That "no blame policy" is getting quite the work out of late......and not by the girl team (which really doesn't leave anyone else but Greg here to get the implied blame). Mr. Cooper the big bay gelding was quietly enjoying having his ears rubbed, (having not quite as quietly tolerated having three inches of wet mud scraped off his neck and more than half the pasture dug out of his hooves) when the silhouette of bovine ears caught my eye. Standing in Coopers stall and looking at two cows who should have been safely tucked up in the cow barn was clearly not the norm and watching two cows munching away on what they really shouldn't have been munching was most certainly operator error. It wasn't me and it wasn't Tomoko. Who neglected to fasten the cow gate....mmmmm ?
What is BIG and grey, metal and parked in my pasture.....we have a new fixture, we have a shipping container. ( can't you just tell that I'm ecstatic...NOT !!!) Greg insists said shipping container is going to be invaluable....I think he has possibly lay awake at night thinking of all the wonderful uses a big grey metal container could/ will be. The container arrived yesterday on a trailer 30 inches off the ground...it got on the trailer with the help of a forklift. Sadly, we don't have a forklift and a big grey metal container (that I didn't want) was sitting resolutely on the back of the trailer while two engineers and three onlookers considered the problem and the hopeful resolution. Tomoko and I decided that discretion was possibly the best course of action and, after reminding Greg just how long it was going to take him to compensate me for the new barn fixture.....we decided to take some retail therapy. Several hours later we ventured back to the scene of the container dilemma just moments too late to see it and the trailer part company with a hefty bump into the soft ground and just in time to see the new problem arise. Now it was down.....how do we put it where we want it ? When in doubt and when nothing else has worked...plan B....call in the big guns. Greg's rusting old backhoe rumbled into the pasture, in reverse. Sadly, apparently "peripheral vision" is limited from the front of the backhoe when it's going in reverse, clearly that accounts for the bucket firmly ramming the container door. oops...."no blame", right? In all honesty, the container isn't the eyesore I anticipated and it really is not in view ....BUT... !
Tomoko has almost been here a week now and has become quite the farm girl. Always smiling and unfailingly polite and respectful to man and beast, Tomo confidently works with stubborn cows, pushy sheep and horses with an inordinate amount of attitude. We have baked cookies together and created my first ever made from scratch...one million calorie cheesecake, we've shopped and chatted.....and then chatted some more. Two weeks is going way too quickly!
Our young lady from far away Japan accepted our challenge to ride Lady the big Shire mare. Her first challenge was to get up into the saddle...a long way up for a not too tall person. Greg valiantly offered to give her a "leg up" and my immediate thought and the vision that to my horror flashed across my mind was poor Tomoko sailing over the saddle and over the other side. I hastily and without explaining my concerns found and placed the mounting block by lady's enormous hooves. Tomoko didn't look too impressed with the little extra elevation the two steps afforded her but she managed to scramble into the saddle and with a big smile took the reins. After Greg's very brief "how to" lecture whereby Tomo learnt everything she needed to know about brake accelerator and steering and with Lady firmly attached to a strong lead rope we set off up the farm road for a short ride through the forest. As the sun set over the tree tops, Lady and Tomo returned to the barn....it was thankfully an uneventful ride, Lady was compliant ( always good !) and Tomo was still smiling. Well done Tomoka !
What is BIG and grey, metal and parked in my pasture.....we have a new fixture, we have a shipping container. ( can't you just tell that I'm ecstatic...NOT !!!) Greg insists said shipping container is going to be invaluable....I think he has possibly lay awake at night thinking of all the wonderful uses a big grey metal container could/ will be. The container arrived yesterday on a trailer 30 inches off the ground...it got on the trailer with the help of a forklift. Sadly, we don't have a forklift and a big grey metal container (that I didn't want) was sitting resolutely on the back of the trailer while two engineers and three onlookers considered the problem and the hopeful resolution. Tomoko and I decided that discretion was possibly the best course of action and, after reminding Greg just how long it was going to take him to compensate me for the new barn fixture.....we decided to take some retail therapy. Several hours later we ventured back to the scene of the container dilemma just moments too late to see it and the trailer part company with a hefty bump into the soft ground and just in time to see the new problem arise. Now it was down.....how do we put it where we want it ? When in doubt and when nothing else has worked...plan B....call in the big guns. Greg's rusting old backhoe rumbled into the pasture, in reverse. Sadly, apparently "peripheral vision" is limited from the front of the backhoe when it's going in reverse, clearly that accounts for the bucket firmly ramming the container door. oops...."no blame", right? In all honesty, the container isn't the eyesore I anticipated and it really is not in view ....BUT... !
Tomoko has almost been here a week now and has become quite the farm girl. Always smiling and unfailingly polite and respectful to man and beast, Tomo confidently works with stubborn cows, pushy sheep and horses with an inordinate amount of attitude. We have baked cookies together and created my first ever made from scratch...one million calorie cheesecake, we've shopped and chatted.....and then chatted some more. Two weeks is going way too quickly!
Our young lady from far away Japan accepted our challenge to ride Lady the big Shire mare. Her first challenge was to get up into the saddle...a long way up for a not too tall person. Greg valiantly offered to give her a "leg up" and my immediate thought and the vision that to my horror flashed across my mind was poor Tomoko sailing over the saddle and over the other side. I hastily and without explaining my concerns found and placed the mounting block by lady's enormous hooves. Tomoko didn't look too impressed with the little extra elevation the two steps afforded her but she managed to scramble into the saddle and with a big smile took the reins. After Greg's very brief "how to" lecture whereby Tomo learnt everything she needed to know about brake accelerator and steering and with Lady firmly attached to a strong lead rope we set off up the farm road for a short ride through the forest. As the sun set over the tree tops, Lady and Tomo returned to the barn....it was thankfully an uneventful ride, Lady was compliant ( always good !) and Tomo was still smiling. Well done Tomoka !
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