Valerianella radiata)Tasty greenbrier (Smikax bona box)
I watched it rain, read, crocheted, watched golf on television, and took a nap. That’s quite a day of rest. I think I hit a high note of boringness! Hey, even Heather Cox Richardson took a day off, so I can, too.
This is sweet. Rain filled the holes in the door mat and this Red Admiral found it to be a great watering station.
The vegetation here is finally greener, and many more flowers and plants are showing up. Photographing them is better for me than catching up on the news. It’ll be there tomorrow.
Frog fruit! I was waiting for it. Another blue-eyed grass. I just love it. It is what I used to draw as a child when prompted to draw a flower. Dung-loving Deconica (Deconica coprophila) and no I did not try it. Pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor) Vetch of some kind. Carolina bristle mallow (Modiola caroliniana)Black Willow. I think these guys are cute. (Salix nigra)Not a dandelion. Texas false dandelion or smallflower desert chicory (Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus)
I thought I was worn out yesterday? Ha. Today both Apache and I are in recovery mode after trying to do the first in-person Working Horse Central show of the year. Things just kept adding up until I just had to laugh.
Any horse show that features an inflatable unicorn is gonna be weird.
So here’s the setup. On Wednesday I was getting ready to ride Apache when his unfortunate lawn mower encounter that scraped us both is occurred. That left him with scrapes and sore muscles and me with bruises and a messed up shoulder.
We are a mess.
Then it rained for two days, so no exercise with me, just quick medicine handoffs. During said rain all horses frolicked in mud and debris leaving them various shades of brown.
The rain did bring blue-eyed grass up!
This morning, I got up extra early so I could try to clean up Apache before leaving for the show, the first show I’d be driving to by myself (Sara couldn’t get away from her new farm duties). I got nicely dressed in my show outfit, put something old over it, and set out to get Apache.
I thought I looked pretty spiffy. Photo by Andrew.
My heart sunk when I arrived at the pens and saw the gate wide open. How did that happen? I would love to blame clever horse lips, but would be remiss if I didn’t point a finger at myself. I do dumb things. So, I turned on the phone flashlight and wandered all over the pasture, calling. No answer. Usually they do respond.
I looked all over our property but found no horses. The sun started to come up. After time ticked away a bit more, I finally texted for help. The nephew and I took the utility vehicle down the road one way, but found no horses. We turned around, and he spotted Mabel’s head. All the horses and Fiona were noshing away on the neighbors’ lawn. Argh.
Hoof prints leading down the driveway showing the escape route.
I waved a food dish at them, but then they mobbed me. Drew was kinda pushy (a lot) so I got back in Hilda the vehicle and the horses followed us home at quite a clip. Don’t let Dusty tell you he can’t canter! And Fiona’s legs were a blur.
Hoof dents from them coming back.
After some milling about and stomping, everyone got back in and I haltered Apache. He was even more filthy, sweaty, and damp from fog. Attempting to clean him up proved futile, though much hair was removed. it was time to go, so I loaded his grimy self into the trailer and went to the show, by this time a bit frazzled.
Frazzled or manic—you be the judge.
The show wasn’t an unmitigated disaster, but Apache was not himself. He was jumpy, ignored requests to do things and just not all there. However, he wasn’t alone. Most of the horses acted unlike their usual selves and were a bit unruly. I know why Apache was—he missed Aragorn, so he wasn’t happy in the stall, and he was tired from adventuring.
A calm moment
I’m proud of myself, though, because I didn’t let myself get rattled but once, and I handled Apache’s issues calmly. That’s the goal, to work with the horse who shows up on any given day.
Doing our best
Since we all messed up, no one knew who would win any contested division. I was not last in everything! I was second in Trail! Woo hoo. The other two in my group were my zoom friend Andrew and Lee Ann, whose age added to her horse is over 100. Her horse is one of the few who stayed calm. He is a good rider, too. It was great fun competing with them, so I felt great, all things considered.
Everyone got to pose with the patient unicorn. Photo by Teddy.
I made it home thanks to Tarrin’s son helping get the trailer positioned to leave, then tried to rinse Apache off with my broken hose. It didn’t help much.
Next I texted the neighbor that I’d come by tomorrow and scoop up all the “presents” that the horses had left on their perfect, green lawn. She said not to bother, and shared that her husband had thought deer with very large hooves had been eating their deer corn. Oops.
They are home now!
That can’t be good for Apache, and Tarrin confirmed it. He has to wear boots starting tomorrow to nip laminitis in the bud. Geez.
How on earth can I be worn out on a day when I couldn’t do much due to drizzle? That’s easy. I wore my mind out.
Yet another bluebonnet photo will help!
I lost my detachment from current events and got angry. It’s a good thing fewer than 30 people read my Substack, because I went off on the concept of “improper ideology” for many paragraphs. You can read it if you want to. I just blathered. It will bite me in the butt someday, but I’m old and have no employer to defer to, so who cares?
Bluebonnets and slightly more full pond.
I got my stuff ready for our in-person horse show tomorrow, though Apache is filthy and I’m not sure how great he feels. My shoulder still hurts a lot, but otherwise I’m okay. I have all sorts of wound care and cleaning stuff for him. I just hope I have time to get him ready.
That black-and-white blob is a Mournful Thyris moth.
Ah well. I’m glad for the rain. It’s much greener already. Maybe more will come, after tomorrow.
The Hermits' Rest 