Skunk Me Week

Zilla and Osa got sprayed for the last time. Osa got this 7 pound skunk after many nightly battles. 

She died with her skunk boots on.

You know a week is going to suck when on Monday you have to move a very stinky dead skunk in the freezing weather from your back door. You have to hide it from your smelly farm dogs or it comes back as a zombie skunk. Then you find out you have a very ill parent far away from you. Then a friend dies suddenly the next evening. Then you have an ice storm and have to do chores in the slippery pelting ice. The animals are miserable and wet like you are. I just want to curl up like this frozen skunk and take a nap. But you have to cowgirl up and get things done. Animals need you, friends need you and plans have to me made. Luckily I have my husband to drag me out of bed, make me lunch and get me going again. 

When there is good coffee,  I can deal. 

Farrier February

Does this truck make me look fat? 

Luna, our fox trotter, waiting for the farrier. All our horses are tied to 

our farm truck waiting. Luna can get fat on air. She is never grained and still gets plump on hay.

Taking a nap.

Luna and her son, Bean. Bean is a gelding of 2+ years.

Not the best confirmation nor neck. He is still growing and may fill out.

He is about 14.5 hands, easy to get on. He will be my horse since he is a short one.

Bean waiting and Maple digging to China. Maple is a very busy brained horse, like her Mom.

She loves to have a job to do. She is trying to rewire the truck then the horse trailer. So she was moved to a tree for time out. Poor tree.

Bean just waits. He does have a nice long red mane and tail, very showy. 

Decking Down Time

Zilla on our deck and Pepper in the door. Taking a break in the setting sunbeams.

Half a Dozen

My neighbors Boer goats gave birth again last week. They now have three girls and three boys.

Mama and boys

Boy's club

Mama and her two girls

A boy and an "oreo" cookie girl in the back.

Sowing Stones

There has been a lot of people around me that have died this year. And many have gotten close to death as well. Old, young, my age, some close and some far away, all part of my life here. Having moved so many times growing up, I never had to deal with human death. Funerals happened and then the person wasn't there. The family packed up and moved away. And I have been running away from death my whole life. But now that I have stopped moving, death has come again full blast. So instead of running from death, I look forward to the spring and life anew. Seeds mean plants and flowers this summer. I'd rather plants seeds for new life than dwell on the things that have died around me. I try to enjoy those living around me and my farm.  Knowing that one day they won't be there. Cherish the living and bury the stones under the ground.

Green Plans

It is winter and I am making plans for the Spring. My seeds are all in and ready for starting. I need my new/used green house moved into place, but my busy hubby can't get to it yet. Wet ground and computer work cut into farm tractor jobs. We need to enlarge our garden bed and add a new one in the horses dry lot. All that broken down horse poop and straw has turned into black gold. I need my big vegetables in there. My zucchini, other  squashes and corn all need room to grow in the bigger garden. This year I will also add a few more dahlia's to my flower collection. They bloom all season and are easy to care for. I love my roses but dahlias are far easier to grow and no thorns. My neighbors gave me a wonderful gift this week of irises and berries canes. I got the canes set and then the irises arrived. I heeled them in a compost pile until I can decide where to put them. Irises are such and wonderful flower to grow. So easy to care for and after a few years, you can split them and share with others. The photo is from last year of my farm cat Poppy in my thyme bed, rather "his" thyme bed.

Kindle Appy makes me Happy

For a valentine present my husband hooked me up with Entertainment Weekly App for my Kindle Fire. I have been reluctant to do this as previously the App required a paper version to be delivered by snail mail as well. What's the point of that for saving money, time and space? But he got it set up for me without the paper version. Now I can read about  TV, don't have one, movies, I rarely see and wait to come out on DVD, books, I read selectively, and music, my biggest passion. I can even listen to new musicians on my kindle fire. I used to get EW when we lived in the city and had TV. Now I only want it to stay aware of new artist, books and going's on the media world. It is like a mini vacation from farm life for my ears and my mind. It really is the simple things in life that can make me happy.

Berry Me Winterly

This weekend I was given several rooted blackberry and raspberry bushes. These were mature canes in

winter dormancy. I got two beds planted, mulched and fenced off before the rains came in. The rains soaked in the roots nicely for more winter sleep.

I am hoping by summer these plants will be strong again and bear fruit. I love these berries. Worth the effort of dealing with thorns, ticks and snakes to get them. And sharing my bounty with other berry fans.

Dry Clouds

We had some clouds this weekend, but no rain. It is the driest winter we have had here in

the Ozarks. It seems like this spring will be very dry for us. None of the weather

forecast have been correct. The temperatures have been all over the place this winter.

Even the wildlife is confused.

Zilla in February

This is Zilla my young German Shepherd. She is not a year yet and is almost 100 lbs. Her parents were well over 100 lbs. She has been a great guard dog for the farm after a bit of training.

Waiting for orders.

Calfy Day

He got to feed our neighbors cows this week. Cows love their grain and hay.

We lure them into the corral with grain and shut the gate. Then put out the round bale with the tractor.

Open the corral and free the cows into the pasture again. Keeps us and the tractor safe. 

To the round bale they go.

This little one was very pretty in the sun.

Mama watches us watching her calf.

Winter Maple Ride

Here is Maple our 2 year old fox Trotter. My husband is cleaning her feet before he heads out.

Bean can't be ridden as he has thrown a shoe.

All saddled up

This was a short ride for young Maple. The stirrup bar came off and could not be fixed on the trail. So they walked back home. The modern plastic stirrups have a screw bold and a nut, the nut fell off. Good stirrups, poor design. Thankfully the saddle is vintage, made well and is comfortable for horse and rider.Maple looks like a small pony in her fuzzy winter coat.

Loving Horses Always

Here is my good friend and the orphan filly she raised when I couldn't.

You can see she loves her horses.

Happy team.

Here is a black mare that was in poor shape from over breeding. 

My friend saved her and got her away from stallions and got her weight back on again. 

Pinkey the blind mare still goes for trail rides and only trust her rider.