Photos ! 6.1.2012

Glenn & I walked up to the barn last night and took the camera.... It had been a Beautiful early summer day with low temps and low humidity. I got SO much accomplished outside, I am paying for it today. Back pain kept me awake most of the night, so 'someone' is going to sleep real good tonight , for sure.

Danielle Sheaffer ( more about all of this later) was here, as was Michelle G. to help out with the morning barn work. Thank Goddess and God for these great people !  If it wasn't for help, I'd be lost until this back/ hip/ right leg gets straightened out.
*Thank you to ALL : Joan, Shanna, Jaide, AJ, Dani L.,Sam G., Amber (who has moved on to other jobs now) And to anyone else who has volunteered their precious time to help out at the barn !!
So while those gals were getting the heavy work done, I mixed dinner feeds, and got Evie out of her stall and into cross-ties. She got curried, and vacuumed til she gleamed in her summer coat. Then she got clipped and looked simply Fantastic. By then most of the other things were done, and we headed towards cars and the house. Danielle was going to bring her stallion, Doc, over to use the ring and I decided that mowing was a good thing to do. After all, it Wasn't walking at all- I get to ride :)

And mow, I did !  Got the whole barn area mowed, the whole ring , which was knee deep in places, and set the driving cones back up. Thanks to drafters grazing in the ring, not One was left standing.

When Glenn & I got up to the barn , the mares were all grazing happily in the cooler weather, and BoJangles was contentedly feeding his face too.  It was great- Evie & Lynn chose to not come to the gate so we could get some nice action pictures, but we got a few anyhow. Abby came up the hill in her pasture to get some peppermint treats, and I got a few shots of her . Turns out we took a TON of pictures !

With out further adieu - Here's some of the shots Glenn & I took :

 First is of BoJangles...

then 3 shots of the newly mowed ring !

Then I tried calling Lynn & Evie ( our two Percheron mares)

to come get some cookies... it worked for a little bit.

And then it didn't .....

Ahhhhhhh, oh well.... back to grazing 

That's Evie in front, Lynn behind

Most likely the best mare I have ever owned...

Lynn

See ?  Grazing was more important than horse treats !

Evie had an itchy ear....

Ahhhhhhhhhh, that's better now.

Abby, however, NEVER turns down a chance for horse cookies !

Glenn feeding Abby her favs- peppermints !

Catch-Ups 5.20.12

So here it is- the last couple of weeks in May. Soon to come, summer time in s. central PA. Heat, flys, humidity, and more. There have already been kids swimming in the creek that flows thru our farm land. They can be heard having a great time each afternoon after school- getting cooled off and "messin' around".  I just hope no one gets hurt ! There won't be anyone there this evening as it's a rainy day today.

Lately I've been dealing with some pain that I Thought stemmed from my good ol' back injury . The Dr. says it is arthritis in my hip causing the pain- so due to the fact that I'm merely a horse woman, I'll have to take what he says as the truth.  Stay tuned on this..... my next doctors' appointment is on Friday.

My dear husband actually told me HE was going to mow the lawn and the grassy bank along the roadside, instead of me doing it. I have Always done this as he usually is so busy, there's no time. It was such an oddity, I had to snap a couple of photos of him mowing !  He usually mows Everything out there in his path, thus the main reason he doesn't do the mowing any more.....  This time, he got Only the grass n' weeds - YAY, Glenn !!!

Lately there has been a mated pair of wild Mallards using the run-off puddles in our ring for their own private pond. They have been here off n' on for a good week now.... See the little shore bird to the right and in front ?

 See ? My Mad Mower has done a pretty dang good job ! Even Sunny thinks so.

My deck / yard flowers and herbs have been blooming idiots lately- here are a few photos of them as well as the baby robins that are living in the Forsythia bush beside the house....

You have to look oh so closely to see the little baby Robins here

There are three and they're really looking like baby birds now. I hope they survive !

It's YOUR day ! 5.13.12

 Wishing all of the moms who read this little blog a wonderful Mothers' Day :

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY !!!!

  My mom died back in 2005, the day before my birthday AND on her 15th wedding anniversary......  I still miss her.

Here are few photos of her-  She was my best friend for many years.

Even when she was little, Mom knew to take time to 'smell the roses'.....

Mom & Dad's High School Graduation pictures:

Their 40th Wedding Anniversary !

"Happy Mothers' Day. MoM"

" WATER BOTTLE !!!" 5.13.2012

 This is what my friend tells her dogs when they are being 'bad'. It seems that she and her dog have been going to training classes - and doing quite well from what I hear. They have progressed to the next set of obedience classes and continue to be learning more all the time.

She keeps me updated on how its' all going and this week , its teaching her dog at home that if he's being bad, she grabs a squirt bottle full of water . After warning him by yelling " WATER BOTTLE!", if he doesn't stop, she squirts him.  So far she tells me that it is working.

I agree- squirty bottles full of water are something the farm animals have learned of here as well. My chickens love coming inside the barn, you see. I spend a lot of extra time 'chasing' ( meaning my walking behind them, waving hands, and saying " SHOO !") them out. They love picking up the left over pieces of grains, bugs, spiders and then making chicken poopies in the barn.  I don't care for the poops, so thus, the " SHOOO, Girls !!"  Lately I have been using an old detergent bottle full of water to squirt at them and they have Learned ...  All I have to do is begin walking towards the small table beside the tack room door, and they all scoot out the barn door.  < yay for chickens learning things>

I have also used a squirt gun for the barn swallows who Insisted that the barn rafters belonged to THEM.  It took me two seasons of Spring before I finally made it clear that they must build their nests in the Other barn behind the main one. It has worked- they will do 'fly thoroughs' , but that is all.

And so goes the saga of " WATER BOTTLE !!!".  
 Stay tuned to see who else might get introduced to it.

PA pix 4.29.2012

I took these last Saturday, and have just gotten around to adjusting sizes, etc. The first one is of a church steeple in the distance, near Halifax, Pennsylvania.

And this one is of a field , freshly plowed, and planted. The view is as though one could go on forever in some areas.

Brand New Percherons

4.29.2012
A good friend of mine owns Percheron horses as well. She usually has a couple of well bred foals each year... this year, there were two precious foals born. Both of them were born with in 12 hours of each other. Both of them had some problems with being born, but with diligent care and a great equine vet in attendance, they're both happy, bouncing boys . I drove over to my friend's farm to see the two colts, and help out if I could last Saturday. Oh my, there's nothing as adorable as a one day old Percheron foal !  She named them "Banjo" &"Blue". Both going to be black too. I took my camera and tried to snap some pictures, and they are below.  Hope you enjoy seeing them .

"Black Mist Blue Moon"

"Black Mist Banjo"

First kisses from Blue's "grand mama"

Robin Eggs !

4.29.2012

This morning as Sadie (our American Bulldog) & I were outside for her "morning constitutional", I noticed a bird flying out of a big forsythia bush beside the house. We both checked it out and found a sturdy nest with three small robin eggs in it !

Hope they hatch.