One step forward and two steps back

Yesterday I was so excited because I saw my pair of barn swallows again for the first time flitting around the big barn looking for a place to build their nest. I dont know why but there one from last year fell down, I thought it was pretty secure but obviously it wasnt. So now they are flitting around singing and looking for a new place. I meant to put that in my blog yesterday but forgot.

This morning our home health aide came in just before 8am and told me that my neighbor had hit and killed my Huggy Cat with her car and not even noticed. I am not going into details here but I am very upset and it is a sad day for me. This was the most loving soft cat I have ever known and came to me about 5 years ago from who knows where with the end of his tail all bloody like it had been shut in a door. I called him huggy cat because when you picked hm up he would lay as flat against you as he could and put his paws on each side of your neck like he was hugging you. He had severe allergies and as a result couldnt hear very well because he was always very congested. I will miss you my little friend.

I may post again later but just wanted to post this for now. I know you arent all cat lovers but my 4 barn cats have been with me a while and Huggy made a great photo subject. I took these threepictures all within the last few weeks.

Lori

13 January 2008

I am afraid it is another muddy horse image of two of the "babies" playing again. We had a beautiful sunny day yesterday and today was the exact opposite. The only picture I have managed in the past few days is the one below of Huggy Cat sitting on the seat of the riding mower.

I actually managed to get to visit all of my favorite blogs today and leave long overdue comments on each of them so I feel that I have achieved something today LOL.

Abraham, I have started visiting Pioneer Woman's blog regularly, she is very entertaining and her photos are wonderful so thank you for pointing me in her direction. For any of you who have not been there yet, her blog is worth a visit. http://thepioneerwoman.com/ . You asked about the metal curry combs, yes we still have them but I use a rubber one, flexible and better for their coats. When the horses have been out in the mud and it is cold, I bring them in at night and close the barn up to stop draughts so they can dry out and not get sick. Once the mud is dry it brushes off quite easily and actually cleans their coats. That is one way that they get rid of dead hair and skin, roll in the dust or mud. When I put new sawdust in their stables that is the first thing they all do, roll in it and you would be surprised at how quickly they clean themselves up. On the subject of seeing my horses go to their new homes, yes it is really hard even if I know it is a good one, they are like my children, I am just a bit softie I am afraid.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes I appreciate them.

Mike Happy Birthday for the 12th, who would have thought LOL. Believe me my horses arent really that active, it is only for short periods when I first put them out after they have been cooped up for a day or two and then just bursts when they feel good, they only last a minute or two at the most so they are not easy to capture with all the elements for a good photo in place LOL So in other words mine are mostly like those ones you pass on the highway, browsing lazily in their fields.

CG none of my horses are kickers either, this is just play fortunately. On the subject of being kicked or bitten, I was once bitten really badly on my chest by a mare who had just had a foal, she had never shown any agression in her life but she turned on me and believe me you dont want to be bitten by a horse either if they really mean it. My whole chest area was bruised, black and blue for 6 weeks afterwards and I felt like I had broken ribs and had difficulty and pain for weeks when I was breathing. This was Wiggle's mom, the mare we lost last year while she was foaling. She must have been having a hormonal problem because she never got her milk in and I had to hand raise the baby. The baby also arrived a few weeks early which didnt help her with her milk production etc. and the vet had given her a hormone shot to try to bring her milk in. She attacked me with all of her 1100 lbs behind her and believe me it hurt like heck.

Well I am making a concerted effort to catch up everyone's questions and visits over the past few months. I hope you all had a great weekend. (((((Hugs))))) see yall tomorrow.

Lori

xx

23 November 2007

Huggy Cat on the new fence

L-R : Wiggle, Cayenne, Lori, BB & Girl Sonny

Cayenne, Wiggle and BB (these three were born the same year)

Dee and Dawn, two of the yearling fillies.

After a couple of very soggy days and a pretty cold one yesterday, dank and dreary, we had a beautiful day filled with mostly sunshine today, with some periods of cloudy weather but in general it was cold but pleasant.



I fed the starving masses and then put them out in the fields and they were very happy to be out in the fresh air. The one new spicket (water hydrant) that I had replaced in the main barn had started leaking during the night and I got into a barn under water this morning, just what I needed with the cold and no chance of it drying very easily. I baled water, threw down sawdust to soak up the remaining water and managed to make an adjustment to the faucet which seems to have solved the problem, we will see tomorrow morning!!!! I also managed to get five stables cleaned and filled with sawdust, will get the remaining 8 tomorrow. We also had some snow last night so there was a nice dusting on the ground this morning, makes everything look so clean until it melts and turns to mud LOL.



The pictures today are a few that I took this morning, had to get the kitty one in for Catblogging Friday. This is Huggy Cat on the new fence next to the electric tape. Good thing he didnt zap himself. Muddy horses LOL I love muddy horses.

Hope you all have a great weekend and are recovering from Thanksgiving dinners. ((((Hugs)))) to you all.

Lori
xx