Trailer For Sale

On our walk this morning Diane announced they did their grocery shopping at Dollar General and bought 2 gallons of milk. Mom was kind of horrified, milk is expensive at Dollar General but Diane is out of debt and if she wants to do her shopping at Dollar General she can just DO it. She really went because 2 days ago they were out of toilet paper at their house and she took a roll from her office then yesterday it was either drive in to Peoria or stop at Dollar General and buy some there. By the way, our small town of Hanna City probably didn't get the notice that everyone is suppose to stock up on toilet paper, Dollar General had plenty.
Ruth told us that she and Fedi are thinking about going on a cruise during Spring break, the cruise ships have dropped prices drastically. There is one going out of New Orleans for 7 days for $350.00 a person.  Diane asked if she was going to get the special, the buy a week cruise and get 2 weeks free. She just has to put in the code 'Corona'.  Ruth didn't understand the joke and thought she was serious. This really is a podunk town.
Did you know the government has issued a notice BANNING round bales. They heard our horses weren't getting a square meal. Speaking of the government I just got the renewal notice for the 2 horse trailer. Talk about sticker shock. To register that trailer last year was $18.00 and now is $118.00. Who decided this jump in of a 555 % increase? OUTRAGEOUS! Instead of paying for stickers for all 4 of our horse trailers I'm going to sell one or more. We will just make due with less. So if anyone is interested in the 2007 Kiefer built 4 horse trailer, who is not from Illinois (so you don't have to pay that 555% increase) I would sell it for $15,000.00. It is 7ft 6in tall, 7 ft wide, has a 4 ft short wall insulated dressing room with air conditioning, sleeps 2 adults and 2 children or use the built in shelves for supplies. It does NOT have dividers but there are places to put 3 dividers if the buyer wanted to buy those. This has been used as a stock trailer and we haul mares and foals in it and have trailered 5 horses in it easy. It is perfect for drafts.

I'll get inside pictures if anyone is interested. Right now it is full of our tubs of supplies. Tatiana's filly was put in the indoor arena for the day and both her and Indy's stall were stripped and new bedding added. After supper she was put back in her stall so Indy and Oksana could have the indoor for the night. Indy was tested and she made progress from 175 to 200 but I don't think she will deliver tonight. She and Oksana were left in the indoor for the evening. I've stopped in twice to clean up any manure they have made just in case she does deliver. When I left them they were happily grazing on the hay bales.

Ruth, Fedi and Steven drove mom to Groveland after work to check out a new chair. Mom wanted a power recliner. When mom had her carpal tunnel surgery she was not able to pull the handle to get her recliner up or down.  Diane talked her into a lift chair. As Diane says, "you may as well be proactive".  Joan found one on Facebook market place and it really was just like new. They picked it up around 5:00 pm, went to supper at Mings in Pekin (a Chinese buffet) then brought it home. 

It works perfectly and is very comfortable. Below she was showing me how it worked and Molly was a little concerned. She doesn't need that part now but it doesn't hurt to be prepared if the time comes that she would need a little lift. 

Today is my youngest granddaughter's birthday. Sarah took some cute videos of her smashing her smash cake but no actual pictures to share and I can't share the videos. Those are posted on her Facebook page if anyone wants to see them but below is the cake and the room all decorated. 

We will be celebrating Eden's birthday on Sunday along with Braelyn's birthday. 

AND the last thing I want to write about is an update on Cinnamon, the Tennessee Walker mare Martha from Michigan bought. She writes:  Hi Judy! I just wanted to share with you that this morning Cinnamon was on the far end of the pasture. I called her and she whipped around, put her tail up like a flag and galloped all the way to the gate where I was waiting.  I think we have really bonded. She is a special girl.  Doing great and pregnancy is healthy!

We LOVE updates.

Not tonight

On our walk this morning the talk was about Virginia's funeral. Mike Rieker had that and did such a nice job. Joan said the singing at the cemetery was special. Kelsy Klopfenstein brought her viola and played a medley of hymns.  Everyone knew them by heart and sang along.
Tatiana's filly was turned out again in the indoor arena. She will be picked up in 3 days and I am determined to keep her clean. We didn't have rain today but it was cloudy and only 42 degrees most of the day which didn't help dry up any mud and it is suppose to rain again tomorrow. I'm thankful for that indoor.
Indy had waxing on both teats this morning so this evening she was tested and according to the test she will not deliver tonight. She was still brought inside and stalled and tonight a bale of straw brought in for her to lay comfortably.
Paper work was done today. It is not my favorite thing to do but needs to be done. The big news all over is the Corona Virus COVID 19 which is now considered a pandemic. We just heard tonight that Israel has closed their country and no one is allowed in except their own citizens. Italy is also closed. The stock markets are crashing, gas is falling and there is a huge run on toilet paper. Don't ask my why about that last item. None of us can figure out why people are insisting on buying a years supply of that!
Lots of jokes were flying tonight before church.
Tim Funk had the message. Jesus really is the rock in a weary world.

On the Monitor

We got over an inch of rain yesterday and through the night. All buckets had to be emptied this morning. I didn't have time to get the arena cleaned up before the walk as it is still dark before 7:00 am. The arena was cleaned up after our walk then Tatiana's filly turned out in that for the day. I took a couple short videos of her on my phone but missed the main event when she was galloping around bucking. By the time I got the phone out and the camera turned on she was done playing. I'm not letting her outside as she is getting picked up on Saturday and I don't want her muddy.

She kept coming up to me for attention.
 Today was Virginia Hoerr's visitation and funeral at the church. Joan went early as she was a singer, mom went early as she was kitchen help. I didn't need to go early. From there I ran to Sam's club for lots of groceries and dog food. Mom called to ask if I would let Molly out around 2:00 pm as she had to go to straight to Nancy's IEP meeting after the church lunch.  Mark came home from work early and together we worked on fixing the cupboard in the bathroom. Mark brought out the big guns for that project. Well not the big guns but the nail gun. Once it was reinforced with all those nails I put everything back inside. This evening Tatiana's filly was put back in the stall and the arena cleaned then Indy was brought into the opposite stall. I'm watching her on the monitor and she is looking at first one side then the other. She is waxing some and has dropped so even if she does make a mess with her stall I want her on the monitor.  I've already run up to the barn once tonight to clean up a couple piles of manure.
Below is a cute video of Ruby and her 4 puppies. Ruby always comes when called and the puppies are also learning to come when called. It really helps when the mom does some of the training.

Rainy Monday

We awoke to rain and it rained almost all day. The walk was cancelled. Most of today it was a soft gentle rain soaking into the fields but by tonight we are having downpours on the saturated fields and now having some flooding on roads and driveways. Sure glad we are built up on a hill.
Mom had her eye doctor check up this morning and that didn't go well. She has a lot more swelling in her bad eye and has lost most of the vision. We think it was the fall she had in January that is causing the problem. Below the nurse is checking out the damage.

 From that room they took us to another room to get pictures of inside her eye then to the 3rd room to wait for Dr. Hahn. He came in and gave her the bad news that she would need another injection and put numbing drops in her eyes then left, came back in a few minutes for more numbing drops then left a q-tip full of numbing medicine stuck in her eye.  

 By the time everything was done it was after noon. I dropped off mom then went to Diane's to get the Horsemeister check book balanced and few other things that had to be done. This evening Indy and Oksana were moved back into the indoor arena for the night.  Indy has a little waxing on just one teat and that is more clear than white. She is due in 9 days but I will be surprised if she last that long. I still don't want to stall her until I'm pretty sure she will deliver as she trashes her stall. In the picture below Indy is left, Oksana is right.

I got completely soaked driving the golf cart up to the barn to move the mares and back to the garage. The rain was slamming into the barn. I'm glad to have nice dry soft sand for the mares to lay down if desired. The water tank was filled and there is plenty of hay.

Another Wonderful Sunday

We went to bed so early that we didn't even notice the time change, getting up at our regular time of 5:00 am. Indy had a restless night and made a complete mess of her stall. Tonight she will be left in the indoor arena unless I KNOW she will be delivering.
We were visited by maybe 20,000 or more very noisy red winged black birds who came swooping down in Valiant's pasture. The first picture is before they took to the sky.

 As soon as they saw me walking up they lifted into the air like a black cloud

 It was crazy how many and how long it took for them all to fly across the field, well over a minute of the thick dark cloud of birds flying west.

 Below is a close up of one of the clouds of birds. Notice the bright red showing on some of the wings. The males have a bright red patch on each wing. The females do not. 

Church was fantastic. I missed last Sunday as we were in Texas and Wednesday night while babysitting and it was wonderful to be back. Tim Funk had the morning message speaking of King David's life as a young shepherd boy all the way until his repentance after Bathsheba and then Mathew 5 the sermon on the mount. David Obergfel had the afternoon message which was the study on the respectable sins. It was SO very good to be back.
This afternoon I met the owner of a Raven son named Magic. Megan and her fiancee Nick  came out to look at Josiah. Josiah and Joshua were taken to the outdoor arena and both had fun galloping around showing off. We were having an absolutely beautiful sunny Sunday with a high of 64 degrees and everyone was out in short sleeves. When Megan and Nick left I ran in to get supper going. David and Stef's family came along with Phil and Anna's family and Rhoda. We enjoyed our dinner. Braelyn caught a red eared slider turtle at the lake and brought it over.

After supper they all went to the barn garage to help Mark move the new tornado shelter into place.

 Rhoda knew the baby books were stored in that garage and started pulling them out. Below David has his baby book. Stephanie, Israel and Elisabet are going to have fun looking at those old pictures. 

 Below Rhoda is giving Anna Philip's baby book. 

 Israel is showing his mom the turtle while Taegan is looking at a picture of her daddy when he was in grade school.

 Emma was busy checking out that stick that wouldn't move out of the ground. (it was a root)

 We loaded the turtle and the children on the golf cart to head back to the lake to let the turtle go in the same area where Braelyn caught it.

 Braelyn named him Bob so below they are all saying, "good by Bob."

 Israel is wearing one of grandpa's sweat shirts so we had to get a picture of those two.

 Sarah and Nolan posted some cute pictures of Zion and Eden enjoying this beautiful day.

Spark had his family over and the girls were enjoying the fishing. 

 While the boys were riding the 4 wheeler.

 The first and second cousins had fun playing on the volley ball court. Diane and Mike had their family out also. Mike FOUND the harrow, Andrew needed to borrow it and Mike told him he would pick it up later but forgot. 

 No pictures but Willow was giving rides on the jeep for anyone that wanted while Tate was giving rides on Mike's 4 wheeler and Josiah was giving rides to more kids on Spark's 4 wheeler. They were zooming around the back fields.  Molly brought their dog Bear and Andrew brought his dog Cocoa and Mom's dog Molly wasn't happy when they wanted mom's attention. 

We really had a wonderful day.  Indy had a bit of waxing again today but the colostrum is more yellow than white so we probably still have some time. She was put in the indoor arena for the night with Oksana. 

Indy Stalled

No baby yet but today there was a little change in Indy's udder with a couple drops on the tip. Indy and Oksana were let out, Nanci fed and watered then the arena cleaned all before breakfast. Mark put together his new power washer and the weather was so nice that the skid steer got power washed and the golf cart.  Mike used his big loader to work on the drives but when he needed to finish up with the arena harrow it was no where to be found. The family was all sent a text asking if anyone had borrowed it. We were having sunshine and 53 degrees this afternoon so the big barn doors were shut, the hose brought out and hooked up to the hot water and Josiah and Joshua's legs were hosed off. Both boys stood very well for that. They were moved into the paddock next to Evan's which isn't quite as muddy as the rest since it has been empty.  Mark needed  little help removing the snow plow from the tractor.

As soon as that was done the bale spear was put back on the tractor. We have a hydraulic leak in the skid steer and Mark wants to take that in for repairs.  Tonight Indy was stalled and I am watching her on the foaling camera on the phone. I haven't been able to get it up on the computer but will get that job done tomorrow when Phil comes over after church. She is pacing quite a bit which sometimes is the sign of the first stage of labor but more than likely because this is her first time in a stall since last year.  Nanci is in the stall opposite so they can see each other and neither are calling.  I'll keep the phone by the bed tonight and check it regularly. We have already moved our clocks forward and will hit the sack soon. Most of today was spent working outside and we are both tired.

Vet Visit

Anna arrived after our walk this morning to scope out where the new storm shelter was suppose to go. That had been delivered down at Meisters and Phil was going to be bringing it here this afternoon but he wanted Anna to find out exactly where we wanted it put. Anna and I had to move some supplies in Mark's garage to make sure there was plenty of room. After Anna left the truck and trailer were backed into the indoor arena and Tatiana's filly loaded up for our trip to Hoerr Vet clinic.  Just as I was coming in to Morton I remembered the trailer that was used the last time this customer picked up a horse and knew it would not work for this filly. I was thinking about how to ask this customer to borrow a different trailer when I passed the Morton exit. Bother, that meant 9 more miles to  Goodfield and another 9 miles back to Morton. Oh well the filly got lots of traveling practice.  She was excellent for Dr. Pallen standing perfectly still for the blood draw.

 Above we are at the vet clinic and below the filly is patiently waiting. 

 When we arrived home the filly we practiced walking in and out of the trailer a few times then she was led around then I just looped the lead rope over her neck while filling the water tank. 

 She shook, the lead rope fell off and below she was trying to pick it up with her mouth.

The lead rope was taken off and she was left in the indoor for the rest of the day. Phil, Anna and the girls arrived after work. The storm shelter is 8ft by 6ft made of thick heavy steel. The hydraulic trailer was perfect for bringing it and for unloading.

Braelyn kept the girls occupied giving them golf cart rides in the outdoor arena while the shelter was getting unloaded.

 It is so heavy I was impressed how the right tools for unloading made it possible to get it off the trailer and into the barn garage. 

 Below Phil and Anna using those piano rollers to move it into position. 

Mark needs to figure out exactly where he wants it then it will be bolted down. This is a safety shelter for the barn apartment as there is no basement there. It is big enough to put some benches  and shelves and can easily fit 6-8 people if needed. After supper Tatiana's filly was put back in the stall so Indy and Oksana could have the indoor for the night. Still no waxing. 

Tonight Ruth, Diane, Joan and I went to mom's house for games and spent the evening together. I'm very thankful for the fellowship we have here. 

Unusual Sight.

Indy and Oksana were moved back to the paddock this morning before the walk and the arena cleaned. Indy's udder is full to bursting but no waxing. Oksana's is also filling. They both walked over to the hay bale and laid down to enjoy the sunshine out of the wind. Wow are we ever having the wind today, gusts of 35-50 miles per hour. This morning the wind was coming more from the South and West but tonight it has changed and is now coming in from the North. That has dropped the temperature and it feels cold. We had temperatures into the 50s today and as long as the sun was shining and one was out of the wind it almost felt warm.
The weanlings were all haltered and led inside to a stall and given their grain indoors today so a bale could be moved into their paddock. The other paddock that got a bale was Valiant's. Valiant was turned out into the field where he had to drop and roll then explode into action.

 That roll felt so good he had to drop again for another.

 Then off for another gallop.

After the bales were moved Josiah and Joshua were put out but Nanci (Tatiana's filly) was kept stalled. She has a vet appointment tomorrow for a Coggins test and I want her semi clean for that. She was groomed and a picture taken for her owner who is picking her up on the 14th.

Mike had something weird happen. He was out checking the mares and the hay supply at Middle Grove when an airplane came right down the middle of Middle Grove road. What an unusual sight! In the picture below the field to the right is the winter pasture. The horses were probably down by the lake or on the other side of the hill.

The plane was being moved to Canton on the back roads.  Yesterday Mark took my truck and his trailer to Meisters to unload scrap metal then get the light welded on. Today I drove Mark to Meisters so he could bring the truck and trailer back. His trailer was unhitched and my 2 horse hitched back up for the trip to the vet clinic tomorrow.
Indy and Oksana were moved back to the indoor arena again tonight. Once Indy starts waxing she will be moved into the foaling stall for the night but for now the indoor works great. No mud, out of the weather, plenty of hay and a water tank of fresh water.