Late Fall 2010 at Rosewood Achers...

The weather has been changeable... Decently pretty one day, soaking and cold the next...Freezing somewhere along the way just for a fun surprise. That means we've had some juggling with the various outside animals, to keep them relatively comfy.

Here in all their glory are my chookies...

The two black hens are Silver Cuckoo Marans and lay "Large" very dark brown eggs, sometimes referred to as chocolate brown eggs. Their names are Crooked Beak and Henny-Penny. The feather-footed "bantams" were adopted from Horse Plus Humane Society before they experienced the dog attack. I wasn't planning to get a rooster...but this fellow is pretty mellow and certainly serves his purpose by herding his ladies in when it's night-fall. His "crow" is so quiet and mellow that it's no trouble at all. We rarely hear it, so we know the neighbors aren't annoyed by it either. We call him "Roo" and the hen hasn't found her name yet. We also haven't had any eggs from her that we're aware of. Since her comb is such a pale pink, I doubt that she's laying right now. That's ok. The other two girls are keeping us well supplied right now. They have a support light in their hen house, partially for heat, and so we continue to have eggs. Don't worry...they both took a good vacation during the summer months. We didn't get eggs for about 2 months. They have an area the size of a horse stall to hang out in...we don't pressure them to conform to nesting boxes. They have them, but select their favorite spots to leave their cackle-berries!

Here's an example of how the topography of my land changes with just a bit of rain... The shot above is in the summer...nice and dry...

This shot is after the first Fall rain...a little mucky, but not desperately bad. This drained off quickly and dried out because the sun came out. And then December came...and with it...R A I N... The rain has caused us to scramble a bit. The mud, combined with a couple of freezing nights (which causes the soil to spread and accept more water even more deeply) has happily turned to severe muck...not good for a horse's feet. Last Saturday morning, I made the executive decision that Willow had to be moved, while we had a break in the weather.

Fabulous decision! Within mere days, the rain came in and decided to stay...for days and days and days on end... Her paddock now looks like this...

It's as though the stream jumps its banks here, and actually runs through the paddock. It got deeper and you could actually see the current within half an hour of taking this picture.

Her lovely spot beneath the trees is completely under water right now. She would easily be belly deep if she walked to the usual bank.

Here you can see the water flowing downstream, coming over the bottom of the fence panel. We get quite a bit of run-off. Fortunately, it does run off...

Bruce has already been out with Willow this morning, making sure the new area is draining. She's gotten it pretty sloppy up there as well, but it's better packed up there. That land has been grazed by cattle in the past, and is more compacted than down by the house. It's still muddy, but only right down close where she comes in to see us and eat. Farther up, it's solid, draining well, and she can get out of the muck.

Although you can't see the top of the mesa, there's a thousand foot mesa just outside my backyard. Makes for nice scenery, but it also makes for some nasty wetness too. That's one reason we use raised beds. I don't have to wait as long for the ground to dry out.

I can see I'm going to be investing a few hundred $$ more in rock for the paddocks. So, I'm off to search out the best price on drain rock in the county! The storms are backed up one after the other. At best we'll get a few hours of cloudy, windy weather between rains. Oh what fun it is to slosh!! Merry Christmas!

It's officially Fall in Nor-Cal

It's been a couple of weeks since we had any sunshine on a weekend day. Today, we got a little of both. This morning was filtered sun, followed by some lovely brilliant sun, with passing clouds, and now as the day draws to a close, the clouds are coming back in. I wonder what tomorrow will bring? I'd love to start the day with a bright, sunny day!

With the coming of Fall, I don't get to spend nearly as much time with my favorite girl. The days end a lot quicker, and daylight savings time is only a week away to compound that problem, and there are fewer ideal days to spend with Willow on the weekends. This is going to get a little difficult...I'm not sure how to work around it all...I think I'll be doing various horsey chores during my lunch break.
I caught Willow in the middle of making a turn here in case you think she looks all out of whack...she kind of should! I'm in the market for a new camera...she doesn't like the way this one sounds. Well...and after a few thousand miles, and being dropped I don't know how many times, it actually is beginning to need to be replaced. I don't know which Nikon the next one will be, but it will be a Nikon. I can attest to their ability to withstand (AB)use! Yes, I confess...my camera is abused...mostly because I'm a klutz.

Here's my other big news...
Yes, indeed! That's a full dozen eggs from the happy chickens here at Huevos Rancheria. Looking from left to right, you might notice that the eggs appear to be two different colors. I'm about to turn cart-wheels here... That's a sure sign at least one, if not both of the Silver Cuckoo Marans are laying again after quite the hiatus. Both of them got broody...it got really hot...this and that... For the longest time we've been getting a single egg, now and then. We're finally starting to get at least an egg a day again. For having 3 hens out there...at least an egg a day is the minimum I should be seeing! LOL! This is the first full dozen I've seen in months! I confess... I used 4 promptly...but it was worth it! Poached "store" eggs just aren't the same as poached "Girly" eggs! Now I'm going to switch over to the other blog and work on ravioli made with homemade pasta!

First Fall Storm

We had a pretty blustery Fall storm come in last night and throughout today. We didn't have any damage to speak of. Thankfully. Our friends at Horse Plus Humane Society weren't so lucky. They suffered some damage to their shelters, but all the animals were ok. Willow did ok too...she was skittish and really spooky, but that was to be expected. She's only experienced a few breezy days and a couple of light showers...NOTHING like gusty winds between 3o and 5o mph.

We kept a watchful eye on Willow all day. When I fed her this morning, she was interested, but jumpy. She was shivering, but didn't seem as cold as she was unnerved, and ready to run at a flicker of an eyelash. That's a mustang for you. Even though she knows me, she's very cautious in uncertain situations. When I talked to her and reached out to stroke her shoulder, she still bolted...not far, just out from beneath my hand. She'd leave her feed to be away from anything that frightened her, and she'd move out into the more open area of her pen where she could keep an eye on everything and scent the air better. That's life with a mustang.


By this evening, Willow was much more calm. She was mostly dry, not shivering, and able to be handled some. She still wasn't in the mood to be towel dried though. Willow was ready to be scratched in some of her more itchy spots though...and I accommodated her and got a mustang hug for my efforts. What a love! Tomorrow we'll be cleaning up some of the muckiness that soft clay dust turned into...but that's ok. It gave us a really good look at what winter will look like. Ish!

At least stormy days have one good thing going for them...beautiful sunsets!

Christmas Frog?

S-He's actually more red than the photo is showing. It likes to sit on my Debbie Mumm tea pot-cup set...that's where I find it coming from. I don't know if it has chameleonic qualities, or if this is its natural coloration. There is certainly one, very likely two, rather likely three different little frogs that either live in my kitchen, or visit me regularly. I finally figured out why I'm so popular, and then realized they're actually a big help to me while being very little trouble. Actually virtually no trouble. Aside from the occasional movement you might see out of the corner of your eye, but anyone who has lived in a 70+ year old house, out in the country in northern California for any length of time has given up being startled by things like that a long time ago. You just make a mental note to take care of the newest guests.

We've had a bumper crop of tomatoes coming in from the garden, so we've had very ripe fruit around the house all the time this summer. With very ripe fruit comes...FRUIT FLIES!!! Argh!! I didn't want to destroy the flavor of the tomatoes by refrigerating them, so they've been in the kitchen with the AC on power-saver. The little frogs have been hanging out in the bowls of tomatoes where there are plenty of tiny fruit flies for them to snack on. So a potentially icky situation has turned into a symbiotic relationship that benefits us both! Now...with Fall coming on...I'll be ushering them out to the garden so they can find their natural "over winter" habitat.

Darn little critters grow on you after awhile....

Basket o' Kitties

Around here, we never know when a mom is going to bring in a surprise for us. This mama kitty had all of 1 kitten in her last litter. When she decided to deliver this litter in the deepest depths of the berry vines, we figured we might never see them. We haven't had many come in from the wild this year. We were mighty surprised to see this litter...and a litter of 5 no less come in from the wild! So far, everything we've done to try to help her out has been rejected. LOL! She wants it all her way. She hid them behind the dryer for a week... Then she moved them behind the washer. Now...they won't be hidden any longer! They're EVERYWHERE! We've started supplemental feedings to give Mom a break. They tend to rat-pack her from time to time, and she's starting to get grumpy about all those tiny teeth! Can't say that I blame her there...

Meanwhile, back in the house...


Tiki has a new buddy...Half Pint. We've had a lot of kittens lost this year. This is one of the laundry sink babies. One of the "wild" litters was dragged in very sick, and whatever they had spread like wildfire. It wiped out Half Pint's litter in 2 days. Those kittens were fat and healthy one day, and literally dead the next. I grabbed this one up hoping to save at least one...and it looks like we did. We believe the illness was passed by fleas, so that was our first chore - deflea the little fella.

We'll be keeping the 5 little ones above inside until they're old enough for their vaccines because I'm not sure what we're battling out there. I know most of the older kittens survived, but many didn't. None of the little kittens survived, except this one. We don't know how many were out in the brush that we never saw this year. We do know we no longer see several adult cats as well...and these are cats we've had several years. Since we're also on the coyote track and the bobcat track...those are possibilities as well. Sometimes Willow lets me know that there is something she doesn't like out in the brush... That's rural living for you! You always have to be wary of what might be out in the brush...

Our First Farrier Visit Together

Willow has definitely had her hooves trimmed before, but not the way our Farrier does them. Our Farrier is a Natural Hoof Care specialist, and does barefoot horse care. I adore him. I loved the way he took care of Willow during the procedure...his patience and understanding of Horsenalities! He taught me so much during the process, it was amazing! I feel like I know my way around a hoof much better now, and I'm not afraid I'm going to hurt her.

Phil uses an angle grinder on the horses' hooves to create a smooth surface that's less likely to chip and split. Willow's hooves have been left unattended for so long that she's way over grown. She'll need to be seen every 4 weeks for awhile, until her hoof is back to the proper size. I knew she needed attention. I just didn't realize it had been that long since she'd had attention.

Let that be a thought on your mind if you adopt a horse from a rescue... They do the best they can for horses, but they can't attend to every horse all the time. If there are a lot of horses, and not a lot of caregivers, then there's not a lot of one on one care being given to the horses. That doesn't make the rescue a bad place...it just means that they aren't a home...they're a way-station in between death and salvation of a new, loving home. Don't expect that you're adopting a 100% fully healthy horse that's up to date on all immunizations, worming and routine care such as hoof care. The worst are attended to, and those that can wait, will and do. Facts are facts. You invest your resources where they're needed most. There's no shame in that....you just want to be mindful of it.

Finally...a ride!

Well...Here it is. Our first official, fully saddled, and mounted ride! She's a perfect lady! Stood stock still while I mounted, and behaved absolutely beautifully...especially considering what she had to put up with! LOL!

It didn't take too long to find out that Willow has been trained more to the Eastern style than Western. She doesn't neck rein. She doesn't have the first clue about neck reining. She frankly, wonders what the heck I'm doing up there with the reins!
Yeah? Me too! I've never reined any other way, and she's never been reined any other way...so here we are! Quite the pair! It took a couple of minutes for me to catch on and try things her way... You have to admit...steering is an extremely important part of this equation! We got it together as the sun went down and achieved a nice little trot...

As the weather cools off, we'll have a really nice day when we can spend the whole day together and see if we can get out of the yard and go exploring some!

Country Living

My kitchen is currently being teased by frogs...little tree frogs... I usually find one little frog on top of the bottom of my commuter mug. This time I found a pair of them! We'll occasionally find a little frog scooting around the sink area... We found one in our barbecue sauce one night. I had to give him a bath before I turned him loose...and I had to toss the barbecue sauce...didn't want any "special" seasoning in there! We frequently find these little guys in the bathroom, but at this point, they're decorating the kitchen. I'm not sure how they're coming in, or what's enchanting them, but they're consistent visitors, and we do our best to work around them! Silly critters!

Bonding...

We are learning about "Horse-analities." Willow is so totally different than the horse we owned before. She continues to be an absolute joy! Although she is definitely "Mama's girl," she's also developing a good relationship with my husband as well. We're both "critter" people, so I knew it was bound to happen...but I also knew that our previous horse mistreated my husband, and left him just a little horse-shy. That was one of the qualities Willow exhibited that drew me to her...she just exuded a calmness I knew I could trust.

Willow has been living with us for a month now. She loves to tag along while Papa B cleans her little corral. We garden, so I'm not overly concerned about the vast amount of horsey poo that accumulated in just a month...I'm sure there are several places I can put it to good use. Willow doesn't nicker to us...I miss that, but I wonder if that's just because she's a Mustang. She does meet us at the gate, and she greets us openly when we come into her corral. I don't know why I keep her halter on... I only use it on the rarest of occasions. We may need to talk about that. Hmmm.

We're getting all of our little lessons in. We groom, we pick up our feet, we walk, we do reining, we do ground work... We found out last night we need a girth strap for our saddle. Oh piffle. Oh well...I wanted to get us a neoprene girth anyway. I guess this just cements that. She does really well with all the bits and pieces. It's like she knows how, she knows what's expected, and if I'll just get on board, we can get it all together! LOL! I wonder if a training session might just be worth it...to teach me as much as anything else!

In the meanwhile...I'll continue going about this the way I've started. A little here, a little there... A little more here, a little more there. By the time I get everything together, Labor Day will have passed us by, and it might actually be safe to think about riding across the road out front...or even down to the forebay! I think riding her on the beach would be so wonderful!! Yes...I'll take a sack with me! It wouldn't be nice to leave leftovers! Just because the geese can...! Patience...patience...

Moving Along...

I don't know what kind of training Willow has had. I saw a video clip of Tawnee riding her, testing her out...but it was short and kind of choppy. So, I know she's been under saddle successfully. Tawnee told me she used a Tom Thumb snaffle. Ok. I chose an O-ring snaffle instead. I'm still having some problems finding her "go" button. *Ü* "Whoa" is definitely her stop button, verbal, and by rein. She does pretty well with "back", now it's the steering that needs some work. I think it's time to crack the books again.

I do know Willow wants to please. She accepted her bridle willingly, and was patient with me while I worked out all my own kinks. We did big circles and little circles, in both directions, we did forward and back...and we did more circles in the opposite direction, and figure eights. I even laid across her back and tried to find a way to get up on her bare back. I'm getting too old for that! LOL! It's a lot harder to mount bare back than it used to be! Next time...we go for the saddle!

Horse Experience

Please, please...don't ever look at me as ANY kind of authority in the field of horses! LOL! Nothing could be farther from the truth! All I know is what I know from my own experience, common sense, and what's working and not working with Willow right now.

You know how they say God loves fools and children? Well...that's why my first horse survived. All I knew was that I absolutely loved horses, I wanted one desperately, I found one I could buy, the time was right, and ...OMGosh...I suddenly owned a horse. On the arranged date, I arrived to pick up the little "stud colt" - okay, stop right there. Are you hearing what I'm saying here?? STUD COLT?? Challenge #1. Yep. Bought a little quarter horse stud. Next? He hadn't been getting his rightful share of groceries in between times, so he was a bit on the gaunt side. Next? Thank heaven he loads in the trailer like a champ, and we drive the 30 miles to our new home....make that 27 miles, almost to our new home. The kind gentleman I hired to trailer us to our house declined to drive the last few miles...it was a rather interesting dirt road. While I knew he'd be fine, he felt he needed to draw the line. Ok. We weren't that far from home. Except the horse didn't want to walk with me. He was totally out of his element. This was wild forest...new smells and sounds, and he was spooked and didn't want to go any farther, thank you so very much. Now what am I going to do? Take advantage of it being way out in the woods, off the beaten track, tie the horse and jog on down to the house for some grain to use as a bribe. Worked. Next? Colic, 2 days later.

Oh, we had a few rough times. The day I came home with his bridle was the day he escaped and disappeared. In the wide open wild forest, where there are real mountain lions and bears. I was terrified. But, we got lucky...he came upon the river...and he wouldn't cross water. He was found, and by that time everyone knew I was missing a horse. Little stinker...he was underweight and we had to ride him back home...bareback. Owww...! It was a long, slow trip!

I got the leg of the trip with the logging truck though...talk about scared! This was my first time on this horse, and my first time on a horse in probably 12 years. My horse philosophy comes directly from books I read (virtually memorized) as a child...King of the Wind...Black Beauty...The Black Stallion series. My heart told my head that if you treated a horse with love and respect, you'd get the same in return. So, when we realized this great big logging truck, thankfully empty, was heading for us, I figured we were both decidedly apprehensive. I moved us as far off the road as I could and made us as comfortable as I could where we stood. I took the slack out of the reins just enough to have a connection with his mouth, and started talking to my horse, patting him on the shoulder, letting him know we were ok. As the truck approached, I tightened my legs around his barrel just enough to be prepared, and continued to talk and pat, but allowed him to turn and watch the truck as it passed by us. We watched it for a few moments as it went on down the road, and then we turned back the direction we were going, coughed out the dust, and went on about our business. We bonded a lot in that 90 seconds!!

Rai was my big baby...and I loved him dearly. We played all kinds of games together. We played a kind of hide & seek game, and he had a game he played with us...I can get out 3 nights in a row! I learned a lot about the intelligence of horses during my time with him. I learned a lot about their memories too...but not as much as our dog did!

A lot of the time, we were the only ones of our species on our property. There were enough dogs for them to pack together to protect the place, and they did. They'd station themselves at strategic points on the property and yip back and forth in the evening to secure the perimeter. My son was usually either gone to school, or sleeping. He had a short period in the afternoons for play or chores, but during the winter, there wasn't much of that. I was also Rai's primary caregiver. He had his snotty moments, but for the most part he tried very hard to please me. I was cautious to make sure he always went to his shelter before I fed him, and I fed him from outside the shelter so no accidents could occur. I was about 26 to 33 or 34 while we lived there. I also made sure I didn't work with him during his most excitable time of my cycle. It became obvious. I had to sell Rai when my mother got sick and I had to leave my home to be with her. I never quite got past that.

There was one thing Rai taught me though... I let him down. I violated the trust we'd built out of being naive. It won't ever happen again. I learned. It cost me a relationship with the horse I adored. He never quite trusted me again, and with good reason. You see...the crusty old cowboy who graciously brought the farrier out to my place simply reacted to my little "stud colt" the way the old cowboys of his time did...no nonsense, hurt them into it. Rai had never been mishandled that way with me. I rarely needed a lead rope! This guy wanted to know where my chain was...What chain?? The next thing I knew he'd tossed a chain over my poor boy's nose and he was miserable and I was in shock! We did our best to be well behaved until that ordeal was OVER! That was a most horrifying experience for both of us, and we quit being "friends" with Crusty Cowboy.

So, those are my lessons and experience. Once I decided I was going to start looking for another horse, I started reading up on this and that on line. I started ordering a few books to see what the "horse whisperer" thing was about. I neither read the book or saw the movie. Life happens at the wrong time sometimes. The next thing I know I'm reading about Pat Parelli and some other gentlemen, and I'm seeing video clips on YouTube of horses doing amazing things with their handlers...and those handlers being even very young... It excites me! So, I read a whole lot more.

I still don't know a pinch of what I need to know, but I do know that everything I ask of Willow she's willing to do. If I can be patient, she'll usually ask to do what I want once she understands what that's going to be, and that she's not going to be hurt by it. I put a lead rope on Willow while I checked the fit of her saddle, but when I fitted her headstall and bit, I didn't bother. We just made a game out of it. Next comes putting all the pieces of the puzzle together at one time. This part gives me butterflies. LOL!! I need to study up on how to fasten, cinch, mount and all that fun stuff! But don't think for half a second that sometimes I don't get absolute butterflies over the next step!!

Willow has been with us about 3 weeks now. She's pretty well settled in, and knows and respects the boundaries.

It's somewhat incredible the way she respects personal boundaries... Bruce has a garden tool area and a potting table that shares her space. We also have a small wrought iron table and fire pit out there (all curved edges), close up to the house. She doesn't go up there...except to nibble a few bites of grass. If her hay blows up there, she waits for one of us to pull it away. And she certainly doesn't mess with the planting table at all! What a good girl she is!

Actually, Willow is so well behaved, I'm not sure how I got so lucky to have discovered her! So far we've had lots of evening grooming sessions with a wonderful rubber curry tool from Oster. I love it and Willow seems to as well! All the loose hairs get stirred up and it doesn't hurt her in the least. She feels like she gets a good massage out of the deal! Then we strip off the old dead hairs and smooth things out with a big ol' dandy brush. We finally got all the Mustang Dreadlocks out of her mane...next...The TAIL. *grin*

One thing Miss Willow still doesn't care for is being sprayed for flies. She'll stand for it if I make her, but I usually try to get her to want it. She knows she appreciates that they stop biting, but she really doesn't like the spraying part. Therefore, the writing is on the wall that she isn't much going to care for something with as much spraying activity as a b-a-t-h. I may ask one of my friends if I can watch them bathe their horse... Ok...I've never bathed a horse. Ever. But we'll talk about my experience level....another time. Ok?

Princess Jasmine

I would be extremely remiss if I were to go any farther along with this blog without introducing you to Jasmine...Princess Jasmine, if you know what I mean! You see... Jasmine is of Shetland Sheepdog breeding, so she believes she is in charge of telling everyone where they need to be, and making sure they get there in a timely manner. That means every creature who lives here...even me. Sometimes, especially me.

Jazzy is also an adoptee...we adopted her from the Mendocino Coast Humane Society in Fort Bragg, CA in January of 2008. We'd been looking for a smaller (smaller than 75 pounds that is...) dog to be a traveling companion, but we also wanted a dog that was good with livestock, and Shelties were on our list. When we ran across Jasmine in Fort Bragg, quite on a whim, we instantly fell in love! We coordinated the rest of our vacation weekend around visiting and playing with her, then picked her up for the long trip home on our way out of town. What a gal...she did a 5-1/2 hour drive home like a seasoned traveler!

There's only one thing the shelter was mistaken about...Jazz has grown much larger than they anticipated. They thought she was fully grown when we got her at 8 mos. and 20 pounds, but she put on another 3 inches in height and another, ahem...10 pounds! That doesn't mean she can't launch herself like a rocket though! She can leap with the best of them!

Jasmine is the Princess of the house, and makes sure she keeps her "brothers" Braveheart (an elderly shepherd cross we've had since birth) and Qannik (a Samoyed cross we rescued from a divorce situation) in line. Jasmine and Tiki keep us amused in the house with their antics... Tiki believes Jasmine is his personal toy, and Jasmine believes she is the guardian of the door, forbidding any of the other kitties admittance to the house.


Jasmine loves the snow...there's nothing more fun! We just have to keep her leashed at all times, because she has this technicolor nose that forgets where she belongs! Her nose gets going and she can't help but follow! When we adopted Jazz, they estimated her other breed to be Eskimo Dog...this shot seems to agree with that!

One thing Jasmine doesn't seem to care for though...water. The boys play in the wading pool...she avoids it. They stand in the sprinkler, she frowns and runs to the porch. She had to have a bath after being in the Lassen Volcanic National Park for a week...she was full of volcanic ash dust! She did NOT appreciate that concept. She tolerated the bath, but she didn't like it...not one bit.

Jasmine is an extremely devoted sweetheart. If either of us leave the house, even to do a chore, she's out the screen door to keep watch. She knocks to come back in. We've thought about fixing a mechanism so she could let herself in...but are afraid she'll bring the "brothers" in too! Jazz sleeps in our bed...she has her own big doggy pillow at the foot of the bed, but prefers to sleep in the space between our pillows at the head of the king sized bed...with her head on my pillow, and her neck, and her shoulders, and her legs...oh heck...she can have the pillow....she's Princess Jasmine after all!

Settling In...

Willow has been with us almost 10 days now. She's really settling in quite nicely. She dropped quite a bit of weight in the first few days, but we chalk that up to her pacing a lot and me not feeding her quite as much as she was apparently used to. We seem to be up on it now. She's leaving some hay behind after feeding.

I'm amazed at how gentle she's become with me. At first she was so timid... I remember her reacting fearfully when I first brought just a brush out to her. Now, as long as I'm not spraying her with water, she doesn't much care what I do as long as I show it to her first.

It's summer, so we're fighting the fly battle. Willow wears a full-coverage fly mask during the day. That took a little getting used to. The velcro makes that nasty tearing sound when it comes apart. She's not as bothered by it now as she was the first couple of days. Willow stands still while I put it on and she appreciates that it comes off at night. I'm sure it's kind of hot and stuffy to have on all day. It's better than having flies in her eyes all day though. Willow tolerates being treated with fly repellent throughout the day well too. She's so good while I rub her legs down and her tummy. Even those touchy spots.

With all the space she has, Willow prefers to hang out close to the house. She's usually in sight of the living room window, or over in the shade beneath the trees along the stream. I knew that was going to be a good spot! Willow prefers to drink from the stream now. She rarely touches her water bucket. She's a sight with her big ol' lips dibbling water... Willow also has a fondness for fruit. Apples, of course, but grapes and even watermelon...

That piece was gone in mere moments...rind and all. She didn't hesitate. She prefers grapes though.

And just so you don't think that ALL the news is about Willow...look what I found in the laundry sink this morning...


The next time I looked there was a cute little calico in there too... I guess Mama decided they weren't safe wherever she had them...so she brought them inside. I wondered why she was being such a protective witch this morning! She was taking all the other cats to task! Even the little ones! Those little ones are teasing Fate playing under Willow's feet...it's amazing that she knows they're there...and even when she's stomping her feet to get rid of flies, she takes care not to put her feet down hard, lest she hurt a kitten. The only way one would get hurt is if she spooked when one was beneath her. Animals are so amazing!

Willow is Home at Last!

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post! I thought surely I'd already done this! Willow is home...she arrived Friday morning, July 16th. Tawnee walked her around the pen, put me to work on some paper work, then changed off her halter and turned her loose to graze. Willow was a bit skittish the first 24 hours, but not terribly so. She needed time to get used to the sounds and smells of her new digs, the dogs needed time to get used to seeing her here...poor Jasmine just can't quite get used to that BIG dog! LOL! Not that she gets to get anywhere NEAR Willow... With that herding instinct, I don't think putting the two of them in the same space is such a great idea. Somewhere along the line perhaps...just not yet.

Of course, we have to get used to having a horse visible from the living room window as well! There's been a couple of times both of us have had quite a start at some thing big and red moving around out there too! She tends to hang out about 50 feet from the steps to the front porch, where we can see her easily. I don't know if that's because she can hear the household noises and knows we're near, or just what.

I know she's been really well behaved though. We're taking everything nice and easy this week. It's been hot...no one wants to work too hard when it's so hot. We go through general remembering our manners stuff...walking on lead, taking her fly mask off and putting it on...feeding...grooming...the next big one will be a bath. I need to read my resource material. I don't know that I've ever bathed a horse before...this ought to be fun! She's been so good about most things so far...she loves being brushed out, so getting a good scrubbing might feel pretty good too.

It's been almost a week...I'm getting kind of anxious to get on her back and see how she rides. I need a little more equipment first. LOL! I suppose I could climb on her back with no bridle or reins...we couldn't go very far! LOL! Who knows what kind of mischief we'll get into with one another! If she's really a mellow gal, she may not need much here at home. I do know I'm going to need a mounting block. I'm just too dang short! That's all there is to it! Heck, I need a step ladder just to bathe her!

Finally ready...

All of the fencing that needs to be restrung has been restrung with new 3 ft. welded wire. All the perimeter fencing has been reinforced with electric fence tape. Murphy's law has been alive and well here... A few fence posts were sunk backwards. It didn't really appear to matter much...until I started stringing the electrical tape. The insulator clips only fit on one way... I had to get a little inventive. Fortunately, we bought a bunch of fiberglass posts to carry the tape between the posts...and I had a few extra I could turn into makeshift insulator poles.

My phone is ringing...Yes! It's Tawnee! It's delivery day!! We're confirmed!

Now...out to finish the last of the last of the last little things. Pick up the last of the tools (This will be a never ending chore I'm afraid! Some boys never learn to pick up after themselves!), power the fence, secure the gates, and move the car... Now we're ready...

All that's left is to add Willow, nee "Olive" and we're set! Of course...the off ramp closest to our house is closed for construction this morning. Go figure. They've had all week to do that... Murphy's Law... Alive and well at Rosewood Achers! I think I'm going to go bust open a bale of hay...it helps pass the time!

A little help from Above...

Sometimes God speaks to us in the most unusual ways...

I've honestly wondered if I was being selfish, wanting a horse so much at my age. Pushing so hard... I chose to adopt because it made sense, and once I found out about all the poor horses that are abandoned, or need to be surrendered, my decision was made. Still, it's cost a little to get ready - is that money I should use for something else? And then God answered my question...by sending me a Church youth group to help me get the worst of my problems hauled away, with "many hands" to "make work light."

After just 2 hours of help from this fabulous crew, we had a much safer, infinitely cleaner place to house our adoptee! What wonderful people!! They didn't know us at all, but understood our plight, and willingly gave of their time and efforts to lend us a hand! God touched our lives with so many hands this day; we are so truly blessed! Good grief...look at the trailer-load that left!
Yes, God sends messages at times when we aren't even asking. When Tawnee took Olive-Willow back to the rescue, I knew it was the right thing, but I hadn't even gotten to the "what now" part before a solution came to me. That was God moving. That was God telling me it was ok...and He was going to help me get my horse home!

Thank you, Father God! I truly appreciate your help, and the help of these wonderful folks who came out and helped us! Cold melon and lemonade all around!

Life Lessons

Wednesday was our anticipated delivery day...but that's not the way things worked out. We simply weren't ready to take her yet. I respect Tawnee immensely for her decision.

I'm human...it took a minute to walk off my tears. Disappointment. Frustration. A little anger. While I was walking, I was also looking.

Sometimes we need to see things through someone else's eyes to really have Perspective. Sometimes we see things so often for so long we stop seeing those things at all. They blend into the scenery. It takes someone else pointing out - hey...there's a tiller over there...that really shouldn't be in here! Oh yeah...that's "still" in here! We didn't get it out of here "yet??" What's that I'm tripping on? Tripping on...not good, for one...BARBED WIRE?? Even worse. Good grief. What's that doing in here at all??? Hmmm....that coil of geo-flow shouldn't be in here either...and I think we should maybe move the...oh my. We've still got so far to go. *sigh*

So...Olive-Willow went back to the Rescue for now. It's the right thing, even if it stings my heart. I wouldn't want her to get hurt, and that's what they're looking out for.

Wait...there's a Rainbow and a Blessing yet to come! Before I could even formulate a prayer for help...(partially because I've considered buying a horse, even adopting, a semi-selfish act on my part, and I've wondered if I was being inconsiderate in doing so)...an opportunity to receive a blessing in the form of help from a church youth group came to us. We have no affiliation with the church offering the help, but they'll be here next week with a trailer to help us get rid of some old junk that's just gotten shoved here and there...sadly back where we "don't see it!" I'm still pretty much floored by the whole thing!

Of course, it's kind of a blow to the ego to realize one actually needs help. Assessing our ages and physical abilities at this point in our lives has been quite an eye opener. We worked as hard as we could for several days in a row, on the hottest days of the year so far, and barely scratched the surface of what needed to be done. Granted, we gotten some really big things done, but there are equally big things left to be done. Ouch. No, seriously ouch. I know what my back and shoulders feel like after hefting corral panels and moving things, cutting back berry vines, clearing, cleaning up, and so on. Oy. Ouch.

Now, my heart is light...I feel I've gotten God's blessing on my under-taking, as well as NER's blessing. When blessings like this come from out of left field, before you even think to ask for help, Angels are on your side. So, we're doing our part: preparing the way so the harder parts are easier to achieve; making decisions about where to clear, where to clean, where to trim. Wednesday seems a long way away, but it isn't. We'll all be better off for the wait. We'll have achieved a safer place for her, and received a HUGE blessing in the process, the kids will have a chance to share their love of God with a couple who sure need an extra few pair of hands right now, and a certain horse will be closer to getting to her forever home.

One Step Closer to Coming Home

We got a very nice surprise on Sunday morning when we went out to visit "Olive"... Even though we haven't heard anything about our adoption yet, Tawnee and Larry discussed that we pretty much show that we care for our gal, as we keep driving way the heck out there every time we can! It is a bit off the beaten track, I admit...! It was all I could do to contain my excitement and not have us both jumping all over the pen! LOL!!

In the meanwhile, fly season has hit. I took some repellent out with me today. After we had a good brushing...right into my face...how does that work? *grin* Thanks Mom Nature! Anyway...After a good brushing, we rubbed down with the fly spray, face, chest, legs, back, tummy, flanks and rump. Whew. The only part that made her uncomfortable at all was touching her ears. Otherwise she was a perfect lady. It helped...not a whole lot it seemed. By the time I'd finished with her session, she seemed to have almost as many flies on her again. Maybe they won't stick around long enough to bite though...

So, it's time to finish what we have started. We found the last of our fence posts last night, and bought them! I think that's the last of the materials, except for 2 livestock panels. The panels are insurance...I'll feel better if we have them. None of the rest of the fencing makes me nervous yet, but the last little bit does. Then, I want to buy a panel a month for awhile, two if I can swing it.

So, we're incredibly excited! We're getting the last few things all put together for her, and on Wednesday they'll come by and do a site check...and then she'll be home! I still can hardly believe it's all happening!

For me, this is like a dream come true in all the right ways this time! "Olive" is the right age...she's not a "foolish filly" full of tricks and silliness, nor is she a "moody mare." I'm sure she has her moody moments though, don't we all? We "mature" ladies have a certain "seasoned" quality about us! LOL! We don't get overly excited by the antics of the youngsters. We know children will be children!


I love the way she feels with me...I love the way I feel with her! Even though I'm a little insecure, I feel her responding to me the way she should, the way I want her to, and I'm encouraged.

Today she played a little game with me. There's a little narrow V in the back of her pen, where she can put her nose and give me her rump. Little stinker...she did just that! This is what's going through her mind...Do you deserve my respect? I'm telling you that you don't exactly have it yet. You have to work up to that. It all depends on what you do next what happens next... It's kind of like a chess game! My next move is to continue to talk to her so she knows I'm still there, and to crowd her space by walking up near her rump, but not behind her. If she turns her head slightly to the right she can see me. Now she's thinking...Ok, not bad. You're crowding my space some, but you aren't disrespecting me. I'll get out of this tight space because I've trapped myself, and I don't want to hurt you or myself while I think about this. Continuing our semi-one-sided conversation, I walk on up to her fairly slowly, with my hand out for her. When I touch her shoulder, she moves off a step, but when I put my hand on her neck she yielded for the lead rope. Poor baby...she had to leave breakfast behind. I didn't keep her too long. 45 minutes maybe...long enough to brush her out, comb her mane (oh, am I qualified!), add some fly wipe, size her for a bit and take a pretty walk.

Visiting Phoenix Fields and Olive

The school/work year has finally come to a close, and I have 6 weeks off. It's been hard to be patient. Phoenix Fields is generally available daily, by appointment, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Mon-Fri., closed on Saturdays, Open without appointment on Sundays during the same hours. After I got to meet the horses the first time, and took a shine to Olive, there hasn't been an opportunity to be out to the Rescue without someone making a special trip out there for me. The first Sunday I had free, the crew was in Sacramento at the Western Horse Expo, so when Fathers' Day rolled around, it was my first chance to go out and really get to meet my favorite gal. (Photos courtesy of Nor Cal Equine Rescue - Thank you Tawnee! I didn't know you were taking our picture! Just had to "borrow" them!)

Larry went into the pen with me to get her (after having me sign the appropriate release of liability), and the two of us started getting acquainted. I just took it slow and easy following the advice of the Natural Horsemanship literature I've immersed myself in. She seems to respond very well to that philosophy. Everything I've done with her so far has gone pretty much right by the books. We spent awhile together on Sunday, talking and getting my hands onto her, then Larry and I made arrangements for another visit Monday.

When I arrived at Phoenix Fields the next day, the mood was very somber. The preceding night had been tough on the staff. Sometimes the other side of the Rescue business is pretty ugly and heart-breaking and Sunday night was one of those nights. I found it completely amazing to see how much these young, broken (physically) horses still trusted and sought human contact and love. It was an honor to be able to go out and visit my favorite gal, recognizing her scars for what they are, and be able to reassure her that those days are gone.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable time. She stood for my touch, even snuggling her head under my arm shortly after this picture for a quick snuggle. We even got so far as to introduce her to her brush. She let me know she wasn't so sure about it as soon as she saw it, but we talked about it. She sniffed it, but still wasn't so sure about it. Then she watched me brush my own arm with it. That bought me some trust. If it didn't hurt me, then maybe it wasn't so bad. This time when I held it up for her to smell, she let me touch her gently with it. After it was rubbed on her face without hurting her, she was satisfied I could use it on her body. Bless her heart. I can only imagine what has made her so tentative about touch. After a good brushing on both sides of her neck and sides, all the way to her rump, we called it a day. Our next "beauty appointment" is Thursday. *giggle*