Added note the Second:
I just walked down the back path with a huge wheelbarrow, squeaking and groaning, when I spotted something flap one time. I stopped and looked and it was the red tail, sitting in the woods. I thought it might be hurt. I squatted down and just looked at it, and we shared a long gaze. Then I went through the very back fence (which is not our horse fencing but the outer fencing, barbed wire) and it allowed me to get just 3 feet away. I squatted down again and we both just sat there, gazing some more. It was gorgeous.
Four crows were flying back and forth overhead, cawing away, and then the hawk looked at me, looked down, took up a squirrel it must have just killed, and flew through the trees and away. The crows went crazy, and another red tail went after them while the first one flew off with the squirrel.
I was speechless. What a day!
*******
Added note:
When I was out just now extending the hay trail, I was looking around wondering where the red tail was. Just at that moment I heard the call, from above, and looked up to see THREE of them whirling in big circles overhead. Which is, by the way, pretty much exactly what happens in the final scene of this book.
The synchronicity of nature and animals never ceases to amaze me. :)
*******
Late in the afternoon yesterday the sun came out, and just as the brilliant sunset began to light up the sky with bright blue and deep orange, the horses decided to have a party. I heard the hooves from the big barnyard, thundering up the hill out front, and looked up to see Keil Bay in full gallop, followed closely by Apache Moon, and then Cody.
Salina had wisely gone to the corner to stay clear of the geldings, and Rafer Johnson, being the incredibly intelligent donkey that he is, wanted to run wild but also wanted to stay safe, so he galloped up to the dirt paddock and had his own little rodeo, circling and bucking and braying. Redford was torn between guarding Salina and joining Rafer's show, so he trotted back and forth between the two.
I heard the red tail calling after everyone had settled down, and followed the sound to the front field, where it flew up to a low branch and settled there to watch me and the horses for what felt like a very long time. Another red tail call was coming from the other side of the house, which makes me wonder if they've built a nest and perhaps the one is on guard. There haven't been red tails this close since we moved in, so I'm curious and especially intrigued with their presence now.
Today is more sunshine, and cold again, with the temps dropping over the next two days to a low of 11 on Friday night. I've ordered a new blanket for Salina, who has been alternating between her lightweight (and not waterproof) fleece and the older mid-weight blanket that has a ripped lining thanks to Cody. She prefers the fleece, but when the temps drop this much it just isn't enough, so she has a new Schneiders' coming, and I sure hope the UPS van gets it here so she can wear it Thursday night and on through the day/night on Friday.
I have more editing to do today, and just remembered that the final scene in the book involves red tail hawks. Maybe they've come to shepherd me through this edit - and hopefully spread some of their visionary magic across the pages in the process.
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
trims on a cold gray day
B. was here trimming this morning, in the low thirties and with clouds filling the sky. Thankfully it is not raining! I fed everyone early so they could stand for trims without fretting over when breakfast might be served.
I'd planned to do the pony first, but the moment B. drove up, Rafer Johnson and Redford left their hay to come into the barn aisle with him. Rafer lined right up by the hoof stand and it was more than obvious he was ready for his trim.
Once again he stood like a little soldier and offered each hoof in turn. Redford was right beside him the whole time, trying to take B.'s hat off by the brim. Too cute. I predicted Redford might be a little hellion, mostly to set that thing in motion where you predict something and get proved wrong. And it worked. He stood very well while Rafer supervised every single stroke of the rasp. They are so enamoured of B. now we had to take them out to the hay to get them to leave him alone. :)
Salina went next. Her abscess that popped out at the coronary band last April has now grown completely out and chunked off, just as B. said would happen when he was here last visit. Initially it was a big ragged, but it wore itself smooth over the next few days, and the hoof actually thickened a bit at that area to make a buttress until the hoof grows more. It continues to amaze me how horse hooves truly do what they need to to keep the horse sound, if other things are balanced and attended to.
B. rounded it some and now it looks almost normal. Salina has had abscesses in that same hoof the past two Aprils, and that knee is the most arthritic, so I suspect there is a connection. I'll be curious to see how she does this year, on the new diet and with me balancing things as I learn how. At least I know not to do joint injections!
Keil Bay went next and once again his fronts were really good due to the touch-up at week 4. I'm feeling good about my part in making that happen.
Cody had very little growth in back this time, which is curious, so we'll watch that to see how things go this next 6 weeks.
The pony continues to be loose and relaxed in his hinds.
B. advised that we do a week or so of ointment treatment for the frogs, as it's been so wet and muddy, and we don't want thrush, but otherwise everyone is doing great.
When he drove off they were all in a procession down the hill to their hay path, and I came in to get warm!
I'd planned to do the pony first, but the moment B. drove up, Rafer Johnson and Redford left their hay to come into the barn aisle with him. Rafer lined right up by the hoof stand and it was more than obvious he was ready for his trim.
Once again he stood like a little soldier and offered each hoof in turn. Redford was right beside him the whole time, trying to take B.'s hat off by the brim. Too cute. I predicted Redford might be a little hellion, mostly to set that thing in motion where you predict something and get proved wrong. And it worked. He stood very well while Rafer supervised every single stroke of the rasp. They are so enamoured of B. now we had to take them out to the hay to get them to leave him alone. :)
Salina went next. Her abscess that popped out at the coronary band last April has now grown completely out and chunked off, just as B. said would happen when he was here last visit. Initially it was a big ragged, but it wore itself smooth over the next few days, and the hoof actually thickened a bit at that area to make a buttress until the hoof grows more. It continues to amaze me how horse hooves truly do what they need to to keep the horse sound, if other things are balanced and attended to.
B. rounded it some and now it looks almost normal. Salina has had abscesses in that same hoof the past two Aprils, and that knee is the most arthritic, so I suspect there is a connection. I'll be curious to see how she does this year, on the new diet and with me balancing things as I learn how. At least I know not to do joint injections!
Keil Bay went next and once again his fronts were really good due to the touch-up at week 4. I'm feeling good about my part in making that happen.
Cody had very little growth in back this time, which is curious, so we'll watch that to see how things go this next 6 weeks.
The pony continues to be loose and relaxed in his hinds.
B. advised that we do a week or so of ointment treatment for the frogs, as it's been so wet and muddy, and we don't want thrush, but otherwise everyone is doing great.
When he drove off they were all in a procession down the hill to their hay path, and I came in to get warm!
Monday, January 12, 2009
it's a writing monday
I'm working on edits today, and author/friend A.S. King has a new, wonderful, guest post over at mystic-lit. Go read it, and follow the link there to learn more about her new book coming out in February!
And if you're writing today, how's it going?
If you're reading a good book, share the author/title.
I'll add some photos later in the day, but for now - back to the pages.
And if you're writing today, how's it going?
If you're reading a good book, share the author/title.
I'll add some photos later in the day, but for now - back to the pages.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
getting hay on a friday evening
Last night I joined my husband in his weekly trip to get our round bale of hay for the week. The moon was gorgeous up in the evening sky, and the road out to the hay farm was quiet and still. All along the way we saw herds of deer coming out of the woods in various open areas, grazing like horses that belonged there.
When we pulled up to the hay grower's house, he had our round bale skewered on his machine, and my husband pulled up so M. could simply back up and place it in our truck.
M. came out, and I went in to see if they had any eggs for sale this week. E., his wife, took me over to the little original farmhouse they've refurbished and use for their sales of eggs and certified organic beef. She made me up a nice dozen of what she calls her "top shelf" eggs - those that had irregularities in the shell and are thus not sold. She said those were the eggs for "sharing."
She told me the eggs come from the "Run Around Ladies" - who are free to forage at will, and thus the eggs are full of flavor and very rich.
M. pressed an entire collard green plant into my husband's hands, and invited us back in to sit by the woodstove while E. worked on dinner, husband wrote the check, and the dogs lay like black and white rugs on the warm floor.
I talked with M. about getting some hay to send off for an equine analysis. He had graciously given me his results, done for the nutritional profile for cattle, but I needed a few more minerals analyzed for the horses. He showed me the hay probe, and said he'd get the sample ready for when we come next week, so I can send it off. I offered to give him a copy of the results, so he can share it with any other horse customers who might be interested.
Every time I go out there I feel like I've entered an episode of All Creatures Great and Small. It's a way of life I value and wish we had more of, where the things we need come from people we know, and the exchange works for the good of both.
When we pulled up to the hay grower's house, he had our round bale skewered on his machine, and my husband pulled up so M. could simply back up and place it in our truck.
M. came out, and I went in to see if they had any eggs for sale this week. E., his wife, took me over to the little original farmhouse they've refurbished and use for their sales of eggs and certified organic beef. She made me up a nice dozen of what she calls her "top shelf" eggs - those that had irregularities in the shell and are thus not sold. She said those were the eggs for "sharing."
She told me the eggs come from the "Run Around Ladies" - who are free to forage at will, and thus the eggs are full of flavor and very rich.
M. pressed an entire collard green plant into my husband's hands, and invited us back in to sit by the woodstove while E. worked on dinner, husband wrote the check, and the dogs lay like black and white rugs on the warm floor.
I talked with M. about getting some hay to send off for an equine analysis. He had graciously given me his results, done for the nutritional profile for cattle, but I needed a few more minerals analyzed for the horses. He showed me the hay probe, and said he'd get the sample ready for when we come next week, so I can send it off. I offered to give him a copy of the results, so he can share it with any other horse customers who might be interested.
Every time I go out there I feel like I've entered an episode of All Creatures Great and Small. It's a way of life I value and wish we had more of, where the things we need come from people we know, and the exchange works for the good of both.
Friday, January 09, 2009
quiet end to a chaotic week
The sun came out yesterday, and the winds died down, and horses and donkeys were quite happy to get out again. I ended up opening the front and back fields, spreading hay in both, and letting them march from one end to the other enjoying the nice weather.
It is not totally dry but the extreme mushiness is gone and we're back to the regular version. Hopefully today's full sun will continue the process of drying things out.
Yesterday afternoon we did an interesting thing. My daughter and son agreed to come up with meals for 3-4 days, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks, and do the shopping while I sat in the Starbucks with a Caffe Mocha.
I thought they would come back with questions, but they went through the store aisle by aisle, and ended up with a well-thought-out cart full of very good and healthy food. I was impressed.
Last night we had baked ham, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, and a lovely salad. For dessert we dipped strawberries and butter cookies into melted chocolate. It was a wonderful way to transition back to colder nights. The horses are back in blankets and Salina is in her knee warmers. The wood stove is going, and I'll have to bundle up to feed breakfasts, but at least we have sunshine!
Last night I ordered a small mesh hay net for each stall. I'm hoping to keep horses stocked for the entire night, reduce mess and wastage of the loose hay, and keep them busy chewing. Best price for these nets is at Smith Brothers, if anyone needs one.
Good friend, writing mentor, and bold writer Peggy Payne has a birthday today. Go over and say happy birthday, and soak in some of her exuberance and boldness. One way she's celebrating her birthday this year is taking an apartment in NY for a month to write, an idea that makes my skin tingle with excitement. It's not something I could do at this point in my life, but isn't it grand that I'll get to anyway, vicariously, through Peggy?
I'm taking my bold full week of writing later this month, and I can't wait.
Today is full of laundry, feeding the wood stove, dashing to town for a lunch with H., and reminding myself to embrace the sunshine with each slightly less mushy step I take out at the barn.
It is not totally dry but the extreme mushiness is gone and we're back to the regular version. Hopefully today's full sun will continue the process of drying things out.
Yesterday afternoon we did an interesting thing. My daughter and son agreed to come up with meals for 3-4 days, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks, and do the shopping while I sat in the Starbucks with a Caffe Mocha.
I thought they would come back with questions, but they went through the store aisle by aisle, and ended up with a well-thought-out cart full of very good and healthy food. I was impressed.
Last night we had baked ham, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, and a lovely salad. For dessert we dipped strawberries and butter cookies into melted chocolate. It was a wonderful way to transition back to colder nights. The horses are back in blankets and Salina is in her knee warmers. The wood stove is going, and I'll have to bundle up to feed breakfasts, but at least we have sunshine!
Last night I ordered a small mesh hay net for each stall. I'm hoping to keep horses stocked for the entire night, reduce mess and wastage of the loose hay, and keep them busy chewing. Best price for these nets is at Smith Brothers, if anyone needs one.
Good friend, writing mentor, and bold writer Peggy Payne has a birthday today. Go over and say happy birthday, and soak in some of her exuberance and boldness. One way she's celebrating her birthday this year is taking an apartment in NY for a month to write, an idea that makes my skin tingle with excitement. It's not something I could do at this point in my life, but isn't it grand that I'll get to anyway, vicariously, through Peggy?
I'm taking my bold full week of writing later this month, and I can't wait.
Today is full of laundry, feeding the wood stove, dashing to town for a lunch with H., and reminding myself to embrace the sunshine with each slightly less mushy step I take out at the barn.
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