We made it through the July 4th craziness with not much fanfare (on the 5th I had to make a drive up the lane in my pjs to stop some very late night fireworks and was helped by a sudden thunderstorm that rolled in out of nowhere), but have had lots of little chores to do here this week that have taken up all my time.
Salina has been going crazy with a very badly placed tick bite (the bite itself happened over two weeks ago) and in the process scraped up the wrinkly flesh right between her hind legs. I'd been washing it and gently scratching it for her each morning, using a calendula tincture which had helped it to heal. I realized late one evening when she went out that she was backing herself into our reclining bonsai pine tree and using a section of dead branches to very indelicately take care of that itch! We spent that evening pruning the pine tree of all its dead branches, cleaned up a few other trees, and ended up with a fairly large pile that needs to be burned. Which we couldn't/wouldn't do yet because of the dry landscape.
I was afraid she would back into the pile itself and get tangled up, so we rotated the herd to the front field. She immediately went into the copse of trees up top and found a new place to rub on - I had visions of her impaling herself so she had to stay in with the donkeys that night as it was already dark and we couldn't see to prune!
That area got taken care of yesterday so she was able to turn out as usual last night.
We've had rain Tuesday night, rain yesterday during the day, more rain last night - it's finally starting to catch us up to where we need to be for grass to grow again. But between fireworks on Tuesday night, thunder and lightning several days in a row, us pruning at odd hours, and Bear Corgi going on a wild chase last night in the dark, the herd has been stirred up.
Our wildlife neighbors have been stirred up as well. Yesterday I heard a crow cawing while I was doing chores in the barn. Cody was standing in the end stall nearest the house looking out so I walked to where I could see what he was looking at. The crow - I actually think it was a raven because of its size and the shape of its beak - was perched on the fence post right by Cody's back door, looking and cawing. Cody seemed to be communing with him. If I'd had my camera, it would have been a fabulous photograph!
Later in the evening I saw a doe and tiny spotted fawn right by the fence line. They didn't run, but stood so I could see them. The doe seemed too small and young herself to have a fawn. Husband said maybe the deer herd who share the property around us are having a teenaged pregnancy issue!
It's been a bit of a hectic week here.
I'm declaring today the official end to unrest on the hill. It's time to get back to the lazy days and nights of summer!
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
4 comments:
billie - unrest is everywhere these days it seems! Are the planets misaligned or the earth off it axis? I don't know but the chain of bizarre and terrible events around here continue unabated. The Woman keeps repeating your book title "Signs That Might Be Omens" to Herself and shaking her head. She says she will write to you soon. Stay clear of fireworks, lightning and sharp branches...
Sheaffer, I just came in from doing some raking in the barnyard - a thunderstorm rolled in around me as I worked and when a fork of lightning hit a tree about 20 feet away I decided it was time to stop and get in out of the rain.
The moment the lightning hit it thundered and Cody and the pony shot out of their stalls simultaneously like rockets. I have never been standing in the barnyard when that happened so this was a new sight to see.
Tell The Woman I am looking forward to hearing some of the "signs that might be omens" up your way!!
I'm happy to hear you finally got some much needed rain and that you had the good sense to come in out of it when it started lightening.
Salina is funny and it seems she will go to whatever lengths she must to scratch her itch.
Now that you've declared the unrest at the hill over and done with you can sit back and relax and enjoy the rest of the summer. Oh, and bring your camera with you on your rounds of chores.
A, I agree with you - sometimes we just need to name the thing and it resolves. :)
We got yet more rain today, several long stretches of very pouring rain, so I think now we can use a little time to dry out! Funny how things shift in only a few days' time.
My camera is well and truly broken at the moment. I have so many things on the "to buy" list it's going to have to wait its turn getting replaced. And I really love it. It has been a wonderful camera for me. Someone remaining nameless laid it in the sand tray in my office and sand got into the lens - now it gets jammed almost every time you turn it on or off. Husband worked on it but alas, I think it's kicked the bucket.
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