Today was a warm, beautiful day! How can that be? It is still February! Anyway, the usual chores, then onto some fun!
This morning Tom got together our tax stuff. I hate this process and it is worse this year because we moved and still have our old house, and I don't know where I put anything! Everything is on-line now, should be easier than ever, right? Sure.
We found time to play with all the kids, took the big boy's jackets off and I used the metal curry comb to scrape mud and loose hair off of everybody. Tom spread manure in front of the rain storm that is headed our way later tonight.
After lunch we walked down to the park with April and continued finding our way to the established trail network. Some one else has been in the woods since we were there last, putting up two barriers with a short line of aircraft cable and honey suckle vines. Weird, right?
The weather forecast is favorable, if you enjoy high winds, thunderstorms, heavy rain and temps in the 60s! Spring is on it's way.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Weekend Is Here!
Got up early, as usual, bright sunny morning. The plan for the day was to go to the dump with the car and recycle everything that was languishing on the patio. Metal, glass, paper and cardboard, stuff like that.
The 'dump' is very sophisticated in our county. Big recycling process here. The site is set up like a buffet: you go to bin to bin, paint and florescent bulbs, metal and appliances, paper/cardboard, oil and fuel. It keeps our 'trash' to a minimum and costs us nothing. It is cheaper to sort and recycle than to dump on real estate. We enjoy high compliance here, too.
After that we went to Petsmart for Irene and April, Home Depot for mulch, two grocery stores and home again, finally.
Once home, we tackled the lawn issues. Tom started doing 'pick up sticks,' which morphed into getting the truck, the tree-trimmer saw and the chain saw. The Blue Spruces look great now, and the Maple that will soon be cut down had a couple large limbs cut off. These limbs were light as Styrofoam, you can see right through most of it, like Swiss cheese.
With the patio cleared off and the trees trimmed, it feels like a lost a hundred pounds!
The 'dump' is very sophisticated in our county. Big recycling process here. The site is set up like a buffet: you go to bin to bin, paint and florescent bulbs, metal and appliances, paper/cardboard, oil and fuel. It keeps our 'trash' to a minimum and costs us nothing. It is cheaper to sort and recycle than to dump on real estate. We enjoy high compliance here, too.
After that we went to Petsmart for Irene and April, Home Depot for mulch, two grocery stores and home again, finally.
Once home, we tackled the lawn issues. Tom started doing 'pick up sticks,' which morphed into getting the truck, the tree-trimmer saw and the chain saw. The Blue Spruces look great now, and the Maple that will soon be cut down had a couple large limbs cut off. These limbs were light as Styrofoam, you can see right through most of it, like Swiss cheese.
With the patio cleared off and the trees trimmed, it feels like a lost a hundred pounds!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tale of Two Horses
Some time ago we purchased two hay nets. These hay nets were highly rated by one of my horsey magazines. We had entertained the notion of putting them in the run-in shed, but instead they languished on the dining room table. For months.
As part of the new and improved horse-keeping strategy, Tom hung the hay nets in the boy's stalls. They clip on with mountaineer hooks and allegedly hold an entire bale of hay.
KC is neat, business-like, when it comes to eating hay. You put a flake under his nose and he stands there until it is gone. Skip, not so much. Skip will throw hay from one end of his stall to the other. He'll paw at it, step all over it. Cleaning up after him is a chore in itself, and takes me considerable time in the morning.
All that has been changed. The paperwork that came with these nets said there would be a 'learning curve' while the horse figured out how to eat hay out of the net. We do have hay nets for the trailers, but these are special.
Tom put hay in the nets, hung them in the stalls, Skip proceeded to pull hay strands out of it like a professional. KC, not so much. He wasted several hours sulking about having this change to his hay delivery. I had to leave the barn, the 'stink-eye' was so severe.
When I returned, KC had not eaten any hay, and was furious with me. Really. Skip had eaten lots of his own hay out of the net. I had to show KC how to pull the dried grass strands out of the net, pulling, pulling clumps. Then I left for the night.
The next morning he had eaten lots of hay! And he was happy, I told him what a good, smart boy he was, and now all is better with him and me. And the stall floors.
As part of the new and improved horse-keeping strategy, Tom hung the hay nets in the boy's stalls. They clip on with mountaineer hooks and allegedly hold an entire bale of hay.
KC is neat, business-like, when it comes to eating hay. You put a flake under his nose and he stands there until it is gone. Skip, not so much. Skip will throw hay from one end of his stall to the other. He'll paw at it, step all over it. Cleaning up after him is a chore in itself, and takes me considerable time in the morning.
All that has been changed. The paperwork that came with these nets said there would be a 'learning curve' while the horse figured out how to eat hay out of the net. We do have hay nets for the trailers, but these are special.
Tom put hay in the nets, hung them in the stalls, Skip proceeded to pull hay strands out of it like a professional. KC, not so much. He wasted several hours sulking about having this change to his hay delivery. I had to leave the barn, the 'stink-eye' was so severe.
When I returned, KC had not eaten any hay, and was furious with me. Really. Skip had eaten lots of his own hay out of the net. I had to show KC how to pull the dried grass strands out of the net, pulling, pulling clumps. Then I left for the night.
The next morning he had eaten lots of hay! And he was happy, I told him what a good, smart boy he was, and now all is better with him and me. And the stall floors.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Last Wednesday In February
Last Wednesday In February, and good riddance, too. This winter has been relentless. We just got rid of the ugly, rotten snow on Sunday and it snows Monday night. We got about 5 inches, but first we got about a quarter inch of sleet! The snow was powdery, but after the bright, sunny day on Tuesday the snow is hard, frozen.
This morning while putting hay out for the boys, I found two 'snow balls' and I'm assuming they came from KC because of the shoe impression being bent in at the heal. He has small feet and the snow ball was so big, he must have been walking around on high-heels for quite a while.
I also found little snow balls in the 'tack room' so I know the minis were spending their fair share of time inside the barn yesterday. Supposed to get up to almost 40 today - o boy, a heat wave!
This morning while putting hay out for the boys, I found two 'snow balls' and I'm assuming they came from KC because of the shoe impression being bent in at the heal. He has small feet and the snow ball was so big, he must have been walking around on high-heels for quite a while.
I also found little snow balls in the 'tack room' so I know the minis were spending their fair share of time inside the barn yesterday. Supposed to get up to almost 40 today - o boy, a heat wave!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
President's Day
Got up at 6:45 a.m. today and hit the ground running. Overcast, but temperature was mild. Fed, watered, and hayed the gang then joined Tom on the road frontage, picking up TWO TRASH BAGS of trash on the side of the road. Also found in the field was a tire, complete with rim (bent) and brake caliper. The guard rail was hit (again) and other assorted car parts from a Jeep were strewn about, too.
Beer cans (mostly Bud Light), cigarette detritus and fast-food debris were in abundance. Miscellaneous other crap that had been thrown or blew in Saturday's wind storm, too. People are pigs, eh?
After that we started our bonfire, which we kept going all day, until I left around 4:00 to see a friend and hit the Safeway before dinner and feeding the gang out back.
In the meantime it rained or sleeted on us. Tom weed whacked the trees in the pasture, clearing out the Honeysuckle, Multi-Flora Rose and Blackberry. I raked and carried this stuff to the bonfire. Also burned up bank statements, old checks and other stuff that we usually shred, but I broke the shredder. I'm pooped, looking forward to going to work tomorrow to get some rest!
On Sunday we rode from noonish to about 4:30, so I'm a little bit stiff right now. Old age is hell, right? Had a great weekend, just tired right about now. Have to go out to the barn to put heavy coats on the boys. It is snowing, calling for 4 - 8 inches by tomorrow morning - o joy....
Beer cans (mostly Bud Light), cigarette detritus and fast-food debris were in abundance. Miscellaneous other crap that had been thrown or blew in Saturday's wind storm, too. People are pigs, eh?
After that we started our bonfire, which we kept going all day, until I left around 4:00 to see a friend and hit the Safeway before dinner and feeding the gang out back.
In the meantime it rained or sleeted on us. Tom weed whacked the trees in the pasture, clearing out the Honeysuckle, Multi-Flora Rose and Blackberry. I raked and carried this stuff to the bonfire. Also burned up bank statements, old checks and other stuff that we usually shred, but I broke the shredder. I'm pooped, looking forward to going to work tomorrow to get some rest!
On Sunday we rode from noonish to about 4:30, so I'm a little bit stiff right now. Old age is hell, right? Had a great weekend, just tired right about now. Have to go out to the barn to put heavy coats on the boys. It is snowing, calling for 4 - 8 inches by tomorrow morning - o joy....
Saturday, February 19, 2011
WIND!!!
The wind started in the evening, between me lighting the grill and carrying the tuna steaks to it. That fast, really. The forecast had said the wind would pick up after midnight. What time zone? More like 7:00 p.m.
I had thought we might have another bonfire, but glad we procrastinated long enough to nix that bright idea. The temp continues to be mild, almost warm, but that even has a wind chill. And it can knock you down. Luckily, I'm heavy enough to keep my feet on the ground. I was mindful with the feed this morning having experienced the wind's help with dumping Lil Fred's feed before.
Tom had off on Friday and he had a long list of items to address. He's extremely productive, always, but didn't know if he would get to the list, create a whole new list or do something completely different.
He cleaned up the garage/shed, dumping all the old hay into the manure spreader. He claimed he made 6 trips. He cleaned up all the hay in the barn, too. He went to Southern States Cooperative in Mt Airy, purchasing corner feeders (yea) for the boys and little, tiny feeders for the minis. He installed all of them. The boys really like them, the mice are going to complain! And the minis mouths fit right in. So cute.
He now has a different management for the minis during the day. They really like it! The big double doors are kept open, the hay is locked in the vacant stall. Earlier this week the minis got into the barn and the hay bale looked like it had been involved in a pillow fight. Hay was everywhere! Now they have access to the barn all day and can't get into the hay.
The snow blower is in the tack room, and everything has been neatened-up. Makes the barn look big, too, because it is!
Today I had to close one end because the wind is so strong, calling for 60-mile an hour gusts. I believe it! Unfortunately the shingles are also coming off the roof. I really didn't want to have to replace the roof until we at least had some income from the old house. Let's hope the roof doesn't start leaking, again. This place just keeps on giving.
I had thought we might have another bonfire, but glad we procrastinated long enough to nix that bright idea. The temp continues to be mild, almost warm, but that even has a wind chill. And it can knock you down. Luckily, I'm heavy enough to keep my feet on the ground. I was mindful with the feed this morning having experienced the wind's help with dumping Lil Fred's feed before.
Tom had off on Friday and he had a long list of items to address. He's extremely productive, always, but didn't know if he would get to the list, create a whole new list or do something completely different.
He cleaned up the garage/shed, dumping all the old hay into the manure spreader. He claimed he made 6 trips. He cleaned up all the hay in the barn, too. He went to Southern States Cooperative in Mt Airy, purchasing corner feeders (yea) for the boys and little, tiny feeders for the minis. He installed all of them. The boys really like them, the mice are going to complain! And the minis mouths fit right in. So cute.
He now has a different management for the minis during the day. They really like it! The big double doors are kept open, the hay is locked in the vacant stall. Earlier this week the minis got into the barn and the hay bale looked like it had been involved in a pillow fight. Hay was everywhere! Now they have access to the barn all day and can't get into the hay.
The snow blower is in the tack room, and everything has been neatened-up. Makes the barn look big, too, because it is!
Today I had to close one end because the wind is so strong, calling for 60-mile an hour gusts. I believe it! Unfortunately the shingles are also coming off the roof. I really didn't want to have to replace the roof until we at least had some income from the old house. Let's hope the roof doesn't start leaking, again. This place just keeps on giving.
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