Ranch Life – Page 38 – The Hermits' Rest

One Step Back

Yeah, they say it goes two steps forward and one step back. Today felt like a big step back for me and Apache. But we have it our best and that’s all we could do.

We think we’ve grown, but maybe we haven’t. Regression time.

Sara and another of our horse friends had set up the obstacles for the Working Horse Central spring virtual show, so I said I’d go over and try it out. So far, that’s never worked out well for us, but I figured we’d get some together time and riding in, anyway.

What can I say? It went better than last time. We got there calmly and did a walk-through of the course with Aragorn, but Apache was not at all interested in riding, just like last time. I got lots of practice being calm and trying not to tense up as he jumped and wheeled around.

There are certain spots he just loses his mind at. I have no idea why. But I did manage to get him back to his normal mind a couple of times. It was exhausting. Sara and I kept trying to figure out what I might be doing differently that caused all our improvements to go out the window. I’m sure I tense up when he starts jumping, though I try my best to not react and breathe calmly. He seems to want me to help him though.

In the end I got the idea that he does better over there with a friend, so Sara led Aragorn and we followed them through a bunch of the obstacles. That actually worked, so we were able to end on a positive note.

I tied my horse up to rest afterwards, and he and Aragorn got all manly at each other. We surmised that Sully must be in heat, like Mabel.

Neither of these guys is known for acting studly.

Apache looked so miserable that I took his saddle off and hosed him down. By that time, the other person who was going to try to film her virtual show. Look at her horse, Cheerio!

Apache just looks like the same horse, a size larger. They are exactly the same color, but A is wet here.

They must have a common Paint pattern. They even share the black forelock and white mane!

I took him home before they did their work. As we arrived at the gate to our property, there was Fiona. She had escaped the fence and came to greet her buddy. I wonder if he’d do better if she came with us? It’s not possible, of course, since Fiona isn’t very popular over there, but maybe in other circumstances she could be his emotional support animal.

But look! Fencing is up for a third pasture! Just need a water trough. I’ll put Mabel and Dusty there, to enjoy the good grass. Apache and Fiona will go to the other pasture a couple hours a day but mostly stay in the small overgrazed paddock, so the pasture they are in now can rest.

Well, at least I got some sun. Apache is pissed off at me, but I hope this episode hasn’t messed up all our hard work becoming a team. I shouldn’t have taken him over there, in retrospect. I just keep hoping we will be able to keep things together better in unfamiliar places. Or familiar places that spook him. I guess no equestrian camping for us any time soon!

Buh.

Fated to Another Good Day

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

Nope. Not at all. Quite the opposite. I’m a big fan of the “sh** happens” school of thought, as a lifelong existentialist. I guess this sort of goes along with my agnosticism. I do feel a connection to the earth and I grant that there may be something we can’t perceive that ties things together, but chaos makes more sense to me. This allows me to enjoy each day to its fullest and not expect either good or bad times to last forever.

One day this dog showed up. Fate? Luck? Coincidence? Who cares. He’s a great dog.

If you believe everything happens for a reason or there’s a magical being watching you and causing things to happen to you, that’s fine with me. You may be right. Or I may be. But we both get to enjoy the beauty around us if we look.

It was a fine, fine day to be alive. I spent much of the afternoon grooming horses and riding. In shedding season they need the help. Tomorrow I’ll try to get Mabel to let me groom her. That should be fine, but I also want to de-bur her. Not so fine.

This boy sure lived his grooming and head rubbing.

Rainy Day Achievements

Well! The nerve! They are recycling blog prompts and I’d already answered today’s! And it was a cold, rainy day, so there’s not a lot of other exciting to report, so a topic would have been helpful.

I wish you could have seen this in person. It nearly glowed in the soft light. *Castilleja indivisa*

My lack of drama made me feel like I could be a member of the Dull Women’s Club in Facebook! Look it up, both it and the men’s version can be quite funny until people get snippy.

How dull WAS I?

My proudest accomplishment was tallying how many bird species I saw here at the ranch last month. 78. Down from 82 last month.
My second proudest accomplishment was hanging my clean clothing. I won’t tell you how long it had been, but I came across many pumpkin t-shirts.
I put away coffee mugs (I have to take them upstairs, because that’s where we make coffee).
Work happened. I wrote three bulleted lists, much like this one. I also helped a bunch of people and participated in meetings with grace and humor. I hope.
Animals were cared for. I got a lot of horse supplements that were too heavy to lift, so I got help with moving them out of the rain.
I listened to another Master Naturalist webinar to help me reach my continuing education requirement. They are always good, but they conflict with a work meeting, so I must watch recordings.
I texted with my friend Mandy. She does speech to text so she says way more than me.
I knitted a lot while Lee enjoyed the Dune movie that came before the current one. Spicy. I didn’t realize that Timothée guy was just a kid.

Now, wasn’t that fascinating? Must I blog all this? Well, why not? Sometimes I like reading that other people out there have their share of boring days. So, now you know I do, too. I prefer that to drama!

Excitement. Wind blew this chair into the pool.

I’m quite content.

Life Phases and Going Forward

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.

The time in life that I wish could have lasted longer was when my sons were teenagers. I really enjoyed being a band mom, watching them make lifelong friends, and seeing them grow into independence. We sure laughed a lot. No doubt they remember it differently.

But, life goes on and there’s much to both enjoy and endure now. A joy was working with Anita, my mid-century modern expert, on finalizing colors and fixtures for the current remodeling project. Here’s what we picked for the exterior, after much debate. You can see the colors look different in different light.

At left are the interior colors that we already chose, Santa’s Beard and Dance of the Goddesses. Top left, Copper Canyon, is the inside of the porch, to keep it lighter. Ripe Peach in the middle is for the doors. It blends with the brick rather than contrasting. Greenwich Green is the trim color.

Note that we are removing the shutters, since they aren’t the right vibe. We checked to be sure fading hadn’t occurred on the brick, and it just needs power washing. One reason we don’t need the shutters is that we will have a new exterior element, the Hardie board where the new windows are. Here’s how it turned out.

The guy who did this is justifiably proud of how it came out. It will break up the long horizontal line of the house very well.

So, what am I enduring? The continuing saga of my boy Droodles. He seems to have made advances at Mabel and was rebuffed severely. He has bite marks on his side, along with this lovely gash. Only one horse could literally kick his butt, and the theory is that she’s in heat, but only has eyes for Apache.

Horse drama. Apparently I shouldn’t mix the sexes. I’ve spent too much effort getting Mabel into good enough shape that she can kick ass, though, so when we get the new pasture set up, she may get to stay with Apache and Fiona in the old one.

Of course, Drew also bugs Dusty, but that’s calmed down a lot. We will figure something out! In the meantime, I don’t look forward to grooming Apache tomorrow. He rolled after all that sweating yesterday.

It may rain, though, so bit might wash him or mess up my riding schedule. Today wasn’t a good day to ride anyway, since winter came back to say hi, and brought its buddy, the wind.

Spring Beauty or Fairy Spud

What the heck?

I was delighted to discover that the woodland floor next to our house was covered in charming little flowers. I’d never seen them before, even though I walk in these woods each spring.

I had to look them up as soon as I went inside after my birding break. Their name was as lovely as their appearance: Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica). I happily read the excerpt of a longer article that appears in iNaturalist as had to giggle when I saw that one of their other common names is Fairy Spud. I had to learn more.

It turns out that the plants grow from tubers that were eaten by many indigenous people in the eastern US, you know, like potatoes! They were thought to cure convulsions and/or prevent conception. I assume the latter didn’t work well, since people ate it a lot. The whole plant is edible, but the Wikipedia article noted that the leaves are “not choice eating.”

Well, I learned something today! As a bonus I managed to see and hear a black-crowned night heron this morning. That’s a rare guest at our pond! So, it’s the Daily Bird.

Apache survived a hard workout at his lesson today, but in a great triumph, he trotted more than once correctly. He was NOT hollow, that dreaded word. I’m so proud of him. He also got his feet trimmed by Reagan, the new intern at Tarrin’s. He is growing hoof like crazy.

Apache was sweating away, since he hasn’t shed much yet. He will be very happy tomorrow, when it cools off a bit. So will I! Maybe I’ll cook up a batch of fairy spuds for dinner. Or not.

Spring Rushing In

Signs of spring start off slowly. A purple martin arrives, chicory blooms, the few bees that are around delight in the early dandelions and bur clover blossoms.

Then, one day, you realize that the spring rush is ON. Around here, that happens in the last week of February. Wow! In town there are redbuds, and plum trees blooming. Those really pretty orange-red bushes are blooming, and the highly scented narcissus are everywhere.

Since I didn’t get photos in town, here’s my noble Vlassic, who’s showing his age.

No trees bloom spectacularly here, but today is the day there’s a green sheen in the woods. Even the willows are leafing out. In a week or two they and the cedar elms will be blooming subtly and stuffing my sinuses. It’s ok. They’re cute.

I’ve been sharing the early flowers lately, but today I found the second wave is showing up. Very soon we will have Texas paintbrush all over the front field, and the little stick-like stems of cat’s-ear will wave around (sometimes I’ll catch them with their flowers open). I even found my first plantain blooming. The yard will be covered with them eventually.

Well, there will be fewer wildflowers this year, because Lee and his brother are itching to mow. I’ve conveyed my instructions as to the no-mow areas. They’ll have smooth expanses of green and I’ll have SOME of my “weed” buddies.

One more sign that spring is in full swing is that every day there are fewer and fewer sparrows. That bums me out, but I know the summer residents will be here soon to entertain me. And of course the house sparrows will never leave. Sigh.

It’s getting warmer, too, so I’m hoping Apache hurries up and sheds out. In the meantime, all the horses are getting curried (except Drew, who’s being good but not getting worked with).

I just wanted to share these happy thoughts of life around the Hermits’ Rest. We need to focus on that sometimes. The little good things.

My Next Challenge

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

The next six months bring a lot of challenges. There’s no way to avoid changes at the macro and micro level. My main one will be to decide whether to retire or keep working. If I retire, my income goes way down, so I’ll have to change a lot. If I keep working, I’ll still be dealing with changes made by the company where I work.

I guess the good thing about being a “senior citizen” is that whatever happens, the consequences won’t last too long, because neither will you. Ha ha. Elder humor. And yes, I do realize I could drag on another 30 or more years. I plan to be ancient.

My fingernails will keep me alive by being so loud.

Today was fine, other than human beings disappointing me (vandalism at the nearby cemetery and getting a weird email from the city saying the Red House on Fannin had been reported for…something).

I saw the first bluebonnets on our road, had a nice ride on Apache, and enjoyed the moon for the second evening in a row. Lee and I watched it rise while we sat by the pool discussing our challenges.

Tomorrow should be fun, so I’ll just leave it there.

At Least I Have Flowers

I’m still feeling pretty bad about my Droodles. I just can’t figure it out (nor will I be able to; that’s why I’m getting help). This evening, I walked into the pasture to say hi to the horses, and Drew walked right up to me, like he usually does. But instead of standing there to be loved on, he snaked his head right at me, with ears pinned back, and snapped at me. Damn. I walked off to go pick up a food bowl and he followed me, nipping my shoulder. Whoa! That was just so weird.

Thank goodness everyone else was fine, or I’d think it’s what Avery (a blog friend) suggested, some kind of grass poisoning. But Apache’s still friendly and takes his meds like a pro, and Dusty is friendly as ever. Mabel is Mabel (I dreamed I found her walking down the street in a residential neighborhood last night, happy to see me, but not planning to follow me anywhere).

But hey, spring is coming, and I’m enjoying the tiny flowers coming up while I listen to the birds every day. I’m happy to say the barn swallows are coming back. I’ve missed them. Maybe they’ll chase off some of the house sparrows. Maybe?

I’m not sure why I am thrilled every year when the flowers start blooming and the bees and butterflies start to appear. It’s always like a miracle. I was especially pleased to find the violets at the house our family is renovating are in bloom. I hope we can transplant them somewhere.

So, I’m going to stop here, and maybe do another post about renovation progress tomorrow. I am just not myself today. My head is so fuzzy, and I’m so perplexed about my horse. I’m sure things will get better!

Off to Equine Remedial Education

Droodles is not himself. My sweet, talented, and gentle colt has turned into an unsafe young horse. I’m really sad, but he’s just not recovering well from whatever he did that hurt his head and neck so badly. Last week we had a couple of good workouts, but today when I tried to get him ready for our lesson, he was a mess.

He was okay walking from the pasture to the pens. But things went downhill fast. I couldn’t groom him, because he kept coming at me with his teeth. So he was covered in burs and had dirty feet.

I tried exercising him, since that had helped earlier. I smartly put him in the round pen. He just cantered in big circles in a wild way, only slowing down when I got his attention and exhaled. He let me pet him when he stopped, but was a bit scary when I asked him to go the other way. When he stopped after that, he kicked me (grazing my wrist) then pulled the rope from my hands and ran in uncontrollable circles. I approached him to get the rope back, and he came at me flailing his hooves.

I did stop him, then calmly as I could, I exited the round pen, shutting the gate before he could follow. He then flung himself at the pen a few times. I did get him out and back to the pasture. He then galloped like a racehorse as far away as he could. Damn he’s fast.

That ruckus got all the other horses stirred up and racing around. I used that opportunity to get Apache out, hoping to take HIM to my lesson, but Drew started pushing and Apache got out without a halter. Off he went all over the property until he found the greenest, shiniest grass we have. Just what he should not eat. Of course, not being completely bonkers, he settled down and I got him in a pen. Whew. He then happily ate his applesauce/medicine combo, let me groom him, and got some exercise. We did not go to lessons, though.

No, I drove myself over to Tarrin’s to discuss each other’s woes and figure out a plan for Drew. We discussed whether to take him to a vet, wait it out, or have him come back to her place for a while. We decided to do the latter. Remedial Education.

At Tarrin’s, he can get daily pain killers, frequent visits from Jackie for bodywork, and daily training sessions to help him build back whatever muscles are messed up. If that doesn’t work, we will re-evaluate. I don’t want to spend too many more thousands of dollars if he can’t be helped.

He looks so innocent. Just eating like nothing happened.

I am concerned that the kick in the head damaged him. Or maybe there’s something growing in the pasture that got to him (and maybe the others?). The spring grass? I don’t know but I’m worried about him. Maybe I’m just not meant to have horses for anything other than petting and feeding. Ugh.

Traveling Shoes

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

Today’s question is well timed, as I traveled back home to where my favorite shoes were waiting for me. Fair warning: I’m not feeling 100%, so I’m less coherent than usual (scary).

These are Ariat slip-on waterproof riding/barn shoes. I wear them for at least part of most days, when I’m out with the horses. I love them because they don’t come untied, they don’t get my socks wet, and they have smooth soles with a notch in them. Once you’re around horses you quickly learn that shoes with tread get hard-to-remove poop and mud stuck in them.

If I’m riding a long time, I need boots to protect my calves, but for most of what I do, these shoes fit the bill.

Now back to travel, for which I wore my Skechers slip-ins that are comfy and practical. I had many technical difficulties that made working in the RV a challenge. My headphones stopped working (again) so calls were hard. They still aren’t playing sound, though people could hear me, so the mic works. I guess I could record if I have any time tomorrow.

I could have recorded this Bewick’s wren. It was really close.

At least I got a little walk in today. The highlight was a bald eagle flying right over me. I carefully checked to be sure crested caracaras don’t live that far north yet, and eagles live near water. And it wasn’t an osprey either. I feel the need to justify my observation! It’s a good one for the Backyard Bird Count. So was the brown creeper that Lee watched from the RV window while Merlin identified its sound. Score.

Here are Carolina wren photos, so you can compare and contrast — I do wish my camera were better.

I was glad to get home with my horses, dogs, chickens, and wild birds. Doing my back exercises by the woods and hearing a weird sound that turned out to be a migrating rufous hummingbird made my stomach and head feel better.

Good news: Lee didn’t mow the tiny bluets. He did mow my bluebonnets. Wah.

I’ll stop here and save stuff for tomorrow, when I hope I feel better and survive some tough meetings. I can DO it.