Summer On the Way

 So much to do this morning that the coffee maker was started at 4:45 am so I could get my caffeine fix before heading to work. Both of Titus' water buckers were empty this morning and it looked like he had dumped them both. This didn't make sense so later when I had time the video cameras were checked. I thought maybe the cats had a fight on his stall and he got scared and dumped the buckets. Both Titus and Aiken were put out and by 5:45 am I was at the barn getting ready for the group coming in today. Mark came to help as we had lots of drywall mud and dust to clean up in the game room. He went over the floor with the vacuum then I swept it and finally mopped the entire floor finishing by 8:00 am. I was so glad to quit and go home to make breakfast. After breakfast the laundry was started. I had 10 table cloths to wash and since the weather was so nice those were hung outside to dry. 

The family renting the motorhome arrived right at 9:00 am. I had moved it into the yard when putting the horses out so they could park their van next to the barn.

We went over every thing  but the key to the outside storage areas didn't work. Thankfully I had another at the house. After they left with the motorhome Aiken and Titus were put out in the outdoor arena for some grazing time. 

The apartment was cleaned next. As I was doing laundry at the house all of the apartment laundry was taken there and I just kept those machines running all day. The people renting the barn today are holding a graduation party for 3 graduates. It was a very well attended party. They even invited us over for fried chicken and all kinds of sides and desserts but we had already eaten so turned them down.  Mike and Diane spent the day at Middle Grove then went to the Giant Goose Ranch for supper. The Goose Ranch restaurant, The HUB has a great menu on Saturday nights. When they got back they helped change Sheena's bandage on her hoof. She was also given 40 ccs of the antibiotic Gentamicin. She was given 2 scoops of grain which kept her busy while we were working on her leg and giving her the shot. They were let into the mare pasture once done. Below she is sporting her new bandage (thanks Sarah R for the vet wrap).

Dancer had to come see what we were doing.

The sun was sinking low as I was putting Titus and Aiken back in their stalls for the night. It was that deep red color again but the phone camera doesn't do a good job accurately depicting the true color.

If I zoomed it way in it made the sky almost black but showed the correct color of red.

Both horses were glad to come in for their grain. Aiken is still not showing ANY signs of getting close to delivering. I know I have the dates of her cover correct but she is now 12 days overdue.

Titus is getting fat. I'll need to cut back on his grain. He lived at Middle Grove for the first 2 years of his life and loved running up and down the hills but now we are on flat land and he is either in a stall, a paddock or the outdoor arena. It was only as I was filling Titus' water buckets that I figured out why both were empty. One of his buckets had a hole in it and that emptied out on the floor. He drank the other one. I had checked all of the video from his stall last night. He made himself comfortable laying on top of the hay for a good nap, then would get up and eat, walk to the back of the stall to leave a pile of manure then walk back over to the hay and lay down for another nap. This went on all night. He was never scared and did not dump his bucket.

He has just laid down right now as I'm typing this. I took a screen shot.

It was a hot today with the temperatures hitting 82 degrees. Summer is finally on the way!

 

Poor Sheena

 We heard the coffee maker go off this morning but when I poured the first cup it was only hot water. Last night I had forgotten to put any coffee in the filter. That is what happens when I get distracted while doing a job. At least our coffee make is fast and I was able to have that first cup by 5:15 am. After gulping down a cup Aiken and Titus were put out and then it was straight to the barn. I was able to get the bathrooms scrubbed all of the drywall mud off the stairs and the hallway. That stuff is not easy to get off. I had to quit by 8:00 am to make breakfast. On the way in I stopped to take a picture of Dancer, Sheena and the two foals. 

Sheena's leg is pretty swollen so it was good that she was scheduled to go to Hoerr vet clinic this morning. There was also something big burning West of our field.

Right after breakfast I started walking over to mom's as Ruth and I were taking her to the doctor. Her legs had been weeping a clear fluid and we wanted to find out why and how to stop that as we did not want mom's skin to develop an infection. Over night and this morning there was no weeping but we still felt it was important to go. Her doctor was glad to see her and was glad to write us a couple prescriptions we felt were necessary and was willing to see mom when ever we would ask. By the time we got home Sarah was here with her 3 girls and those girls had a basket of baby bunnies.

Nolan was mowing and mowed over the nest. As we have baby bunnies about the same size of the bunnies under the round bale. One came running out today so we put that in with the 5 bunnies then all 6 bunnies were put under that bale. The mama rabbit is going to be shocked at having 5 extra babies to feed tonight. They only come during the night to nurse their babies. Anna had her girls here and Sarah had a friend come with some children so lots of them got to see and hold the bunnies. We needed to keep them safe from the cat so of course we had to pick the right time to sneak them under the bale.

Kensley is holding the one from our place.

We really have plenty of rabbits here and actually was hoping the foxes would help control the rabbit population but we can't tell the children THAT!  

Sarah tacked up Cookie and gave lessons to lots of children today.

I didn't stick around to take pictures as Mike and Diane were on their way home from the vet clinic with Sheena. I needed to prepare a stall for her. The prognoses was not good. The screw she stepped on went into the navicular and that is now infected. Dr. Hoerr worked on her for a long time and scheduled her for surgery in 3 days. She must stay in a clean stall or pasture as long as there is no mud. As her filly is about 3 weeks old we will try to keep her alive and producing milk as long as possible. 

Mark and Mackenson were doing the mowing here and at mom's. Both golf carts were used to give rides back and forth from the round pen to the lake. Taegan and Kensley were the drivers. 

At 4:00 pm Mark and I left for Gils supper club for dinner. Mom gave us instructions to bring back a cobb salad for her and Karin. We ordered 2 of those, one for us to split and one to go. Ours is pictured below. 

It is easily enough food for us to share. We arrived just before 4:30 and were on our way home by 5:00 pm. That is the best fast food around!  Mom and Karin split one order for their supper also. At 7:30 pm I went out to feed. The sun was a weird reddish yellow color.

Sheena now needs to be fed twice a day almost double her usual as we are trying to keep the milk production up. She was brought out to feed as Dancer doesn't need any grain. Her filly likes grain too.

She went over to meet her sire Evan and did a lot of baby talk to him. He was not impressed with his daughter.

By the time Sheena was done the sun was losing the gold and showing more red.

After Sheena was put away and Evan's hooves cleaned out it was almost 8:00 pm and the sun was even darker red.

Aiken and Titus were brought inside. I was disappointed to see her udder had shrunk back to almost nothing. She is now 12 days overdue. She WILL have this foal some day! 

Aunt Jinnie Leaves

We went to bed pretty early last night and sometime after I was sound asleep I got a request for an 8 day stay for the foaling apartment. This lady had a lot of great reviews so I accepted the request and the booking came instantly. I'll have to flip it next Saturday morning as it is also booked next Friday for one night. Titus and Aiken were put out in the outdoor arena to graze and their stalls were cleaned before the walk. After our walk today we all went in to visit and say good-by to Aunt Jinnie who was flying out this morning. We are always sad to see her leave. Since I needed to be back at 9:30 to take her to the airport right after the walk I quickly cooked breakfast for Mark.

He then helped me bring Aiken and Titus in from the arena. 

As soon as they were safely in their paddock, Missy and Cookie were moved into the middle paddock with Star then it was time to hook the truck up to the aluminum car hauler trailer so Mark could take his Kubota in for repairs. I was watching Mark in the back up camera on the truck.

We finished that at 9:25 giving me enough time to get to mom's and load Aunt Jinnie's suitcase into the car and soon we were on our way to the Peoria airport. She checked in with plenty of time but had requested a wheelchair so we had to sit and wait for them to bring one. No one came for a while and we started to get concerned that Aunt Jinnie might not make the flight so I went up to the counter to ask when a man came bringing the chair. Once Aunt Jinnie was on her way to the gate I left for home. My next job was to move a bale in for Dancer and Sheena. They were let out into the pasture and locked in there so I could leave the gate open to get the bale in. Dancer's colt is SO curious. He had to walk up and touch the phone with his nose before running away.

While I was watching him I noticed Sheena not wanting to put weight on her hind hoof. The hoof that the nail was pulled out of on Sunday. I think she has developed an abscess so called the vet clinic. We can get her in if we bring her at 10:00 am tomorrow. Mike will have to take her as Ruth and I are taking mom to the doctor and need to leave around 8:30 am. Joan brought the motorhome over and plugged it in by the barn. Someone is coming to rent that on Saturday. I was getting a wheelbarrow full of hay when 4 more bunnies came out from under that round bale. Each was caught and put back under. They are much too young to be out in that arena. They were all fat so the mom must be coming back each night to nurse them. I had just gone back in the house when the guys putting up the drywall sent a text asking for some advice. I just had to take a picture of the unusual footwear. I guess this is what one wears when mudding 12 foot walls. 

Of course I had to watch him walk.

The company is called J&G

Philip gave us their number and they have been good to work with.  We took the golf carts back and just then I saw a small mama duck on the pond with at least 15 ducklings. I whipped out the phone but only got a couple of the ducklings and the splash of the mama hurrying them to a hiding place.

I don't know what kind they are but they were very shy. The fox had been in that pasture this morning hunting so I'm sure the mama duck is being very careful to keep her ducklings hidden. 

This evening the horses were brought in and for the first time that I've seen, after finishing his grain Titus laid down to take a nap in the stall. He is laying quite comfortably in the hay.

Wedding Pictures

 We awoke to rain and it was still raining by the time we walked. We got almost an inch last night and we were all grateful. This rain was exactly what the fields and gardens around here needed. Aiken and Titus were put out and their stalls cleaned before going back the house for another cup of coffee. We walked in rain coats and umbrellas. No pictures were taken today as most of the day was spent cleaning at the barn. The drywall people came but only for a couple hours today. They left a pretty big mess upstairs but since they still have one more bedroom to put up the sheetrock I didn't try cleaning that. If they come tomorrow I'll have the same mess to clean up on Friday morning.  Instead the gym was organized, the lift moved back to the North wall so the lifetime tables could be put back where they belong. All of the sports equipment except the volleyball net was also taken out and organized and the gym swept. I'm hoping Mark will scrub that floor tomorrow morning. The bathrooms were given a good cleaning as were the windows.  There was a few dishes in the barn dishwasher but not enough to wash there so those were brought back to the house to wash. Aunt Jinnie gave me a book to read about 5 women hiking the entire 2000 miles of the Appalachian trail. I started reading that this afternoon and Mark started reading Fedi's book. That book really affected him, he had tears running down his cheeks while reading it. I'm not going to say why as I don't want to spoil the book for those who want to read it themselves. We in America have no idea how good we have it until you read a book like Fedi's book. Before getting ready for church tonight I went out to get the stalls ready for the horses by filling a wheelbarrow full of hay for each stall. As I went to get the hay for the first stall a rabbit hopped out from where I was using the pitch fork and took off running. I was surprised to find a rabbit in the barn as the cat is quite a hunter. Just as I was getting ready to take that first wheelbarrow into the stall barn a tiny baby bunny came crawling out. I must have taken hay from the nest. I scooped up the bunny and put it near where the mother hopped out from then left it. Hopefully it found it's way back to the nest. I didn't have my phone with me so no pictures then either. Once done I jumped in the shower to get ready for church, we left at 6:10 pm and I left my phone at home. Tim Roecker had the Wednesday night message click HERE to listen to that. After church we went with the group to Culvers. We got home from there at 9:30 pm to find an airbnb request for the foaling apartment starting June 7th to the 15th. As it is more than a week I had to approve the request which was done. Olivia, the bride from the wedding May 17th here at the barn posted some pictures she told me I could share. The first is from Friday before the wedding.

This second picture was taken after the wedding. 

What a beautiful couple!

The review came in from the wedding last weekend. Judy and the Crew at Horsemeister farms were soooooo amazing! Everything I could’ve asked for in a venue for our wedding. She was lovely to work with and willing to help us with anything we needed. Lots of extra things around for you to use and borrow incase you need them. The barn itself is SOOOOOO much bigger in person! The upstairs game room was so much fun for the kids and adults! I would 10000% recommend this place for all your eventing needs!

Happy Horses

 I didn't awake until 5:20 am, gulped a cup of coffee then headed out to the barn to put Titus and Aiken out and clean their stalls. As today is Berean day Mark was on his own for breakfast. Ruth arrived for the walk carrying a gift for each of us. She gave us one of Fedi's books.

I sat down and read it this afternoon and recommend it to anyone who thinks America is a bad country. IF you are interested in buying this book it is for sale on Amazon click HERE for the link. Before the walk I took my purse and the mail box over to mom's and put it in the van. Her knock our roses, inpatients and morning glories (I think those are right) are all blooming beautifully. 

We had to leave this morning before 8:00 am since we needed to drive to the Peoria post office to pick up the Berean mail as Skip is gone today. Mom commented that we were taking the scenic route as it took so long to get to the Berean office but really we made it there in 50 minutes and that included waiting at the post office for the only clerk to get his computer up and running. We were missing quite a few volunteers but because of the holiday yesterday we didn't have much mail. I only took a couple pictures as we were finishing up since I was needed on the computer with Skip gone.

After dropping off the studies and the Bibles going out today at the Hanna City post office and dropping off mom and Aunt Jinnie I sat down to read Fedi's book. When that was finished Mark wanted my help. He and Mackenson were greasing axles and I was the driver to get the wheels up and off the ground.

The drywallers came today and worked upstairs. They left around 2:00 pm so I took the golf cart over to see what got done. The fox was sitting on the gravel pile just enjoying the sunshine. When I drove up he got off, sat and looked at me then went back to hunting mice in the field.

The drywallers had all of the outside walls covered and some of the inside walls.

It will be a relief to get this project done. This evening I went out to bring Titus and Aiken inside. I walk into their paddock and call them.

Today Aiken beat Titus to the gate. I will stand at the gate holding his halter and wait until he sticks his nose in it. Today though I wanted to check Aiken's udder before taking them inside.

It is a little fuller but no waxing. One would never know she is 9 days overdue. At least she is developing. She really IS pregnant. As this is her first foal she doesn't stick out near as far as any of the repeat mares. 

They are both in their stalls and happily munching away. I'm happy they are happy.

All Is Well

I checked the parking lot camera this morning and it recorded a deer walking through at 3:20 am. A few days ago I saw the fox on that camera and before that the cat wandering over from her hunting in the fields. Evan was put out in the pasture first thing this morning. I had the phone on video camera as I was sure he would take off galloping but he was so glad to get back out to graze that was all he could think of doing. 

All of us were back and ready for our walk. Ruth told us all about her wonderful trip to Austria and Romania, Joan told us about the wedding in North Carolina and how great it was to be with so many of the missionary families from Haiti and Diane told us about her trip to Gulf Shores. It really was great to be together again. After visiting with mom and Aunt Jinnie I left for home to make breakfast then drive to Sam's club. I picked up a cheese cake and strawberries for the Berean office tomorrow and dropped that off at that office before going home with the rest of the groceries. Mark had been commenting about not having enough food in the fridge. He meant not enough meals he could just heat up and eat. By the time I got back the guests from the barn and the foaling apartment had left. I went to work on the laundry while Mark went to work sweeping the gym floor. He also needed to use the floor scrubber on the living area, there was just too many spills and sticky stuff on the that. That floor scrubber saves me hours of work. I'm so thankful he bought it. One of the harder jobs of the day was to get the bouncy house from the garage to the barn. We worked together putting it in the cart and that wasn't easy.

It is a very heavy house. Mark used the lawn mower to pull it to the barn as he was afraid it was too heavy for the golf cart. 

That worked well. I was just finishing up making the beds when Martha Kay and Dana arrived. David and Dana went fishing with Israel and his friend Grayson. They were pulling in bass, crappie and bluegill. Of course they let them all go to grow up more. This lake is catch and release! 

We both had more work to do so went back. Mark loaded the small Kubota on the trailer. It has an oil leak and needs to be taken in for repair.

The drive going up needed more gravel so the skid steer was used for that.

The next job was to finish cleaning Evan's paddock while he was out grazing but when he saw Mark bringing the skid steer in he came running back.

He refused to leave so I left then to get the stalls prepared for tonight. It looks like it might rain tonight as there are dark clouds in the West. Aiken is now 8 days late and still no sign of waxing. Walking back to the house I noticed the queen anne's lace was blooming.

Supper tonight was peppers, French onion dip, asparagus and meat balls cooked in a bbq and grape jelly sauce.

Tonight around 8:00 pm Titus and Aiken were put back in the stalls, given their grain and fresh buckets of water. They are on the foaling camera and both are standing quietly.

Mike and Diane went to Middle Grove to check mares. All is well there.