Goodbye, 2008

It does seem as if the past year has flown by, truly.

It has been a year of change and challenges, heartbreak and happiness. I do think this is true of every year, but our perspectives change also and our ability to meet these "speed bumps on the path of life" grow hand in hand with them.

To recap the last day of the year here, I have four horses at the barn. All are in blankets and weathering the -20 degree temperatures with ease. The stock tank heaters are working perfectly, I have plenty of hay on hand, and I am not overly worried about any of them. The Princess has been sequestered in her own little space due to a sore hip, but she's perky and whickering for her meals. (Although at these temps they are fed free choice of course) Today I will be checking under blankets for rubs and wear, but for the most part the blankets fit well and the horses are enjoying their hot mashes. Even at -20 degrees, I got my usual display of bucking and dashing about when I went up for morning feeding :)

I turned into a chicken wrangler last night. The cold has been pretty brutal on my five chickens, although I don't seem to have lost any combs on the roos. With the generous loan of a large wire crate, I now have the five inside my garage. Yep, you read that right. Live chickens in the house, haha! At six when I fed at the barn, it was -5, and the birds seemed okay on their roost (keeping in mind it's fully dark by six pm here) but by 9:30 it had dropped to -13 and I knew I would lose them if I didn't get them in the house. So I rousted out my son, we put on our cold weather gear, found a tote, and made two trips getting them to the house. They were fairly lethargic last night but I was confident that they would be okay. This morning they noisily greeted the lights coming on, and are otherwise quietly enjoying their water and feed. They aren't real happy to be crammed into the crate, but they'll manage I am sure. We have about five more days of this severe cold and then they can go back up where they belong. Oh, and great handy hint, you can really cut down on odor if you put a layer of kitty litter down! (Should you ever be forced to bring a chicken into the house to save it's life, lol)

At the first of this year, I had rescued a young Appaloosa gelding (the story is here on the blog) whose companion was humanely euthanized. The gelding recovered in fine style, and is now the pampered pony of a wonderfully generous horse owner. Pepper has turned out to be.....well, peppery;) Thanks to everyone who assisted with his rescue and recovery (Joey, Jamie, staff at AESAH Clinic, Molly, Gisela, Becky and her husband)

Thanks also to my neighbor Kathy, who has come through twice this year, with emergency loan of her horse trailer-not to mention providing a sounding board for all my dreams and schemes this year-you're awesome!

In February of this year, came two abused and starved horses into my care. They left late this summer, blooming in great health and weight, and I thank Jake for having confidence in my recovery skills. Two very nice young horses who have a committed owner, how cool is that?

In March, I learned about Wingnut (also featured on the blog here) who came back into my life, nearly dead from starvation. She too, left this fall in very healthy weight. It is because of what happened to this horse that I went to court a number of times, hoping for at least a chance to inform the court about her recovery to full health.

The growing season proved to be espcially challenging, with just a couple days above 70 degrees. It was a cool, cloudy growing season, and I had plenty of gardening failures like everyone else here. Some things did surprisingly well, and the bounty of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage is safely put up for us to enjoy over the winter months. My own personal gardening triumph was a beautiful pumpkin-also harvested. It's all a learning curve for me, but I surely enjoy it. This coming year, I will be expanding my growing space and I am hoping to double or triple the number of flats of veggies.

In May, another mare left my care, to go home with her owner. This poor horse ended up bounced around as the owner has had a terrible series of personal crises this year. Last I heard, the mare is safe with another horse person and still loved and coddled like she should be. The owner struggles, but is determined to keep her girl.....like many of us.

In between the comings and goings at my place, I turned down a total of 7 free horses (so far this winter) before actually purchasing one myself. Reba joined my care in October and so far, I love her to pieces. She has a ton of character (rather like Wingnut, only not so destructive, haha), is firmly on the road to soundness, and I am so very much looking forward to riding her this spring.

Also this spring, an unfortunate misconception cost me a friendship I had truly treasured. Oh well, there is nothing to be done and that's that. Too bad really, as I had expected more maturity from this person. That's okay, it opened doors for other friends and has allowed me to reconnect with people from my past. But I still miss chatting with my buddy :(

The hay business continues, and is full of its own unique challenges. The above mentioned buddy hasn't helped matters on local groups, but I persist. I certainly do not do this hay stuff to make money. I do it for the horses. Screw the egos, the bruised feelings, the rumors-they won't feed horses, now will they? Nope. So the vans continue to come, and people are still grateful to get premium quality hay at a price that is hundreds less than the feed stores. I am still handing out bales to people in distress, scrambling to find certain cuttings/varieties, and upending my own life to meet people when it's convenient for them to pick it up. But that's okay-the horses are my priority above all. Which is why I have done five vans in something like three months, with another due to land here any day.....and there goes another two weekends offloading it, too.

The horse community continues to be a fractured mess of outright lies, towering egos, and general silliness. For example, Flo Pitcher verbally attacking me at a local bar. Or Mark Figelski who is so stupid he won't advertise in the Alaska Horse Journal because the publisher of the magazine brought up a van of hay (once!) and sold the excess, haha Boy talk about shooting yourself in the foot, heehee That's okay, no one knows where they are located anyhow. Since, you know, they don't advertise or anything-except CL of course. This is the same guy that is very busy bad mouthing a nice local lady who sells affordable tack-and how tacky is that?

And oh yes, the local Craigslist. Source of constant amazement and amusement. Hardly anything can be posted there without it being flagged down. I have one ad there, the first in months and months, but nearly every ad for hay (no matter the source!) gets flagged off. In other areas of the country, any ag related tiny operation can post without trouble-but not here in Alaska. I just recently found out that some local hay guys think I am busy flagging off their ads. Um, nope, why would I? Heck I refer people to them, who either can't use, or can't afford the hay I bring in. Anyone with livestock needs hay, we are all in the same boat here, true? The local CL is where Flo Pitcher occasionally takes stabs at me personally, presumably for a "community service" or some such drivel. Sigh, another challenge-weathering the perpetual rumor engine.

Onward into the New Year, I say.

Considering what's happened to our country this past year, we have plenty of "speed bumps" to weather over the coming months. These little spats mean nothing in the course of our lives, and I just refuse to be brought down by it. Have confidence in yourselves, in the economy, in the country as a whole, and things will improve. Honest :)

Begone, 2008! And take the weather with you!

Oh my gosh, the weather has turned off just nasty here in the Mat Su Valley. Depending on where you live, and the surrounding terrain, you could have maybe five to ten degrees above with winds gusting to 75. Or, it could be dead calm and -20!

At my place, I am right now at 5 degrees above. Winds are moderate, I hear no really big gusts just this moment. I would estimate the winds at 10 to 20, roughly, enough to drop down into the negative category on wind chills, but bearable. In other areas, temps are just dropping like a stone, with -20 degree readings in some places.

You can go to www.wunderground.com and type in 99629 or 99654 and once that page loads, scroll down to the bottom for a list of weather stations and current conditions around the area. If you live here, and think the weather is bad, just type in "Fairbanks, Alaska" and see just how bad our northern neighbors have it :(

Yesterday, knowing this was coming, I snagged my cousin and we went to my shop to load up on munchie hay. I always try to buy 100+ bales of this hay, which I prefer to be mixed grasses, barely fertilized, just dry and clean. I had quite a bit stuffed into the storage container there, so we loaded up another ten bales, to augment what I had on hand at the barn. Wow, the wind was howling across the Palmer Wasilla Highway and it was terrible! We also tossed on some of the imported hay as I haven't been able to get bundles home due to broken brakes on the forklift. Last night, I fed out nearly a whole bale of the munchie hay, in addition to regular rations. They've been eating this munchie hay for a while now, just a little bit-just in case. This morning, they weren't exactly hungry, which is always good.

We also loaded up firewood the day before yesterday, and brought more to the house yesterday afternoon. When it gets to be -20 plus, it's just miserable doing outside chores and I know this deep cold is coming in a day or two. In preparation for that, today I will be suiting up and topping the stock tanks again. Everyone gets a hot mash when the conditions are like this, and I drop all concentrates and add extra salt instead. Can't run the risk of impaction colic at these temps!

Today I also have a few chores in town, and I am not looking forward to that! I also have to arrange the repair on the forklift, without which I am totally out of business there at work. Since I have this week off, I am hoping to just hunker down here at home, and take care of the horses as best I can.

Merry Christmas to all!

I just had to share this gem, which showed up on our local Craigslist :)

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the barn,
All the creatures were sleeping, all safe, snug and warm.
The feed pails were hung by the stall doors with care,
In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The ponies were nestled all warm in their beds,
While visions of carrot cakes danced through their heads.
The Arabs, the Thoroughbreds and even the Apps,
The jumpers and hunters were all taking naps.
When out in the paddock there arose such a clatter,
I awoke in my stall to see what was the matter.
I moved to the window, quick as I should,
To see where the noise came from, if I could.
The sight I beheld as I gazed out that night,
Was a beautiful horse, all whiter than white.
He wore a red blanket, so nice to behold,
His hooves how they sparkled, all glittery-gold.
With swift certain motions to our barn he came,
And silvery moonlight danced from his mane.
More rapid than racers, his hoofbeats they came,
And he neighed and he snorted, and called us by name.
He was our Christmas, a ghost-horse of white,
Who has come to all horses since that one special night.
To remind us of horses who served man so well,
Especially those with whom a baby did dwell.
For those special horses who shared stable and stall,
To give comfort and warmth to the Savior of us all.
Now thinking of them, he entered the door,
To distribute among us, his gifts and more.
Down the aisle he came, his hoofbeats so light,
And he stopped by each stall in our stable that night.
Gifts he did give to all in our barn,
More heart or more courage, or to be free from harm.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And he filled all the feed pails, then turned with a jerk.
On gold hooves so bright,
And giving a nod, he went into the night

And I heard him neigh as he went out of sight,

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NI-I-I-I-GHT!

(author unknown)

Paying it forward

In the spirit of my earlier idea, I have decided to "pay it forward" a little bit, to a person in our small horse community.

My wonderful hub knows a retired gentleman who is on a fixed income. The man has two horses, and can only purchase small quantities of hay at a time. I have asked my hub to load up a half ton of hay, and haul it over to the man. Nope, I have no idea where he lives, but I am sure my hub can find out from someone. Since we are having such a miserably long cold snap, I am sure those two horses are needing extra hay, wouldn't you think? And I will have him take a good look around and see what else he might be needing.....I have some other supplies to spare-blankets, stock tank heaters and the like.

For some reason, the idea of giving to someone I don't know at all, seems appropriate.

Giving to others by paying it forward -

I can't think of a better thing to do for Christmas, can you?

Today, politics

Since I can't seem to find my Christmas spirit anywhere, allow me to take a swat at local politics instead :)

First and foremost, our Governor. Or Governator, depending on your point of view. To many, she can do no wrong, make no mistakes, or say anything that can possibly be misconstrued. To some, she is the Alaska version of the Anti-Christ and is as rotten an administrator as she was a mayor. To the rest of us.....well, let's just be nice, shall we?

I think about the course of events since Sarah Palin took office. With political capital to squander (approval ratings in the 90's-wow, that's never happened before!) she first trotted out ACES.

At the time, oil companies were enjoying some of the highest profits on record, period. The general feeling was: We ain't getting our fair share! She proposed a change in the tax structure, and the legislature (in what appeared to be a misguided attempt to garner brownie points with her) went even further with ACES. The end result is that the State of Alaska has the highest tax structure in the world. Think about that-the entire stinking world! I heard that it approaches 87 percent. You can read an awful lot about that tax structure on local blogs, just do a simple google search. If that doesn't work, you can also read the Governor's spin on it, right from the state's own website. So a lesson was learned by those companies who are already invested in the state leases and development activities: The state can punish your operations at a whim-and will. Just how this encourages production, I have no idea.

Then a while after, came AGIA. Man, it sounded so good at the beginning, really. Get a company on board whose expertise is building pipelines-and if we have a pipeline, the oil companies will drill and ship-yippee, all future budget problems resolved! So the Governor turns down anyone local, gets a foreign company to bid and hands them half a billion dollars to boot. I have a hunch the seeds of this boondoggle lie in former Governor Murkowski's "behind closed doors" meetings which resulted in a plan which would have tied up the favorable tax structure for forty five years. People probably would have been mostly behind that plan if he hadn't done it in secret, and there had been clear provisions to revisit the tax incentives as markets changed. But oh well, we got AGIA, giddily passed at warp speed by the sycophants in Juneau that we sent down there to represent us.

During the AGIA process, we had Troopergate, the investigations, and the results of that. Then of course the Governor's inclusion on the 2008 Presidential ticket, and all of that hoopla. And also the corruption invenstigations which has lead to convictions for some of our representatives, resulted in Don Young being stripped of any power, and of course, allowing Mark Begich to win against Ted Stevens, who was convicted of failing to report.....well, you get the drift. Bad times to be in Alaska politics.

Meanwhile, Comissioner Tom Irwin was a loose cannon-and still is. First, they vacated the Pt Thomson leases up at Prudhoe. Now, I am conflicted over this: Yes, they did not do what they said they would for 20 umpteen years-but honestly, it wouldn't have mattered because the place is too far from pipelines to move it anyway. But once the price of oil was way up, it made more economic sense to go forward. And they wanted to renew the lease. But no the state cancelled the lease, and now there is a law suit over it which will no doubt tie it up for a long time. (If Exxon can drag out the Valdez settlement for nearly 20 years....well, you can imagine) Next up is another lease, which they have refused to renew even though the two companies have said it will take 18 months to two years just get the drilling rig up to the Slope. Ah, nope that is not good enough for Mr Irwin who apparantly feels that even just building an ice road for exploration is not acceptable either.

So here I am, once a proud Wasilla area resident-a person who has met Sarah Palin, who spoke at city council meetings and who was excited about someone coming in to "clean house" down there in Juneau.

And what did I get for my expectations? An entire administration who seems determined to undermine development at every turn, who hands out union contracts like candy at Halloween, who has acted to stop investment in this state, etc. Then, to top it all off, she trots out a new budget this week.

I swear I do not know what in heck they are smoking down there in Juneau. A six percent reduction, but not across the board. And based on what appears to be an astronomically high price for oil. With what is happening around the globe with the economy, I personally think that $74 oil is another pipe dream the administration is trying to shove down our throats.

Sad part is, it will pass. People are too afraid to stand up to the Palin machine and her popularity. She has surrounded herself with people who cannot think beyond what is politically expedient, who are poor advisors at best, and a crowd of "yes" men and women who jump to do her bidding. I am beyond disappointed that this person, who I originally believed to be conservative, has turned out to be just another tax and spend nightmare :(

Whoa baby, it's cold out there!

Oh my gosh, never ever complain about snow, ice, or winds. The bottom has dropped out here the past few days! This morning I had -9 :( It's -4 right now and of course will drop overnight too.

Horses are good, they are all full of themselves, anxious for meals and blowing off excess energy. I suppose it says something about my Alaska horsekeeping skills when I go to the barn and 50% of the horses (okay, there is only four there right now, lol) go bat poo nutso on me....running, bucking hard, charging around, flinging their heads and snorting. Add in the squeal, spin and kick out and you get the idea you have a barn full of rank horses-but nope, they are just happy to see the "Food Goddess" arrive.

That would be me. With sizeable beet pulp mash in my hands.

Of course, I weenie-ed out and actually drove the 400 feet to the barn tonight, instead of using shank's mare like normal ;) Good boots, check. Beaver hat, check. Fancy schmancy North Slope type coat, check. Insulated bandit headgear for face-check. Super duper insulated gloves, check.

Over 80 pounds of hay put out tonight, doubled salt in the mash that everyone got-you just have to do this sort of stuff when it gets cold. My hub asked-do we need to go put on blankets? (Which are buried in an unlikely location and difficult to get to without daylight) and I said nope, not a one of them is shivering. Not a one has a clamped tail. Not a one has a hunched back.

No, they aren't cold if they are playing around, being horses at feeding time. A warm mash (taken out of house at 150 degrees but cooled by the time the feed pans are served), extra salt, and lots and lots of hay-that's what makes for the plump horses I have up there.

Of course, any wind at below zero temps and they'd ALL have blankets on-I won't tolerate a horse being miserable.

I am sure thankful I have the "munchie" hay on hand that I do....it doesn't weigh much on a per bale or flake basis, but that's okay.........I can put out a quarter to half a baleand not worry about it. It's low protien, mixed grasses....a perfect mix to feed out when the temps get severe.

Oh boy, challenging is right!

So, have I mentioned the weather in detail lately?

Entirely too often for most, I bet, haha Anyhow, so over the weekend as I am trying to get hay unloaded and co-ordinate pick ups with people, we had freezing rain and fog. It was so slick at the shop you could hardly stand up on Saturday. So we put down some salt and that helped a bunch. On Sunday, it wasn't too bad but the roads were pretty nasty-either sloppy with lots of spray or getting pretty icy with the sprinkles.

Then this morning I was woke up around 4:15. The winds arrived in full force. I laid there a few minutes and listened to my (very heavy, mind you) wind chime create it's own melody. I drifted back to sleep and was roused about 5:45 when a gust came through that sounded like a combination of a freight train and a turbine on a jet. Seriously.

When I got up, I could hear things rattling a little....the normal things that make noise at my place when it's windy. I bundled up and stepped out the side door and nearly had my breath taken away-WOW! Noisy noisy, strong winds with some good gusts even it seemed fairly warm out. Up at the barn, I picked up a few lighter items that had been blown over, but it looks like my nice pedestal fan is probably broken for good now. The barn had been scoured clean of loose bits of hay, the tarp alongside the chicken pen was making a racket, I chased down the bucket that had blown off the hydrant, and moved a few items in danger of sliding away. The horses seemed relatively calm and resigned, a bit anxious for breakfast. The chickens, on the other hand, were a totally different matter altogether. Talk about upset! Oh my goodness, what a racket they were making too! Since they weren't able to roost, I put out some corn to keep them busy for the day, after checking to make sure they hadn't hurt each other.

My poor Jethro had a bit of a time of it up there, he has his routine in the mornings, poor little thing....he doesn't weigh enough to handle big winds, lol So back at the house I secured a few things and then it's off and running on the rest of the morning routine. On the drive in, traffic was really slow-slower than road conditions would normally warrant due to the winds. It's 28 degrees here and blowing a gale, pretty much, and there is no way I can safely open the gates here, and I won't be opening the overhead door either, if I can avoid it. I've seen it worse, but not often. Thankfully, this is supposed to die down later today-whew!

December is challenging

Oh, it's not just for us Alaska horse owners-well into our third month of winter horsekeeping. Nope, it is the depressing financial news, the challenge of balancing our Christmas wants with needs, the press of family issues, the pushing and shoving of retailers to force/guilt us into purchases-the whole shebang. Add in high energy costs (yeah, like we are ever going to see gas down around a buck fifty any time soon.....) the uncertain economic times for our state and repeated missteps by the administration-well, it isn't shaping up to be a very happy time of year for many of us.

For myself, I am trying to head into this time of year on a relatively even keel. I won't go overboard with presents and we'll concentrate on our son instead. With so many van loads of hay arriving this fall, my own barn is stuffed full and I have enough for months on hand-always a very good feeling :) I had already stocked up on a variety of grains and sups-again, months ahead on those too. Pantry is acceptable, freezers adequate-we are in better shape than a great many Americans this holiday season-a blessing I will not take for granted.

The horses at my place are good....I have two actually on a diet (and boy they aren't happy about that) and the Princess got her mash bumped up a bit. Footing is decent, if the weather isn't (32 degrees and sprinkling here just now) and everyone is healthy-I am still getting eggs from my laying hens too. In all, life is good.

I'd love to see the horse community get behind a gift tag tree for horse owners here who are struggling.....a sack of feed, a bale of hay, a few items for the barn, could make a real difference to those in need locally. Unfortunately, we are so fragmented, so determined to be right instead of friendly and helpful, so impossibly judgemental, that this will never happen. Sad, isn't it? That we are so far removed from the Christmas spirit when it comes to those who share our love for horses, that we cannot set aside our feelings to help one another.

So as you go forward into the holiday season, I hope you will take a moment to think of other horse owners less fortunate than yourself-and bring them a little joy too-whatever you can afford. I know I plan to do the same.

The joke's on us!

Like some great cosmic joke, Mother Nature has been leading us into complacency, that comfortable slide into conlcuding "Hey, this winter has not been bad at all"

Ha! Granted, we did not have 23 days of high winds like last November-we all remember that I am sure, it was downright miserable. We've been fortunate to have relatively mild temperatures, with little snowfall to complain about. A bit of fog here and there, but honestly, it's been great-mild, decent footing for horses, not too cold.

So last week we had a small snow storm move through. It dropped maybe three or four inches at my place but almost nothing here at work. This last Friday and Saturday (and Sunday too) we got one of our bigger snowfalls. I got about eight inches at home, with nearly a foot at work, and reports vary from several feet to three inches elsewhere-depending on the whims of Mother Nature. Yesterday afternoon my snow plowing guy showed up....I knew there was no way I was going to try to plow using the four wheeler-too wet (which makes for too heavy) and too deep. I would have been out there for hours, wallowing around on that, just too much work for the wheeler. It took the plow guy two hours (two hours!!!) to clean up the driveways, parking spots, around the barn, the arena, the trailers. Normally this is an hour, hour and ten minutes job. As he was finishing, it was still snowing. Only yesterday afternoon what was falling was very powdery.

Sure enough, when I checked the thermometer, it was just 13 degrees around 4 pm. This morning, it was -3. It is -6 here at work. And we are slated for even colder tonight. Last night, I fed out extra hay of course, and this morning too. And even more this evening, with lots of munchie hay to keep them warm and busy overnight. And of course everyone will enjoy a warm mash. Not a hint of shivers from anyone either, for which I am thankful.

To recap-we went from temps in the mid 30s, to heavy snow, to cold. In four days. To mangle a phrase from an old commercial: It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature.....but it isn't nice for Mother Nature to fool with us, lol!

Giving thanks

It's a shame that it takes a recognized holiday to be reminded of our blessings. This coming Thursday would be a good day to take a few minutes to revisit the positive aspects of our lives, and in that spirit-I offer the following lengthy list :)

In no particular order:

I am thankful I have found the love of my life, and that we are forging a future together. For over ten years, he has filled the emptiness I did not realize I carried within me. Within his arms, I am complete and sheltered and safe. It is more than I ever had, and I cherish the man.

I am thankful I have a quirky, funny, creative, and brave young son. He is much more competent than I was at that age, but still needs daily reminders for chores. But that's okay-like I tell him: It's his job to do the chores, and my job to remind him to get them done ;) He's healthy, eats anything I put in front of him, and is my best helper when his Dad is away working. Most people remark how well mannered and polite he is-and he is.

I am thankful for the boss I have, who has kept me on for over 20 years now. I feel fortunate that the boss continues to place his trust in me, year after year. It's a great company and while I know I will never go further than where I am-and that's okay, I really, truly like my customers. I enjoy problem solving and helping folks and for this, a major part of my life, I am truly blessed.

I am thankful for the new property....Not only do I have a "real barn", I have space for the garden and greenhouse-and the grounds are starting to look nice too. It's a treat having the small arena at my disposal, and I love that we seldom have traffic on our road. I enjoy hearing the wind in the trees and seeing heavy snows bending the branches too, the many birds that visit and the wildlife that ventures through occasionally.

I am thankful for the horses in my life. They are both healthy and happy and Sully in particular has taught me a lot. Because of him, I am much more observant than I used to be and his past issues started me down a path of learning.

I am thankful for the friends in my life. They keep me laughing, support me when I'm in a blue mood, and while we may not always keep in close touch, we can always count on each other.

I am thankful for my hay customers too. For their patience and understanding as I work my way through each van, trying to get them what their horses need. I am especially thankful that I have the hay growers' confidence and support, I would not be able to do this without him.

I am thankful for the life I have that affords me these blessings and opportunities. What I have accomplished, or learned, or grown beyond or into-they all play a part in my happiness. When you live by the Golden Rules, when you live true to yourself, when you love and give, when you can laugh and cry, when you are at ease with yourself and your life-you can say:

Life is good.

And another busy week.....whew!

It's been an up and down week so far, and I don't mean the thermometer ;)

The salmon project is done for a year, and it's likely the best we have ever done. It has great texture and flavor and the jars look marvelous-I am thrilled to have them to enjoy and savor this coming winter, yum :)

Monday I went back to work, by myself for the rest of the winter. It turned out to be a very busy day with customers and numerous phone calls-which is great, I do prefer being busy, to being bored! Part of the busy work was determining that my trusty old HP machine, which copies, faxes, scans and prints, wasn't working. This was after replacing the keyboard which also had decided to just bite the dust.

So Tuesday the boss got me a replacement unit out here, and in late afternoon I started hooking it all up. Put the power to it after unpacking, then popped in the CD to load the software. Hmm, seems the CD thingy isn't working either-try again. Again. And again. Hunh? Rats, off to the HP website I go, to find the download. Luckily this website is fairly well organized so I find the right download in short order, and try to download it. After a while, it becomes obvious I am going to be running late so I check in with boss and home.

At 6:30 I gave up and went home. Wednesday morning after a flurry of business things, I had time to think about this. So, after one more botched try (stalled at 94%) what seemed like forever, I unstalled the partial and the previous software. I managed to fax what I needed to, and did some house cleaning on the machine before leaving for the evening.

This morning when I arrived, after tending to customers, I went back to the website and began a new download. It was on the machine inside of ten minutes, and full install was completely successfully inside of 40, total. Wow, what a difference! So now I am back up and running here and I can print from my computer, woohoo! Small triumph but oh so annoying when you can't, lol

On the horse front, everyone is doing fine. Reba is getting better by the day, but I know we won't make real progress until she sheds her false sole and we can get her frog back in contact with the ground. It's easy to see by looking at the hoofprints in the snow, that she is still toe stubbing-but is much improved with just two trims a month apart. She was much better about the trimming too, than previously-she is getting accustomed to the hoof jack and is figuring out none of this hurts her. Next appointment is the maximum interval-six weeks out-but I will call if I see too much toe on her, as we need to establish balanced hoof growth. Of course I could roll the toe myself, but I feel more confident in Gisela's ability, than my own, haha If the weather does not permit and it needs doing, I'll do it of course. It's been a treat, watching her personality emerge the better she feels and the more comfortable she is. While not quite a Wingnut, she is friendly and curious and interested, yet respectful-can't ask for better than that!

Yesterday we got a fuel delivery at the house. For the first time in a couple of years, I didn't have a stroke over it, lol The wood stove looks like it will pay for itself in about two years at this rate-even with the price down about $1.30 a gallon from this spring. It's a lot of work and does require regular attention, but there is nothing quite so nice as walking into a toasty warm house and warming in front of the stove. I haven't managed to get a fancy trivet for it yet, or even a fireplace tool set, but that's okay-Christmas is coming.

This weekend is milk test, and we are going to do Thanksgiving on Sunday since my hub will miss it this year. I am so looking forward to the meal with all the trimmings. We are pretty traditional and at this point, I only make what I know everyone really loves: The bird and dressing, smashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, one vegetable. And of course, pumpkin pie. I have a nice little sugar pumpkin waiting for me to cook up, a big hit. If you haven't tried cooking your own pumpkin, I do recommend it, its lovely.

It's been a busy week!

So much for relaxing with time off, ha!

It's been a busy week and then some. On the home front, I have managed to get the first batch of cranberry ketchup done (for those who are scratching their heads....its basically like a dipping sauce and nope, you probably would not use it for french fries, lol, it's rich and flavorful) the sauerkruat is safely in jars, and I am in the midst of canning the smoked salmon this weekend. I also tackled some indoor chores that have been bugging me for a while now, and now that those are done I can give some thought to better office organization.

On the horse front, the Princess seems to have recovered fully, yippee!!! I have started her on a very soupy small mash nightly, and she adores her messy treat very much. Right now, it is just beet pulp and senior, with v/m sup, on Sunday everyone gets their weekly bran mash too. Reba is not thrilled with mashes, which I find rather odd-but she sure loves getting a handful of "grain" in the feed pan every evening. I have been cutting back and cutting back on the hay and I have to tell you, I think I bought a true air fern-not a horse! The recent snowfall has softened the ground of course and now she romps and trots, showing only minor tenderness from the deep bruising of a couple weeks ago. Another couple of trims will help a bunch, and I have one scheduled this morning.

We still have to make it over to pick up the horse trailer, which should be in the next day or so. Hopefully, they are all plowed out over there and it won't be an issue getting it home. We are plowed here too, and I am delighted that I have some good snow cover for the arena. Yay for finally getting snow, lol (And yes I must be certifiable, but honestly-no snow until mid November? What's up with that?)

In other gossip-I have heard some curious things this past week, really.

First, there is our old buddy Mark. I have been asked repeatedly what happened to Bullseye Feed, and for a couple months I couldn't provide an answer. Then I heard that they moved to a new location, which is seriously a death knell for a feed store. Since they stopped advertising, no one knows where they are (hunh??) and not only that, he is not above calling to complain to anyone who brings up hay as being his "competition" and can even be pretty nasty on the phone. I am pretty sure he is still advertising on CL, trying to peddle his inventory, instead of spending a few bucks on advertising and doing it right. The way he treats what he views as competition is surely shooting himself in the foot-who wants to do business with someone like that? I surely don't, and I buy feed pretty regularly just like other horse owners up here. Besides, you have to be in the know, to know the new location, lol!

Then I have had a couple people call up to brag how cheaply they managed to get hay here from outside. Sigh. Ok, and your point is? lol, I know it's comparing apples to oranges, the difference in quality. It's no skin off my nose if they want to do all the work and shoulder all the risk from an unknown supplier on unseen hay. The $64 question would be: Why would anyone want it? Stemmy and over mature with totally blown seed heads-this I could get easy too. But it is a far cry from what people have come to expect to see me unloading. I am just amazed that boarding operations would compromise quality of diet for cost-but of course this is happening all over the US, not just here.

As prices continue to rise, margins are shrinking and cuts must be made somewhere. That penny or two a pound difference must work out to a lot more on the bottom line than it would seem using a calculator ;) Of course to make up for the lesser quality, they usually feed more grains-and that is not something I personally am willing to do. I feed all horses in my care very generously when it comes to hay-and very little when it comes to what goes in the feed pans. To each their own, but it works for me :)

This, that and the other

Ok now that the election is over, I can pick up the strings of normal life and move forwards. Sure was a polarizing event for this nation, wasn't it?

Let's see.....First, Chubs did get moved successfully, but the trip was not without mishaps. You know how it is, nothing ever goes smoothly when you have to haul! We did not use my own truck because we don't have a break controller-and I just will not haul in the winter without trailer brakes. So I managed to strong arm a good friend into hauling Chubs. He loaded just fine, and we met the trailer on the road to lead them to the new location. Everything seemed to go fine until we turned off of the main (dry) road onto the other (icy!) road and the truck and trailer stopped. The driver popped out, shaking....no brakes on the truck at all-eeks! So we crept on down the hill and stopped on the longish flat spot and conferred over what to do. Too far to walk, couldn't drive truck safely with a trailer on, etc. I called the new boarding place owners, and after about an hour we ended up with another truck to tow the trailer the rest of the way. Chubs was a perfect gentleman the entire time we were stopped, which was wonderful. The last little bit of that road includes a short, steep grade and a hard turn to the right at the bottom-good thing we had swapped vehicles because there was no way to negotiate that without full braking!

Upon arrival, Chubs was quietly unloaded, and after a short while, was turned into the new pasture with new horses. Boy I have to tell you, that except for a couple of completely scary bellows out of the old fart-it went as smoothly as one can hope. He can defend himself from the one pony who is a bit of a pill, and has buddied up with another. He is seemingly very happy with his new digs and has established a place in the herd. The pasture looks to be about three acres in size, which is perfect for him :)

Second, I took some time off from work. Naturally this has meant being busy every day so far, and I haven't managed to get done half of what I need to, haha At this rate I will be going back to work to rest up! The time change has really been an issue for me, first time in my life. But I am making some headway on a few things I was determined to tackle.

Third, I am disheartened to relate that I have had my first colic here. Honestly, I have no idea what caused the impaction because I always make sure there is water available at all times. But yesterday morning I went up and the Princess was laying down. A bit odd, she got up as I put out the mornings ration of hay to them all. My stomach turned when she did not bully her way next to her buddy and instead walked away. Yikes! I checked for gut sounds but didn't hear anything-but then the roosters were crowing and the radio was going. Back to the house I went to try to find my stethescope. Stethescopes are very interesting to little boys and it took me a while to find them (and now they are at the barn where they belong) When got back up there, she was laying down again, and I thought, OH NO!!! Got her right up and tried to hear any gut movement......maybe a little something? I was not sure.

Back to the house, try to find owners land line number. Ten minutes of searching and I realize the only place I have it is on my work computer! So I call the cell phone. No answer. Rats! Wake up son and get him into the shower, back to barn. Still the same, but not laying down, but she isn't eating either. She isn't sweating or panting, but I know something is way bad wrong. Back to the house, call cell phone-no answer. I hustle my son into school clothes, get his stuff in the car, and off I go.....dropped him at the sitters, and then drove quickly to the owners' home. After waking up the household there, I head back home, check on the pony. She is laying down again, quietly, not trying to roll, so I get her up and dash back to the house to grab cell phone, home phone, coffee, etc. Shortly after this the owner arrives and in about two minutes we determine we need to call the vet.

It seems to take forever for the vet arrive, and during this time the pony is slowly getting worse. She is not dehydrated by pinch test, but is starting to breathe harder and is obviously terribly cramped in the abdomen. She does go down a few times but each time she is walked until the cramps relax and then is allowed to stand quietly. The vet administers banamine and eventually, with many tears and much emotion, the decision is made to get her hauled to the clinic. Of course, my trailer happens to be where Chubs is (doh!) and so I manage to borrow one from another friend who lives not far away.

I really sweated out the news all day yesterday. The owner and I had a number of discussions about what may have caused this. The owner contacted the previous owner, who said (and I quote here for a good reason) "Oh she does this every winter, you need to give her soaked alfie cubes with mineral oil" and "she does not drink enough water in the winter anyway"

The point of repeating the above is that the previous owner DID NOT MENTION this to the owner......there was no way for either of us to know! Don't you think that might have been important for a new owner to KNOW? Especially for a 25 to 35 year old pony? Good lord, I was upset, to say the least.

As of early last night, the pony had passed manure, YAY!!! She is not out of the woods, but since the vet only gave her a 50/50 chance, I will take that as a positive. If she makes it, we will all confer and figure out a way to manage her diet so that her water consumption is assured. I feel just sick that my own management (with lots and lots of quality hay) may have contributed to the colic :(

I will be hearing more news this morning I am sure. Keep your fingers crossed. The Princess is sorely missed by her companion, the hony........

Providence provides :)

It just takes faith.

Yesterday morning, I was beyond despondent when the one possible solution for Chubs evaporated. I do completely understand the pressure I inadvertently applied to the other person, honest I do. Taking in a strange horse and an old one at that, is a big thing, and one should not jump into these situations willy nilly and then regret a hasty (if not downright emotional) decision on down the road. Kudos to this person for even considering it! Many horse owners won't, they don't want the responsibility, the stress, the hassle, the work. It's easier to squirm and blurt out no, trust me, lol

Of course I never seem to have these "second thoughts" before I step foward and open up my heart to them, haha Which is how I ended up with Chubs in the first place ;)

So, I put up yesterday's entry and pretty much mentally beat myself into a meltdown at work. I knew I needed to call the vet before 10 am, to firm up the appointment. At that moment, I could not think of any solution that wouldn't break the bank-if I could find a boarding situation willing to take him on in the first place due to his behavior issue. And since most places have very small paddocks (absolutely the wrong situation for him) I was just stumped.

On a whim I signed into chat, looking to vent some emotion with a friend. Not many people online at that hour of the day, but one such was....and that friend reminded me of a possibility. I immediately picked up the phone of course....and voila!

Success! Chubs has new digs. He isn't there yet, as he gets hauled tomorrow, but I am thrilled that the Chubster gets another reprieve!

So yesterday afternoon was filled with a flurry of phone calls and planning out what needs doing. Have to go through all the blankets and find one that fits him better. Have to load up some feed to take along and a bit of my imported hay. Have to get the haul arranged. And etcetera :)

You know, Chubs was about 20 minutes from the point of no return yesterday morning.

Again, providence stepped in and he was granted another opportunity in the nick of time.

Maybe I should just call him Nick?

The really hard part of horse ownership

When you take in a horse for recovery/rescue, you just never know what the outcome might be.

Will the horse crash from disfunctional organs? Will the horse recover but have serious medical conditions which will need treatment? Will the quiet, grateful old soul that is slurping up the mash turn out to be a thug with out of control behavior? Or will you be gifted with a sound, healthy horse with a decent future?

You just never know. Over the last couple of years, I have been involved in a couple of rescue type situations where it turned out that the most humane thing to do, was put them down. One was a chronic sinker/founder. One was old enough that the organs were shutting down. And so on and so forth. I have had a couple of the younger horses turn out to be surprisingly nice when fully recovered-Pepper and Wingnut and the yellow gelding spring to mind.

And that leads me to my own personal trial of spirit, compassion, and commitment. I found out yesterday afternoon that the wonderful horse lover who opened up her heart to Chubs for me, must have him gone by this coming Monday morning. In tears, I was told that the landlord insists on only three horses-not four. Chubs, of course, makes four.

Despite the fact that he's been there since green up, and the horses have panel enclosures-he has to go. No exceptions, no grace period, nothing. Gone or else. I cannot burden the caretaker with this, it's mine and mine alone to deal with.

He cannot come here. He picks fights and plows through fencing with other male horses. He can only either be by himelf, or in a place with mares. Since I have just purchased a mare for myself, I have no space for him anyway......not even another mare (such as one of the caretakers).

I called the vet straight away and when I got the return call last night, we discussed cost and logistics of euthanasia. As a practical matter due to road conditions, I prefer not to haul to that location.....I am a fair weather (dry!!!) road hauler as a rule. I had made up my mind some time back that I was not going to haul any more horses to be put down. It's hard, very very hard. This time of year it would be difficult to get a pit dug on short notice on my own property anyway.

My options are to haul him to the clinic, have him euthed in the horse trailer and dispose of him at the landfill myself. Cheapest, but the emotional cost will be very high. I just can't go there with the remains, I can't. Too many dead horses in my memory, you know?

The other option is to have the vet handle it completely, although I will need to be there to load of course. Sigh. I spoke with my husband and he is upset of course, he really likes old Chubs. But we knew we would have to face this some day-we just did not know it would be due to his behavior, and not because of failing organs or something.

The sad truth is that there is no special medical condition-he does not need a mash, he actually has his molars. He does have that terrible arthritis and the blown knees-but an entire summer with a lot of exercise has helped him immensely. He has a nice personality with good ground manners, but he's old. No one knows for sure how old-vet said between 25 and 30. And truthfully that doesn't matter, really. For him, this is the end of the road.

I don't see anyone stepping forward to offer stable space for a horse that has behavorial issues, even if he's relatively easy on the pocketbook to feed. I can't think of one local place that would have room and facilities for him, even if I was willing to spend the board money.

So this is the really hard part of horse ownership-when you have run out of options. No medical or disease or soundness issue (he is "pasture sound") he is just old, cantankerous towards other horses, and there is nowhere for him to go. Period.

Unless a miracle happens sometime today, poor old Chubs will leave this earth for the Rainbow Bridge tomorrow, mid day. The plight of these older horses never gets any easier for me.

Uncle Ted, I thought I knew you

Unless you have been living in a cave up here, you have heard a lot about Ted Stevens, Bill Allen, and the work done on the Girdwood cabin. You've heard about the invoices, the barbeque, the details about the long friendship between Allen and Stevens, and about Ted's wife who paid the bills.

I remain torn, I really do. Do I think Bill Allen through Ted under the bus? Of course. Do I think the prosecution was politically motivated? Naturally. Do I think think Ted did something wrong? Yes.

But mostly I fear what it means for Alaska. Until the verdict yesterday I thought Ted stood a fairly good chance at being re-elected, considering his Democrat opponent, Mark Begich. Now, I am sure he will go down in flames.......if he had not pushed for an expedited trial, the Governor would have had the opportunity to appoint a temporary until a special election was held. A special election would have meant another Republican in that scenario. With that chance gone, I do expect Uncle Ted to resign. It saddens me that he will leave Washington in disgrace-after 40 years of stellar service to Alaskans.

Uncle Ted, I thought I knew you. It feels like a betrayal.

Here we go

One very dark photo, taken at feeding time :) Please keep in mind she standing downhill a little bit, due to the stall surface.....When I have some help, I will get better pictures :)

This is Reba, and she is still settling in.

A cause for some concern

Just now, I had occasion to go poke around on Craigslist. This was a direct result of an earlier phone call where someone else complained about having their ad for a horse flagged off. And it occured to me that the statement made by that person was correct: The only remaining ads seem to be the ones under $1500 and for horses under a certain age. Very strange I thought, and as I scrolled through a few days' worth, it also dawned on me that some ads I had seen previously, were gone.

So I got to snooping around the help and flag forums, and stumbled across another poor soul who has been flagged off for reasons unknown. Actually there are several someones, but the most disturbing thing I read was a statement made by a very nice local guy-quoted here:

"(We have been told by the animal control in this area that there are a group of ladies who gang up and try to make trouble for people in the horse business...even if there is absolutely no grounds for it...)"

Um, what?

Now, this opens up a whole messy can of worms, doesn't it? This makes the third or fourth time I have heard something similar-this time, it's in print. Now of course, it could have been taken out of context, but still............

First, which people at animal control are talking like this to people in our tiny community? There are only three officers that have regular contact on horse matters, as a rule. Darla, whose last name I can never recall-nice gal and a genuinely great advocate for horses. Matthew Hardwig, whom I have met several times on MSBACR business, and the other guy whose name also escapes me at the moment. On my end, I can say that I don't always care for how well they respond to complaints, but I have found them to be compassionate and mostly professional.

Talking out of turn by suggesting that other members of the community "gang up" on others for no reason.....well, that is a big deal. It just proves how little control the manager there has, over the daily interactions they have with the public they serve. Statements like that do nothing but serve to splinter the community even further, and can do great harm. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that undermining some members does not help the whole, does it?

Which leads to the $64 question: Which people are being identified as being part of this "gang"? The statement I read does not include names, of course.

A cause for some concern, indeed!

No pictures :(

This time, it had nothing to whatever with technical difficulties-nope, I completely forgot!

Saturday we did a Costco run and it was fairly dark and cloudy when we got home. Sunday, was a beautiful day but I ended up spending the day in the kitchen, processing more vegetables. Sigh.

Since it was a brisk 7 degrees this morning and we are supposed to be sunny all day today, I will hope to get some photos this evening when I get home from work. It was reassuring to see that the stock tank heaters are working perfectly-and that the chicken water was steaming too. Still getting eggs, and two of the hens are using the boxes (yay!) and the other has made herself a very deep nest in a large pile of hay I have in there for them. She can't fit in the boxes because her tail feathers are way too long-something I did not think about when I got them (they are Yokohama's) but they seem to be just fine.

On Saturday evening I saw a post on CL about a free mare that needed special care (stall, nursing) and I stepped forward to offer my help. After a few hours of investigation, I discovered that the mare was to be euthanized that night. In hindsight, that was the best outcome, but it sure leaves a bitter taste in my mouth-about the entire situation. Too miserable a story to go into detail here, but suffice to say, some people are not humane enough to own horses :(

A new chapter begins for me.

A new chapter in my life with horses has begun :)

As some readers may have geussed from previous entries, I had been idly looking for another horse....I had a vague idea of what I wanted, but had totally written off Appaloosas completely some months ago. Nice Appaloosa mares are about as common as hen's teeth here, and rarely come up for sale. There have been quite a number of QH mares on the market this summer but only three that piqued my interest enough to attempt a contact (and of course we all know how one of those turned out, right? lol)

Two of those local QH mares had health issues I was more than willing to accomodate, and the other was just too tall for my personal tastes. I even dabbled around on the internet and heaven knows there are 1000s of quality mares available down south. But as usual, the logistics of long distance purchase, plus arranging pre purchase exam and exrays, then temporary stabling, then hauling-just more than I was willing to gamble on a horse I could not see in person. Yes, I have some great, knowledgeable friends who could help me out-but still, despite having two previous long distance purchases go perfectly, I just couldn't bring myself to actually do it.

So a couple months back, a hay customer of mine mentioned to me she had a mare for sale. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, until a later contact mentioned she was an Appaloosa. A few weeks later, a mutual acquaintance asked if I had seen the mare yet-and I confessed I hadn't. This acquaintance chided me a bit, and then I heard the same from a couple other people. Eventually I was able to work out a time to see the mare-a bit difficult with work schedules. So I went....and I looked. I didn't even handle the mare....just watched her move, play, approach me, and spoke with the owner at length.

Then I had to think about it. And boy did I have a hard time with this. I have already turned down six free horses so far this fall, early winter. I know I will be offered others, who might be in great need due to health or care issues. What if I tied up a stall that might be needed? Should I do this with the economy on the skids? Should I make this investment in the first place? Would she fit in with my plans? I went back and forth and waffled and see sawed and just could not make up my mind....until one evening I was talking with my husband. He pointed out a few things, and I made the call to the owner :)

And then of course it was again a scheduling and hauling conflict, trying to get her out here. I am pretty firm about new arrivals showing up on a weekend so that I can keep a close eye on them. And I really wanted my hub to be in town, just in case something went awry during the work day when I was not available. (Yeah, I know, I am a worry wart!) Due to issues with the four wheel drive on our truck, we weren't safe to haul-so they delivered her late last Saturday afternoon. We turned her loose in the small arena and let her blast around-and man oh man can that girl move!

She's ten. About 15.1. ApHC, and ApHCC registered. Born a chestnut, but looks like a liver chestnut with flakes right now. Built like a tank, and very well broke-even if she hasn't been ridden in a couple years. She has been hunting-packed and ponied. Lots of trail miles, not too much arena time. Safe for adults-compliant under saddle, although I am pretty sure she isn't a performance machine. And pretty pretty pretty. Nice personality, if a little rattled about being in a new place. Our first challenge-fix her hooves which are a mess. Nothing I am not prepared to take on, and she has already had her first trim (thanks, Gisela!) and is a on a four week schedule to correct some issues.

I do have a couple photos, but they are pretty lousy, so this weekend I will get better ones and put them up here.....feel free to critique-I already know her faults!

The CL flag wars continue

A recent topic on a local group, the constant flagging that is taking place on our local Craigslist was discussed at length. Having been a CL poster, I have learned what gets your ads flagged down:

Any website or even a partial website
Any kind of business name
More than one horse (sometimes)
Posting more often than the "flag nazis'" think you should
Anything else the nazi's think violates the TOU

In other areas, CL ads just stay up unless they are really long, nasty, or are big time spammers. We have a couple spammers here too, notably the people posting the tractors for sale-I mean, come on, everyone knows you cannot purchase a year or two old medium sized tractor here for under six grand, lol That's the only thing I flag on CL, in the hopes they will try to peddle whatever it is they are really selling, some other place.

A CL ad also makes you a target for anyone who doesn't like you. Or, you can become a target and be presumed guilty of flagging, even if you haven't! It's a no win situation here, even if you have hay that people are needing. I really feel for all the local farmers and hay dealers-as soon as an ad gets posted, it's flagged-sometimes in just a few minutes. I highly doubt the flagging down hay ads is coming from a local hay grower...just think about it: Who would have the time? And this year, who has hay they can't sell??

This same mentality is proven as horse for sale ads get flagged down at lightspeed. It doesn't seem to matter who the seller is, it can be down in just a few minutes. Most of these are obviously the result of someone who doesn't like the seller....or, folks think they are spamming by reposting their ad over and over again. Which of course they do because they get flagegd down so quickly, lol!

Actually, it's all very overblown. I have a hunch some of the nazi's are feeling pretty secure in their ability to get rid of ads-people whose ads are from competitors, ads from people they have an axe to grind with, people who are adversaries. And then of course a lot of ads get caught up in the crossfire, entirely by accident. The anonymity that CL provides might give the flagger a little thrill....a "see there, take that!" giggle as they click the upper right hand link(s) for flagging. Never thinking through the consequences of their actions.

Of course, the whole CL phenomena (the self regulated, free ads) is a wonderful tool for Alaskans. I know I have found some deals on CL, and sold a few items I didn't need myself. But I learned in a hurry-don't bother posting an ad for hay for sale. It doesn't matter how it is phrased, it will be flagged off in a hurry. And any discussion on there, is rightly flagged as those belong in either the forums, or R&R. But truthfully, R&R is a cesspool, the forums have their nazi's too, but it surely makes it to Farm and Garden pretty regular. Here's a typical snipe:

WANTED TO BUY HAY - $1 (MAT-SU)
Reply to: sale-882313096@craigslist.org [?]Date: 2008-10-16, 7:05PM AKDT
AFTER WATCHING ALL THE HAY FOR SALE ADS FLAGGED, AND ALL THE ADS SAYING ALASKA HAY IS INFERIOR, MAYBE..... THE PERSONS TRYING SO HARD TO DISCREDIT ALASKA HAY IS SOMEONE WHO HAS OUTSIDE HAY ARRIVING NEXT WEEK AT $545 OR MORE PER TON???????? THINK ABOUT IT...... LOCAL GROWER COME ON GIRLS KNOCK IT OFF, GO TAKE YOUR PMS PILLS,.....FLAG, FLAG, FLAG
Location: MAT-SU
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interestsPostingID: 882313096

Now the above is a fairly typical little rant. I don't even need to explain the obvious I would hope, most of the readers here are locals who do visit the Craigslist F&G, and already know what happens there. Nope, I have no idea who is "trying so hard to discredit Alaska hay" because it surely isn't me. Most of these folks have no clue what I have in my barn, but it does include hay from three local, Alaska sources. I have no idea who has hay arriving next week...and all imported is going to be over $545 a ton, that's a fact based on freight rates and the going price down south.

But what I do see, is a pattern here. The assumption of guilt that comes from these flaggers. The assumption that a particular ad is from a specific person-without proof. The assumption that any one person, or group of people, is responsible for the rampant flagging.

If it takes more than one person to flag down an ad, then it's impossible for one person to be at fault for all this, period.

It's a shame that CL is being abused this way, it's a shame that people can't sell their horses, it's a shame that people can't buy hay. It's a shame that people can't sell hay too. On the other hand, they could pony up the bucks and place an ad with the Alaska Horse Journal, the Frontiersman, the Anchorage Daily News. They could make up flyers and schlep them around to the local feed stores-where they will again be taken down by those who feel they are righteous in their actions.

It's a no win situation, for everyone, and it's small and petty at that. Grow up and get a life is what I would tell these flag nazi's.

It's a small world after all

Let me preface this by telling readers that this involves a specific local horse person, and it has no bearing whatever on anyone who is not part of this horse community. Feel free to click on it and skip today's entry, okay?

Once in a while, life will prove to you in no uncertain terms, that trite little sayings are truisms for good reasons.

Last Friday was an otherwise ordinary day. Very busy at work, very busy with the vanload of hay. When I eventually got into the house from barn chores, I was pretty tired. My cousin who has been staying with me, was also plenty tired-he'd had a challenging day himself. After a bit of discussion, I offered to buy him a dinner out-my treat. He agreed and we discussed heading back into town, but eventually we decided to head on down to the Knik Bar & Grill for a couple of their Friday night steaks. Locals have been going there for a good long time, and I have been there a bunch over the last decade plus myself......great steaks, reasonable price, close enough to home. And of course, there is always that wonderful color provided by the regulars (Or, as my hub puts it-it's "U-nique", lol)

I see a lot of familiar faces just about anywhere I go-either customers I have dealt with, friends and acquaintances, or just faces I have seen quite often before....sometimes I don't know who they are as no name springs to mind, but they look familiar just the same. I imagine it's that way for a lot of people who live in smaller areas-you just tend to see the same faces.

So I was not too terribly surprised to see Flo Pitcher (and her husband, I think it was) sitting at a side bar when we walked in last Friday evening. I paused at the bar, not having noticed that they had waitresses that night. I glanced Flo's way just the once, and distinctly heard her say the word "internet" and then turned my attention to the harried bartender for a minute or so. It became plain that we needed to take a table, and so my cousin and I found one on the other side of the pool table. We ended up sharing one with a couple who had come all the way from Palmer, just for the meal.

The waitress attended to our order, and conversation was flowing nicely as we watched the nights' musical entertainment get set up. A music tape or CD was started, and the noise level began increasing as it often does. After a short time, our salads were laid in front of us and just as we were picking up our forks, I happened to glance to my left and see Flo Pitcher approaching.

With a sinking feeling, I watched her stride towards me. About four feet away, she began talking. Loudly, aggressively, obviously wanting to make a point. She opened with calling me the "biggest shit stirrer in Alaska" and eventually ended with a screeching "BITCH!" During her tirade, I quite calmly said "Flo, this is not the place. Flo, this is not the time. Flo, this is NOT the place" The longer she went, the louder she got and eventually I said "Flo, shut UP!" quite firmly.

During the time she was yelling, I was relieved that her gestures did not touch me-although I did have some serious concern when she rocked her weight back onto one heel and dropped a shoulder-pretty much telegraphing a punch was waiting to be thrown. But thankfully, she did not do so (yeah, no kidding! I was sitting down, haha!) and strode off out of view to her perch at the other bar.

I was totally, completely flummoxed by her behavior. I apologized to the sea of dumbfounded faces turned my way over and over. I swear you could have heard a pin drop and I was mortified...I explained to our dinner companions that it was probably result of this blog-and that perhaps it was due to an inquiry about a horse for sale I had made recently. Shortly afterwards, the waitress hustled over, and informed me that Flo wouldn't be more trouble, she would be leaving.

Just a minute or two after that, a guy showed up, who said not to worry, Flo was being kicked out and we could all enjoy our dinners in peace.

After a great steak and a thorough, if slimmed down, explanation of Flo for my cousin who had sat quietly through the episode, I had the waitress check to see if she was still there......just in case. Thankfully, she was long gone by then and we left without further incident.

Naturally I have thought a lot about this, and about Flo, and what her issues with me are. I remain puzzled, but you can surely bet I will be much more watchful in the future. If she feels comfortable enough to verbally assault me (in her own stomping grounds, no less) what else might she do? She already brags that she knows what trucks "we" drive, and makes all kinds of accusations and insinuations about me, about other people she thinks are her "enemies" and the like.

Right off that bat, the only thing I can recall that I specifically called her to the carpet on, was her "picaninny days" practise (starving her horses for 24 hours each month) We disagreed on a horse situation that happened about ten years ago-she thinks one thing, I think another and that's that-we each have our own views. I have said publicly that I don't care for her stallions, but again, this is just an opinion I hold-nothing more, nothing less. I am sure she thinks Sully is crap too-and that's fine by me :)

I have often praised her good fortune to live where she does, doing what she loves. I have sent mare owners her way, people who needed training, hauling, and boarding. I may have caused her some grief by linking her website to a local group-but the content was her own, and what fell out over that is her own doing....if she didn't want it a topic of conversation, she should not have named names herself. I know she had an open door policy for months, making a big splash about "the door is always open" and "come out and have a cup of coffee" and "everyone welcome any time" and this led to her accusing another person of theft-someone who made the mistake of actually taking her up on it. Unfounded, but still, it was pretty ugly for a while.

The strangest part of this whole incident, when I had time to think of it a bit later is this: Why in the world would you create such a scene in your favorite watering hole? Maybe she felt she was in her comfort zone, or something. Maybe my presence just triggered some latent hatred that she feels towards myself and others-who knows? I have often served as the public "whipping post" or at least a lightening rod for whatever the hot topic of the day might be. And that's perfectly alright....I have always "called them as I see them" and anyone who knows me even passingly, will agree.

But what happened on Friday night with Flo is just wrong. I have no idea what her situation is, and no desire to know. But I will say this: The next time I am accosted and verbally assaulted in a room full of strangers.....there will be a very different outcome. It is, indeed, a small world after all....especially in the horse community here.

Court again today

For the third time, I took time off from work and headed to the courthouse in Palmer on behalf of Wingnut and her owner.

For the umpteenth time, Leta Belardi lost. The three default judgements entered today

OK, now I am getting seriously worried....

Have any readers here been to fugly recently?

"Fugly" is fuglyhorseoftheday.com It is another horse related blog-much larger than mine by orders of magnitude :) I have been reading it for months now, at least a year or better. As I mentioned before, there have been several horse auction reports recently posted, and the numbers are pretty scary.

Then today's entry really gave me pause....not only is the lead entry about a person with *over* 100 hundred head (Over one hundred!!!) in very bad shape, there was in the comments section a blurb about another auction, quoted here:

"Local midwest sale barn on Friday - no bids on many horses....2 yr olds started under saddle with $20 bids.

The guy running the sale said at a different sale barn, a couple of hours from here had MANY go through without bids. After the sale was over, and everyone was gone - approx. 80 horses stood on the property...the owners just abandoned them. Many were euthanized I guess. It's getting scary out there. If this is happening now, when there is still pasture out there, I can't imagine what's going to happen when the pasture is gone."

Another poster linked a CL ad in Kansas, 40 to 45 head of "reining bred" horses, make an offer.

The growing numbers of these abandonments, the increasing numbers of horses being abandoned (or worse, like with tbfriends.com where Joe reports the going price of horses from the kill buyers at forty cents per pound) just scares me pretty bad. I know that the majority of these poor horses are either young and unstarted, or older with issues-but still, it should give us all pause. Some of these auctions are held weekly, some once or twice a month-but it's happening all over the L48.

Can this happen here in Alaska? Has it happened? I have heard about horses being dropped at AC before, this year in fact-but I haven't heard anything recently. If it's that bad down south, where there *are* auctions, where there is pasture for a good long time, where hay can be had for a pittance compared to Alaska, where there are many active, legitmate rescues, law enforcement who can and will act with the aid of much better statutes.....what's the future going to be like here, when the economic slow down really reaches us?

Winds of change, indeed

Yesterday we had a big low pressure system spin up in the Gulf of Alaska. As usual, the winds were getting a little brisk by late afternoon, and it was downright cold because the temps were just barely above freezing. It wasn't too bad at home (thank heavens we are out of the main "wind tunnel" effect that is this broad valley) but still, the horses were a little unsettled and one of my hens has gone missing.

This morning the first thing I did was check Wunderground. Oh my, what a day it is going to be at work-South Palmer station reported a gust to 39.7 mph as I was looking at it, slightly lower gusts to the west were reported. As the first official big wind of the winter, I am very glad to see temps have risen to 42 at my place, even if it means spitting some rain too.

The temps rise so steeply when we get these lows due to the downsloping effect created by the mountains and passes. Since my office is located at very nearly the bullseye between two major passes, it is sure to be just howling there. Its just that we are all at the mercy of these systems and the geography, and there is not much you can do but batten down the hatches and wait it out-and pick up what got strewn around afterwards.

Winds of change are upon us. If you live under a tree in the Bush, you have probably heard about the financial crises. Over the past couple of days it has rocketed around the world and the Dow was down 700 points right after the opening bell this morning. Its up, but still in negative territory this morning....with hours to go yet. Across the world, some markets are closed in Europe and the FTSE (London) and the NIKEI (Japan) are following in our footsteps, right into huge losses. I had sort of expected the Dow to settle out around 8500 (no idea why, but that seemed reasonable considering the history) but I have a hunch its going to get much worse.

I am reading across BBs and very large forums that most are expecting an outright depression. This pessimism is a self fulfilling prophecy since it's investor confidence which fuels the market for the most part. I am trying not to get overly worried because I am still a good ways out from retirement, but of course I am fearful about the economy. Oil seemingly slid down under $80 a barrel, which is a good thing.....but when people freak out over how much money they have lost and runs begin on banks-I can only hope we are somewhat isolated from the rest of the US up here. I know the majority of our banks are in good shape, credit wise and are relatively solvent. But I also know this is not the case in other areas, due to the sub prime mess.

Alaska has historically had long periods of depressed economic activity, and we have weathered these before (1986, anyone?) and most of us stuck it out and made it through just fine. And too, our economic activity is cyclic just due to the construction season. I had already expected our Suothcentral unemployment numbers to jump way up, due to the influx of folks leaving villages because of the high energy costs. I do expect Anchorage to go to the state for emergency help before too long, as the social services and schools are stretched to the breaking point.

As the cold wind of realistic growth blows through the financial markets, I can only hope we are spared the worst up here.

Cooling down is right.....brrr!!

Ok this is the about the fifth morning in a row with temps in the upper to mid 20s.

Brrrrr!!!

Dang, time to start thinking about digging out the serious winter gear here. When it snowed the other day and I had to be outside for about four hours, I could only find my worn out pair of winter boots-time for a new, warmer pair :)

So as I am breaking ice this morning, I was regretting not getting the tank heaters installed. This is something my husband normally does, but truthfully, it usually is not this cold this early-and neither one of us thought we'd need them until towards the end of the month. I will be getting those up and working this weekend for sure, to take advantage of the higher temperatures to come.

The time spent outdoors this week was educational, at the least. Most importantly, I learned that my horse has developed a heart murmur. I know for a fact (at least, I did not hear it using my own stethescope) it wasn't there last fall, so this is a relatively new thing. It is a thump thump-whisssshhhh sound, and I was told this is a faulty valve on the upper chamber. Since his overall circulation is outwardly good, there may be nothing to worry about. But it is significant, of course.

It is not likely to cause damage to the heart muscle itself-which could lead to serious complications down the road. I have heard other heart murmurs in horses before, but nothing quite like this one....most were worse, in fact. And most of those horses lived lengthy lives too-so I remain somewhat optomistic as to what this means for his future. On the other hand, if the valve gives, I will end up with a horse with basically and "enlarged heart", for the most part.

So then we talked about-how did this happen? And this is the most likely cause: When my horse dropped a molar about a year and a half ago, that tooth was likely abcessed. Even though we did not see any outward evidence of it, that probably caused the bacteria to migrate-and just like small dogs, it landed in the valves. I have not had a chance to do much research on this yet, but of course that is high on my list over the next couple of days.

Interesting, isn't it? Always something new to learn, even if the lesson is scary ;)

Heating up and cooling down!

The events of the past week or so, have left me a little adrift. Unless you live under a rock, you have heard about the "financial crises" on Wall Street, the first bail out plan which did not pass, and the second, pork filled one which did. Oh joy, each residents' portion of the national debt is now something like 80 grand!

And if you have been checking your retirement and investment portfolios, you have no doubt seen a substantial loss. I haven't. Wanna know why? I am afraid to look! LOL, I am in it for the long haul, and there is no way I am going to try to micromanage my retirement-that's what the professionals do quite well. I presume they are about to go bargain hunting, once the market settles out.

Of course, the entire global financial markets reflect Wall Street....I read a great line yesterday that said: Wall Street gets a cold, the world catches pneumonia.

Nice to see the price of oil dropping too. I hope that too, finds its center and stabilizes for a while. I also hope the price of shipping products to Alaska does not continue to rise-Many people who ship are upset that the fuel surcharges just keep going up and up, when bunker fuel (which most cargo ships burn) drops in price. Always paying through the nose up here, aren't we?

Of course I am sure you regular readers are wondering: What's that got to do with horses?

Well, check out this link:

http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-bad-does-it-have-to-get-before-they.html

This is a noteworthy report of a couple of horse auctions recently. The prices and the outcomes are not for the tender hearted-the prices are rock bottom, and I have a hunch its only going to get worse down there as the economy tanks. Joe at TBFriends yesterday had on a report from a kill buyer, that the KB had been out driving around and saw some neglected horses in a small lot. Stopped, offered $200 for the four of them, and bought them-they are already en route to Canada for processing. That's $50 each, two year olds, otherwise healthy. No training or handling of course, so the KB just round penned them into his trailer and they were gone. The thing is, this is happening all over the US, not just the coasts-low end auctions where some are given away, horses are being let loose to fend for themselves, abandoned because auctions are now not the way to even get your gas money and fees back. Too expensive to euthanize, never mind dispose of the remains...this is a very bad time in America for horses.

I don't know if I am relieved we don't have an auction here in Alaska, or not. Yes, we really do need some central way to to put buyers and sellers together that does not cost a fortune and is held regularly. I have toyed with the idea myself off an on for at least six years....a place where all livestock can be sold-either for nominal sum through an auction, or privately outside the ring. Say you pay $10, you have all day to sell your critter and if you don't, you just take it home. For ten bucks, people would bring their stock, I am sure-they could make their own deals for however much they can get. Showcase in the arena for performers or something special-$25 for three minutes, with reserves if they chose. Seems workable to me, but more than I could possibly manage on my own. And there is that little issue of location and insurance. I am sure it could be overcome but again, this is something I cannot manage working full time. No big percentages, no big fees for the day, make it something affordable and the people will come-and their animals too. There is no one central place to take cattle, goats, sheep, fowl of all kinds, llamas or alpacas, swine-no place at all.

That leaves Craigslist and the Alaska Horse Journal, plus bulletin boards, online groups and word of mouth-for a huge state with livestock scattered everywhere. Which is likely part of the reason for the very high prices we see today.

Here's a few examples that will leave you scratching your head:

A Fuglyhorseoftheday candidate: http://anchorage.craigslist.org/grd/869511537.html

I know the seller-eeks! http://anchorage.craigslist.org/grd/869848078.html

Here's a nice horse, but hooboy, the price tag! http://anchorage.craigslist.org/grd/868032924.html

Hmm, why would you breed for this? http://anchorage.craigslist.org/grd/867779927.html

Why would you email about these two? http://anchorage.craigslist.org/grd/867267246.html (You can't see anything of either)

And so on and so forth. Funny, the horses listed for under $1000, don't seem to stay on CL long, which means the true market is somewhere near that. Not to say there aren't some really nice horses that are reasonably priced-there are! But reasonable means something different to each of us-just go back and take a look at the auction reports to get an idea of where we are heading.....maybe?

So, do we need a regular, every two weeks auction up here, or not? Would it help the market find a firm footing, or just serve as a way to provide cheap dog food to our mushing community? Thoughts?

October 1st, already!

This morning was the fourth one in a row, that I walked under stars for morning feeding. Brilliant stars, the constellations glittered in the quiet of my footsteps. As usual, my first glance is towards the Big Dipper-and as always, I search for the North Star. The North Star is difficult to locate if it hasn't been pointed out to you before, and you wouldn't think it would be so faint-but it's there. And as always I wish I knew more about astronomy because I don't know the names-and that's something a parent should teach their children. I think I better go do some research on this topic.

Today was my father's birthday. Funny how you don't forget those things, isn't it? For years, as rather a joke, I would get the same things for this day, and he always chuckled with a twinkle in his eye when he opened them too. Traditions, very important and I am saddened that his passing in '87 will only be remembered by a few. He would have loved my son, truly, and would have gotten along well with my husband I am positive of that. As a sailor, he knew all the constellations and their origins-and sadly, I did not pay attention when I was a child.

Yes, I miss him dearly, and can easily envision his expressions and hear his voice (complete with original sayings too) in my mind. Dad, I am missing you today. Oh dear, I am melancholy, imagine that :(

Starry morning skies and sunny days make me hopeful that some local farmers got in a late second cutting-I know of only one so far, but it's promising that others are doing the same. Let's all hope for a bountiful cutting tucked into barns for the coming winter-we need it. In the meantime, vans continue to arrive and I continue to work like a dog arranging them and offloading. The grower called me yesterday and we spoke of the supply and the freight, of course. Next year will be much better for supply as he is adding another pivot for hay. And again, we lamented that there seems to be no affordable shop space in Wasilla proper for storage of extra hay. I would basically have to have for nearly free, and that is just not a possibility.

So, all the outside chores are done and we are ready for the first snows. The place is tidy even if the inside of the barn is it's usual disshevled mess. I think we'll work on that a bit tonight when I get home, it's time to dig out those stock tank heaters anyway. So far, the insulated tanks are doing well-no serious ice even at 26 degrees, but I know it's coming. I will need to install the heaters the next time the tanks are empty and due for cleaning.

Oh, small thing! I have been complaining about my chickens who roost (three of them, the three Aracuanas) up on the lower part of the trusses in the barn. So three are up top, and three remain down lower, perched on their wooden door. This morning everything was very quiet when I walked up-no crowing at all. Somewhat puzzled, I looked around for the three up high-since its that rooster that makes the racket. I didn't see them in their usual place just above the stall wall and I though-for a second-oh no, they're gone! About that time I heard a faint coo, and looked way up and over my shoulder-and there they were, crammed into a small space directly under the metal roof! I swear I do not know how they managed to get up there, but they did. Goofy birds, they are not going to be happy when they get penned in, are they?

Today, a raving ramble

Sometimes, you just have to wonder what is going through a persons' mind when they put their horses on the market.

There are so many examples online across the nation, it's a tragedy-or a comedy, take your pick. We are not immune to this up here either, weirdness abounds. I'd like to say it's because the brains are fried under the Midnight Sun, but alas, with our cloudy summer this excuse doesn't apply.

Yesterday, I was chuckling when I read an ad on Craigslist for an "Appalussa" horse for sale. I was mildly interested so clicked on the ad and no information as to age, sex or height was included. A few hours later the ad was revised to include a lousy picture, age of 7, and a mare who seemingly has done quite a lot. Topped off by a cowboy in large hat, chaps or chinks, white shirt and vest *rolls eyes* The gear was so big and the photo so poor, you couldn't see anything of the horse for sale. Priced at $3500, well over the going market.

We have some locals attempting to downsize for whatever reason....money, hay supply, lost interest-there are as many reasons to sell a horse as there are people, and few are doing a very good job of it.

One gal I know has 3 for sale....she attempts to get ads on CL regularly, and they just as quickly get flagged down. Its pretty obvious that both riding horses are very well trained, but someone has a vendetta against the seller so the ads are replaced about as quickly as they are flagged off. Unfortunately, her action shots don't show the horse(s) conformation well, are too distant for true assessment, and she uses the same ones over and over. Until she either adjusts hew asking price or works at better marketing photos, she will continue to feed them.

Another gal has a very pretty grulla mare for sale, and a grulla yearling filly. None of her sale photos show the horses well groomed and posed, and her prices are fairly steep considering their pedigrees and training. One is currently lame too, the one I have attempted to email the seller about *four* times over the past two months. The seller will not reply to me-so yes, I got it-no sale to me, period. This is the same seller that refused to take in a new boarder because of me, and this blog. *rolls eyeballs* Now, you'd think income from a boarder, who contacted her on my own recommendation, would be worth a reply-but nope. Better off not to sell the horse, or have a boarder.....right? But hey, it's her horse(s), she can do business as choses and it's no skin off my nose but you gotta wonder about someone's mind set when they categorically refuse contact based on......what? One does not know, and I surely don't-heresay, I would bet.

Then another local breeder is downsizing....about 18 months behind the curve of selling. This person has been shameless at self promotion (hey, nothing wrong with that!) and since she got in a snit about something she did to herself, she now uses CL as her primary marketing tool. Her ads get flagged down asap, because of the content, but at least her pricing is more in line with the current market. This person also likes to think rather a lot of herself and her position within the horse community and has been known to post some rather strange things on CL from time to time, all for "community service" or whatever. So while the rest of us are scratching our heads over the content of her ramblings....the phone is still not ringing-who wants to do business with someone who seems unstable, at least in print?

The horses that are selling, are the ones under about $1500....I have been watching some ads come down and down in price over the past three or four months. If they had just started at near their lower threshold to begin with, they wouldn't be facing feeding them all winter-but it's their own conviction, that their poorly bred, unregistered mutt with marginal training must be worth a bunch because after all, it has color (or whatever)....I feel for the sellers who no doubt have a legitimate need to rehome these horses-but can't seem to grasp that the market here is tanking.

So here I am, idly "in the market" myself, and the one mare I had a mild interest in-the seller won't do business with me. Hey, not my problem, no harm no foul, but seriously silly. So I kept looking, and by chance I stumbled across another mare. It turns out I know the owner, a little bit. I eventually manage to make time to go see this horse in person. What a nice impression she made on me, good enough that I think we'll have a new resident at my barn, just for me. Pretty pretty girl, with loads of Appytude to boot ;) It will be the weekend before I can get pictures here, so stay tuned!

A productive weekend!

Gosh it was a pure delight to have two sunny (now three!) days in a row, wow! I did not have enough time to enjoy being outside in it as much as I would have liked-was rather too busy in the kitchen this weekend.

Well, the tomatoes are finally gone from the freezer, cooked down into a wonderful italian sauce for quick spaghetti dinners-it just took hours to cook them soft, then run it all through the spiffy KitchenAid juicer, and thence into a large pot to reduce. Reducing took about 7 hours, and the canning another two, but I think it will be worth it :)

On Saturday, my wonderful neighbor dropped by with the potatoes-including two new varieties I haven't tried before. Unfortunately the name escapes me on the one-very unique looking, rather like ginger root of all things-but supposedly very flavorful. While I was busy with the tomatoes, we got started on the moose scraps, and on Sunday we did up 14 quarts of savory moose stew-and hope to get another 14 quarts done this evening. Over the next week I will be trying to get one batch of spuds canned every evening....lots of cleaning and chopping ahead for me ;)

For outdoor chores, the firewood project is done done done, at last. My poor husband has worked at this for months, but we should have plenty to spare all winter long. I am not sure how many cords are now split and stacked, but it's a bunch! My son, who does not really like chores (how many kids do? lol) will tell you straight up he does not like doing firewood-but he sure appreciates being warm! He's very good about helping me stock the wood stove too, another plus.

The chickens are laying eggs, but I sure wish they'd find another spot to roost. Sigh. No arguing with chickens, they will roost where they chose and that's that. This week I need to get them a heated water bowl, and also more wire so we can get them penned in a little better. To my neighbors within ear shot-I apologize that I have one rooster that insists on crowing at six am-when it's still dark! I swear I do not know what his problem is-I simply must have a light on in the barn, darn it! The hens within reach are getting better and better about their morning strokes and pets, and each evening they come to their stall as soon as they hear my voice.

The hony and his princess are doing very well, the hony's mystery diarrhea has cleared up, hopefully for good. Next week is vet visit, let's hope a couple simple tests will reveal what his problem is for sure, so I can accomodate his disgestive tract without upset. All I have done is cut out his grain completely, and upped his hay considerably....he's putting on a little additional weight and looks just right for heading into winter-even has a layer of fat now. I am hopeful this will help him cope with the cold, as he has previously been very sensitive to anything under about 40 degrees. And yet, it's been 27, 28 degrees in the morning when I go to feed, and so far-no shivering.

Of course everyone is a muddy mess....day after day of wet and rainy, it was bound to happen. If I can get a handle on the canning this week, I plan on spending some hours doing some intense grooming-they all need it, lol