Old Dogs

I prefer sunrise to sunset.  To me, the beginning of the day seems filled with promise and energy.  The evening makes me feel like the day is ending. It's over. Done. There's nothing left of it.  A little sad really.

 

The sunrise makes me want to linger in the barn with all the animals and drink coffee, run my hands over my horses neck and breathe in their horsey smell.  I talk to the pigs, take a look at the bunnies,  feed the chickens...  They're all just waking up too you know. 

Sometimes I think it takes Louie a little longer to wake up than the rest of us.  When he accompanies me out to the barn in the morning he just sits and stares.  I can't imagine what goes through the old dog's mind...

Hiding

I've been hiding out for a month.  I broke my arm four weeks ago, and injured some ligaments and tendons pretty bad as well, in both arms.  A bad time of year for this to happen.  But I supposed any time of year would be bad for breaking bones, wouldn't it? 

Horses.  That is how it happened and that is all I will say about it... 

The garden is in.  Planted by my mother while she was visiting, thankfully.  If it were left to me it would have never happened in my beat up condition.  And that would have been horribly depressing. It is full of weeds, but this weekend I will finally feel good enough to pull some I think.

So that is where I've been, hiding.  But now, I'm back...

Growing

The little quail are growing and will soon need a new, bigger home (or roasting pan...).

The little pigs are growing. And I moved them into their new stall over the weekend.  They completely destroyed their heat lamp the other day.  I guess they no longer wanted it?  Thankfully they didn't manage to burn the barn down in the process.  My lesson:  always hang a heat lamp higher than a pig can stand.  You wouldn't believe what acrobats and tricksters these little pork chops are!

The little dog, "Saffy," is also growing.  How the big dog puts up with her endless playing is beyond me.  Good Louie is very patient.

And here's Dottie.  Dottie is not growing...that I know of.  But she is shedding, and needed a good thirty minute grooming.  Now she's fit for a little hack.

The chicks have landed

Hello farm-loving friends! Some very cold weather is headed this way for the coming weekend.  Actually, Sunday is the really bad day.  They are forecasting a high of 3 degrees, and a low of  minus 6 degrees.  The good news is the bad weather falls over the weekend, so no rushed morning commute into the city for my job.  I like to take it slow, and guzzle a few gallons of hot black coffee before I head out for barn chores in that kind of weather, and the work week just doesn't allow time for that kind of indulging. 

I am really missing burning wood in the stove to heat this winter. Totally my fault because I didn't schedule a chimney inspection and cleaning.  I suppose I could burn wood, but my mind would panic thinking I might catch the chimney on fire.  As soon as spring comes around I will have it inspected and begin stockpiling wood for next winter.  Financially its killing me too, because the furnace is electric. Again, my fault.  Lesson learned.

Tuesday the baby chicks arrived.  It was a cold morning too - at a whopping seven degrees.  Thanks to technology all the chicks were warm because under the hay in the box was a heat pack, good for up to 3 days of heat.  All eighteen of them are in good health and in my bedroom.  I don't trust the new cat not to go on a midnight hunt while I'm sleeping.  The soft red glow from their heat lamp is a little annoying to fall asleep to, but other than that they are remarkably quiet at night for the most part. In a week or two I will think about moving them out to the mud room, so long as the cat behaves...

BiBi the dog keeps watch over the chicks

A sweater has been set aside for a baby goat...should one arrive.  Still debating whether there is actually a pregnancy going on with Chiba.  Only time will definitely tell the answer to that mystery.

The horses are all well, and one has been sold and will be picked up sometime in the next 2-3 weeks if the weather cooperates. That will free up stall space for the two baby pigs that will be arriving around that time.  Can you sense the chaos starting to build here?

Hay is starting to run low, there might be three weeks worth left.  This weekend I will make time to find a source and restock.

Twenty-four days until Daylight Saving Time begins, and things will start to look better.  And I won't have to come home to a dark farm...

Let it snow

Though there isn't a lot going on during this time of year on the farm, other than some early spring cleaning in the house, purging of old files and preparing for taxes, one still has to make time to ride.  Snow or not!

Snow doesn't bother Dottie as much as it does me...

Mud Fever

“When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes. ” 
― William Shakespeare, Henry V

The horses enjoyed a proper romp in the mud the other day...before everything froze and turned to ice and snow.  Hello January.   ~A

The Herd before the Storm

Just before the snow arrived...

A little Rain

Rain clouds were slowly moving in on the horizon this morning.  Rainy. Cloudy. Windy.  Today's forecast.  But I'm not complaining - the temperature is nearing 50 degrees!  The horses are not at all amused however.  They will be put back in the barn today, safe from the chilly rain that is on its way this afternoon.

Mon Abri Farm, March 2014

Have a beautiful day... ~A

Something's got to give...

The weather is getting to me.  All I want to do is eat. Worse, all I want to eat is "comfort" food.  Carbs, Carbs, Carbs... 

Yesterday I canned some mushroom barley soup to put away for my work lunches, and for those evenings when I just don't have it in me to cook anything. Which happens to be often, lately. Really,  I have absolutely no interest in doing much of anything in this cold weather, other than eating and taking care of the animals.  I think part of my nasty outlook has been due to this respiratory, cough thing I've been battling for three weeks now.  Between the cough and the weather I am sure I can't take much more!



Barley Soup "to go"

In an sad effort to pretend I can even remember what summer feels and tastes like, I sliced up a baguette, toasted it, rubbed the pieces with garlic, put a frozen basil leaf on top, followed by a slice of tasteless, (but roasted) winter tomato, and topped it off with shaved parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  I tried.  I really, really tried. But it just couldn't compare to using the same ingredients in, say, August.  It was really a sad moment.

Then I tried pasta.  I was a little more cheery after that...


Pasta = Happiness ?

Then there are some who the snow has no effect on what-so-ever....No horse-flies! Let's play!



Limbo

Life on the farm feels madly stuck in a sort of "limbo" stage at the moment.  Everything is frozen. And still. And nearly lifeless.  I rode one of the horses all over the property last weekend to inspect everything and see what was new.  Not much.

In the garden, the garlic had poked their little heads through the soil at some point during this winter and the little green tips were frozen solid.  But I'm not concerned, the same thing happened last year and everything was fine come July. The only thing that appeared to show tiny signs of life were the blackberry bushes. They seem to be growing a little, like the buds on the trees.  But it could be my imagination.  Or just my lust to see something green and growing!

The goat is still waddling around looking like a small pregnant cow. The woodpile continues to shrink.  I'm worried about the goat because if she is actually pregnant and does go into labor please, please, please, don't let it be in the next ten days when the temperatures are in the low "teens" and dipping below zero during the nights.  Otherwise, I will have to bring her and any babies into the house.  No question there!



January 13, 2014

The sun sets today at 5:29 p.m. here in Northeast Ohio.  How I long for the month of May when things really start to green up and the sun sets at a more respectable time!

On another dismal note, I've discovered lately that one of my racehorses has come to despise chickens. He's bashed a few around now, but this latest outburst was downright savage! Not only did he crush this hen, but then proceeded to tear into her, toss her around a bit, and then finish her off by stomping her to death. Maybe the horse is suffering from cabin fever as well...

Racing Season

I'm behind on my posting.  This is due to a big change in my schedule in order to accommodate the Thoroughbred Horse racing season.  Mon Abri Farm currently has a handful of racehorses under its ownership.  Two are in Indiana racing, and then there is my horse here in Ohio.  Being a jockey and owner, I now must rise every morning at 4:00 a.m., in order to feed all of the animals on the farm, and then drive forty minutes to the racetrack to care for, train and exercise my racehorse. After that, I head off to my office job and work until 5:30 p.m.  I'm still adjusting to my lack of sleep, and the super-organized person I have to be right now in order to juggle a farm, an office job, a rental property, and a jockey/trainer/owner gig on the side.  But for the love of it all, carry on I will damn it!  The racing season ends in November; we'll see how long I hold up...

This is Nigel.  Let's hope he stays sound and makes a little money for the farm this year.