November Hill farm journal, 11

It's the time of year when it most resembles a jungle here on November Hill. The trees are lush and green, all manner of shrubs and grasses and weeds are trying to take root with us, and the regular rain we're having is keeping the pastures very green. The focus becomes managing all these growing things. They can quickly get out of control.

In the midst of this our old weed eater died so my husband had to go buy a new one. The old one had been repaired many times but it had heavy use over the past years. We try to get the longest life out of our things but it was clearly time to let this one go.

We've also had some stormy weather with wind and lightning. We've removed the red maple trees from the pastures proper but there are some big ones behind the back pasture fence. We keep a close eye out when storms blow in and often simply close that field off until the weather clears again.

Two weeks ago a friend had a red maple come down in her pasture and her two horses ate the wilting leaves, which is when the toxins are the most dangerous. Both horses made it but have been in the vet clinic for two weeks with multiple blood transfusions and one having heart damage that has made recovery tricky. 

Around the same time we had a huge storm with some very scary wind. A downward gust snapped one of the big red maples in back in half and the crown folded over like a giant hinge. It wasn't exactly in the back field but it was hanging just along the fence line and husband spent an evening getting all the leaves well away from horses and donkeys. 

Sadly my marker tree tipped over from the root bed in that same gust. It was a huge tree that had previously (years back) been hit by lightning but it seemed to survive and even thrive so I was surprised and very sad to see it had toppled. There is a lot of work to be done now behind the back fence - getting these trees cut into firewood. This chore will likely wait until fall when it's cooler and bugs and snakes are dormant.

The interesting part of all this is that I have long wanted to build a writing studio behind the back fence, with a front porch that literally opens into the pasture so the horses and donkeys can join me there. We have plenty of room for such a thing but it would involve cutting down trees and I am loathe to do that.

I would never have cut the marker tree so had eyed other (less nice) sites along the back fence, but all had some issues so I have never proceeded with my plans.

In the past few years we have lost several trees to lightning strikes back there, but the marker tree was still living and right in the center of the prime site. Now that it's fallen the way will soon be clear to consider taking down those big red maples and truly clearing that area for the writing studio. It's not at the top of the list by any means but it is definitely in my mind again and without the obstacles from before.

This happens often on the farm. There are aspects to the landscape that I become attached to while at the same time consider possibilities that would require changing it. And then suddenly nature herself swoops in and makes the decision for me. We so mourned the clear cutting of the 11-acre forest next door to us. It was hard to stop calling it the 11-acre wood and refer to it as a field, but now, three years later, it is becoming a forest again. It is thick with young sweet gums and a haven for the deer herds. 

Meanwhile in the garden we have pulled out all the various squash plants after having a good harvest for two solid months. The squash bugs were taking over and it was time to clear the ailing plants out. Now we're harvesting garlic and tomatoes, still eating rainbow chard, and watching melons grow. The blueberries are ripening and the two cucumber plants have won this year's award for most amazing producer. It's always fun to see which plant goes beyond all expectations. One year it was okra, another peppers, last year it was sweet potatoes. Unless something else goes crazy, the cucumbers are well ahead. I'm eating cucumber every day at least once!

Following up on existing projects, I have tested the French gray milk paint color on the cat tunnel roof and it appears that Stillwater gray is still the best choice. I have everything ready to paint and oil the screens but need a run of dry days so that everything can cure properly. And I have my machete tool for working on the wattle fence. Slow progress but I'm glad to be moving on with these things. 

Barn tips for horse folk

Before I continue with my travelogue posts to Santa Cruz and points further south, I want to do a quick post with some tips for those of us who live with horses and clean barns as well as houses.

DR. BRONNER'S PEPPERMINT SOAP:

It's terrific in a bucket with water for dewebbing stall grills, wiping down dusty spots, soaking horse brushes, etc. I keep a big bottle in the barn and use it regularly. It's basically food grade so it can't hurt a horse if he licks it, and the peppermint is a naturally-friendly scent for the equine crowd. Peppermint is reputed to have insect-repelling qualities so I think it might help a little with summer pests. And it makes doing the chores much more pleasant. Aromatherapy for the humans too!

I have also used it in the power washer because it won't hurt a thing in the environment.

TELESCOPING LIGHT BULB CHANGER:

These are useful for the obvious reason but I discovered that mine, bought at our local Lowe's Home Improvement store, has a screw-on head. The light bulb changer attachment can be removed and I easily found a microfiber mop head that fits to dust way up in the rafters of the barn. Pair it with some peppermint soap and water and you can do a lot without a ladder, electricity, or much effort at all.

EASY/INEXPENSIVE DRESSAGE ARENA MARKERS (and water buckets):

I have a custom vitamin mix made up by Horsetech and it comes in white buckets with durable handles and snap on lids. I couldn't throw these away and ended up with a growing stack of them in the feed room. For a long time I longed for the big beautiful dressage cone markers one sees online and in catalogs but they were very expensive. Then it hit me - I could remove the lids and handles from my collecting dust white buckets, turn them upside down, and apply stick on dressage letters. They work beautifully in the arena. Sometimes in spring I put flower pots on top, and in fall I have put pumpkins on them for a fun look. (Warning: ponies and donkeys will eat both flowers AND pumpkins!)

I keep spare stick on letters in the tack room - the buckets do eventually degrade in the constant sunlight and crack. But since I have a regular supply I simply replace them as needed.

I also use these buckets for water in the barn. The little donkeys couldn't reach hanging stall buckets so these worked perfectly for them. Then I discovered the horses prefer drinking from them too. They are easy to scrub and very durable in the barn.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:

I keep a jug in the feed room to add to fly spray, to mix with water as a horse bath rinse (I rarely use shampoo any more as I have learned their skin stays healthier without it), for hoof soak, and to scrub out water troughs, feed tubs, and water buckets.

During the summer months I add a bottle of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother) to the water in the big troughs to deter algae. I generally only do one trough at a time so they always have the choice between plain water and the vinegar water but I have noticed they seem to prefer the vinegar water!

COMPOSTING STALL WASTE AND MANURE:

This is a post of its own but in a nutshell, we have one huge pile at the back of our property and a bunch of smaller piles right where we need them. The small piles compost very quickly and can be spread out to fertilize the fields. If you use the extra fine pine or sawdust in your stalls the compost process is much faster. And if you bed the stalls with peat moss and mix in the extra fine pine it is even faster and a fantastic amendment to clay soils.

I also use stall waste and manure to repair bare areas in the fields. Spread it flat and thin, overseed with grass seed of your choice, and soon the bare spot will be gone.

FLY SPRAY:

An easy and effective mix: buy the natural concentrated equine fly spray of your choice - I use one that has essential oils that deter biting insects and use 1/4 bottle mixed with an ounce of Avon Skin So Soft bath oil, about 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, and the rest water. I think it works as well as the chemical stuff and it is very economical. 

FLY PREDATORS:

We've been using them for years and they make a huge difference in our fly population. I buy them from Arbico Organics because they have terrific customer service and they do NOT sponsor abusive riders/trainers. Enough said.

FLY STRIPS and WATER BAGS:

I hang a few plain old-fashioned sticky strips in the barn to deal with the adult flies. (Fly predators target the larva). I also hang zip-lock bags filled with water along the back shelter of the barn. Reviews are mixed on whether this works or not, but I do see a decrease in the number of flying insects in the barn when I have the bags hanging.

HA gel:

Make your own. My Best Horse sells the powder and offer instructions on how to make the gel. Keil Bay gets it every day and I use the remnants in the little glass to rub into my face, neck and hands. The cost is next to nothing compared with the HA gel for horses and for women's faces! 

That's it for now. Share your best tip in the comments! 

Quintessential November Hill

Painted pony on green pasture by reclining pine.

And finally - Palo Alto lodging and food - delightful!

As much as I was not inspired by Palo Alto I have to say the little hotel we stayed in was a delight. It was minutes from Stanford as well as great food but felt like a little nature retreat. 

It's called Creekside Inn and I highly recommend it. The room was very well appointed and the staff were wonderful. We had a balcony that looked out on a squirrel's nest!

I have never been eye level with a squirrel's nest before. There was a beautiful courtyard with little tables, a nice pool, an on-site restaurant, and a little convenient mart. 

And minutes away there was a Trader Joe's and this restaurant that we found and loved. We had a lovely dinner and drinks here the first night and went back for a quick lunch before leaving town. I wish I had taken a photo of our meal. But you can see some of the food they serve here:

http://www.calafiapaloalto.com/#!images/c1oyq

For anyone following the debacle about bathrooms in North Carolina (where I live) you will appreciate my obsession with this totally cool bathroom set up in Calafia.

There were beads hanging in the very wide entrance behind me - totally see-through - and a row of six (three on each side) unisex private bathrooms that shared this sink.

Why aren't all bathrooms in restaurants designed this way? I love it.

If you end up traveling to Palo Alto I highly recommend the Creekside Inn and a meal at Calafia. It was a delightful respite between Stanford and UC-Santa Cruz, which is up next in my travelogue. 

Stanford - my special mission and a reason to go there

So after all my commentary yesterday about how I didn't click with Stanford's campus, while my son met with physics professors I went on a secret/special mission to the biology department.

My daughter has read and loved Robert Sapolsky's work for years and he teaches at Stanford. You can read about him here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sapolsky

And you can see his books here:

http://www.amazon.com/Robert-M.-Sapolsky/e/B000APOCFE

I had hoped to find him and take a photo with him to send to my daughter. I used the handy Google Maps walking function to find my way to the biology building. In the lobby, success!

I took the elevator upstairs and loved this welcoming mural into the biology department.

Then found this. Sadly the office was dark and appeared to be vacated for the summer. But still, it was fun to snap the photo and send to dear daughter.

The hallways had many photos of birds so I sent those too.

The department had a very appealing outdoor study area.

And even a space to do a workout:

I headed back down to the lobby and thought this looked interesting too.

And a final homage photo to Dr. Sapolsky.

I saw a sign saying there was a biology store and thought perhaps they had T-shirts. It was in the basement of an adjacent building and took some looking to find, but when I got there it was a store for lab supplies for biology students. I ended up talking with the two student staffers for half an hour about Stanford, about North Carolina and the insane HB2 bill, and about environmental issues. They were so interested and it was a great conversation.

So... while I didn't click with Stanford I did experience what it might be like if I were considering attending with the idea of working with a very specific professor or department. That would make the difference for sure in a decision to attend this very prestigious university.

I also think many of you might enjoy Dr. Sapolsky's books. I'd start with WHY ZEBRAS DON'T GET ULCERS, which is about the science of stress. You can get it here:

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Zebras-Dont-Ulcers-Third/dp/0805073698?ie=UTF8&qid=1467899789&ref_=la_B000APOCFE_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

You might wonder what my daughter's response to my mission was.

"I sure hope he doesn't take out a restraining order on you."

:)