SHE'S HERE! INTRODUCING RUBY RAZZLE DAZZLE

Okay, yeah, so my horse arrived on Monday night around 7:00pm. I drove out to Middlefield and met Vicky and Frank with their horse trailer. Spring, aka Ruby, was brought out after a bit and very hesitantly made her way into the trailer. It really took only a matter of minutes. She did great. The drive home was uneventful and Vicky said that she was very quiet in the back. She unloaded just as nicely and kinda went this way and that on her way to her stall. She spent the evening circling her box stall, looking out the window, and whinnying to everybody. JoJo is quite taken with her and I caught them "kissing" through the window.

Yesterday I spent some quiet time with her throughout the day. The couple of times I went in she cocked her foot at me, but didn't kick. She isn't used to a box stall as Al and Debby had her in a standing stall during the day, so this was new.

Today I was able to come and go in the stall without any problems. While she was eating I cleaned it out, and she is backing up when asked. We still need to work on her invading my space. Part of the problem is that I am a bit nervous around her. The weather wasn't great today, but I really wanted to get her out a bit. So, with my heart jumping around I put on her halter and lead and led her out. The donkeys were in the back corral. At first everything went pretty well. She would follow behind, but then try to jump in front or go behind me on the left. For awhile she would listen when I corrected with the lead. Then we went down the side the donkeys were on and they started prancing around. She got excited - grass! air! donkeys! goats! and it went downhill from there. I got her back to the barn and wanted her to stand so that I could take her halter off and give her the okay to go out to the pasture, but she wouldn't stand still. THEN, she stepped on my foot. My little toe on my right foot to be exact and crushed it. I don't know if it is broken, but it is certainly black and blue. Next purchase, steel-toed shoes.

So, not wanting to give her the go-ahead without getting what I wanted from her I decided to leave it for another day and put her back in her stall. Boy, was she angry and let me know with her loud whinnying. We will try again tomorrow. Rachel!!! I need your help!!!

Yesterday Mom and Dad came over and went swimming and we had dinner...hamburgers, watermelon, zucchini and squash from the garden, and our first corn. Delicious!

Tomorrow Ann, Tanya, and Kennedy are coming over to swim. I am looking forward to seeing them.

Oh, last night while Mom and Dad were here Lauren came up lame. She was limping very badly and I feared she had stepped on a nail or I had trimmed her hoof to close. So, we had Dr. Matt come out to look at both her and Ellie. He thinks that Lauren just sprained her leg so she is on 7 - 10 days "bed rest". After he went back to his office he did some research and thinks that Ellie has Choreoptic Leg Mange, which is caused by a mite infestation. We are going to treat Ellie with Ivermectin and Frontline spray. If that does the trick I will be SO happy as this has been an ongoing issue since March.

Sounds like the Daveys are having a great time in Michigan. They say the water is blue like the Caribbean. It is very picturesque and quiet. They are loving it.

Horse Today

My new horse arrives today. Still trying to decide on a name. For some reason I am not nervous at all. Her stall is almost ready. We just have to clean up the tools we used yesterday and throw down a little more straw. Mark cut a lovely window in her stall towards the back pasture. He framed it out very nicely. It lets in a lot of natural light, which is nice because the stalls are pretty dark. The stall is very big in my opinion. Larger than the stalls at the stable where I take lessons. I think it will be a nice place for her. Hopefully the adjustment will be easy, although I know she will be scared. It will be interesting to see how the donkeys react to her. Last night when we let them into the back pasture, they were running all around and Pickles was kicking up her heels. It is fun to watch them let loose. They don't do it as much as they did when they were yearlings.

Today is going to be a swim day. Finally a nice, warm day with no rain. I have to leave to head out to Middlefield at 3:30. I am not looking forward to the drive there and back, but I feel like I should be there.

seeing if it works.

A Quiet Moment

Finn and Tali sharing a sucker and a blanket.

Oh, to be a dog.

Lucky boy.

A Patch of Sunshine

My 20 year-old cat enjoying a snooze in the sun.

Work

Yesterday we trimmed all of the hooves - both sheep and goats. We found that Ellie has these really horrible-looking growths above her hooves. It looks like it is Strawberry Hoofrot. Nothing much we can do about it, maybe some penicillin. Mark will be taking her to the vet on Thursday. Yippee! Another vet bill.
We also started taking down the black strips in the corrals in anticipation of Phoebe's (may be Josie) arrival tomorrow. It looks so much cleaner now. Less cluttered. There is still more work to be done on the fence, but we are getting there. The kids were great, helping pull the black strips to a pile out back.
Today I will be getting Phoebe's stall ready, plus a trip to Tractor Supply for some last minute brushes and bug spray. It would be nice to be able to get the kids into the pool. The weather has not been cooperating lately. They want so bad to go in, but then they freeze their little tushes off.

Hannah's Birthday - Waiting For Cake

Amanda came up last Tuesday for Hannah's birthday with the boys plus Hannah and two of her friends, Elena and Sydney. They got here about 3:00pm and we went swimming for awhile. It was kind of chilly as this whole summer has been. Nana and Grandpa came over later and we had cake and ice cream. We went to bed fairly early hoping the forecast would change.

Unfortunately it didn't and the trip to Soak City was postponed. After a few tears Hannah took it in stride and was very mature in her response to try and make the day good anyhow. We decide to go roller skating, so after Nana arrived we all piled in the cars and went to the rink. Hannah and the girls, along with Ben and Leo, did very well. Tali just was not having any of it. After going around a few times and then a lot of crying, she sat on the bench and watched. Finn did not like the slippery floor of the rink, but went up and down the carpeted aisle with Mark in tow. During the last song a little boy skated in front of Mom and fell causing her to fall. She hit her head pretty bad so we took her to the emergency room. It was very scary, but she is okay and the swelling was gone by the next day. She even came over after the hospital to watch the kids swim and we all had leftover picnic food for dinner.

The next day the kids went swimming again in the morning even though it was raining and we all went for a goat parade in the rain before they left. I thought it was a nice three days, but I'm sure Hannah was disappointed. Hopefully the weather will cooperate when we plan to go in August.

F and T

Yesterday I asked the kids what they wanted for a snack. Tali asked me what was in the pantry. I started naming things, but Finn said, "No, say A whole bunch of nothing." I guess I must say that a lot. Made me laugh.

Mower Rides and Camping Out

Mark bought a small trailer for $30 and built an attachment for the lawnmower. It isn't big, but it is handy for hauling stuff around. It is our poor man's tractor!!! So, every night he has been putting straw and a blanket in it and giving the kids rides.

On Sunday night Mark and the kids camped out in the backyard. We built a fire and roasted marshmallows for Smores. The picture is of the kids getting ready to go out to the tent. They were so excited and slept until 8:30 am! Despite the roosters crowing all around.

Funny Things

I am going to start posting random things that the kids say that make me laugh even though there most likely won't be a context. I just want to remember them. For instance, just right now Finn and Tali were in timeout for leaving their shoes lying all over willy nilly AGAIN. After the timeout I was going over why they were having a consequence and I was telling Finn how well he was doing with his temper tantrums and to keep up the good work and to now just try to get his shoes in the basket. He is nodding and smiling at the praise from me, and then blurts out "Zucchini for dinner!" I have no idea where that came from in his little head except that we had zucchini for dinner last night and he liked it. :)

Lots to Write

So much has happened since Hannah came. On Wednesday I took Hannah to my horseback riding lesson. Rachel was great. She not only let Hannah ride Cody, she gave her a mini lesson. Hannah seemed to really enjoy it. After the lesson Hannah rode Cody down the long driveway and back. It was nice to be able to share the love I have for riding with someone else who loves it too.

On Thursday we went to Lake View Park. The kids had a great time on the beach. On Friday we went to the ZOO, on the HOTTEST day of the summer. We were all wilting. We saw the dinosaurs, and the bears were having fun in the water. That's all I remember. It was too hot.

The beginning of last week Mark knocked out the wall in the permanent goat shed, framed it and put in a door. He really is amazing. He has single-handedly (with a very little bit of help from me) changed the lay of the land of this farm. It looks completely different from what it looked like last year. So, now the fence is done, the chicken coop is done, the goat shed is done. We, rather Mark, still has to build the ram and buck pens, and a million other little things, but I feel like we have made real progress. I am very proud of our little farm.

Today Mark went with Joy and Erin to Kent for a final visit before Erin heads off to college. She is very nervous, but excited I think. We are so proud of her, and I am SO happy that she is going to get the college experience. She really deserves it. She has worked so hard. Finn, Tali and I went swimming after doing some odds and ends. The pool is looking good, thank you very much. Hopefully it will stay that way. I just wish it were a teensy bit warmer. I know that Mark is happy its cool because of all of the work he has to do, but I wish it were a bit warmer for the kid's sake. Yesteray Dad and Eileen came over for a visit and brought their friends, Carol, Tom and Ruth. It was nice sitting around just enjoying the day and the kids in the pool.

Teddy

On Wednesday our little Teddy passed away. I don't want to go into details because I am still up nights thinking about it, but Mark and I tried to save him and we couldn't. We buried him under the tree in the back pasture.

After Teddy died Tank was beside himself. He cried and cried all day and ran frantically around his pen. That made it so much harder for me to hear the constant reminder that Teddy was gone. I searched the internet trying to find a ram for sale that would fit in our budget. We found Stewey, who we are now calling Diego, in Waynesfield near Lima at Broken Road Farm. On Saturday we drove there, a six hour trip there and back. We got him home though and he is doing well. Tank is back to his old self, content. Finn and Tali were real troopers that day.

Good bye Teddy.

Goat Parade

I haven't posted in awhile, and I will post more about last week later, but I wanted to get these pictures up of our goat parade. Mark cut a nice, winding path through the pasture for us to go on our nightly walks. Last night the sheep decided to go too, but being sheep they got distracted and decided to graze instead.

Swimming Pool

Yesterday we emptied and scrubbed out the entire pool. It was green and stinky, like an algae-filled pond. It wasn't hard work, but took a long time. I sat back and drank margaritas while watching Mark. Just kidding. There is just a little bit of debris in the bottom now. You can actually SEE the bottom, which is an improvement over last year. Over night it filled up about 4-6 inches, so it will be a couple of days before its ready. Too bad Hannah has to leave today, but it will be ready when she comes back for her bday. It was wonderful having her this week. She was a joy to be around and such a big help. She took right to milking, and if Raisin would have let her Hannah would have finished the job. The kids and I are going to miss her. I am taking her to my riding lesson today. Rachel said she could ride for awhile. Then Nana is meeting us there to take her home with her for a few days. Amanda and the boys are coming up. We are going to the beach tomorrow and the zoo on Friday to see the dinosaurs.

I can make one of the roosters, Turkey, crow by whistling. I had better stop naming all of my roosters. Its getting hard to think of them as dinner on the table.

And it begins...

Raisin put her foot in the milk (Pongo and Scout are happy. They get the milk when that happens.) and Ellie got out of the fence already this morning. Enough said. Let's hope the rest of the day gets better.

I heard the chickens roar. Supposedly Buckeyes (rare breed on the critical endangered list) give a dinosaur-like roar. When I told Finn that we were getting chickens that did that he got scared and said "Ohhhh". Well, I have heard them. It is the strangest sound, and yes, it does sound like a dinosaur. Kinda creepedy.

Here are some pictures of my horse, Phoebe's Starlight Spring (Phoebe for short), who will be arriving on July 27th. She is a two year old Haflinger/Paint cross filly. I will be working with Rachel Jelen to start her under saddle. Another adventure and a dream come true for me.

Hot fence. Finally!

Here are some pictures of our new fence. We have sheep, goats, donkeys, and a new horse coming on July 27th, so we decided to go with 5 strands of ElectroBraid. It is relatively inexpensive, VERY easy to install, and looks nice. Hopefully it will do the job for all of the different kinds of animals. Time and training will tell. I also included a picture of Mark's ingenious lawnmower invention. The ElectroBraid rolls are super heavy and we were going to have to walk the fence line carrying each one everytime. Instead Mark put the rolls onto a 2X2 and then mounted it onto the back of the lawnmower. He slowly moved the mower while I walked behind and watched the rolls as they unwound to make sure the braid didn't catch. It worked beautifully.

Chickens and Fireworks

We decided to go to North Ridgeville's fireworks. They were the only ones in the area shown on the 3rd. So, I had to put the chickens away early. They usually come when I call/sing "Chickens!". Actually they come running, like puppies. It is so cute to see them all running towards me in the backyard in a stampede. I got all of them in but two. Well, first it was only one and then another one snuck out while I was trying to get the first in. No matter what I tried they would not go in and I did not want anymore to escape and we had to go. So, I locked the screen and the two just sat there looking in. I expected that when we got home we could just pick them up and put them in. Chickens go into a kind of stupor at night and you can pick them up then. But when we got home (the fireworks were great), no chickens. We walked all around the yard with the flashlight looking for them. So then I expected them to be by the door when I woke up this morning. No chickens. Then I got a bit upset. Did I leave them out to be prey? I didn't see any feathers though. I let the rest of the flock out and waited to see what happened. Sure enough I saw some movement in the flower garden and here they come stretching and pecking.

Finn and Tali are really enjoying having Hannah around. They are playing a lot of make-believe. Right now they are playing Candyland. I wish the pool was up, but they seem to be keeping themselves occupied.

The fence is finally hot!!! However, we are going to have to do some sheep training today. They went through it twice yesterday. I was afraid of that. They have been ducking their heads under while it wasn't on and grazing the backyard. I didn't mind until they started to get into the garden, and yesterday into the chicken coop! They loved it in there!!! I had a feeling that their wool would be a problem with the fence as it is an insulator. We have to try to get them to touch their noses to the fence. When Mark chased them back through they definitely heard the popping, but we don't know if they actually got shocked. I thought we could get our cellphones and Mark stand at the box and I stay by the fence. Then Mark can turn off the fence and I will put peanut butter, or something, on the fence to try to get them to touch their noses to it. PONGO got quite an unexpected shock this morning though, so I know its working. We'll see how my plan goes.

Hannah comes visiting

Yesterday Finn, Tali and I met Amanda, Hannah, Ben, and Leo at Mohican State Park and we went hiking by Little Lyon Falls. Appropriate name as it was a VERY little fall, well, really just a trickle. But the hike was fun although a bit treacherous. Tali came back with shoes caked in mud and a little brown butt. Hannah suffered several scrapes, but brushed it off like a trooper. We had lunch by the river and called it a day. Amanda and the boys tried to climb the fire tower, and we headed home with Hannah in the backseat.



When we got home she helped me with the animals, we all watched The Fashion Show and then hit the hay.