What's " Normal " ?????

8.29.2013

Heck, I don't know what 'normal' is any more. But I think we're all getting back to what ever normal is on this farm. It's been a week since Evie was put down, and it was a very difficult week for me.  Monday was a week after it all began, then Wednesday was when I got the horrid news from the vet, and so on. 

Thursday- by 11 AM, she'd been put out of pain, and had been buried. This morning was tough to get through, but I did. I've even walked up the hill to her grave site earlier this week..... Now to keep healing from this blow to the farm. 

 Yes, ALL of us miss her- I swear, even her favorite hen, Liza was searching for her this past weekend. Liza wandered all over the farm, "looking"- I thought at first she was after bugs and tasty worms, but she wasn't actually eating anything. Just wandering about. Evie didn't mind Liza being in her stall, so long as she was careful to not be stepped on.(HUGE hoof = squished chicken)  Liza was careful too. Some mornings, she'd be so full of pieces of grain that she could barely squat down in order to squeeze under the stall door.  The rest of the chickens don't seem to have a clue- but not my Liza Minnelli... 

SHE knew someone was missing. 

Today was hot and humid but as the afternoon wore on, it got a little more bearable. I will be so happy to see it becoming cooler, and so will all of the animals here. You know it's hot when a Chicken pants !

So as time passes, we all learn to handle the fact that there is one HUGE piece of our farm missing, As time passes, we all will heal and put our precious Eve in that small box in our hearts that holds the most treasured memories ; And life will go on. Hopefully with no more tragedies in the future for any of us.

For Evie.....

God speed, Eve....

4.5.2006-- 8.22.2013

''Solace''

"I'll lend you, for a little while,

My grandest foal, He said,

For you to love while she's alive

And mourn for when she's dead.

It may be one or twenty years,

Or days or months, you see. 

But will you, till I take her back

Take care of her for me?

She'll bring her charms to gladden you,

And should her stay be brief

You'll have treasured memories

As solace for your grief.

I cannot promise she will stay, 

Since all from earth return.

But there are lessons taught on earth

I want this foal to learn.

I've looked the wide world over

In my search for teachers true.

And from the throngs that crowd life's lanes

With trust, I have selected you.

Now will you give her your total love?

Nor think the labor vain,

Nor hate me when I come

To take her back again?

I know you'll give her tenderness

And love will bloom each day.

And for the happiness you've known

Forever grateful to stay.

But should I come and call for her

Much sooner than you'd planned

You'll brave the bitter grief that comes

And someday you'll understand."

WoodFinn's Fashionably Late 7/5/08 at OneTrueMedia.com

I made this when Eve was just a two year old.... and am SO glad I did.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

" Herself "is gone.

8.25.13

"Herself" is how I referred to Eve.... she was so full of life and joy. Such a happy mare she was.

My dear mare, WoodFinn's Fashionably Late, is gone. She developed "Anterior Enteritis" late Monday, and was put down this past Thursday morning. Evie was buried on the hill next to Carlene and Dixie....

Having never ever heard of this 'dilemma', I had no idea and figured it was a slight colic on Tuesday. Then when the banamine given to her didn't help much, our veterinarian came out. She did a rectal check to find Evie's small intestines were distended. Not Good. She suggested we haul her south to one of the top horse hospitals around ( Barbaro was treated there when he fractured his leg) and did a reflux of Eve's stomach. Sure enough,there was a good 2 liters of vile smelling, manure colored water in her stomach- letting our vet know that it was indeed no ordinary 'colic'.  Glenn & I had a long talk about it that evening and decided that the risk of hauling Eve in such pain, and leaving her in Kennett Square, Pa to be cared for wasn't going to work. The chances of survival were 40-60% and then laminitis/ founder played a Big part in it too. Evie would have had to have a special diet for many months, and we just couldn't cause her yet more pain and misery. So- at 9:30 AM, she was put down, and by 10:30 AM, buried and out of pain for ever.

This has broken my heart to shreds. I loved her like no other, and she & Lynn were my two best mares ever. I am sort of lost right now, trying to wrap my head around what just happened. 

Since then, I have learned that her chances of survival were even less than what all of the articles had mentioned. Draft horses are so stoic that one isn't SURE of how bad off they really are until it is to late. Evie had begun to weaken that morning and her heart rate was Well over 70 BPM. I have learned that once a drafters' heart rate is over 60, chances are good that they will not survive treatment. So we did make the right decision, even if it meant our hearts would be torn to shreds.

So, I hope Evie has met Dixie , Carlene n' Suzi over the Rainbow Bridge....She has joined my Petey in heaven and is pain free once again....

  In tears, God speed, Eve. 

You were loved by All you touched during your life.

"WoodFinn's Fashionably Late"

~Evie~

April 5th, 2006 ---  August 22nd, 2013

August

8.21.13

Whew, I hate August. It's just that simple..... June is alright, July I can handle, but AUGUST ??   Whew.... the worst of humidity, thunderstorms ( well not any where's as bad as in Maryland), high temperatures and cicadas.  Ugh.  Crickets are fine- but that constant 'drumming' of the cicadas drives a person crazy if they have to be outside long at all.

Ok- enough complaining. August will be gone in a week or so and everyone who prefers Not sweating thorough all of their clothing on a daily basis can look forward to cooler times with September's arrival.

I love Autumn. If there was a way to have low humidity levels, and 65 degree days, I'd move there !  With Autumn comes horses growing their heavier winter coats, the acorns begin falling, and Mother Nature gets her forests prepared for the cold winter winds. September is also when I begin 'winterizing' the farm. The grass , er, weeds get mowed for the last time, places that became mud Last year get dealt with,items that won't be used until next spring get cleaned and stored away.....  And all with out Sweating !

Breeze has really been moving forward in her confidence level. She now allows most anyone to halter and lead her outside. She actually tries to help put her nose in the halter now as well. BIG step for one so small and frightened. This Fall I plan on teaching her to ground drive, be content on a longe line, and eventally wear a harness happily.

Also this Fall, Eve is going to be trained to drive. She's managed to remain sound for a long time now, and I've saved the money to send her away for a couple of weeks to get 'started' in harness. I'm very excited to be able to drive her , needless to say.

This summer has been hectic but great for money making. Summer riding students, and some more boarders have become grand fun !  Tiring as can be, but still fun. For a gal that is attempting to phase riding lessons out of her list of things to offer, I'm not doing so well.  Still- the riders are fun to teach and see improve on their riding skills.

The Husband has been improving in leaps and bounds since his open heart surgery. He comes to the barn often and spoils all of our horses with peppermints. SO far, so good

Good-Bye July

8.5.2013

We have had some miserably humid and hot weather this past month.... So August arrives and is COOL. While I'm lovin' this cooler summer weather, I know it won't last til Fall arrives. We Will be fried before August leaves our farm.

Signs of Autumns' arrival in a couple of months :
*Crickets are singing at night.
*Cicadas are also singing. Every once in a while, one who isn't quite up to speed about the night time thing, will be singing it's 'rusty' song during the day.
* Shorter days.
* Horses are shedding their summer coats- so August is the month of VERY thin coats . This is either good or bad. If it's a month filled with biting flys- bad. If August is a little cooler, and not so many flys- Good.
* Some of the plants are just beginning to change colors- and a few leaves have fallen.

You can bet this horse woman is hoping for a VERY early ( and LONG) Fall ! Each year I dislike summer weather a little more- so by now ?  UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

The little hen ( Devon) who was my 'throw away' chick was sold yesterday, along with two Lavender Orpington young roosters. They went to a nice home where they will be treasured... I wish the new owners a lot of luck in having ' purple chicks'  this coming Spring !

Looking back on this summer, I discover how blessed I am once again. There are two young gals who've really proven that they are worthy of responsibilities here. I believe they are both 13 yr olds, and they've been so much fun to have around the barn !  They have both learned so much this summer- and are on their way to becoming fine stable helpers. It helps that all of the horses here are kind too- but Cheyenne is quiet and calm enough to turnout the "squirrely- girl'- Breeze. That pony is so gorgeous now !  A deep blood bay with roaning on both sides... so pretty ! I'll have to get some recent photos for you to see how nicely she's filled in and out.  Anyway- Breeze 'allows' Chy to put her halter on and lead her in or out  of the barn.

Also, this summer, we've been blessed with a LOT of rain - arriving at the perfect time. That let the hay grow, and allowed it to be cut and baled properly too. Our fields are green and the weeds have REALLY enjoyed all of this rain . I've had to really mow a lot to keep them under control, but it's working. The garden weeds, however, well............  they are totally out of control  !  < sigh>

So, good bye July- hope to see you next summer.  As of today, this horsewoman is waiting for FALL !

Below is

                BoJangles -21 yrs old this year- right after he'd gotten a bath and BEFORE rolling

This little gal is Ella . She graduated our  Mommy, Me & a PONY ! ** Classes this summer. That is Holly she is hanging off the side of. One of the 'games' we played was to collect brushes from cone tops, and then drop them in a bucket.

Abby, who looks like she's dark blue here.... doing what she loves best 

Hot, hot, hot !

7.5.13
Whew, it's been miserable weather here for the past 2 weeks. My brain is saying
" Enough, Already !!"  Every morning, while getting stalls done, etc, I manage to sweat thorough one set of shorts and a tee shirt. Blech- what an awful feeling to be "soggy''.

I think, this evening, I'll hose the Percherons off before turning them out to pasture. They'll feel great, and have fresh fly spray on , and I can play in the water some too.  < big childish grins>
Perhaps tomorrow-  baths ????  Hmmmmmmmmmmm..... might be a good idea. Clean horses and  a soaking wet, Cool human.

Chicken tales-  Since I had to convince the "Girls" who were living in a stall at night that they had to move out and to the actual Hen House, things have been doing well. All but two white Plymouth Rock hens chose to come in for the night.You see- I use bribery in the form of Laying Crumbles !  It works, and I am met every evening by hens walking , sometimes running, to meet me and we all walk up the hill together. Old horses, included. Lilly has become a full fledged chicken by now. There for a while, I thought maybe she wouldn't fit in with being a Chicken. Remember ? She was the tack room chick that I raised. She's a year old now and stunning. She will come over and 'chat' with me occasionally when I'm filling an outside water tub, even now.  Liza is quite the character ! Oh my, she is forEver trying to sneak into the barn .  Trouble is that she is constantly clucking about important chicken things and I hear her before I see her. She is a Speckled Sussex and boy, I'd like to have some more of that breed. Such nice gentle hens.

It seems there's a lot of really cool personalities in the barn now. New boarders that I'm getting to know pretty well.  Alli & Chance  (30 and 36 yrs respectively) have become best of pals.... those two oldsters are loose to graze around the barn area, so long as they stay out of trouble. Alli walks around with the end of her tongue hanging out from between her front teeth, and Chance drools. Those two remind me of an old folks home for horses !  Then we have Teddy and Shonee.... they both lived at the same place before they came here. Shonee, first, then Ted about a month later. They acted like strangers, until Shonee discovered she really did remember Ted after all. Thats' when they'd both wander off to graze as a pair of horses; friends. Winnie ? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... Winnie is old beyond her 31 years. She has so many things wrong with her it's plain sad. This wonderful,sweet mare has all but been used up physically and mentally. Once a grand dressage mare, she's now OLD. We keep loving her and making sure she is as content as a very old horse can be. Sunny- well he's just Sunny. He's the talker of the boarders. He whinnies good morning, and good afternoon, when he is finished breakfast, and some days, when I walk out of the house. He adores his owner and they make a great team together ! He's learning to become a better driving horse- but this weather has slowed us all down I believe.

That's about it from our farm ! Not much going on other than keeping horses and hens cool and content.  And waiting for FALL !

Happy Independence Day !

It is soon  July 4th...... Wikipedia has this :

'Independence Day- commonly known as the 4th of July, is a federal holiday in the USA commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4,1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain'.

So many people celebrate being independent by drinking to much, shooting off unsafe fireworks in their back yards, and eating to much. We will most likely be doing some cooking on the grill, then going to hear some music nearby, but mostly, I, personally, will be thanking those who created the USA as an independent country !

Wishing you & yours a Wonderful July 4th / Independence Day !

June. and the barn is FULL .

6.15.13

It seems that the gods of good fortune have finally begun smiling on this small plot of land we call 'home'... Our barn (the horse that is) is FULL- no more room for any other horses. We now have five     ( yes, count 'em ), FIVE boarders, here. All of the stalls are filled with beautiful, sleek, shining equines.

Of course, this meant the 'girls' had to be moved out of what was known as "The Hen Stall". Much to their dismay, their poor little eraser brains had to kick into actual thought this past week. It has been interesting trying to teach 13 hens that they can no longer live in a 12 x13' box stall at night. Instead, they have to act like Chickens ( !!) and sleep in the hen's house. There were some rough evenings, lemme tell you. Chasing elusive hens all over the farm gets frustrating...  Finally, most of them come a-running when it is dinner time. I have hens in front of me, in back of me, and alongside me as I walk to their house with a container of chicken feed. So far, so good with them learning to sleep in a different place.

Also, there's a make-shift fence up as well. It keeps RC in but the smaller girls scoot right underneath the fencing. RC is the main chicken I want to be contained because he's so liable to attack a human now.

We had a whopper thunderstorm move thru here a few days ago, dropping 2" of rain on the farm. I saw ducks swimming in the ring the next morning! It was perfect timing for grass growing but not for the farmers wanting to make hay for the year.....

Our 'rescue' kitty, Paddy, got neutered a couple of weeks ago and he's right back to be a terror. He's just not as aggressive when playing now. Shadow, our black house cat, sometimes gets SO mad at Paddy that it sounds like small lions are loose in the house. Below is a shot of mine of Sadie n' Shadow sharing her bed. All of our animals get along really well ...

and Paddy!

More Chicken Tales....

5.30.13

It seems that two and a half hens went "broody". "Half??" You ask ?  Yes, Widget, our teeny bantam hen is the 'half'.  Going broody is when they think it's time to sit on eggs so they can have a family of chicks to care for and love. Some hens will even sit on their Feet, thinking in 21 days, chicks will appear......hmmmm....

I let two hens set on eggs- hoping they were fertile and actually would become peeps. Many days passed and still these two determined hens sat- only coming off their nests for a good poop, some food , water, and grass/ bugs. I kept count of about when we'd have peeps hatching, but one was early !  The Buff Orpington hen was SO protective of what she thought was HER nest, that she pecked the little peepy and it didn't make it. I took her eggs away from her, and added them to HotWheels' nest which was already pretty full of eggs. HotWheels is a Barred Plymouth Rock hen, and was named by a boarders' little boy. She was not so protective and allowed me to shove yet more eggs under her. Talk about a Mother Superior- that's HotWheels !

One morning when I suspected we'd begin having peeps hatch, I put my hand under HotWheels and lo' and behold, there was a dear small peepy !  Just one, and it is black w/ a cream 'chest'. HotWheels was SO proud of herself- oh you should have heard her clucking at her new baby. She remained setting the other eggs for a few more days. I had hopes that some more would hatch, so she'd have a nice sized little family to love. Finally, when all hope of more hatchings passed, I gathered up the "rotten" eggs and carried them to the barn. I let them slide into the garbage can and when they hit the bottom- omg !!!!  Peeping !!!!!!  I could hardly believe my ears- one of those eggs had a chick in it and I had almost thrown it away. Whew- talk about dumping guilt on myself... I picked up the peeping egg, which had cracked open, and sure enough- a little round ball of chicken. Very gently I peeled the egg off and put the little one in the still warm incubator.  Guess what ? It's alive and healthy as can be, four days later ! It had a weak right leg, but that got stronger and now, it 'runs' all over the floor, pecking at what ever chickens enjoy pecking at. It's eating and drinking fine too.
We have named it Devon- after the Devon Horse Show which is going on this week, and it's the sort of name that can be female or male. ( I can't tell sexes on little babies !)

 So, meet Devon at 4 days old:

It should have been named 'Speedy' !

Happy Summer !

5.30.13

The weather here has been oh so strange for Springtime. First, it was cold, then HOT for a few days, then back to cold and rainy, and now ? HOT- like July HOT. I'll be the first to say " I Hate Humidity !" and am not looking forward to summer time if this is how it's going to be. This morning, the humidity was 89% and 79 degrees.... ugh. Luckily Mother Nature smiled on us and gave us plenty of rain to help the grass grow ( also weeds) and then sunshine too. A nice balance.

Many things have been going on here since I last blogged ! We had a great time with our " Barn Cleaning" day- and that was the week right before our Open House. Luckily, the barn Still looked super on that day. Unluckily, it rained for our Open House and while a few people did brave the weather, we would have had a lot more, had the sun come out.....  At any rate, we had a good time meeting new folks, and showing them our farm.

See ? The interior looked Wonderful !

        Below is only some of the help we had on our Barn Cleaning Day.

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Our Open House went well - here's some photos of it :

These two gals, Cheyenne & Patience, were a Huge help ~!

Tack for sale- and Lou Bello minding the bake sale table:

Peg Olson- food booth professional ! 

Tami Bello baked SO many delicious items for the bake sale :

THANK YOU TO ALL

 WHO CAME AND HELPED !!!!

I know I had fun, and hope those who came to meet us & see our farm, enjoyed their visit too.

Happy Mother's Day !!!

5.12.13

Wishing all of the Mom's out there a very happy day of celebrating .

This has been a hectic few weeks here at the farm. We have all been working to neaten up the place after a tough winter and it shows. Last Saturday was our Clean Up day here, and a ton of help showed up. We had people washing the stall fronts, raking up left over hay outside, and neatening up all over. 

BIG thanks to :

Joan Smith, Meghan Dau, Tami & her husband, Lou Bello, Patience Stump, Cheyenne Takita, Taylor Stone, Bill & Julia Suter, my husband, Glenn, Hannah Olson, and her mom, Peg, and whomever I have managed to forget ! 

You were such a big help and thanks to you All,

 the farm looked stunning.

Spring 'happened' a little late this year and last week it was still just a little chilly. Then as the week progressed, it got more cloudy, and subsequently rainy. We really needed this rain too, but the timing wasn't so good as our Open House was yesterday. ( 5.11) It rained/ showered ALL day long . We held it any ways, and though our turn out was smaller than expected, we met some great new folks !

 AND made some money for the 'hay fund' for next winter too. :)

 For our open house, we had a bake sale table ( Thanks to our official baker, Tami ) a food / snack table ( thanks Peg Olson ) a used tack sale ( me, who cleaned tack like a mad woman all week long) and a used tack seller ( thanks for coming, Lisa & Dwayne !!).    

All in all, a fun day - here are some of the photos I took :

Tami's delicious baked goods 

Cheyenne & Patience...

  Evie & Breeze- largest and smallest equines at WoodFinn.

this little fella LOVED seeing the horses !

  

Some of our visitors...

  Yep- another horse person in the making 

Joan chatting with some of our visitors- 

The used tack sale !

 Thanks to Peg, we had yummy food to sell !

The information table :

All in all it was a rainy but wonderful day. Thank goodness we have a huge aisle way for everyone to be comfy in.

*************************************************

Then, today is Mothers' Day. Normally I get nothing from Glenn- because he tells me I'm not a mom.  That's okay, but I think I am. Simply because I didn't give birth to any baby, I have still been loved by plenty of animals, and human kids as well in my life. But alas no thanks from the husband on this. He did get a wonderful roast to cook for this evening, so that's something cool. ;)

There are two 13 yr old gals who I want to personally thank though. They have been working students here for a few months. They come to help out as much as they can, and both of them have become very dear to me. They're funny, can laugh at themselves, and are smart as can be. Plus they both adore the horses here.  

Last night, I was contacted by them, and was told that this morning, thanks to them, I was not to come to the barn at all. (well I did eventually to see how things went) THEY were coming early, and doing ALL of the barn chores !

Now, if that isn't a superb gift for a horsewoman, I don't know what is.

When I went up to see how things were going, they presented me with a wonderful hand made card, a flower ( that will never die) , a super soaker squirt gun that I'd been wanting to have, a yummy chocolate bar, and a hand painted picture of Breeze ( the newest equine here).  I was floored- as I'd not expected such generosity !

Here's the card they created for me- inside it has some quotes, a very sweet note or two and I love it.

Over the years I've gotten some cards, hand made paintings, sketches, thank you's of many different types and have all of them, but this one is special to me.

Thanks you two !

Chickens n' Horses, n' Hair, OH MY !

4.28.13

What a time we've been having at our farm ! All good, all fun and ALL perfect.
First, I have acquired a teeny little lost soul in the form of a Hackney Pony. She arrived here on April 16th, thin as a rail, horrid hooves, and scared of any thing human. Yes, even though I do not make a habit of taking in"rescues", this little mare really needed to be saved. Her owners of two weeks didn't know what to do with her due to her being so flighty and scared, but they DID do their best in care, feeding and being kind to her. I don't know much about her history but she had fallen on that 'pipeline' to a kill auction.

Here she is the day I first met her , after she Jumped over her water tub to get out of her stall. Then she took off in total fear. Luckily she's little or I imagine she'd still be running.

Once she arrived here, she got groomed as much as she'd allow, and has had some work done with her so she becomes more trustful. It has worked well because now, I can touch her ears, and run a whip all over her with no tantrums or panic from being terrified. Just one step at a time, and hers are all 'baby' steps.

We named her Breeze - and she has lived up to it already ! Here's how she looked last Sunday... One of the working students was here, and I happened to have my camera handy !

Breezy has gained some more weight this week, and is looking great. I plan on teaching her to drive !

Then yesterday, we had a real busy day. I have been keeping a diary for the month of April for Farm & Ranch Magazine, and the gal from Cove Creek Photography came out to finish the shots that she's sending to the magazine folks. It was fun, but whew- So many photos taken ! At the same time, our barn was stock full of great working students. They did all of the hard stuff, so I could concentrate on getting the photos accomplished. 

THANK YOU  Meghan, Tami, Chy, and Patience !!!!

These gals are becoming such good horsewomen and will certainly be of a continued part of our team.

Later on, a gal came to pick up a load of horse manure, and she ended coming back for one more !  YAY- good bye horse pooh .

The farm's vet came by to administer vaccines for a couple of the boarders, and a  brand new boarder ( arrives June 1st) stopped out to visit , anddddddddddd, whew, a prospective riding student came to see the horses.

It seems that our hens are laying eggs like mad - 

I get about a dozen Daily now- so our girls "rock" !!

 A busy month, but absolutely wonderful & positive. 

Well it WAS warmer...

4.22.13

Happy Earth Day all !!
Who is going to remember to watch the meteor show this evening ? I hope I do.

Mother Nature sure has hit us with some more chilly than average weather. We had a few days of super warm ( almost 82 here) and then a BIG storm session moved thru, bringing very brisk mornings. I have been lovin' it as this is the weather for me !

We have a new addition to our barn, even though I swore that I wanted no more items that ate or pooped....  This new addition is actually a small rescue... Meaning she sure didn't need to be where she was, and the folks knew it. If they let her go to the 'wrong' people, who knows where this little gal would have ended up. I have a pretty good idea, but won't ever be sure as she's Here now.

She is pure Hackney Pony, 12 hands tall, and exquisite. She trots like the demons of hell are on her tail out in the pasture, and has some kinda fancy action. I hear she's "green broke" to drive but am not going to consider she is. She will be taken back to me treating her like she knows nothing at all.

This little gal is scared of humans, point blank. As an equine, she's very brave, but add a human and she's in a panic. She arrived here last Tuesday ( 4/16) evening via a very dark, HOT trailer and was shaking as she came off of it. So far, she's been all over the farm to explore (' shopping' is what I've called it for decades)  has been learning the routine, and meets me at the pasture gate each evening. This doesn't mean she'll let me put her halter on, but she Does meet me, at least. I have an appt with our farrier in a few weeks for a good hoof trim as her feet desperately need it. Vaccines will be administered as soon as she picks up some more weight, and a good de-worming as well.

She has a brand new soft halter and a brand new name as she really didn't come with one.
So with out further adieu, Meet WoodFinn's English Breeze .