rain refrain and listening to what they say

Our weather has been alternatingly gorgeous and abysmal. The rainy days would be lovely too if not for what it means for the horses and donkeys and the Little Man, who stands out in it like a wildling on the coast of Shetland. I do everything I can to make the rainy days more interesting but they get bored and grumpy nonetheless.

There has been no riding in a week. Today the sun has come out and there's a balmy breeze blowing but it rained hard through the night so every inch of November Hill is mush, including our very well-draining arena. 

I've thrown open all the doors and windows in the barn and turned the fans on and fed the herd their hay in the sunshine but not out in the very wet pastures. I'll see how much drying happens by this afternoon. If I can give them some time in the front field I will. 

*******

On Saturday I went to the barn and it was rainy and dark. I busied myself with chores and for a little while didn't notice that Keil Bay was standing at his stall door just watching me and waiting - not for hay or his mid-day meal, not for water, or anything related to food.

The busyness of doing chores can sometimes turn into a wall around me. I have worked hard to create the habit of stopping every few minutes to take it down. I'm not sure if there's a fairy tale about a woman who was so busy doing chores she never had time to notice all the beauty around her, but if not, there should be.

Keil Bay has a gift, as did Salina, for piercing that wall. Keil does it silently, soundlessly, the most quiet demeanor he ever exhibits. Sometimes I hear him instantly, others I need a few minutes, but he has surely been a teacher for me in letting chores be the background music and beauty in each moment taking the solo part.

I walked over and asked him what was up and he turned his head so that his right eye was in my face. He had a small cut on the eyelid and although it had started to form a scab, it was recent and the eyelid was swollen.

My heart whirled in a moment of pure panic, an engine revving and then quieting as I turned on the lights and took a close look. There was no involvement of the eyeball itself, no redness, no closing of the eye or squinting or blinking. But the swollen lid looked uncomfortable and I suspect the bump that caused the cut had hurt. 

My husband brought me a bowl of warm water and a clean cloth and Keil let me hold the warm damp compress over the entire eye. Mainly I wanted him to know that I knew what was wrong - that I had listened - and heard - and to gently clean the area. I gave him a dose of Arnica and put a dab of triple antibiotic ointment into the cut and then stood and held his head, stroked his face, and let him know that I was going to be keeping an eye on his eye.

He let out a long, soft snort and then shook his head gently, as if shaking off the cut and the swelling.

A couple of hours later I went out to give the second dose of Arnica. The swelling had subsided by about 70%. By the next morning it was normal.

We arrive at the barn with stuff swirling around us, the dust of daily life, little tornadoes and hurricanes of emotion and lists of things to do and unfinished conversations. It's easy to grab the muck rake or the grooming bucket and let our minds tumble forward as we mentally cross things off our lists or continue those conversations.

I'm grateful for the herd I live with and that every one of them is opinionated and expressive and determined enough to remind me to stop the train of thought, look at what is right in front of me, and listen. 

James Hillman, alchemical psychology, and yes, deworming day

Last night was the first of a 10-session webinar with Robert Bosnak on James Hillman's chapter "Silver and the White Earth" in his wonderful book titled Alchemical Psychology.

I did the online course Alchemy 1 this past spring and summer, with Bosnak and Patricia Berry discussing the first two chapters in Hillman's book. I missed the live webinar for Alchemy 1, and for the chapters Salt, Black, and Blue, but I've listened and read on my own and will eventually go back and get the online audio discussion for the chapters I missed hearing.

It's a wonderful course. James Hillman writes eloquently and richly about alchemy and elaborates on Carl Jung's writings on alchemy and psychology in a fetching way. Robert Bosnak does a lovely job illuminating Hillman's words, and with the web audience joining in, it's a wonderful conversation. 

Last night's talk had to do with silver and whitening and luna, and the luna-tic way of reflection. It's a little bit mystical, a little bit poetic, and very provocative to consider. I had the window open in the garret and curled up in my reclincer with a glass of wine and my notebook and pen. A wonderful way to move into fall and winter, with two of these a month, on Thursday evenings at 9 p.m. EST.  It's not too late to sign on for this segment - go to Jung Platform online if interested. 

I went out today thinking I would be riding but rain swooped in and I renamed it deworming day. Little Man and Rafer and Keil Bay were eager to get their doses and even Cody and Redford, much more leery of even the apple-flavored variety, were cooperative. A round of peppermints and some clean waters and fresh hay and that was that.

It is so lovely outside with all the color and the leaves falling and the rain just wets everything down into its own palette. By tomorrow I'll want sunshine again but for now, sweet potato walnut muffins (our own sweet potatoes!!) and coffee are calling my name.

more rain and hoof trims all around

We're in another stretch of rainy days here. The horses and donkeys are hanging out in stalls most of the day and night so it's an ongoing effort to keep the barn clean. The longer they're in the messier they get, strowing hay, dropping manure all over the place. Relationships were straining: Keil Bay and Little Man pinning ears over the stall door at one another, Rafer Johnson nipping at Redford. 

I had the trimmer coming in an hour and needed to tidy the barn, clear the barn aisle, and get the herd settled in some new configuration that would hopefully improve their moods.

Over the years I have learned that they like to be surprised, within a range of options. They like switching from one side of the barn aisle to the other; mostly with a few exceptions they enjoy having a new "barn mate" to hang out with. Alternating between hay on the stall mats to hay in nets to hay under the shelter keeps them happiest on these long rainy days. Apples or carrots in feed tubs make them happy, as do peppermints.

It was noon so time for Keil Bay's mid-day meal. I quickly cleaned a stall - not the one he was standing in - and moved him in with his meal, a fresh bucket of water, and a closed door. The rest of the boys were upset - they wanted meals too - so I gave them each a very small snack of Chaffhaye which gave me time to get another stall cleaned and set up for Cody. I closed him in too. When free to come and go 24/7 Keil and Cody seem to enjoy being closed in from time to time. The pony and donkeys had been on the near side of the barn all morning, so they went on the other side - with one stall open to the shelter and the arena open in case they wanted to take a stroll in wet but non-muddy footing.

Once I got them all situated with fresh water and Chaffhaye I served up their hay. 

Our barn is never really dark during the daytime but I put all the lights on, including the twinkle lights in the feed room, and turned on NPR. Suddenly it was cheerful and like a big living room. Everyone was munching, no ears were pinning, moods had improved dramatically.

By the time the trimmer arrived I had the barn aisle clean and horses groomed. The pony - well, his elves took the night off and he was simply a lost cause. The donkeys don't roll in the mud so they were nice and clean and fluffy already.

All mine enjoy the attention they get from our wonderful hoof trimmer. She is attuned to them as she works, gives lots of praise, and yesterday offered a "Peace and Calm" blend of essential oils to all of us. The rain was falling outside the barn and it was a dreary day with flies and mosquitoes (yes, in November - the curse of a temperate climate) but everyone got a turn and everyone ended up licking and chewing and enjoying the new scent.

It looks like Cody is okay to ride, carefully, with an eye on his abscessed hoof as the opening grows out, and if we can get to the end of this rainy spell, I'll be aiming to get he and Keil Bay on a schedule I can keep up with. Cody is feeling terrific - cantering and galloping around and tossing his head - so I think he'll enjoy some time in the saddle again. His break has been longer than Keil Bay's! I'll have lots to report as I bring him back into work.

I went to the barn at noon yesterday and came in at 5:15. Barn time, as most of us know, doesn't follow the clock. I came in damp and, once I took my boots off inside, realized my feet were tired from standing for so long. But I was also deeply relaxed, content, and restored. Peace and calm. 

And here's the pony last rain spell we had, the morning after. His grooming elves not only cleaned him up, they awarded him a gold star!!

a little book stuff

I've linked my GoodReads "currently reading" list to the blog. If you look on the sidebar to the right and scroll down a little you'll see what I'm reading. 

I do very brief reviews on GoodReads if you're interested in seeing more, and longer "formal" reviews for LitChat (you can find those at LitChat.com under the book review tab). 

For the past year or so I have been reading a little physics every morning. My son is passionate about physics (he's a junior physics and pure mathematics major and looking at physics grad schools now) and hearing him talk about it kindled my young science self. I'm often reading at the far edge of my own comprehension but find it a wonderful way to spend a half-hour or so every morning.

I usually read fiction at night before bed.

Feel free to share your book recommendations here. I have piles of books all over the house and my Kindle is packed. And there are new titles coming out every day. But I'm still in denial that I won't ever get to read all the books I want to read. There's a Many Interacting Worlds theory floating now that means I might well be reading books all over the place, and somehow maybe what I'm reading in those other worlds is interacting with me here. 

For those of us who ride, consider the implications! Keil Bay and I are riding Grand Prix somewhere. :)

We had a nice ride today. Still building up to more trotting. Riding through things like Cody cantering up to the arena fence, tossing his head, and trying to nip Keil Bay on the rump, Rafer Johnson knocking the mounting block off its cinder blocks, and cats dashing in and out of the woods at us. Keil was brave and a solid ride through all that but he spooked after I got off when I crackled the peppermint wrappers! 

And tonight:

Halloween graveyard cake! Made with our own sweet potatoes, cream cheese frosting, and a slew of Halloween candy decor. :)

rainy day

We've had a long streak of lovely weather and all the grass that came up from the overseeding needs water! So I'm happy to have a rainy day to enjoy.

Yesterday was cloudy with a stiff wind but Keil Bay and I tacked up and rode through it. Leaves flying, deer crashing, cats dashing in and out of hiding places, hay tent flap making periodic whoosh noises that sounded like silenced rounds from a hit man. (watching X-Files and Homeland lends to this kind of analogy), daughter dropping the muck barrow inside the barn with a bang.  

Even when I reached up and grabbed a low-hanging dead oak branch, thinking the small part hitting my helmet would be all that broke off, and the whole three feet long branch cracked and fell on his hindquarters, he did not spook. He was alert and forward but he took care of me.

Yesterday we did more walking, shoulder-in, turns on forehand and haunches, 20m circles, and increased our trot time. Then more walking. 

We've been avoiding the F area in the arena - not because of spookiness but due to the million and one acorns covering nearly every square inch of that corner. After our ride I spent a little time with the muck rake (oddly it works perfectly for acorns!) and the wheelbarrow and cleared them back a few feet. I'll do more tomorrow and that should do it (assuming more don't fall). I can't figure out if they are just weird to walk on or if he is unwilling to walk on a source of treats. Though this year they're not eating as many as they have in years past, thankfully!

Tomorrow I'm going to get on the three days on/two days off riding schedule, as I think it works best for Keil. We'll build on the trotting and see how it goes. He's muscling up and I'm getting ready to add a mid-day meal into his diet for extra calories. 

Otherwise, the color here is starting to pop. It looks like the first week in November will be the peak - which is exactly where the name November Hill came from. We moved in October ten years ago and when we hit November here the color and beauty of the season blew us all away. It's the perfect name for our farm and our favorite season. Even in the rain!