Is she Memorex??

7.18.21

 I was over at the farm this afternoon- the daily excursion it seems. I am so fortunate to have a gal who doesn't mind walking the girls to their stalls each morning.

I sprayed Briana with the fly spray, and fed Jaide ( she is getting ribby due to no grass by now. The pastures are so terribly overgrazed it's sad.) Sooooooooooo I suppose I'll have to use the crap hay I bought for cheap that I have for winter- can't afford to pay much more- and up their feed too. Sighhhh. Jaides eye is looking good so far. Her swelling is going down slowly and I don't see a sign of infection.

Anyhow, there I was cleaning out two quite messy stalls due to them being in last night and today. I was deep in thought and heard something outside. This is a 4 stall row barn and I'm right there. I looked out and saw nothing to make any noise at all. It is Sunday and we have been told by the Amishman he wants NO ONE there at the barn on that day. While I understand it is his day of rest, it isn't ours. Oh well- I need to find somewhere else, but again- cannot afford it. Such is the life I now have. I try to remain positive, but at times it gets pathetic.

Back to my pooh shoveling and I heard it again. On the road this time- like a small fairy horse trotting about. Hmmmmmmmmm..... I look out again and still, nothing. Weird. By that time, I'm done with Briana's stall and spray it down with stall deodorizer to kill the urine smell. Again- there it is!

This time I caught a glimpse of a little brown tail going into the Amishmans' private barn. Ah HA! Someone ''short'' had managed to get loose???

I sit out front and wait to hear/ see this mystery critter. And I waited... Squeals from inside the private barn- I knew someone was causing trouble in there.

So now, what to DO? Shall I go attempt to catch this little horse? Shall I walk over to their house, disturb them on their Sabbath? Or do nothing. We have been told to stay away from HIS horses, and to keep out of HIS barn- so I decided to do absolutely nothing.

When Laurel and I were unpacking the truck/trailer that hot night the mares first arrived, he showed up and finds out what was going on- and Left. No offer to help, nothing.

Knowing that I chose to just leave it as it all was. Turns out it was a mini mare that he bought for someone on the farm. The poor little thing is thin, really beat up with hair missing all over her body. I wasn't sure if it was a kind of mange or not- another reason I didn't want to catch her. She was hanging around the barns, and I knew she wasn't going to wander off on her own. I think she saw it as a great adventure. Heck- let her have a little while longer to be meeting all the other horses in that barn. The ones that never get to be loose in a pasture and stand in pooh-covered straw until the stall gets cleaned out... I feel so awful for them.

There's one gorgeous mare that is supposedly totally nuts in the head. A loud noise sends her climbing up her stall wall or trying to flee. I so wish I could spend time with her... but I don't dare ask as I'll get rebuffed for sure. It's just so sad, again.

Anyhow- I wished the little mini mare good luck and to be careful out there, and left.

Jaide trying to find some grass...

'Hot now, summer in the city'

7.16.21

 Wow was it hot today! In fact, it is still in the 90s... ugh.  The 'dog days' on the east coast.  As my Finnish Grandfather always said when he didn't want to do something  " No thank you, very much" 

Even the trees look hot on my drive to where my mares are boarded. My solitary tomato plant is drinking a ton of water - and it gets all it requires. The little flowers don't like this sort of heat either- I feel like I'm constantly watering them. I feel bad for the horses and cattle the most.  There are places where there is no shade in their pastures, and then? Great open fields with a group of trees to stand under when it was incredibly hot.

Jaide's eyelid cut is looking really good - turns out she's a good one for healing. It is in a place that luckily doesn't get dirty and I tell her how wonderful she's doing on getting better.  I like to think she's liking all of the extra attention too. What a sweet mare she has become! Trusting, calm, but full of fire if needed. Sort of like my little firecracker in pony skin. Speaking of Briana- wow, she has lost all of her winter fat!  She is like she used to be before the rich grass in PA allowed her to gain all that weight. I imagine she will fit easily into my awful cart. 

This afternoon, while Jaide was finishing her dinner, I combed out Briana's tangled mane. Oh, my word- it was a mess! I will shorten it tomorrow, so long as it isn't as scraggly. Same with Jaide's mane. I know Standardbreds are supposed to have "long manes'' but hers will become a little thicker with it being shortened. I never Pull manes any longer. Instead, I use an old clipper blade- very little discomfort/ pain and the horses learn about that.  Usually, they're fine and look wonderful afterwards :)

I remember one hot summer's day back in Pa when my chickens all wanted to come into the barn early. I have a photo of them all standing on the mounting block, looking at the screen door.  This was a while ago, but I still remember them waiting there for me.

When I finally settle down somewhere, I will have more chickens for sure. Just my two mares, Cleo, Simone and yes, chickens.  I miss their antics and company so much.

I still remember little Bess singing her heart out simply because she was happy. And then, the gawd-awful roosters.  Wicked beings- each one. They sure created some lovely chicks though. We all learned to run and run fast, OR carry a big stick with us when those guys were loose.

I am no closer to deciding where "home" will be but I do know this much- there'll be enough room for us all to live together.  I don't mind boarding much, but there's nothing like being able to head to the barn when a big summer storm is coming. Or when it is being awful in winter, with ice and hail.  I just like having everyone in the same place.

The farm where I board has acquired some new animals!  Three Scottish Highland cattle- a bull and two ladies. The breed is my second favorite - next to Jersey cattle. Those are my favorites. I love their huge brown eyes and long lashes. They almost remind me of Percheron foals in that sense. The foals always have elegant long lashes and I miss being able to visit and chat with the babies. 

That's Evie above... and her mama, Katie, in the background.

 I miss them all so much, but now? On to bigger and better things, I hope. :)

 

News flash- I will be a legally divorced woman in the middle of October! Since I have been out of the Pa. farm, there's been a lot of soul searching on my behalf.  Growing and becoming stronger as well. No longer the broken woman from before and I'm feeling a lot more like the ME I used to be.

Not to mention I'm kind of liking her. No longer do I have a need to explain who I am , what I believe in and so much more. As Popeye used to say 
" I Yam what I Yam"

 

As for this summer heat in mid-July?

"No Thank You, Very Much!!"

My favorite pony, Briana  :) 

A Suzi Story

 7.7.21

As Suzi became a little more trustworthy, I began to see a different pony emerge. There was still that huge distrust of humans that she had. This would never completely go away, and I understood that. She was amazingly brave in other ways though.

Suzi was just 12.2 hands tall and considered a small pony. She was a perfect size for the younger students and for me to occasionally hitch her to the teeny cart for a short drive. All of the drives we took were very fast ones. She had learned that the human was just going to leap onto the cart seat and off she would go. Trotting was her favorite speed, by the way... a Very fast trot. Typically an Amish driving pony, Suzi only knew one speed.  Then to stop and "wait" if needed, then to go back home - yes, again at 90 miles per hour. Wow, that pony could trot!  I *think* she may have been a Trottingbred pony but there was no proof whatsoever. 

One day, I thought that I might turn my new Percheron mare, Kara, out with Suzi. Suzi usually got along well with all horses and she was so short if she was nasty, it didn't really hurt anyone.  I put Kara out and then let Suzi lose in the same pasture.  Walking back towards the barn, I heard a squeal. It was Kara attempting to be the boss mare. I turned around and there they both were. Kara and Suzi- rumps close to the other one. Both began kicking and squealing like mad. I began laughing when I saw nothing was going to come of those two backing up to each other and attempting to kick one another.  Suzi's kicks were about 3 feet off the ground and Kara?   At 16.2 tall ??  Hers were shooting higher and right over Suzi's rear end. Neither one was going to make contact in the least!😆😅   Shaking my head at those two, I kept walking into the barn. It wasn't long before those two were grazing together and becoming best pals. I wish I'd thought to take a photo of Kara and Suzi together as they were both flea-bitten grey.

Suzi let everyone realize that she was a very fierce pony and not to be reckoned with. Ears would lay back flat in a second and a bite might happen so fast we never saw it coming until it hurt! One day, a riding student's mom had dropped her daughter off for her lesson. Suzi was grazing lose in the barn area and being peaceful.  Nothing cuter than a little speckled pony eating grass, right? The mom was talking to Suzi, telling her how beautiful she was and did Suzi want a scratch on her back perhaps? I mentioned to her to not bother the pony- that she isn't as sweet as she looks...  Mom paid me no attention and kept on walking over to pet Suzi.  POW- ears flat back, eyes glaring and a big leap towards Mom who jumped back faster than Suzi could aim her teeth. So long as everyone ignored her, life was good and the older students all knew this. Even the little ones knew to ask me to help 'catch' Suzi...  This Mom was a horsewoman also and while she knew about horses, she didn't know about Suzi. She was shocked at that little speckly pony being so nasty!  Tell ya what, though... she never approached that pony again, wanting to give her a pet.

I'm not saying that Our Suzi was a mean nasty pony that tried to bite everyone. Only some who were a little timid got a threat from her. Once they learned to stand up tall and behave as though they were in control of the situation, they were good to go Eventually that little mare became almost trustworthy towards most humans and learned to trust them more than most abused equines did. 

We all loved her cantankerous ways and wished we had known her before she had been sold at that auction.

Whew- Summer is HERE.

 7/7/21

June was warm, but July is positively miserable! Holy mackerel-high heat, humidity and I remember SO well why I preferred Pennsylvania weather. As I have gotten ( ahem....)  Older, I sure don't enjoy summer heat /humidity.   Anyways, thanks for AC!!

Living alone isn't so scary any longer. I worried about what would happen if I got seriously hurt... then realized that it is 'worry' and not wise to dwell on those things. I kind of like it, actually. No more 20 questions about where/ what I am going to do before I leave. Such a relief! I felt as though I was being interrogated because I was having affairs or something. I am sure it isn't how it was meant to, but I felt that way. Good grief.  As if...

Cleo is doing so wonderfully! She has adapted to apartment living like a pro. Simone has become a satisfied house kitty instead of a barn kitty. She teases Cleo like crazy. You see, Cleo thinks she is allowed to chase anything that will run.  That is her mission concerning Simone. Make Simone run and well, it is fine to chase after her. This place is not that big but still, there's a bit of room. Simone tears down the short hallway and into the bedroom. She zooms under the bed, Cleo in hot pursuit. Cleo has to stop as she is never going to fit under this bed. So she dashes around the sides and end of the bed, trying to see Simone. This goes alright until one time when she was laying at the end of the bed, peeking under at Simone.  All of a sudden, a little grey paw sticks out and Cleo goes bonkers! As Cleo runs to one side and is on her way around the end of my bed, Simone is long gone. Back up the hall and onto her favorite chair in the living room. I sit here laughing at it all. This goes on all day long. When I leave, however, Cleo is such a good dog. She'll sleep on my bed or on her bed in the big closet. When I return, it is as though I've been gone for months!  There's nothing better than a happy dog waiting for a person to get home.

 I miss having my hens because the 'store bought' eggs are pretty tasteless compared to farm-raised hens who lay eggs.  I really miss having my horses in my back yard TOO. Even though it is just flat out too hot to do other than groom or whatever, I miss being able to walk to the barn and be with them. I go every evening to feed and turn out then clean stalls, wash buckets, etc, and re-bed. It's nice to know they will both have fresh clean smelling stalls to be in the next day.  There's nothing better than being in a barn, I think.  Yeah- even when it is beastly hot out. 

People are beginning to ask me when I'm going to begin 'dating'. Ummmm, I am not interested in it at all, so it will be a while before that happens. Heck, not even divorced yet.  Hahaha- I liken it to when newlyweds are visiting parents who keep asking " when are you going to get pregnant?"   So - dating isn't in the picture at this moment. That could change and quickly, but so far? Nah.  Way too many strange men "out there'' anyways.  No thanks. I find that many women in their 50's and more can't meet men who haven't any problems. I'm not looking at all; had my fill of strange men already.

My little tomato plant isn't so little any longer! I had to stake it so it would have to stop leaning over. There are dear little tomatoes on it, and daily when I give the plant water, I check to see if they are beginning to ripen. Not so far. :(  It'll be grand fun to have fresh tomatoes sprinkled w/ Old Bay seasoning  The flowering plants are busily making flowers and they make the deck look so cheery.  Very different from how I lived most of my life- so very different! 

I hope everyone had a good Independence Day. Here it was like a war zone with the fireworks. I read about a Recycling plant that was completely destroyed that evening. Investigations are going on but many folks think it was due to fireworks being exploded close by.  Where the Girls live, some idiots were shooting them off so close to the back pastures. People have no idea of the hysteria that happens to prey animals. Horses are prey animals and when they get scared, they run to attempt to get away. They will try to jump fences, run right through them. Dogs who don't like loud noises?  Cleo is one of them, and she is absolutely terrorized. She slinks back to my closet and "hides'' until she thinks it safe to come out. Humans don't seem to think of outlying problems- but more themselves. If they got to see the panic in a group of horses maybe they'd understand some?  I highly doubt it with some of them.  I'm glad the 4th of July is over. I love seeing fireworks, but not if someone's animals are being scared so badly they get injured.

 Enjoy your summer! Most horse folks won't unless they have a big pool to leap into or a boat to take out on a river/bay or ocean. OR if you just Love the heat/humidity??   Go for it- enjoy :)

Below is my idea of "boating" 

Then how it REALLY would be :

Have a great July!!!

''Summertime and the livin' is easy"

 7/1/21

Horse folks, carpenters, farmers, and anyone else who has to work outside in the summer - I don't think they'd all agree.  No- for we horse people summer is being fly bitten, sunburned, sweaty, dirty, and pretty much looking like something the proverbial cat dragged in a pile of crud.

Sadly this year I truly have a 'farmer tan', but it's alright, I guess. Hahahaa- it's not like I am going out to black-tie affairs or anything, where I'd need to have more. If I do?  How about those bottle tans? Wonder how they'd work?  Hmmm........

Having just two mares to look after is plenty this time of the year. Used to be, I would have had a barnful of horses. Nowadays?  Just the two. Actually, if you consider Briana is only half-sized, I have one and a half horses!   I enjoy them even when it is close to 95 outside and hotter in the sunshine. The darned humidity is what does me in.  When I visited Utah a while ago, it was hot, but none of this 'glistening" routine from here. It's miserable- and anyone who understands how it feels to attempt to do anything outside understands.

I clean stalls with sweat dripping off my nose and hair and eventually, I find a hose and soak my hair some. That really helps. Eventually, it all begins again though. The one wonderful thing about this farm I'm boarding at is that there's usually a breeze blowing. One can step outside and almost get cooled off a little. Now- that breeze in winter is going to be COLD as can be.  Add humidity and it will chill a person to the bones. I have some windproof winter coats so I "should" be ok.

The Girls are doing quite well other than being picked on. Gosh, I hate seeing bite marks and kick scrapes on them! Once things get switched from one pasture to the other one, and two horses leave, I'm sure it'll be better. At least I hope so- OR I win a giant Lottery and can buy my own little place. But for now?  They'll survive and I'll keep a close eye on them to ensure nothing is happening. 

The flies there are Horrible! No fly control whatsoever, no manure removal, or anything like that. I wish I could have talked everyone into using the Fly Predators I have used on my farms for many decades. They do Work!  Fly spray protection only goes so far... and if no one seems to be irritated by manure laying around in fields, or that sort- I can't change it.  It is an Amish-run farm and the owner either doesn't know or doesn't care about flies and the diseases they can spread. ugh.

Jaide has been getting her 'calming' powder in her feed now for almost a month and wow, what a difference!! She's almost feeling like she has finally relaxed into being "just Jade" and not some maniacal racing matching. I am liking her more than before too :) 

Briana is the same silly little power-pack she has always been. I think there's white clover in that field as she has the ''spits'' earlier this year.  White clover will do that to horses- it makes a reaction that shows up as excess slobber. When my Percherons would have this it was around mid to late August and omgosh, the slobbers from them, let's just say it is incredible.  Briana is nothing compared to those huge faces dripping spit.  ( I know, ewwwwwwwwww, gross)

 One time we had been hired to attend a company picnic at a church camp in late July.  It was hot and humid, so I brought a lot of fly spray for the team. Each time we'd head out with a new load of people in the hayride wagon, we would pause by the hose and I would hose the greys off well, then add fly spray. It worked well and they stayed basically comfortable. But the Slobber!!! I felt like I needed a 5-gallon bucket to catch it all, it was that awful. Of course, all the kids wanted to come " pet the horses" and I always asked mom or dad to please pick them up to pet the greys.  That did a great job until I was chatting with someone and failed to notice a dad and his little girl patting Lynn's nose. OH NO!!!!
 PICK  HER UP NOW!!!

The dad, as he scooped her up, looked at me like I was being so mean and nasty to them, but then?  The greys both let fly with a ton of spitty slobber to the pavement.  Yes-  Ewww, gross again.  He looked up at me in surprise and I explained it was caused by white clover in their pastures. He laughed and said that "Now he understood"   One dry little girl and a happy dad :)

Welcome to summer, white clover and giant horses slobbering. I like summer because everything is green or blooming or growing tall. The corn down here looks wonderful, the hay men got a great first cutting of hay and are looking forward to another one ( pending rain) at least. I love driving by a fresh-cut field of hay- mmmmmmmm - smells so good.

Lately, it's been too hot to get any driving in so those two have been having a mini vacation. At least Briana has due to Jaide needing a bigger harness and vehicle.   One of these days I'll be able to drive Jaide, just no time soon. 

Hope you have been enjoying your summer and if there are vacation trips? Let them be wonderful memories being made!

MUCK!!!

25.6.21

Yeah, Muck!  At the barn where I board my Girls, there's a continuous mud puddle in front of the gates. It is apparently from dumping the giant water tub so one can scrub it clean. I think keeping a big water tub clean is Wonderful- don't get me wrong.   I just wish it was elsewhere so that manure-laden puddle isn't right in front of a gate. 

It's unhealthy, will be a good breeding place for mosquitos, and is generally not healthy for horses or humans. I can personally attest to the human side.               <  Laughing>

This evening I opened the gate so Jaide could walk in. Of course, that meant I had to try to dodge the muck puddle. Hahahaaa- it didn't work so well. Jaide balked. I can't really blame her but don't do it while the human is trying her best to not get stuck.

So there we were, another loose horse wandering about, and my sneaker got stuck in the muck. Yep- my left sneaker got left behind and there I was with Jaide ( who now was realizing her "mom" was having some sort of physical breakdown.)  Remember- I'm not 25 any longer... There we were doing this very weird dance, Jaide and I. She was doing her best to stay away from me and also to not step on me. (good Jaide). I was trying to regain balance and not have to step in the crap anymore than I had to. I was holding on to the metal gate, and I saw glimpses of my poor mare freaking out at my antics.  

I finally gave up and saw the ground had gotten dry so I plopped down, Jaide was there, not really sure just what she should do, so she was still. (Good Jaide!) I was angry at it all because there's not one reason other than dump-age that muck puddle should even be there.  The gal who was there was so scared I had gotten hurt but no, nothing serious, thank goodness. I know I'll feel it tomorrow but basically, okay  :)

I'm alright and Jaide most likely thinks I have finally lost it mentally... She'll be alright though- there's a lot of down-home common sense in that mare. The same with Briana- they're both good girls. 

Thank goodness!

( thanks to Barewalls for the above cartoon)

It's Alright

 6/24/21

I find it interesting how life changes- no matter what age, it will change. Sometimes it is brought on by another, sometimes by the actual creator of the change to come. I find the change is tough on some occasions. Then once I get used to it all, it becomes alright.

And it has. I miss having my horses right outside my window, but they're only a 10-minute drive away and for that, I'm happy and fortunate. I began giving Jaide a calming addition on her horse feed and it seems to be working well. She's much happier and is relaxed, which is wonderful. Briana doesn't need anything like that as she's already laid back enough. They both seem happy as can be living where they are. I'm meeting more of the gals who board there also and all are very nice. Helpful and want to have the place look a little nicer too. I'm all for that as well.

The weather in Maryland is the same as I remember. Humid and summers are hot. Lately, however, there is a cycle of hot/ humid days, then a big storm or four and they clean out all the wicked heat. The next few days are simply gorgeous.  It's all coming back and is getting more familiar.

Still don't know where I'll end up permanently but it will happen and then life will be good. In the meantime, I'm here in a small apartment that is very comfortable.

I've been dealing with a ton of thinking about who I'm becoming. So far I like 'her' a lot and hope I can still keep moving forward in an adult manner. Hahahaaa- until the 6-year-old in me shows up again.  ;) 

Wishing you all a glorious summer and remember to take that suntan lotion along on long rides.

Oh-I forgot! I have had to grow more herbs due to leaving my others back in PA. They're really coming along nicely. The best part is that I have one tomato plant and it has created a dear little tomato! No- wait, there were two there today. I found some sticks to help the plant stay upright and a piece of baling twine around it for support. Hope it works!

Stay safe everyone!

Getting settled in.

 5.18.21

Well, THIS has been different!  Apartment living isn't what I want to do for a permanent thing but it works for now. It is more expensive than I wanted but for a while?  It will be alright, I suppose.

The little animals are very settled into apartment living- even Simone! Cleo is happy where I am, so she's cool with anything. It took Simone almost a week before she would dare to walk down the hall to the bedroom. Now?  She comes sash-saying down, fluffy tail waving in the air, to say "Hi!"   However, Cleo is always eager to be a bully, which is getting better daily. There is a sliding glass door for them both to sit and watch the world go by and they both like it.

My mares..... 

Sadly it turns out that Jaide, the newish Standardbred mare, is not doing so well. It took her a few weeks to get used to her new pals and she began picking on one mare quite badly. Chasing/ kicking and generally being a bitch. There are only a few things that don't fly w/ me and one IS a kicker. Having an argument is one thing but to just act like a snot?  Oh heck no.  It's tough too- as I am not there all the time to see this. I was told by a couple of gals there and we decided to put both mares into another field. Ha!  I saw Jaide in action. The other horses were letting Briana and Jaide both realize who was new and who already had a clique formed. Jaide swung around and let fly. Oooooooooooooo- that made me so mad at her. She'd aimed for another horse in another pasture and kicked a gal, trying to hit the other horse.

Well, that was enough- not dealing w/ a horse that is semi-dangerous. Not ever. So Jaide is being returned to the rescue she came from. I'll never take a chance with someone being kicked by a horse I own. Due to my being so darned busy I had no time to bond with her. Sure, she saw me as the carrot lady but not a Real bond between us. 

Poor Briana.  She is slightly bullied by what I call a 'smother mother" ; the kind of horse that is so un-self confident that her FRIEND is never allowed out of her vision.  I will miss her but as above, we didn't have the time to get close.  I feel so badly that I have to let her go- and hope she will get a new home where it isn't a boarding situation.  I imagine Briana will enjoy being the 'only equine' again. She has a brand new bestie called Diva in the new pasture. They seem to get along well.  When I was leading Briana out to the pasture this evening, Diva saw her, nickered to her, and trotted over happily. :)When I left, they were grazing side by side.  Everyone needs a pal.

 Let's seeee....  slowly but surely I'm finding things I 'knew' I had brought with me!  Each time I open a box, I find myself thinking " Oh, There you are!"  < grins>

There are two new foals on the farm!  American Saddlebreds, I believe.  The owner is Amish and has little to say to me.  Oooooooooooooooooookay- I'm pleasant and that's about it. I'll have to take my camera and try to get some photos of them. I love the foals and certainly miss having them around. 

 Hope this finds everyone in good health and virus FREE. ( Have You gotten your vaccine yet???)  

< winks>

 Have a good week!

 

Springtime in Maryland...

4.14

Is Beautiful! I had forgotten how nice it can be in Northeastern Maryland this time of year.

 The mares are going to begin being outside with some other horses ( which I didn't want ever) and I hope my little short fat pony holds her own w/ them. I get a little concerned as no way do I want her injured. Way too much money invested AND I love her! Jaide can certainly hold her own but Briana is a good bit smaller. :( 

  The Littles have adapted to this life really well. I'm always surprised at how well they do that.  Simone actually Wants to be out of her bedroom and wanders all over, sniffing this and checking out that.  All Cleo wants to do is have me throw her Loggie!  I have been a little afraid to let her off leash during the weekdays but during the weekends we have been working on that. She is doing pretty good so far- but All of those Smells!! Hahahaa- Like her former owner said, she is like a Beagle or Bloodhound. Maybe when she's listening perfectly, we can have a game of "throw something for Cleo to retrieve" 

Just a couple more weeks and the farm I thought was going to be "ours" will be sold. Terribly mixed feelings concerning that. I look at photos and it seems like a long time ago I was there. In all actuality, it's only been a few weeks.

< sighhh>  There will be another little place for me and the Girls one day. I just need to find the right piece of heaven.

If anyone would like to tell me about the good and the bad parts of their favorite place, Please feel welcome to do so. "sell me" on it. ;) 

Other than heading to the farm where the girls are, life is pretty dull here.WAY to people-y for me. I can do it but I am really wanting my own place.  Stay tuned I suppose.

Below is Jaide in her new stall...

Their stalls...Briana would Not look out at me; too busy finding hay

and .... A wild Canada Goose that was taking a break in the storage unit place!

Whewwww

 4.8.21

 Moving is danged hard work! It was only me doing the packing and for certain, I have WAY to much "stuff". I do want to get thru some of it if possible while I am here, but the boxes are piled so high, I am not sure.

 The mares are settling in nicely after a couple of days of insanity. Seems they were Siamese twins so far as their brains were concerned... Briana was pretty good but hasn't been out a lot so she was pretty scared while Jaide began screaming if she lost sight of Bri.  Good grief. Yesterday, I put Briana in a round pen for some exercise and Jaide stood in her stall, screaming bloody murder! Luckily Briana hasn't a loud whinny so Jaide still didn't hear her. So the screaming continued for a while. Then we turned Jaide out in a pasture w/ 4 other boarders and she knew all too well how to not get hurt. Wow, do I ever wish I still rode!  That mare can move like a dream. Potential dressage horse big time.  Tonight?  Briana and Jaide are going out together tonight.

That will work out well as there will be no horses other than them and they can go out with their own hay so life will be good. When I was in PA, the grass was coming in so nicely, but these pastures here tend to be overgrazed and I sure do hope something can grow!  Otherwise, it will be hay feeding all year long. The farm is beautiful though- when it was cared for and all, it must have been gorgeous!  I imagine it will return to its former glory as the owners are working hard to get it back again.

Cleo and Simone ( my barn kitty) have settled in just fine. Simone had a few tough days but is now happy, eating and using her litter pan- Yay

Me? Ehhhhh, this isn't what I thought I would be doing at this time in my life, but I am finding peace and learning to relax somewhat. Once I have a 'routine' of sorts it will be better for sure. 

This area has always been a little odd and I see that it is still odd. A couple of days ago, I was driving thru town and saw a fella dressed in a red pantsuit trimmed in gold with a gold cape. He was attempting to direct traffic but everyone responded to the traffic lights more. Then yesterday, on my way to the farm, I had to slow down for a lady talking on her phone, with a baby stroller. She was in the middle of the road though, just standing there. She finally moved over for me to drive by and in that baby stroller was no baby human, but her DOG.  Oooookayyyy

 

Stay tuned for more adventures in Maryland!

We are ALL here!

 4.6.21

 Finally! It was a hard lot of work to do alone, let me tell ya. 

  The movers ( YAY Spirit Moving Company in Harrisburg, PA!!!!!) arrived and so did my sister and her husband, Joe. Moving was terribly stressful and there are things I wanted to be for the barn that ended up in the storage unit, and things - well, they're just all over the place! I have yet to find Cleo's bag of bones, and many other items.  Stay tuned on that though...

   The mares, Jaide n' Briana were being hauled down by a good friend but Jaide decided she wasn't leaving the farm.  Briana ( who I figured might be a PITA) was just super though. At long last and a butt rope, Jaide decided she would get in the trailer.  They didn't get here until 10:30 last night... then we had to off load all of the STUFF that was brought along.  Needless to say, I didn't get to sleep until after 2 AM. Laurel, my friend drove back to PA, and I know she's exhausted now.

 There is still a lot to get sorted out with the barn arrangements and all but so far, so good. 

 Now, if I can keep on getting enough rest!

 Hope your Easter holiday was great :) 

Moving Day!

 4/1/21

 The farm has been sold, closing is the end of April, and tomorrow is moving day for me, and 'the girls' : Briana, Jaide, Cleo and Simone`.  I have been packing and figuring out where things fit or will go, what to leave behind, and now?  I don't think I could find a thing in them all! I did label what's inside on some- but there were many packed a year ago ( when I was told the farm was being sold....) and those?  I will look at them as opening Christmas gifts because I'll have no idea...  :)

 And so it goes. A dear friend of mine is moving the mares for me which will save me a LOT of money. And I trust her completely too- which really helps.

The movers will be here tomorrow AM and get started. My sister and hubby are coming up w/ a little trailer they own and we will be putting things in it that I will need where I am staying. Ha- like Clothes!! And shampoo and deodorant!

 For those of you who do not know, this move is a divorce situation. I know the ex-to-be has been trying to be polite and easy going- which I really appreciate, and once the farm is sold, we'll get busy on the divorce to be accomplished.

 Yes- it has been really difficult to handle it all; organizing, planning, finding somewhere for me that accepts good pets, a farm for the mares that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, or one's firstborn. Then to find the money for it all. Luckily I have known that I was done with it all a while ago and saved money for all of this.  So far so good though. After the farm closing is done, I will ponder just what I want to do with the rest of my life. 

There have been many tears and thoughts of how long I want to play 'the game' of being married still. Before I just left , that is. So much in the way of soul searching also- about how very slowly, everything I am was removed and here I am.  A 'nothing' at this point.  I'm a survivor though and will return. Not as full-on, like before because I simply wanted to retire up here and ended up with a nice enough farm that Needed to be used. That never happened, so now?  I AM retiring!  Still the horsewoman I always have been, but just a little more "kicked back". Wanting to enjoy my four girls, and live in peace and quiet is my goal. Go for long walks, visit with some people if I choose.  It will finally be a peaceful calm life.

 Wish me luck on this new chapter of life!  I should change the subtitle to "random meanderings of an Old horsewoman" !!  (:p 

MANY DIFFERENCES

 There have been many different things that happened since I last wrote a post here. 

 First, winter was gentle on me- just one big snowstorm to deal with, thank goodness. All of the animals made out perfectly. I sold my hens because they were at a great age to find a new home, and I was cutting back in animal care.

The second is that this farm sold in the first part of March. Mixed reactions from me as I thought this was where I would die after living here in peace and quiet.

  Ever since, I have been doing yet More packing and then more packing.  I wish I had gone about it much differently. Instead of counting on others, I should have just done a ( as my ex used to say) a Ridding Out.  AKA- toss everything but what I NEED. As it is, I was in a hurry, thinking that things were moving fast when they were not.

 Ha- so here I am with a ton of what I expect to be unwanted/ needed when I get to where I am going.  Where ever that is.

Thirdly:  there is a new mare here. She and Briana are friends with a fence between. She is a registered Standardbred mare and is quite the "thang". Why this mare ever ended up at a sale and purchased by a true kill buyer is beyond me, but there she was.  In her past, she won over $130 thousand dollars for her owners in races.  She is a pacer but trots a lot when loose in the pasture. A huge floaty trot too.  Great extensions with a ton of forwarding power coming from her hindquarters. She is full of herself now, and is proving to be a well-mannered, well-handled mare- so someone loved her in her past. I really like her a lot and as she loses her winter coat, I am seeing a beautiful swan appearing in what used to be a dirty sad goose.

Forth- I am leaving this farm alone and it has been very hard to deal with. We have both done our best to kill this whole thing and he never wanted to REALLY live in the country anyhow. So I'll be on my own and it is scary, but am a survivor and will make it through. At least I hope I will! 

My plan is to chart all of this new adventure here, so be sure to check back frequently! 

In the mean time, here is a not so good photo of Jaidens Fortune ( Jaide at the barn)  The first was what I saw from the kill pen 

then she is here! And eating hay happily

Still has those awful tags on and dirty as can be- first day out...

Welcome, Cleo!

 11.11.20

Firstly:

Here's to a BIG Thank you to all of the veterans!!!  Thank you for fighting, working, and doing all you can to keep this country Safe.

After I lost my Sadie, I had pretty much decided 'no more dogs' right now. My heart ached too much and just felt awful. A few weeks passed and still, I didn't want another dog in my life. I'd looked at some rescues but nothing tempted me. I didn't want any more giant bulldogs at all. 

 One day I was catching up with some friends on social media and saw a message from a gal I know. She loves horses and would just move into the tack room if possible. Her mom had had some terrible things happen in her life and needed to find a home for her animals. What my friend had in mind was a home for a certain dog if I was ready to love another one yet.  I told her 'no, I didn't think so'. 

 

About a week later, she put a post on her page about the dog... She was a Border Collie and was completely house trained and more.

She hadn't posted any photos yet, so I wrote and asked to see some.  The dog was so cute and I was hooked.

The gal told me that if I wanted, they could bring the dog over for me to meet, and I said yes.

It took about a week before we got a good time for us all to meet.

Cleo and her 'mom' and my friend arrived right on time that Saturday.

Oh my gosh, what a sweet dog! She knew how to retrieve, and do all kinds of fun things. She didn't pay much attention to me, which was normal as I held no importance in her life. She was friendly but truly loved her 'mom' and it showed.

I decided Cleo might be a good fit in my life and on this farm. We got things sorted out and that my friend was going to bring back all of Cleo's things. Cleo's mom cried at letting her go but knew it had to happen. I got teary-eyed also- I knew how it felt to do that very thing. To say Goodbye...

They drove off and Cleo broke my heart by sitting at the door, waiting for her mom to come back to get her. It was so sad... Finally she came into my office and stayed there with me. We went out for a walk and when we had returned to the house, my friend had returned with all of Cleo's things. How very kind to send her bones, and toys, along with her dog bed. She even sent some dog food to hold us until I could buy some. Wonderful instructions for Cleo, and information about her vaccinations, when they were due, and who her groomer was. I felt confident that we'd be alright after all.

That night, Cleo slept on the bed and was so quiet I hardly knew she was there. Ever since we have become very close. I love her totally by now and wonder what life was when she wasn't in it. She's incredibly intelligent and quick to learn anything. I have to be careful that she learns only good things. Cleo has been being a great watchdog for a few weeks now, barking her shrill bark, warning anyone who is outside that they'd better beware! 

 There happens to be a Border Collie on watch!

She comes to the barn with me when I go, when I leave to get errands done, if she can come along, she loves it. 
So we both are looking forward to many years of fun and laughter.

Below is Cleo with her most favorite toy- her "Loggie''

every night, we MUST take it with us to bed, or life isn't good.

She's watching my hand holding the tennis ball- set to take off to catch it.

Cleo waiting at the gate for me

Bringing her tennis ball to me

What a great friend she is!

Suzi from Pennsylvania con't.

 Suzi was setting in really well when I discovered she wasn't all sweetness and smiles.  One of the riding students went out to get her one afternoon and came back in saying that pony had tried to bite her!

"She WHAT??"

Yes- there was most likely the reason that pony had ended up at an auction sale. She bit people. She worked her way from students to the husband and thank gosh, it was winter.  Everyone had on big thick coats and there were no injuries. 

She really hadn't even a proper name yet and here she was biting people Not a good way to make pals, I'd say. 

One day the younger students and I had a meeting.  We had to come up with a name for " That Pony" and figure out how to go about her biting us. She'd not bitten me yet, but she had to be choosing a good time. Turns out she never did try to bite me- perhaps I'd been the one person who'd been kind to her?  She wasn't talkin...

We discussed what a good name was, and how to get her to not want to bite us every chance she got. One little boy said he kind of liked " joe" for a name until he learned That Pony was a girl... There were many names floating about for a while and all of a sudden someone blurted out " SUSIE!"  That was it- but we had to make it an 'official name'.  I can't remember how many times I've been asked " what is that horses' FULL name, Miss Kris??"  I didn't quite know what to say so I just added my last name on the tail end of theirs.  That worked fine... ''Susie". 

Hmmmm.......I asked what if we made her name a very special spelling?  How about "Suzi" ??  Short and sweet (that brought a lot of laughter) like she is.  That seemed to please everyone under the age of 12, so "That Pony" became Suzi. 

I had made an appointment with my equine dentist for early Spring of that year. As he was filing her teeth he asked me how old she was. I told him I'd been TOLD she was a 12 year old and he began laughing. I learned that day my pony was closer to being 25 years old! Alllllllllllllllright then!

That little gal knew how to drive, and she learned to be ridden easily. Many is the time I'd watch a student riding her only to watch her veer off to one side, and that student coming off. Suzi would trot back to the gate, I swear laughing the whole way. 

Suzi became a favorite of so many kids.  They all agreed that somewhere in her life, someone had been very mean to her. That was why she needed to show people she could hurt them. We learned about a big word "compassion" and understanding a pony who didn't speak English like we did. There were some who just wanted to groom her and 'make her beautiful'.   I bought her a brand new halter that was all hers, and she did grow more beautiful as she aged.

 Suzi also got so she accepted attention and yes, love, from we humans.

She surprised me constantly.  From driving all over the place, on the roads around the farm to being in a play. A local theatre group was going to present "The Wizard of Oz" and she got to be "the horse of a different color". Thanks to the guy handing the lights- she really DID change colors. Suzi's part in the play was to deliver Dorothy to the land of Oz towards the end. That pony was so wonderful- she learned to trot up steep concrete stairs and wait for me at the top. She stood quietly off stage, waiting for the singing to begin and she knew it was time for Suzi to go into the bright lights! And she stood there as the audience clapped and cheered. I'd hear a gasp of little people and comments like " OH A PONY!!!"  or "Mommy- look !"

I think Suzi realized it was her time to shine. She did, no doubt about it.

When I moved up here to Pennsylvania , I used her for a few riding lessons and she learned to canter and to not dodge the small jumps she was aimed towards. She was dressed up numerous times for Halloween and handled looking like a Princess or ballet dancer more than once.

When Suzi was around 48 yrs old (A guess on my behalf from what the dentist said long before) she needed to get her feed made into a gruel and she looked great. I remember one day, my old Appaloosa mare, Alli, and my younger one, Scarlet, and Suzi all romping about the barn area. They were so funny. Alli was blind in her right eye, so she kept swinging her head to see the others. Scarlet galloped and bucked - having a wonderful time. Suzi even tossed a few old lady bucks. I got some photos of them that day and cherish them because all three are gone now.

One cold day in December, Suzi developed a colic and even though the vet was out twice, we could get her past being so sick. When a pony or horse is so terribly ancient, one doesn't risk trying many things to get her feeling better. After trying a few different ideas, we decided to not try any longer. That Suzi had lived a long, contented life with me and to let her go in peace and love. She went to the Summerlands quietly and the other horses realized "our Suzi" had gone from us.

Alli- her best friend was very quiet for a few days and wanted to be close to me often. She grieved her little friends' death and was okay with it all eventually. 

My little pony who wasn't what I'd wanted turned out to be Just what I'd wanted after all.  She was friends with my Percheron mare, Lynn, when no one would be friends with her. She conquered her many fears, and taught us all so many things about old ponies who'd been abused.

 That, yes, they can learn that not all people will hurt them, and old ponies can learn to trust again. 

                                                          Suzi has an itch!

Scarlet during their big romp below.

Suzi was having a wonderful time too

"Our Suzi letting me know she just didn't wanna be a queen...

Suzi...

🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

Good Bye Sadie...

11.10.2020

This one has been taking me a long time to write because for a while, it was just to raw.

On August 28th, I had to make the decision to have my wonderful American Bulldog, Sadie, put to sleep. 

She'd been showing some signs of getting "old"- so I purchased her some Cosequin for dogs in hopes that would help her 11 year old joints.  It just didn't do much- but then again, I know that with some animals, herbal mixes/ holistic meds don't always work.

Then she began having troubles with breathing which just got worse. I made an appointment with the vet and had a time slot for a week later. ( apparently, the gal making appointments didn't see an older dog having trouble breathing wasn't considered much of an emergency) 

She was babied along and watched oh so closely during that week. The day of her appointment was the day she wasn't hungry.

She n' I arrived at the correct time and still had to wait to see the vet. It turned out to be an old friend of mine who'd taken our appointment. Sadie had been panting the whole time- and it wasn't "just stress".

We went into the room, and he checked her out, then drew some blood and came back and told me he wanted to ex-ray her chest. That there might be something going on with her heart. I consented and they took her to get it done.

The vet came out and asked me to come in as I needed to see something. There on my sweet Sadie's pix were her lungs.  Normally they are clear but Sadie's were black.  ( oh dear- here come the tears again)

I sensed that was a very bad thing to be seeing but I hadn't seen many pix of dog lungs. I looked at the vet and he nodded yes.  Cancer.

So I decided to let her go - that she didn't need to suffer more just so I could have one more day with her. I didn't feel a need to call my husband as she was my dog... I'd call him and let him know afterwards.

She got a shot to let her drift off to being present but out of it...  and then they lifted her up on the stainless steel table. That last drug was given to her and she left me very quietly. My sweet girl was more than ready to move on. There's nothing anyone can say at that point to help an owner feel easier or better. Doc just hugged me and told me that she was at peace. He had said a wonderful prayer for her as she was moving on, and I wanted to just scream out " WHY!?!?!?!?!?!  WHY, God?" 

When I was in the car, holding her collar and leash, I called home and delivered the bad news.

She was gone, and that was that. Not much was said at home but for telling him what had come to pass, and that was it.

I was lost- after losing SO many animals on this farm, Sadie was a blow. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to her yet, but I had to. No way will I ever allow an animal to suffer for my greediness for another day, or couple of days. She was ready, and couldn't let me know how sick she had gotten.  Talk about feeling guilty over not seeing her feeling so awful. Sadie was always so stoic and kind. Like Petey, she did her best to keep me smiling and loving her.

'Sadie- I did love you and am so horribly sad that I didn't notice when you tried to tell me you'd gotten so sick. I'll miss you for a very long time, and always remember how silly you were and how kind you were to all animals.' 

She was such a smart girl- and learned easily. Even things I didn't want her to learn

"WoodFinn's Rhapsody in White"

8/28/2020

Suzi from Pennsylvania.

  Quite a few years ago, a friend and mine went to what is now considered a 'kill auction' in Pennsylvania. I wanted another lesson pony and thought maybe, just maybe there'd be one for sale there on that day.  

Off we went, the day was a wonderfully sunny day but cold as it was December. We arrived a little late and a couple of large ponies I thought would do had already been sold. It was fine as I wasn't really thinking I would find The pony there. Back then, an auction was fun to attend. One didn't have to be concerned very much with the kill buyers being there and generally, the horses all had a reason why they were there but nothing like today's sales.

We looked around a little and climbed up in the bleacher seats to watch the horses get sold. The sale was winding down that day and I figured it was not going to happen. I wasn't going to find a perfect lesson pony that needed a little re-training and better care. We sat there, chatting with the people around us, and listening to the auctioneer do his thing. He called for 'any more horses left" ????  " Last Chance, folks!"

Nothing happened but in a minute, an Amish boy came into the ring leading a medium-sized " white" pony. Oh, she was fuzzy as can be and looked a little terrified.  All of the noise, the people so high up, and did I mention that noise?  I had learned to ignore it all but not a  little white pony who'd not ever been to a sale before.

She was cute and of course, my friend poked me in the side saying " Look!!  That's a cute pony!"  I didn't really want to bid for her as no one rode her, not the right size and I had driven my fancy pants car. Left the truck/trailer at home. All of a sudden she raised her arm up and waved at the auctioneer.  " Here!! "

He took her bid and I looked at her like she was crazy. Long story short, we bought that little dirty white 'wrong sized' pony for just a little bit of money. Now how to get her home to Maryland? Not being prepared at all for a pony mare that so far as I knew, wasn't trained at all.

I called my husband back then, telling him that if possible, take some time off from his job, and bring the rig to the sale. I told him I had purchased a Percheron, and needed a ride home. We had a good 2 hrs to hang around, waiting for him to arrive. We walked over to where "the pony" was tied.  It was a mare which was nice. She was small- we guessed between 12-13 hands tall and the Amish guy told us that he'd bought her out of Ohio where she was pulling kids around in a little cart all day.  Ok- so Maybe she knew how to drive? He told me he thought she was "around 12".  I knew better as I'd been to a few auctions in my time. "Around 12" meant she could be any age from 10- 30 yrs old. The pony didn't want me to see how old she was and I didn't argue with her. 

Finally, the husband showed up, bless his heart. She jumped right into the giant stock trailer and stood quietly. I thought that was a good thing also. Off they went,  my friend and I followed behind.  Got home safely, put her in a stall down at the end of the barn in case she came brewing an upper respiratory infection as many horses develop when at sales. Luckily she didn't get sick at all, in fact she settled in really easily. I got a chance to look her over better the next day and liked how she was built. Nothing outstanding but sound and basically healthy. Maybe I didn't do so badly after all.  She got turned out in a small area - away from the other horses again.

And that began my friendship with "Summer Storm"... AKA - Suzi. Stay tuned for more of her tales!

 

A wedding at the barn

 I have no idea if I posted about this or not, but a few years ago I was reading on a Facebook page for local things going on. There was a plea from a gal who was getting married but had lost the venue they'd chosen. Just a series of confusion that led to bad things happening... and there they were.  With nowhere to have their wedding.

Figuring I could do a really nice thing and ask if they'd like to be married on the farm. In writing to her, I explained that it had lovely grounds with a paved parking lot and a drive to the farm. A perfect place for a wedding, IF she thought it would suit. Oh, she was thrilled and within a few days, the couple had come over to see if it would work for them. It was to be a casual, relaxed country wedding- and yes, it would be perfect! 

The day before the wedding, all of the decorations were delivered and they chose to use the barn for their reception- the food would all be set up there, along with drinks, etc.  If it happened to rain, it could easily work fine inside my huge barn. The horses were a little amazed at it all and watched with interest. Percherons never mind when odd things going on at their 'house' - not in the least. Even the saddle horses were watching it all.

The day dawned a gorgeous sunny morning - not a cloud in sight. What a wonderful day for a country wedding!

Folks began arriving, the bride had got there a little early as she was going to change into her gown in the tack room. I brought my camera up as there didn't seem to be anyone with more than a phone.  At least a few really nice shots would be great for them.

It went off without a hitch. They got married, and everything was fine. I got a few fun photos for them and left them all to enjoy the afternoon. What a wonderful day for me and the newlyweds. Sometimes things come along where one can change a disaster into a great celebration. That day, I was able to.