Summer Days

     Summer Days... slipping away... with the first week of August ending I am in a panic about school starting.  The count down started the first day of August, and now there are 10 days until school starts.  A friend commented that August is blue, like a Sunday afternoon before a work week.  It is depressing to realize the relaxing, carefree days of summer are soon to be the crazy, hectic, hard working days of the school year.  Now you might wonder why I, being part time, am fretting it.  Well, we have a new Bio I text book and curriculum...so it IS going to be a lot of work.
                                                                                       

      We spent the last weekend in July visiting Joe's clan in Iowa.  We always stay at the Volk's (His sister Teresa, husband Tracy and children Ryan, Nathan, and Loren).
They live in Hills. 




     Teresa wanted to get a picture of our boys in their Army uniforms before Ryan left for his year of deployment, which he did yesterday.  His unit is going to Afghanistan. 

     Here are our soldier sons, Ryan and Daniel.  The only difference in their uniforms is the medallion on their beret and Velcro button thing that is their rank.  Daniel is a Pv-2 while Ryan is a higher ranking Spc.




Here are more pictures of our two "boys":
    









                                                         Joe and I with Daniel                             Tracy and Teresa with the soldiers









These next 3 shots are from a professional photographer.

Ryan and daughter Delaney                       Ryan & Hanna with Delaney

This is a very powerful shot of Delaney
       holding Ryan's dog tags. 
It produces an array of emotions.

         
             Ryan and Daniel "protect" Princess Delaney in her castle.

     I was in a funk all week.  I wasted a ton of time fretting, pacing, pouting and spacing.  I kept looking at my long list of things to get done before summer's end.  It wasn't going to be possible.  I didn't know where to start.  And I knew I should be working on school work rather than around the farm. 

     Because the days and the week were so disjointed, I'll just post events with pictures, rather than a daily journal.  I may switch to this format from now on.  Since Dan has been back he has mostly just been hangin' out in his computer world. 

Can you say multi-tasking?  He has 3 computers going at the same time.  He does occasionally move from this spot, to get food and water. LOL Actually he has been mowing weekly and doing some other odd jobs for us.  He is in the process of trying to get enrolled in some classes this fall.

    

     Zorro has been having ongoing issues with his eye.  Courtney drove to Gibson City to get more meds. for him.  I help administer them as some are needed 4 times a day.  We have also started using fly masks on both of the horses.  That really seems to help. The heat index was at or over 110 almost every day this week, so we gave riding (and the horses) a rest, taking 4 days off.   I have also been putting them in the barn during the hottest part of the day, and leaving them out to graze over night.  One night, after dark, I jumped on Amiga bareback and had a nice little ride in the round pen.

     One day I set the sprinkler out trying to get Zorro to drink because he was not drinking much when his eye was really hurting.  He enjoyed playing in the water, but Amiga was not as

enthused.  She would turn her rear end towards it and back into it.












Zorro likes drinking from the hose, and
the "frog" was no different, except he was
getting splashed all over.







So what does a horse do when it gets all wet?  It gets down and dirty.  Boy does Zorro love to roll in the dirt.











     I think Amiga may be amused by her silly, ornery brother.  But she can get into trouble as well.  We keep discovering broken fence boards that Joe has to replace.

Here she was found at the scene of the crime.  She pushes on the boards scratching her rear end or reaching through for food....as the grass is greener (and longer) on the other side.
     A horse nutritionist came out to look at our horses. (Marj was nice in sending him our way after he left her farm.)  They are both on the fat side, but need to bulk up on muscle.  Zorro is real bony along his spine and over his hips.  So we have decided to try them on a new feed (ProAdvantage) to see if that helps.  Basically they have been getting too many carbohydrates and not enough protein.  I think I have the same problem. :-)

      I took the dog to the vet to get her foot checked.  I too got another weeks worth of antibiotics.  The mesh bag I found has worked great in keeping her from chewing on her foot, but allowing air to get to it.   Occasionally she pulls it off and if I don't catch her quick


enough, she rips up more of her foot pads.  She actually tears the skin with her teeth.  Ugh.  I soak it twice a day in Ebson salt still.  Hope all the pets are back to "normal" by the time school starts.


     I finally got the "hill side" planted with grass seed.  Finding enough fencing to keep the chickens out was a trick.  I used flower garden fence, chicken wire, and an old dog crate that we dismantled.  I covered it with hay (didn't have straw) which keeps in the moisture and prevents the seed from getting eaten by birds or washed away.  I water it 3X a day, and have noticed a few toads hanging out in the hay where it is moist.

     The horses had their routine 8 week trim by the farrier.  We also wormed them the same time as part of the schedule. Notice the fan I had running in
                                                      an effort to keep Loren our farrier cool.

He and the horses were sweating bullets.  Zorro was not having a good day and ended up breaking the hook holding his halter to the stall. 

 


But then he stood better when he was no longer tethered.

Next it was Amiga's turn.

     Loren always does a nice job, and has been great about explaining to me what he is doing, and answering my questions.

     We skipped worming Chuck since his days are numbered. (3 left).  I am anxious to get rid of him because he has been so ornery lately.  But when I look him in the eye, I can't help but feel a little sad.  However, now we are wondering, "How do you get a big cow onto a horse trailer?"  We have been
working all week on trying to
get him to load.  He has gotten so long, that he can reach the food in the front without putting his back feet on the trailer.   At least he has no qualms about standing with his front feet in while eating. 

 

And we can get him to step up....
but not in with those back legs.

     The baby chicks are growing, but after watching what a barn kitty did to a bird in the bird bath, I am going to keep them fenced in awhile longer.  He caught it in lightening speed leaving a small splash and a  flurry of feathers in his wake, and almost as quickly, he disappeared back into the bushes where he had been hiding.

So I am not taking my chances with these cute little chicks.

Mama hen has been very watchful of them.  She puffs up when she thinks they are being threatened.  As fast as that cat struck though, I don't think she would have a chance to protect her chicks.












     I finished the rock garden.....well,

I ran out of rocks so am done for now.  I could still use more rocks for around the last Red Bud tree.  So, I will be on the look out and collecting a few more "little boulders".






I am not sure how many of the Red Buds are going to survive.  One has lost all of it's leaves and another is not in great shape. The other 3 (2 in a different location) are doing okay.  We'll see what they do next spring.