Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Careful what you wish for!
Ah yes, the cold which has strangled us for nearly three weeks has moved along. My apologies to folks living anywhere south east of Alaska-sorry about that!
So it was really nice to take the blankets off, and find everyone in tip top shape. In fact, Reba has regained some of what I very carefully took off-so she gets put back on a diet. I had no idea I would end up owning an air fern, seriously!
The barn got tidied up, and straightened up. The chickens are very happy to be back out where they have a little room to be.....well, chickens. The mood of the horses has improved, which is nice to see. I managed to get a little more hay home, and that's always good too.
I was thrilled to see a forecast that showed temps into the 20s for the coming week, since that means it will be much more comfortable getting the rest of the hay off the van. This morning it was 14 degrees above zero when I fed, and it darn near felt like Tshirt weather, lol!
So it's been windy, fairly strong, for most of the day here on the PeeDub. Temps have been somewhere in the mid 20s. I hadn't given it much thought until my hub called, and said "it's snowing real hard at home". Snow? Hunh? Nothing here....so 4 pm rolls around and I check the National Weather Service forecast.
Calling for RAIN the next four days!!
Aiyiyiyi! Enough already!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Day 17
Today is the seventeenth day it has been below zero at my place. I am quite sure a lot of other Alaskan's have had plenty more than that, but I am just flat out tired of cold.
I am tired of struggling into my cold weather gear to do chores. Tired of driving to the barn because I usually have my young son along and although he has good gear, I don't want him outside longer than absolutely necessary at -20+. I am tired of having five annoyed chickens in my garage, and cleaning up after them. (Although just reaching in and snatching eggs is okay) I am tired of wrestling hoses that will freeze in minutes if you aren't quick. I am tired of just raking frozen manure to the side, instead of hauling it out. I am tired of checking under blankets, pulling gloves off to feel underneath them, and while I am at it, checking to verify the stock tank heater is working properly. I am tired of dry skin, dripping noses, and the very thought of bringing more firewood to the house makes me wince.
My poor dog can hardly stay out long enough to do his business, and many times I have had to stop my feeding routine and scoop him up and into the car-to keep his feet from freezing. He's getting real good about being quick, I will give him that.
My kid is going crazy being cooped up in the house. The Wii and movies and toys are starting to wear thin and he needs to blow off some excess energy aside from helping Mom feed once a day. Everyone else I know with kids, says the same thing-but it's too cold to be outdoors safely. However, he now knows that the phrase "Gear up!" means snow pants, heaviest coat, best gloves, a head sock and a hat.
The horses are starting to show some crankiness too. Just generally slightly akilter, not really upset or bothered, just ever so slightly unsettled and just a little more active than the good groceries would warrant. They too, need to blow off steam and get active. I just get to see them when it's dark for the most part, since it's been too cold to work them or even turn them out into the arena. I can't risk any of them working up a sweat at these temperatures either.
In short, I am danged sick of it all, and can't wait for the weather to turn.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A naked truth
Like many of the thoughts I share here, this one has been percolating around in my mind for quite some time. In fact, I have touched on this previously here but feel a deep need to revisit this topic again.
I find myself in an emotional crises of sorts. I had a hunch this situation would arise, but I honestly did not expect to be so invested in the situation.....which is what happens when horses come to stay with me-I get attached to them quite firmly. I have agonized over Zippy, Pepper, Chubs, and Wingnut, and others that have graced my property over the years. Striving to do what is right for them-special diets, special attention, finding the right placement for them that affords them good quality of life, you know? It has caused me all sorts of headaches and heartaches over the years-balancing my great drive to nuture against the practical realities of horse care here.
But if I didn't have that emotional connection, I suppose I would be an unfeeling person who gave no thought towards their future. And despite the distress, I am comfortable being who I am.....even if it is sometimes very painful.
Which brings me to today. Even though I knew it was coming, the pony Princess has numbered days. Maybe just a couple of weeks at the outside. It's a situation where the owner cannot possibly manage the expense, and the chances of placement are about zip. She's an old pony. No one knows for sure, but she did originally come from Anchorage and has served many years as a lesson pony for a great number of children. She could be 25, or 35. At her age, she has earned the retirement she deserves....not to be handed off to yet another work situation. She needs a child of her own for walk trot toddles, to be brushed and petted and loved upon. She needs giggling little girls to tie ribbons in her mane and tail, to hop on bareback and play around the grassy, sunny yard, being loved and treasured.
She does have the majority of her molars, but needs soft leafy hay and tiny bit of senior mash daily. On the scale of horse feeding costs, it's almost nothing, really.
But it seems to be too much for almost everyone.....and this is the plight of a great number of our senior horses here. There is no where for them to go. No retirement farms with ample pastures here. No farms with caretakers on site, no ranches with empty box stalls needing residents, no organization functioning to manage such a place. No sanctuary, no program to subsidize their care in their last months and years. And seemingly, no one who cares. People who can no longer take care of them, have all sorts of entirely plausible and valid reasons for not doing so. And in this economy it's only going to get worse. I won't even touch upon those who are dumping horses in their mid 20s because it's too much work to take care of an aged horse who needs a nightly mash-those people are beyond redemption in my mind. They'd rather dump their "problem" on anyone else and duck the responsibility of being humane on someone else.
And most of us who are willing to take on the special needs of senior horses, are already tapped out. No space, no extra room in the budget, no time to spare. Three of the horses I have turned down this winter, were very aged seniors needing a fairly intense level of care if not outright recovery measures. Two were put down and I don't know what happened to the other. Maybe it fed a dog team. It may make you feel a bit nauseated to read it, but honestly, I would prefer a horse be put down humanely by gunshot and the remains utilized, than to stand out back, slowly dying due to neglect and apathy on the part of the owners. And too, a person needs to consider quality of life for these horses.
Chronic conditions with significant pain? This is not quality of life.
Disease processes which have been left untreated? No pain free life there either.
Each person who owns a senior will have to face the inevitable eventually, and realize that all life comes to an end. The trick is being humane enough to recognize that the time has come for the horse, not the owner.
Which leads me back, after a fashion, to the Princess. It's not her time. Is she 100% sound at all time? Nope, she does have some very mild arthritis. Is she suffering in any way? Nope, she is chipper and bright and outgoing. Can she be ridden? Yes-lightly, she couldn't handle being in yet another lesson program while someone squeezed a few more bucks out of her efforts. Does she have many years left? I cannot say, but with her "ponytude" and competent care, there is no reason she couldn't introduce yet another generation of young children to the joys of horses. I am torn in two over the Princess myself. Yes, I have a young son who would adore to have a horse of his own.....but my son is already nearly too big to ride a pony that size. I already have another senior horse which I am paying to board some place else. I have two other horses, and Princess would make four.......
At the end, in my heart, I find only pain and anguish and sadness, that Princess may no longer greet someone with a quiet nicker and a head bob, that she may not be found nuzzling little hands for treats, that she may not be bluffing the big horses into compliance with her wishes. That she may not grace the coming spring at all.
And that is the naked truth here. There is no where for them. No where at all, even if they reside in your heart :(
Saturday, January 3, 2009
It's just too cold!
Right now, it's -24 degrees this morning.
We've been spoiled by a number of relatively mild winters, so this big high pressure system that seems stuck over Alaska is really tough to deal with. Last winter, we had one month of high winds-which means big wind chill, but only for a few days at a time was the ambient temperature below zero.
As soon as the snow stopped falling at Christmas, the high pressure starting sliding in. For four or five days, we had some big winds here in the Valley and then it began to taper off a bit. I was fortunate, as my location is not directly in the main wind patterns but just along the edges. Now the high is stationary, with a low in the Gulf of Alaska that seems stalled as well. Most of the entire state is experiencing extremely cold, if not downright hazardous severe cold. Up at Prudhoe Bay last night, it was -38 degrees at 8 pm. And yes, people do continue to work outside in it.
In the Interior, along the Yukon and between the ranges, it's even worse-temps down below minus 50 degrees. I remember being in Fairbanks one winter, and living outside of town. It was -57 degrees and didn't budge for nine days. I was pretty much stuck at home, between keeping my car from freezing up, keeping heat in the well house, and under the house so the plumbling ddn't freeze. Every two or three hours around the clock, I would bundle up and tend to one, then come back in, catch a cat nap, and go back out to tend the next thing. It's incredibly brutal, this kind of cold......it burns, it gets hard to breathe properly and doing even simple chores become monumental efforts. You must carefully think through what you plan to do, before you do it.
For the horses, they must sinply endure. Only a tiny percentage have heated barns, most are like mine......out with only blankets for additional protection. Some horses fair very well with their own heavy winter coats and nonstop hay and water available. Others burn all their reserves attempting to stay alive as their owners are unaware of the demands of these temperatures. Even with the cold, a savvy horse owner will spend that extra couple of minutes checking each horse over every day. This is the one time you want to be exceptionally diligent and put every bit of observational power you have to work.....even the slightest change in behavior can mean a quick slide into a colic, or worse.
Hay and water are crucial to survival during periods like this. I refilled my own tanks last night, and all horses have more hay than they can possibly eat available to them 24/7. Today I plan on making up a horsey tea, which is basically just a bucket of hot water with pellets in it. I will let that steep for ten minutes, then go offer it up to each in turn. The warm mashes nightly will continue until this system breaks loose....which could be another week or ten days.
Keep a close eye on your horses, everyone!
We've been spoiled by a number of relatively mild winters, so this big high pressure system that seems stuck over Alaska is really tough to deal with. Last winter, we had one month of high winds-which means big wind chill, but only for a few days at a time was the ambient temperature below zero.
As soon as the snow stopped falling at Christmas, the high pressure starting sliding in. For four or five days, we had some big winds here in the Valley and then it began to taper off a bit. I was fortunate, as my location is not directly in the main wind patterns but just along the edges. Now the high is stationary, with a low in the Gulf of Alaska that seems stalled as well. Most of the entire state is experiencing extremely cold, if not downright hazardous severe cold. Up at Prudhoe Bay last night, it was -38 degrees at 8 pm. And yes, people do continue to work outside in it.
In the Interior, along the Yukon and between the ranges, it's even worse-temps down below minus 50 degrees. I remember being in Fairbanks one winter, and living outside of town. It was -57 degrees and didn't budge for nine days. I was pretty much stuck at home, between keeping my car from freezing up, keeping heat in the well house, and under the house so the plumbling ddn't freeze. Every two or three hours around the clock, I would bundle up and tend to one, then come back in, catch a cat nap, and go back out to tend the next thing. It's incredibly brutal, this kind of cold......it burns, it gets hard to breathe properly and doing even simple chores become monumental efforts. You must carefully think through what you plan to do, before you do it.
For the horses, they must sinply endure. Only a tiny percentage have heated barns, most are like mine......out with only blankets for additional protection. Some horses fair very well with their own heavy winter coats and nonstop hay and water available. Others burn all their reserves attempting to stay alive as their owners are unaware of the demands of these temperatures. Even with the cold, a savvy horse owner will spend that extra couple of minutes checking each horse over every day. This is the one time you want to be exceptionally diligent and put every bit of observational power you have to work.....even the slightest change in behavior can mean a quick slide into a colic, or worse.
Hay and water are crucial to survival during periods like this. I refilled my own tanks last night, and all horses have more hay than they can possibly eat available to them 24/7. Today I plan on making up a horsey tea, which is basically just a bucket of hot water with pellets in it. I will let that steep for ten minutes, then go offer it up to each in turn. The warm mashes nightly will continue until this system breaks loose....which could be another week or ten days.
Keep a close eye on your horses, everyone!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Dear Mark
Yes, I come out into the new year, swinging. Or tilting at windmills, take your pick ;)
Dear Mark F-
You are making a fool of yourself within the community. Really, seriously. Who wants to support these activities:
Trash talking any other hay seller
Bad mouthing anyone who you consider to be "competition"
Flagging off any ad on CL you deem to be from an "enemy"
Threatening phone calls and emails
Readers, keep this background in mind-Mark is the guy who has swept a local woman off her feet....away from her husband, shortly after they restarted a local feed store.
Mark is the guy who professed to own a boarding place (but didn't) and found it so lucrative that he didn't bother to manage the horses there very well (which is how I ended up with a couple, and another great boarding place ended up with some too-all in very poor condition) Eventually his operation was shut down when the property owners insisted. He still owes people refunds which will never be recovered-most were just happy to get their horses back, alive.
Mark must stay busy, flagging off ads placed on the local CL. Hardly an ad for horse blankets, boarding, or hay for sale can stay up for more than a day. And yes I have this on pretty solid information that he does, indeed, flag anyone he sees as competition. Because, you see, he thinks this is how he increases cash flow, and gets revenge at the same time.
Mark is the guy who is so convinced everyone is out to get him, that he stopped advertising in our only state wide horse publication in protest. Why? Because the publisher brought up one (Just one!!!) van load of hay, and sold the excess. I think this is about the time they moved from one really bad location to another......a new place that the woman's ex bought for her.
Now, you have moved from one crappy location where you didn't pay the rent, to another place seemingly purchased by your girlfriends' ex husband. (or at least that's the rumor going around) You don't advertise any of this, either. Your sales are down because no one can find you. Your sales are down because people will make moral judgements about your actions. Your sales are down because people don't like you, however much they like your way better half. Dude, what are you thinking here? Of course, you aren't thinking, that much is obvious. Sigh.
I just have to wonder, as a man, how do you justify this in your mind?
Oh right, you don't.
Instead you live in a bubble of paranoia, threatening anyone and everyone.
I would still be spending money with you, if I knew where you were, what your hours were, and most importantly-when you wouldn't be there. Have I mentioned you generally put people on edge? I've heard that from a number of others, and I presume they too, feel the same unease. It's a shame, because moving the store and dropping all advertising, has done nothing but boost sales at the big store. I am sure they appreciate the bump on their bottom line.
And threatening boarders, customers, the competition? That isn't going to help you in the long run.
And for the rest of you who have read so far and are shaking your head, thinking "tsk, tsk, that was not nice at all!" might I remind you that I too, get asked for hay. And grain. And tack. And other supplies-sometimes from people in distress. I cannot refer them to Bullseye Feed if I don't know where they are! "Palmer somewhere" just won't work....and with no advertisement in the Alaska Horse Journal, I can only suggest AFW.
Really, it's his own fault.
Dear Mark F-
You are making a fool of yourself within the community. Really, seriously. Who wants to support these activities:
Trash talking any other hay seller
Bad mouthing anyone who you consider to be "competition"
Flagging off any ad on CL you deem to be from an "enemy"
Threatening phone calls and emails
Readers, keep this background in mind-Mark is the guy who has swept a local woman off her feet....away from her husband, shortly after they restarted a local feed store.
Mark is the guy who professed to own a boarding place (but didn't) and found it so lucrative that he didn't bother to manage the horses there very well (which is how I ended up with a couple, and another great boarding place ended up with some too-all in very poor condition) Eventually his operation was shut down when the property owners insisted. He still owes people refunds which will never be recovered-most were just happy to get their horses back, alive.
Mark must stay busy, flagging off ads placed on the local CL. Hardly an ad for horse blankets, boarding, or hay for sale can stay up for more than a day. And yes I have this on pretty solid information that he does, indeed, flag anyone he sees as competition. Because, you see, he thinks this is how he increases cash flow, and gets revenge at the same time.
Mark is the guy who is so convinced everyone is out to get him, that he stopped advertising in our only state wide horse publication in protest. Why? Because the publisher brought up one (Just one!!!) van load of hay, and sold the excess. I think this is about the time they moved from one really bad location to another......a new place that the woman's ex bought for her.
Now, you have moved from one crappy location where you didn't pay the rent, to another place seemingly purchased by your girlfriends' ex husband. (or at least that's the rumor going around) You don't advertise any of this, either. Your sales are down because no one can find you. Your sales are down because people will make moral judgements about your actions. Your sales are down because people don't like you, however much they like your way better half. Dude, what are you thinking here? Of course, you aren't thinking, that much is obvious. Sigh.
I just have to wonder, as a man, how do you justify this in your mind?
Oh right, you don't.
Instead you live in a bubble of paranoia, threatening anyone and everyone.
I would still be spending money with you, if I knew where you were, what your hours were, and most importantly-when you wouldn't be there. Have I mentioned you generally put people on edge? I've heard that from a number of others, and I presume they too, feel the same unease. It's a shame, because moving the store and dropping all advertising, has done nothing but boost sales at the big store. I am sure they appreciate the bump on their bottom line.
And threatening boarders, customers, the competition? That isn't going to help you in the long run.
And for the rest of you who have read so far and are shaking your head, thinking "tsk, tsk, that was not nice at all!" might I remind you that I too, get asked for hay. And grain. And tack. And other supplies-sometimes from people in distress. I cannot refer them to Bullseye Feed if I don't know where they are! "Palmer somewhere" just won't work....and with no advertisement in the Alaska Horse Journal, I can only suggest AFW.
Really, it's his own fault.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
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 :)
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 :)
Monday, December 29, 2008
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.
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