rainy days and donkeys

We're into a string of rainy, cool days, and the donkey boys are getting so tired of it. This morning when I went out, I found halters and lead ropes strewn throughout the barn.

The blue barrel that operates like a sort of sink beneath the water pump had been emptied and shoved against the barn doors.

Brushes were tossed about.

The step ladder had been knocked over.

A bucket of plastic flowers and pinwheels (for decorating jumps) had been emptied.

And in the middle stall, quite a large hole had been dug in one corner.

It was quite a mess out there!

Last night I brought the geldings into the arena to give them some exercise before setting them up with hay for the night. The donkeys let themselves in as well and suddenly there was a horse/donkey stampede.

Keil Bay went into his big bold Bay mode and took off after the donkeys. Then Cody got into the act, and the pony was bucking and kicking right behind them.

I couldn't stand it. The donkeys were in the lead but it was just too scary. As Rafer Johnson approached the gate, I opened it out into the barnyard, giving him room to run right through, which he did. Redford stayed in the midst of the stampede for another half-lap, and then saw that Rafer had escaped, so he ran for the open gate to join him.

Salina was in the barnyard with me, tsk tsking away at the silly boys.

Meanwhile, the oak trees are dropping acorns like mad, and I'm spending time each day raking them, mucking them out of the fields, and in some areas mixing horse manure into them in an effort to keep the equines from eating too many.

Where are all the squirrels when you need them?

(I'm almost afraid to answer that, since we've been finding squirrel remains in our barnyard of late)

Otherwise, the gray wet days are perfect for reading books, writing, and eating pumpkin pancakes with hot cocoa on the side.

her fearful symmetry

Audrey Niffenegger's novel The Time Traveler's Wife is one of my favorite books, so I was both happy and nervous when I picked up her newest, titled Her Fearful Symmetry.

Sometimes you read a book and get blown away, and it spoils you for everything that comes after.

But I'm loving her new one.

She also does the most wonderful paintings, drawings, and illustrated books. There's a print of hers for sale called Three Crows that I'd love to buy.

dressage in a rope halter - beautiful

I love the way the horse looks in the mouth, head, neck, and notice the quiet tail. No swishing!

As far as I'm concerned this is what dressage should be. If you need to use the bit some for training, fine, but if a horse can do this without the bit, why ever put it back in his mouth?

visitors and gifts

It's always interesting when visitors come for the first time and meet the animals I write so much about.

Yesterday an old friend came over to meet the herd and spend some time with us. Salina is generally the best barometer of how the visit should proceed because she is so attuned to people's inner workings. If I have to put a lead rope around her neck, or a halter, it generally means the guests are nervous, or not used to horses, or just tightly wound in general. With clients she will point the way to what needs to be addressed. (and with me - as I say on a regular basis, she's my live-in therapist) I've learned to watch her the first few minutes and let her reaction guide what comes next.

Yesterday she was perfectly relaxed and I didn't need to even think about where she was or whether she was okay to be loose in the barnyard with us. The donkeys were their usual ambassadors of love and cuteness, and also showed off their wrestling skills.

The geldings were relaxed too, and all the cats (though Dickens was first and as usual the most forward) savvy enough to know right away that here was a fellow cat lover.

The most marked meeting though was Kyra. My friend is also a dog lover and had to say goodbye to her beloved canine companion recently as well, and I'm not sure, but I think Kyra knew that and responded. I watched as the two met and bonded instantly, and it was with a huge sigh of relief that I saw Kyra's full-blown spark return. Her sassy bark for attention, her excited prancing and clacking (it's a Corgi thing!), and just overall, the last bits of the mutedness we've seen since last week disappeared.

I think my friend enjoyed the time with the November Hill crew, but we all owe her a huge thank you for bringing her gift of connection to Kyra.

when the husband's away...

the cats go to sleep:



Even the cowboy comes in and sacks out on the bed:



Lots of interesting things happen when my husband goes on photography adventures. So far, since he left:

- the shavings man, who was supposed to come Tuesday, then Thursday, before husband left town and could thus help with getting stalls rebedded, came Friday morning. Bright and early. Just not quite early enough to get here before husband set forth.

- one muck rake broke. This always happens when husband is not here. So my kids have a built-in excuse for not getting out there and helping with the monumental amount of horse manure that accumulates in a day. There is only one rake! (alas, this ended well because when I went to the feed store to buy a new one, they had my favorite color. Purple.)

- my muck-barrow tire went flat. Unfortunately, there is no Triple A for wheelbarrows, that I know of.

- a big fat wood roach came in just after dark fell and climbed to the highest, most visible spot in our living room. My dear son spotlighted him with a red laser, and his efforts to deal with the creature came to a predictable end: the wood roach flew through the air, got caught up in the current from the ceiling fan, and has not been seen again. Two scenarios: he's lying in wait under the sofa. OR. He's made his way into my bedroom.

There's more, but you get the drift. Thankfully he will be back tomorrow night and things will get back to normal around here!