I'm only guessing but I'm thinking that I was done out of a few $$$$ in my swear jar last evening. I was out of the way,...finished mucking out the barn and went up to muck out the house when I got the call. Please bring down some VERY EXTRA STRONG pills. Not good, down on the farm if we get hurt, in my case its "ouch" shake down and then get on with it in Gregs case "ouch" is generally much more colorful ( colourful for us Brits !) and nearly always very lucrative but again shake down and get on with it. Not so yesterday. Our lawn mower had gone on strike and since I'm not inclined to trim the grass with scissors and the grass is growing as I watch, Greg was fixing it. It clearly had no intention of going back into service and the pull cord starter snapped back on his wrist. Ouch ! Gregs wrist swelled up like a balloon but the good news is that although his arm is black and blue nothing is broken......back to work Greg ! Met a lovely family last night, they came for a farm visit, thats one of the biggest perks of this job, we meet the nicest people. Thank you Tanna and family, hope to see you again soon and so glad we could share our life with you all. Also thank you to Destinys' previous previous (no, not a mistake, this was the owner before her mom that had to have her rehomed) owner. It seems that our lovely Destiny is a very elegant and beautiful old lady, 25 years young. I dont have the details yet (but I will get them, smile, ) but do know that she is very well bred and was quite the star in her earlier years. She went to State Fair....Gosh, our sweet so well behaved Destiny, I love her already. Oh dear, 7.25am, time to pack up and get to work. Have
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Go Molly, just when we thought that the "Might Midget " was beat, Molly does it again ! This morning we had an inquest, yesterday the bucket containing Watch Mes' ( milk goat) food was all over. It looked like a BIG rat had got its supper on our account, Greg, not being the most tidy person on the universe came under suspicion for being messy ( again) me having ocd . (smile). Young Macki cleared it all up..... yesterday Molly the 23 year old took herself ( I'm sure quite unaided ???) into the barn kitchen and munched on the dairy goats' bucket of grain !! ok, I nearly had Greg labeled as big rat or mega messy. Sorry Sweetheart. Should have guessed Molly was behind it....she has been for everything else. How does something so small be such an issue. Don't worry Macki...she wont be evicted ( well, not today anyway !!!) Thanks for your comments Pat , don't worry, we aren't in eviction mode, smile. This afternoon, after mucking out the barn, I have come up to muck out the house....no rest for the wicked..I must have been REALLY wicked !! Somehow the computer turned itself on and I REALLY had to update the diary ( it would have been rude not to, eh ?) Better go, I can hear the dust growing and Greg has invited the Universe to a pizza night tomorrow. ( actually only the people who helped hay bucking). I need to clean up or I may lose people under the dust....we have been SO busy at the barn, the house has been on the back burner. Take care M (ps...I saw the photos of Destiny...just haven't got them transferred yet, sorry) New release...... Carrie Destinys' previous mom ) ( mum for the Brits) just called at the farm....please don't worry Carrie, she has a lot of love here and we will take care of her, I promise. Look forward to finding out more about our new equine friend. Look forward SO much to having a chat with you and hopefully meeting you (again) .Bye again. Love M
Last night we had a broiler chicken roundup, always an interesting exercise ...you wouldn't believe the places I found sumo poo ! It's always a bit tough for me, I raise those birds from day 2, they see me coming and say "yummee Mummy with the goodies bucket", chicken roundup always feels like an "et tu Brutus" moment. Greg is down at the barn with his couldron boiling and I'll be hiding out. The laying hens are in Heaven, I'm on a gardening phase, I only turned my back for a couple of days and the garden looks like the Amazon Jungle ! When I'm in the garden those chickens line the fence line to their pen .....and wait ! It's like a feeding frienzy when the wheelbarrow goes through the gate , those birds are closely related to pirannahs I swear it. Destiny is settling in well, (I know it because no matter how clean and white that mare is when I put her to bed, in the morning she closely resembles a black horse ! ) I guess she is feeling comfortable enough to have a dirt bath, yesterday I found her flat out in the field and thought she had died !!! Sorry, haven't been able to pin Greg down ( I think he'd like that, but no time . smile) to post photos and I promise to tell all about her ...maybe tomorrow. Got to go, it's 7.25, time for morning clock on. Take care. M
So this is Summer, the birds were silent in the tree branches, the ducks were sweltering in the bullrush on the pond, the horses were head to tail in the pasture mutual fly swatting the barn cats upside down sun soaking under the trailer, even the roosters had suspended roostering for the afternoon.... aaaah peace and tranquility down on the ranch...OR IS IT !!!! Greg and I, enjoying the "quiet" time took the tractor round to barn field and there she was, Moll the midget mare had turned into molly the Despot with a vengeance !!!! She has succeeded in undoing the gate previously, so we locked AND tied it, no problem, just barge it again, no problem, no challenge and Molly seems to love a challenge, what next ? Lets try just lifting the gate off the hinges...."the grass in the ram lambs field MUST be better than mine", next move in the take over bid, evict the ramb lambs...so there she was , looking like a 23 year old black and white sugar lump turned demon chasing Rodney the top ram and his cohorts around the cedar snag. There were lambs everywhere and Molly was everywhere, relentlessly clearing the ield. Once the field was clear she bored of the mission and tootled back to her own pasture where the evicted lambs had eaten all her food and pooped in her water bucket as payback. We have had ewes and rams in there, doing ewe and ram "stuff", 6 horses through the worst Winter, 2 llamas and 2 Shire horses over the years, and no one has ever broken through the gates. Molly has managed it 3 times in less than a week. Molly, you are a treasure ...when do you go home ????? smile. Seriously, Pat Macki and Madison, we are enjoying her ingenuity just not sure we are on the winning team !! . Time to go,we are building a shelter for Destiny our new arrival. More about Destiny and some introductory photos (if I can motivate Greg.....or should I say re assign Greg from another project ). Take care, M I wonder if God gives out a special prize for Grandmas....( ???valium perhaps ).Pat, one of our lovely neighbors (neighbOURSs for the Brits) has 2 sweet little Grandaughters passionate about horses visiting from Texas . Pat wasn't a horse lady...she is now ! My guess is that Pat used to have a lie in and a casual cup of coffee first thing in the morning...not any more!! Wednesday lunchtime effectively changed Pats life for the next 2 weeks. Here came Molly!!! With a smile as big as Texas this little blonde girl saw her loan pony come out of the trailer, Pats fate was sealed. Molly could have been a monster, a tiny black and white hairy monster,...but she wasn't. Molly is the cutest little old lady, a sugar lump on 4 legs and for that little girl it was love at first sight. For Pat it was fate sealed. Early morning there is Pat, lunchtime there is Pat and night shift Pat's back again ...and Pat doesn't do horses ! Cute little Molly is crafty little Molly and we quickly discovered that Molly is an escape artist at 23 (ish) with not too many teeth that girl can unlock a gate, if it doesnt unlock, no problem, it will give way if pushed hard enough and the sheep in the next field are company if a bit odd looking . Thanks Molly for giving us a few horror moments trying to find you thanks Pat, its great to see you and the girls having SO much fun. Got to go, its 7.30am and another day....is Pat there yet ???smile. Take care M
Super Man could do it in a phone box, Superwoman could do it too and on Sunday I did the magical transformation in about 20 minutes ( about 10 minutes longer than I usually get to scrub up !!). One minute I was knee deep in the steaming manure pile, a very healthy concoction of cow goat sheep horse and chicken poo and the next I was trying to fit myself and a frothy merangue of purple and black satin and lace into the truck. Not an easy task but somehow Greg managed to pile me all in, loaded the dog and off we went to the First Annual Croquet Match . What a great day, work shouldn't be so much fun...I almost felt guilty! (but only almost, smile) The croquet Match was a fundraiser for the Mustard Seed and as usual the residents of the Penninsula gave it their full support. With my persona changing from Scarlet O'Hara (Gone With The Wind) to Queen Victoria depending on the Chardonnay infusion I was at times having a "touch of the vapours coming on" ( when good friend Laurens 2 young boys both disapeared under a fusion of lacy petticoats) and "we are not amused" (when I went to the restroom, fought umptyump layers of skirt , thought I had adequately rearranged myself, got to the door and found my lacy pantaloons in a delicate puddle round my feet . I'm sure there were a few gentlemen who very politely looked the other way as I rescued the offending item of clothing. Thanks guys ! I was very lucky to win the prize for the best costume and will treasure my little peacock trophy. On Saturday I will be manning the Mustard Seed booth at the Salmon Bake, if you are able, please come and say hello. Off to bed, its late and we are like bobble heads nodding here. Take care, M   It's hay time\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\7/21/2010 Good morning World, it's me again !It doesn't matter how I prepare myself, anticipate or dread that phone call, when it comes we have to jump...well, maybe stumble and hop into action. Frantic phone calls to friends and family at first met with..sorry going camping, hiking, work.....visiting the distant cousin of my 3rd divorced wife...things were looking bleak. Greg and I hitched up the trailer and headed out to the field...all alone..aaaah. ( actually, I lie, there was a very enthusiastic member of the team, Bran couldn't wait !!) First sight of the field, with 946 bales of hay lying like dead bodies waiting for pick up and ok, I'm done, its time for a marguarita, lets go home was my first instinct ! I dont get off that easy, 154 bales later ( funny how they start off like annorexic corpses and by the time the trailer is loaded I'm dragging sumos around.) It was about 8.30pm when the last sumo was dumped on the trailer, about 9.30 when we stumbled into the house. I ate egg on toast in bed and think I woke up wearing the plate! I think Greg got into bed !! It was the next day and I can say we have great friends and family..(or maybe it was "feel sorry for the oldies day"). next day and the day after we had volunteers like little ants running round the field. Thanks guys, we love you all and REALLY appreciate your kindness (and muscles). We are attaching some photos of the frolicking on the field and barn. Time to get down for another fun filled day. Take care, M.            Chuck started baling and we started bucking...we got 154 bales in off the field and tucked in cosily in the barn, only about 800 to go !!! It was a toss up when we crawled into the house....strong whiskey or Ibuprofen, Ibuprofen won. Maybe I should investigate if the state has a programme for prisoners to have a "day out"....we sure have a hard time getting volunteers. smile. Oh dear, Greg moved, its time to get an early start and head down to the barn. Better crank up the enthusiasm ( does it come in tablet or bottle form ?) Take care, M
The heat wave outside was nothing to the heat wave in the barn kitchen yesterday ! Greg went into overload....it wasn't the stockmarket (though that didn't help)...it wasn't that Lamb Chop seems to have a case of Delhi Belly and being very affectionate wants to rub up against us (bless ) it wasn't even that Bran heard some gun shots, forgot he was a sheep dog and ran the other way ! ......Greg realized that the turkey poults were growing like weeds and need rehousing, like yesterday, the Rhode Island red's in the Shack ( the less salubrious of the chicken houses) have always considered themselves more important that the "others" and have isolated themselves, refusing to come down off their perches to eat unless I go in and I emerge in a flurry of Rhodie feathers. We had to lock out the other birds..very indignant.."They may have something we dont have syndrome" so now the Rhodies are stuck in in glorious isolation and consequently need rehoming. Just to add insult to injury, the thistle in the pastures suddenly bloomed and needed to be dealt with. and the chickens in the shack decided the grass was greener....the cats got excited and loose chickens are no fun !! So much to do and so little time so Greg blew his motherboard !! Tranquillizers or a 2 by 4 ?????? Peace and harmony restored with a reality check, all our "problems don't spell Armagheddon (how do you spell Armagheddon ???) the Rhodies are quite happy as hermits, the thistle can be dealt with, Bran loves a good chicken roundup, so loose chickens are a training exercise for an overactive border collie, I fed the cats and as for the turkey poults....I had another idea !!!! ( enough to set Greg into panic relapse). We fence the round pen which currently stands unused, put a shelter in there , put the hermit Rhodies in the roundpen, turkey poults in the Rhodies old pad and every body ( man and birds) happy. Guess what, Greg went for it ...with the inevitable "Greg modifications" but that is standard, smile. Watch this space. Daily Diary entries may be a bit scarce for a few days, Chuck is baling our hay today so we will be getting the hay in from the field. Any offers of help WELCOMED. Time to go, I'm off to Tacoma for some Mustard Seed training, better get my brain in gear. Take care, M
Yesterday our neighbours baby girl was born, a future horse poo muckerouter, groomer...we live in hope. Congratulations Hannah Eric and big (little) brother Cole on the new family member. Yesterday was a busy day, Greg put on his duds and went off to the office....Mustard Seed, our voluntary Monday "job". I was home alone until lunchtime. Solo got a reprieve...but not for long, his card is marked. Lumber has been cut for chicken tractor numbers 2 and 3 but after the first attempt to move the "portable" prototype there has already been modifications...lots of them !! There is no real problem with the structure....its just that the chickens need a little brain matter between the eyes. each time the tractor moved, the chickens all crowded 4 deep on the back wall...UNDER the back wall. I was running around like a banshee inside the coop, hair all over the place banging my head on the roof, waving all 5 arms ( well, it felt like it !!!) and they still ran the wrong way. End result, chicken roundup, chickens running everywhere, Bran in chicken heaven (wow, something to chase !!) me with a head of hair like I had run through a bush, bumps on my head like Mount Vesuvious, enough money in the swear jar for another trip to the thrift store but the chickens got moved. Sole was "done", poor guy, I held his head between my knees and Greg did the nasties..Greg sadly ALWAYS does the nasties, thats the way it is round here, smile. Goats are so funny, when he was "done", I got the peanut bucket and he chomped on peanuts and looked at me like " You'll NEVER guess what somebody did to me...good job I've got you to keep me safe", not too many brain cells there either ! He's walking a bit strangely ( sort of bandy ) but seems fine, eating well which is better than a thermometer round here. . and the noise level has gone down !!! Time to say cheerio for now, got to get down to the barn and get ready for bringing in the hay from the field in the next few days. Thanks for your comment Trish, glad you enjoy my ramblings. Take care all. M
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