November Hill farm journal, 90

The theme of this week is RAIN. We’re in the 70s, rain for days in a row, and it’s starting to wear on all of us. Chores in the rain, dogs in the rain, dogs bringing in the rain and the mud, which leads to extra chores in the house. I think everyone here is ready for sunshine and lots of it.

Last week I took an impromptu trip to visit my son, daughter-in-law, and their dog Aria in New York. It’s the first visit I’ve made to their sweet and beautiful cottage which on the outside looks a little like something Dr. Seuss might design and on the inside is Scandavian-inspired building. They’ve done a wonderful job decorating and it was magical. Also there was DRY snow on the ground outside and gusting wind a couple of the days, so the entire mood felt like I’d gone to another country. I loved it.

Immediately upon returning home I met my husband and daughter and Clem en route to the vet. Clem had been whining, going behind the sofa to dig at nothing, and generally just seemed off. We feared an obstruction. Turns out she is having a false pregnancy! The telltale sign was the swollen mammary glands which actually had milk in them!

We took down the Christmas tree, put cushions behind the sofa, and made her a nest in the corner complete with layers of bedding and stuffed animals. She is much better now, and the vet says it should all be over in a couple of weeks.

I’ve been working on writing projects - submitted another essay to a contest, now back to editing a novel that is beyond ready to get out to some agents and smaller presses for consideration.

Project-wise, nothing is happening on the outside until this rain stops and we dry out a bit, but inside, I’ve made a few changes. I’ve decided to remove our coffee table and store it for a few weeks to see if we miss it. Opening up the center of the living room makes life easier with three dogs. I’ve added a side table between sofa and love seat for lamp and a place to put drinks, and I can add another at the other end of the love seat if needed. A smaller coffee table is also an option. We’ll see.

Once the humidity drops I plan to commence painting the dining room. My sample wall has proven that this is the right color, a soft gray which accentuates the beautiful wood trim we have in our main living space, and I’m going to carry that gray up the stairway on the one tall loft wall.

Pella finally arrived yesterday with enough manpower and expertise to replace the two windows we purchased from them in JULY. As usual, the quality of the product and installation was superb. The scheduling piece I can’t praise in any way, but it’s done, that’s off my list, and the windows are lovely.

Early this morning, in the dark time when all I want to be is in deep deep sleep, a lightning/thunder crash happened that woke me up, scared me, and heralded a 10-minute crescendo of more of the same. The house and barn are safe, but once I’ve had coffee I’ll need to go out and walk the farm to insure nothing came down on fencing. This weather is so unlike what a January should be.

I’m thinking of times when we needed rain and now we’re just getting too much of it at one time. The earth has her reasons and after venting about it, I’m prepared to make peace with it. Sunshine, though. It’s what I wish for.

November Hill farm journal, 89

We’ve had warm days, cooler days, sunshine, rain, and generally it feels like a weather rollercoaster here right now. We’ve had a wonderful few weeks with the entire family here, but tomorrow my son and daughter-in-law and their dog Aria head home.

On Monday my daughter’s spring semester begins, and with it, the routine goes back to its new normal. I have an essay deadline looming, several board meetings this week, and a lot of projects in the house and at the barn to dive into.

At the moment I’m in the dining room with a glass of wine while all the ‘kids’ plus a friend watch X-Files. The white lights on the tree are showing up in triplicate: the tree itself, reflecting in the front and side windows, and on one corner of the TV. It’s a sweet scene. I’m grateful for all of them.

The horses have been enjoying the treats that arrived in their Christmas stockings, a few each day, and they’re handling the weather shenanigans with grace and a lot of mud. I have had many moments of wanting to ride, and dreamed about riding Keil Bay last night. It’s time. The weather has been and looks like it will continue to be mild, and all I have to do is DO it. I’m aiming to audit Mark Rashid’s local clinic this spring and considering a lesson with his wife Chrissy, whose blog makes me think she’s a kindred spirit when it comes to being with horses.

The cats and dogs are all happy too - today’s outing meant baths for 2 out of 4 due to the general mucky conditions afield. Thankfully it’s warm enough out that we didn’t have to worry about them getting chilled as they dry out.

Winter. So far it doesn’t feel much like it, but the trees are bare and the sky is stark and I want to make the most of every minute as we count down toward the heat of summer. The fall flew by and I think if I focus on the moments, time will slow at least a little.

I’m scheduled as writer-in-residence at Weymouth in February with 3 other writing women and this is a bright time to look forward to. Writing with other devoted writers is always a wonderful experience.

For the gardens and the bees and the farm itself it’s a quiet time of year. This spring will be fun as we watch the gardens come in and the bees begin to build up. I’m eager to see how they do and how much I can learn from them.

That’s it for now!

On horses and being boss or friend - or what I think works - partner

I’m clearing out some old files and came upon this which I wrote in 2015 in response to a blog post or an email forum post, not sure which. It still holds true for me. A good thing to have in mind going into 2020. BE WITH HORSES. BE is the operative word. 

on horses and being boss or friend - or what I think works - partner

That is so sad and really unfortunate about the lady with the OTTB and the one with the QH. :/  It speaks volumes though - the line from the woman with the QH - she is really not seeing the horse for what he is and what he's capable of, and there's an element of narcissism too that reminds me of what I see in spades in CA and his attitude toward not only horses but people. In a lot of ways it is personality disorder being filtered through an affiliation with horses.

I feel strongly that there is something between friend and boss and that it's called partner. And that one does not have to dominate the horse nor does one have to always be "right" in order to have a happy and safe relationship that can navigate all kinds of behaviors on both the horse's part and the rider/handler's part. Horses get scared sometimes and they are big. If we're smart about our methods of handling them we don't have to get hurt and we don't have to demand that they stand stock still when something spooks them. We sometimes give mixed signals because we're human and not perfect. And a horse that has been treated fairly and with respect will, in my experience, allow for some of that without turning into a monster that takes advantage.

I think the partnership takes more work and much more time and it requires us to really BE with the horse when we're with the horse. Not on cell phones or chit-chatting to other riders or lost in our own thoughts. So many people can't be present - for many different reasons - and really that's what needs to be addressed, not the horse.

Happy New Year from November Hill

Live stake elderberries are in the ground, I got an acceptance email for my essay “Places I Went With My Dad,” I’m home with my family with homemade cheese ravioli and Brussels sprouts, cocktails, and animals tucked in safe for the night, and it’s a bright and beautiful night sky outside.

I’m mindful of the fact that 25 years ago I had a newly firstborn babe in arms. It’s amazing to ponder the passage of time since then, and a worthwhile exercise for all of us, I think. To stop and think about our time on the earth, then and now, now and what is to come.

I’ve done my annual review, detailing what went well in 2019, what didn’t, and laying out goals for 2020 in all areas. As anyone who reads here regularly can imagine, I’m extremely ambitious when it comes to setting goals for home and farm projects, and equally so with my writing, but I like to aim big and then celebrate what I manage to get done.

It’s been a challenging year in some ways but I feel like it’s ending on a good note.

The herd went wild right before sunset today, galloping, bucking, rearing, braying. I have no idea what set them off, but it was a spirited show of pure athleticism and grace in motion. I’m glad they are all healthy and happy and fairly easily calmed down with some apple treats and fresh hay.

I hope everyone reading has a lovely evening and a wonderful 2020.

PSA: dogs and pizza/bread dough - go directly to the vet!

We’ve had a wonderful holiday and are still enjoying the time off with family. Lots of good food and good time spent.

Last night my son was making homemade (amazing) pizza and in the midst of a busy kitchen where we were all standing and talking, Clementine ran in, grabbed a small pizza’s worth of rolled out dough, and gobbled it down.

I honestly thought it was no big deal, but thanks to Google and a call to our local university vet school emergency hospital, we learned that the yeast in bread and pizza dough finds a perfect and perpetual “oven” in a dog’s stomach. The yeast grows and grows.

My husband and daughter took Clem directly to the ER and they quickly induced vomiting. It was about 40 minutes from the time she ate the dough until they got to the vet. The dough she’d ingested was the size of a football when she threw it up.

There are a number of serious medical issues that can happen when dogs ingest yeast-based dough, and while inducing vomiting is a solution, it’s not one to try on your own, as the volume of the dough coming back up can block the esophagus, so it’s best to get to a vet as soon as possible and let them safely manage the treatment if you can.

Clem was back home within a couple of hours and we were soooooo relieved that all was well.

Keep the dough away from the dogs! And if one gets it, head to the nearest emergency vet to be truly safe.

Have a wonderful New Year!