Tag Archives: farm life

Week update!

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We have had ZERO vet visits this week! That is a great statistic! It has been a busy week. Temperatures dipped down in the 30’s for the first time this season. We had gotten out blankets for all the horses and got everyone settled in for the night.

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Snow, Mick and Feather

Lauren and I, warmly settled in the living room, came up with a new game we call Bullock Ball (after the place kicker for the Texans who can’t seem to kick anything). I was lying on the couch while Lauren was reclining way back in the leather chair. We took Kona’s squeaky toy football and pitched it at one another. The object was to make contact with your foot, kicking the ball across the room so Kona would retrieve it. We were not very good at it, thus the name Bullock ball! I bet you wish you could hang out with us!

The next evening I met Lauren and Feather for a lesson with Dev. We hadn’t been to a lesson in a few weeks. The weather has been rainy and we have not been able to ride. Feather acted like she had never missed a day. Lauren asked her to jump a little higher. They have work to do to be real fluid but this mare continues to improve.

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Amanda and Lauren getting the hay to the barn

Thursday we were lucky enough to get in one more cutting of hay. I had 300 bales sold. We have never had a hay cutting after the time had changed from day light savings time. It got dark way too fast. The baler stopped baling, the truck and hay trailer got stuck in the mud. (I kept moving hay while the men figured out how to pull out the rig.)

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But my new Chevy 2500 truck came in handy when it pulled both the Dodge dually truck and trailer with 125 bales of hay out of the mud!

I drove home tonight looking forward to a pretty quiet weekend of some chores and baby sitting. I turned the corner onto my road. You know how you get a glimpse of something but it is too unbelievable to be true? Well, I thought I saw my house in the middle of the street!

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Well, it wasn’t my house, but it was a house. It was taking up the entire road. It was skimming the power lines at every house it passed. It went slowly. I saw the hay trailer collecting today’s hay and was grateful not to be unloading it. I was also grateful when the moving house successfully passed my home leaving my electrical service intact.

Thanks for riding along!

Don’t Blink

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Bruno, his stitches covered with his fly mask, interested in what I am bringing to his pasture.

Bruno, his stitches covered with his fly mask, gleaming in good health, is interested in what I am bringing to his pasture.

There was one glorious moment on Sunday, when I was standing in the pasture, the blue sky running on forever, the horses contentedly eating the green grass, Bruno helping with the chores, Kona and Lula by my side, the rest of dogs safe in the backyard, all my kids and grandkids healthy and happy and mom relatively sane that I thought my life is amazing!  And it is.

When I blinked again, I saw that Mickey was still walking with a serious limp, rain was on the horizon, the Texans were losing yet another game (at least they looked better doing it) and I had a ton of work to do.

But the moment in the pasture was a good realization for me.  I tend to get worked up and overwhelmed with the things I need to fix instead of acknowledging the things that are right and good in the world.  I was on my own Sunday.  Friday night spent in the hauling of Pixie to Pine Hill and the associated nerves that accompany the selling of any horse.

Saturday dawned with lots of horse chores to catch up on after several days of rain and Jordyn and Kendyll coming to visit for the day.  Immediately after we picked them up, we headed to my mom’s.  She recognized the kids (although I do not think she has ever understood Kendyll’s name).  We closed the door to her room and just let Kendyll roam as a toddler does, picking up everything from shoe horns to empty “Boost” bottles as she created a path of destruction across her great grandma’s room.  Lauren turned on the popular “what does the fox say” song. We all got up and danced along.  Even momma!  I tried to get Lauren to video this moment of quality family entertainment but she failed to capture the essence of four generations of dancing fools.  Momma had a great time.

My mother and her great granddaughter, Kendyll, having a serious conversation.

My mother and her great-granddaughter, Kendyll, having a serious conversation.

Later, Lauren went off with Blake for opening day of deer season and I was left with the kids.  A friend came by and I think he was shocked by the general disarray of my house.  Kendyll had taken out most of my books and spread them about.  I asked which dogs he wanted to see (he takes care of them when we travel) and he said all of them.  Then we had seven excited dogs, two children and a hundred books in the living room.  What a mess!

The rescued kitten, Levi-formerly Esther, is much improved and certainly going to be around for the long run.  He is absolutely enamoured with the Yorkie, PuppyGirl and they play constantly.  It is a flying ball of grey kitten and long-haired Yorkie, rolling, flying, biting and scratching from one end of the house to the other!

Can you tell where dog ends and kitten begins?

Can you tell where dog ends and kitten begins?

I think Sunday’s calm, beautiful demeanour was soothing to me after the hectic days I have had.  I am hanging on to the image of Bruno and the blue sky stretching out with endless promise.

Up and down at the Farm

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Kona jogging along the hay bale wall as Lauren and I walk along.

After spending most of last week, scared and concerned for Bruno, Sunday was a little bit of a let-down from the huge emotional roller coaster we had been on.

But life had continued during our hard Bruno week. I managed to get momma’s hair, finger and toe nails done on Wednesday. It was a little difficult to maneuver her up into the big chair, her smiling face was enough thanks.

I saw the orthopedic surgeon Wednesday, too. My MRI results were much as I feared. But I will take my time, doing therapy, swimming, and trying not to use the bad arm more than I have to do.
The doc told me the rotator tear takes six months to heal. So, I am halfway through it. He told me swimming was great but not freestyle. Each time I swam, I started out doing free. Then my shoulder ached the rest of the day and night. When I swam next, I only did backstroke and breast. I easily swam my old workout. Maybe not in my old time, but using both arms every stroke. It was pretty inspiring. Just need to slow down and work what I can.

Jordyn finished up her camp at Whipple Tree, trotting along, both under saddle and bareback. Definitely a resounding success!

About a year ago, I told the story of Amber’s family losing giant Irish Wolfhound, Miller in a tragic accident. Today, their new pup, Nellie, celebrates her first birthday. Sadness grows into bright smiles over time.

Sunday, Lauren went off jet skiing with Blake. I spent some time with mom, cleaned around the barn and worked several hours on office stuff. It all went more easily with no interruptions. I got my work done and was off to bed.

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Lexi when she first met Nellie. Both grew a lot this year.

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Happy Birthday, Nellie!

Dogs and Hay

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Lauren on top of the flat-bed while hay is loaded from the field. At this point I was doing the labor intensive job of counting the bales that were loaded.

It was balmy and warm  this morning in comparison to the last several days. It was morning for me, although only 4 am, while I did not think about it a whole lot, I figured, I will just leave the door to the tack room open.  I usually close it up when the wind is blowing or it is cold.  I didn’t think about the pack of dogs, it wasn’t night any more (I was up, wasn’t I?-must be morning) so I thought it was past the time the pack would show up.

I was already at work, but it was still dark when Lauren heard the dogs in the house starting barking like crazy.  She rushed to the barn to find three dogs inside the tack room, another kitten dead and food scattered all over.  Of course, they ran off before she could do anything.  What she would have done, is unclear as her gun is at her boyfriends (I know we are just not good Texans!).  As I was discussing this with my vet friend this morning, even she said, it is time to kill the freakin’ dogs. 

We have everything locked up tight tonight and I will not make the tack room door mistake again.  I can’t find my Matt Cat (several days gone now) and my last neutered male has disappeared as well.  Not to make light of this situation, because my heart is very heavy, but my cat overpopulation problem is not a problem anymore.

Tonight was the last hay cutting for the year.  We will need to make do with the hay from this cutting until spring-or buy some high-priced feed store hay.  I called my friends and between four families of horse owners collected almost 290 bales of hay.  Lauren and I were in on moving and stacking at least half of that.  I am tired but satisfied that we are as well set as we can be.  This year was a good year for hay, so it is plentiful.  But it will be nice to have it stacked and stored when it gets cold and wet.