This week and especially today we are getting fall weather, finally! I also had a wonderful experience this week finding numerous Monarch caterpillars in my raggedy front bed, and this is why I am not in any way trying to do gardening chores right now. This Argiope spider is the only one I’ve seen this year and I almost planted my face into her web because she is so well camouflaged!
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Friday, September 15, 2023
Sunday, September 10, 2023
November Hill farm journal, 191
We are still very much in summer mode here, though yesterday’s big rains came in and have given everything a deep watering before this week’s predicted cool-down. The tulip poplars are yellowing and leaves are falling and the dogwoods are changing over to their autumn colors.
The fig tree is still producing and the figs this year are the biggest they’ve ever been, much larger than the usual figs one sees locally or in the grocery store. They’re delicious and I’ve done nothing but eat them as they are.
The potager has slowed down some. I think the cucumbers are done and the tomatoes are mostly done as well. We have eggplant and basil and sweet potatoes still coming in. It’s almost time to plant fall vegetables if we want to do so.
The pollinator beds are a jungle - I should say the two original “main” ones are. I’ve removed some huge burnweed (native but prolific if left to spread) and also cleared out a largish area of stiltweed (nonnative and the bane of all gardeners in the southeast). There are plenty of things still blooming but they’re not as visually lovely as they would be if I had kept up with my weeding this year!
I’m hoping this week’s cooler weather and the soft ground post rainfall make it easier to do some tidying.
In two weeks we have the basement/garage work being done and I’ll be both happy and relieved when it’s over. Because the storage room and wall along the back side of our garage have to be completely clear this is going to force the garage space clean out I’ve wanted to do all year. We’ve done bits and pieces but this pushes the whole job getting done. This is one of those repairs and chores that are using up a lot of resources and it’s not one of the “fun” updates that you see every day and enjoy. But it means I do not have to worry every time we get one of the increasingly common torrential rainfalls that water is seeping in through the foundation walls.
We’re all doing pretty well - humans, horses, donkeys, pony boy, cats, dogs, honey bees. It’s been a long, hot summer.
I’m looking forward to fall and some increased energy for writing and also for being outside more.
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
November Hill farm journal, 190
It’s a mostly hot and lazy month here on November Hill. The one thing here that is loving the heat this summer is the fig tree. It’s beyond laden and the ripening has kicked in: up to 15 huge ripe figs a day this week. As you can see, we have a fig thief, and my daughter caught her in the act.
The butterflies also seem to be thriving in the heat. We generally have a lot of them but it is traffic central out there this year. I found this female black swallowtail on a volunteer ironweed near my mulch pile yesterday. So beautiful.
I’m personally feeling exhausted by the season. But thankfully we haven’t had anything seriously scary here, like wildfires and torrential rain riding in on hurricane winds. So I’m trying to focus on the lovely parts of this time of year even with it being my absolute least favorite. Onward to fall and chilly mornings.
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Witts End Quarter Horses in Fayetteville, NC
UPDATE on 10/19/23:
UPDATE on 9/30/23:
UPDATE on 9/28/23:
Austin Wayne Simpson, of Hope Mills, was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals and felony conspiracy. Kylie Lenore Parker, of Fayetteville, was also arrested and charged with cruelty to animals and felony conspiracy.
UPDATE as of 8/28/23:
Please follow link for full story. Three of the five foals that were taken into custody have signs of injury consistent with the abusive training methods shown in the video linked below.
UPDATE AS OF 8/21/23:
Seven horses were removed from Witts End Quarter Horses (Kaylie and Austin Simpson, aka Kylie Parker) and you can follow the link posted below to read more about this.
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More people weighing in with personal experience with Kylie Parker aka Kaylie Simpson and husband Austin Simpson:
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In the event these people change the name of their farm to avoid the very bad press they are getting regarding the extremely abusive videos revealing their horse handling and “training” methods, their names are Kaylie and Austin Simpson.
Kaylie is aka Kylie Parker.
There’s a coordinated effort happening to stop this breeder - KYLIE PARKER - from continuing the abusive treatment of horses. Please read this and help if you can:
WHAT-CAN YOU DO TO HELP??? Here ya go 
Animalwelfare@aqha.org
Arhacontact@aol.com
cconner@apha.com
Let’s flood them with emails asking for the suspension or revocation of her membership.
And let me add it’s under the name Kylie Parker NOT Kaylie Simpson 
Without her membership she cannot continue breeding and showing thus putting her out of business.
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Today this popped up on several horse groups I’m in on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/253718777990721/user/100001742123198
It’s a post that includes several videos taken from the road of abusive “training” methods being used on a foal. I have only glanced at the videos as I do not want to see the full images of what is clearly described by others who reviewed them. The videos show a foal being dragged with a Gator, “waterboarded,” and beaten while lying down. A FOAL.
Witts End Quarter Horses have removed their Facebook page as of an hour ago due to so many people commenting negatively.
They are in Fayetteville, NC.
All the links to their website are dead; I’m not sure if the links are old or if they’ve taken down the site.
Here’s the number to the Cumberland County Animal Control and if you feel like adding to the growing list of complaints, give them a call:
910-321-6852
Below is contact info for the AQHA and it would be a good idea to give them a call or email as well.
Feel free to share widely. They need to be shut down.
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