Dreams Do Come True

     Preparing to bring Onyx home Sunday evening, I abandoned school work Sat. and worked out in the paddock checking one more time for any "horse hazards" and trying to eliminate them.  There were several old post holes that needed filling in. There was also old hardware on some of the buildings that needed to come off.  Dan mowed the paddock for me but then left for a “land” party at Courtney’s last Sat. Joe left rather early and went to the Bears game that he won 4 tickets to. So I was on my own most of the
                                                                         day Sat.  Out in the

paddock, I mowed a riding ring and even used the front end loader on the tractor to kind of smooth it out.  I was actually having quite a bit of fun.  Then I mowed a riding trail through our big pasture and old fruit orchard. I cut it real low, and then walked it with Kaysha to check for holes. I think it is about a 1/2 mile circuit.
<= Onyx later this week.

Getting Onyx home went without a hitch.  She trailered quite well.

 Onyx at her former home.


Loaded and ready to go.




She was a bit anxious to get out of the trailer when we got home, so unloaded very easily.











Once home, she was more interested in eating than any thing else.  I let her chill for a while, and then lead her around the paddock, showing her the corn crib retreat area from hot sun or bad weather, the water trough, her stall, and around all the buildings.

 

She is very food motivated, so to get her to come into her stall I just shake her grain can.  I can walk right up to her to put on her halter and then lead her where ever I want also.  I brushed her almost every day last week, and lead her around 4 different times.  She seems right at home now.

I went with Joe Wed. night to buy a “cow” up near El Paso.  

He ended up buying a 400 lb Holstein steer.  His name is Chuck.  

(I think his last name might me Roast)

     He was a bottled feed calf (as his Mom is a dairy cow), so he is very tame. He knows his name and will look up when you call.  He likes to have his head and neck scratched.  He was a runt so is small for his 8 months of age.  We will keep him out at pasture until next November (We have 3 friends who want grass only beef).  He will probably only get up to about 900 lbs.


     When we first turned him loose at home in the paddock, Onyx went nuts.  It was already dark, so I don’t know if she was afraid or what.
                                                           At any rate, she raced around

(trotting and cantering) would stop and stomp her front foot and lift up her nose and snort. I waited until she settled down some, but was afraid to leave her out with Chuck. I had troubles catching her and getting her into her stall.  And then she kept pacing and going in circles and looking out.  So we finally closed the barn door.  I worried about her all night long.

     The next morning Onyx was calmer and when let out, she was curious about Chuck but went right to eating. I left for school and let them work it out.  When I got home, every thing

was peachy keen....They were grazing beside each other, and Chuck continued to kind of follow Onyx around, eating near where she was eating.  They have become “friends” in just two days. 

      Our two large chickens (or one of them at any rate) has started laying eggs.  We have gotten three so far.  But they have all been behind the Wisteria by our front door.  Now I need to get them to lay them in the nest boxes in the coop.

       I made another trip to Farm and Fleet to get more supplies....salt block, cow wormer, water bucket, horse halter and lead rope (I had been barrowing the sellers), and more horse feed, (the first bag we bought was the wrong stuff.  With all that going on, and because last weekend I had not done any school work, I was kind of “flying by the seat of my pants” all week.  I made it through....but now have another week to plan for.

     In spite of the reality of all the school work I must do, I have to pinch myself to make sure all this farm stuff isn't just a wonderful dream.
.

I Must Be Dreamin'

     Joe and I drove 90 min to an auction last night for a "fun night out", not intending to buy a horse because it was supposed to be only quarter horses.  We didn’t even take the trailer with us.  The auction was at a riding ranch that is down-sizing their herd due to economic reasons.  All of the horses were very well trained.  There were kids of all ages riding them during the 2 hour preview before the auction.  But then I spotted Onyx....
                                                     (a 12 year old Tn Walker mare, looked
nice, behaved great, and was a nice ride....even in the rain and mud). She  used to be one of their trail horses but was sold to the owner (Lindsay) a year ago because her gait makes her too fast for the quarter horses on trail rides.   Four different people from the ranch, including 2 young teens, said they had ridden Onyx on trail rides and that she is very good.  Of course Lindsay had nothing but good things to say about her.  I rode Onyx two different times and watched three others ride her during the preview. Lindsay, a 63 year old retired Elementary school teacher was advised by her doctor not to ride anymore because of the medications she is on, which is why she was selling Onyx.  To sell a horse at this auction, it had to meet basic health inspection including the Coggin's test.  Lindsay also had vet papers of wormings, shots, and teeth floating.  The auction was west of Peoria but Lindsay has Onyx at a farm outside of Peoria.  Luckily, before the auction began, Lindsay had agreed to keep Onyx for a few days until we are ready to bring her home.

     There was a couple sitting by us during the actual auction who have 5 TN Walkers.  They were interested in buying Onyx only because they did not want her to go to a potential "bad" owner.  There are folks who buy horses cheep here, ship them to Canada, and sell them to slaughter houses for $800.  Joe and I decided on our top dollar and he did the bidding (I was way too nervous)  We got Onyx for $800, half of what we were willing to pay for her.


     I woke up this morning feeling so blessed and thankful.  I can't believe I am a horse owner now. I must admit I am a bit overwhelmed as well. I can't wait to start working with my new horse Onyx.....building a friendship of love and trust between us.  I pray that I will be a very good Mom to her.  There is also a little worry on my part, for her safety and well being. I want to do the best I can to keep her as healthy and happy as possible. I am sure I will have many questions along the way.


     There is a lot of work to be done before bringing Onyx home.  I should force myself to do school work first, because once we bring her home, I will be way too distracted to do any school work.  We need to finish stretching
                                                     the electro-braid rope, clean out the

corn crib, pick up debris around the barn and grain bins, mow the paddock, and fill in old post holes.  I also need to buy a halter and lead rope, and I don't even have a saddle or bridle to ride Onyx.  So much to do....but so exciting.
Once the corn crib was cleaned out, we parked the trailer in it.


       Joe and I also talked about getting a young calf or two to keep Onyx company, until Courtney buys a horse.  I don’t want to rush her.  I had been in a quandary all week about the 2 horses Courtney and I rode last Saturday. I liked the 16 year old gelding quite a bit, but the 7 year old mare
I was not so sure about. I liked her
lively spirit but she is young, immature, and a bit nervous. I think a good rider could do wonders with her, but I am not sure I fit that bill.  The lady will not "split" the two horses up....it is both or none.  So Courtney can’t buy just the gelding.  Little did I know, she was still dreaming about Zorro, the first horse she had tried out when in Michigan last month.
 
       This past week has been very busy with school and some things around here.  I had lots to do with room preparation, lesson plans, learning the new Web site editing program our district purchased, re-setting up all my desk top icons on the computers I use at school, xeroxing, meeting with the co-teacher I am working with (I found out Tue. I have a co-taught special ed. class), and doing all the other paper work and crap that comes along with the first 2 institution days.
                                                    
      Here at the farm we got the concrete poured in the barn to fill in that 1 to 2 foot drop off where the tack room is going.  In this photo Britney is sweeping it off.  We have also been getting electro-braid strung that is about ready to   be stretched.  

     Our friend Mark also came out and butchered the 3 roosters.  He took them home to “dress them out”. 

 

Workin' Five To Nine

     This has been the busiest week imaginable.  We have worked so hard, almost around the clock, but accomplished so much.    

     I finally feel like we are going to get our fencing done.  Our "new" guy from Springfield (with two of his workers) came Tue at 8am. We all helped, along with two other collage guys we hired, and got 16 large corner and gate posts put in (4 ft down). It took 96 bags (80lbs each) of cement, which we hand mixed.  Dad would have been proud of us.  We finished at 4:30 pm.....what a long day. 

Britney coming home from a run
as we are getting started.  

All of the poles we need to
dig holes for and "plant".



The auger used to drill the holes.  This hole was actually dug later in the day.



We filled the stock tank with water which we used for making concrete.




We had two wheel barrows going and two people mixing to keep up.





Most holes had to be finished by hand, some needing more work than others due to sub-terrain obstructions.




A lunch break was enjoyed by
"our crew", while the fencing crew
went in to town to buy lunch.



Running the auger was very hard work, taking 3 strong men and one to direct.











It was a long, tiring day, but by the end it sure felt good to see what we had accomplished and to reflect on the cooperation and team work that pulled it all off.

       Friday we put in 28 posts (Joe rented an auger).  It took a little over 3 hours. The auger and holes were much smaller for line posts and only drilled 3 ft down. Joe cemented some of them yesterday and filled the rest in with dirt.  Of course Britney and Daniel have been helping with all of this as well.  We built eleven 8ft sections of wood fence yesterday also and will be ready to tighten up and add more electro-braid soon.  I still need to go around and clean up dirt piles from where all the post holes were drilled.

     There is also the ditch to fill in where the electrician (who was here yesterday) dug from the corn crib to the garage shed so we have electricity there and can easily run an extension cord to the chicken coop for a heat lamp and heated water dish this winter if needed.

      Courtney and I rode 2 horses for a second time early yesterday morning.  I am more interested in them than she is because they are more spirited than the 4 others we have looked at. They are being sold together.  I really like Blackie (a 16 year old Tennessee Walker gelding), but Aerial (a 7 year old mare) is a bit nervous.  I am going to have a friend who has broke horses try her out next weekend.  My trainer is willing to work with me and the horses to teach us both.

       Our freezer died Thursday night and the refrigerator died Friday night.  It was a mess each morning.  First thing Friday morning I discovered all the ice cream had melted, and mixed with blood that oosed out of the pork and hamburger.  I cooked the hamburger right away and marinated the pork which was then in the frig when it died. We grilled and ate it last night, and no one got sick.  Sat morning when I discovered the dead refrigerator, I swear it’s inside temperature was warmer than the room temp.  The milk and oj containers were bloated from the fermentation process. Needless to say, I threw a lot of stuff away. So Sat, instead of going grocery shopping I bought a new refrigerator/freezer.  But it doesn't come until Tuesday.What a pain.

     When the electrician was out, we also had him move this light in the barn from where a wall is going for the tack room, to this new location.  He was careful not to disturb this barn swallow nest too much. He then added another light with its own switch for the tack room.

        We also had a plumber friend out Friday afternoon to fix our sink in Dan’s bathroom and the bad leak under the kitchen sink.  Our disposal had knocked loose a pipe which Joe couldn’t get to stay tightened. Come to find out, the pipe from the disposal was not hooked up correctly, and to make it right we would need to tear into the wall under the counter.  Not going to happen.  Bob (the plumber) did what he could to fix the problem, but said we may need to get rid of the disposal.

     I helped Joe hang all of our gates this afternoon.  We have a 6 footer, two 8 footers, a 12 footer and a 16 footer.  They aren’t all perfectly straight, but they are done and don’t look too bad.











        School starts tomorrow and I haven't done much of anything to prepare.  I went to school after church today for the first time in quite a while.  I have not done any work here cause I am just too busy with other stuff.  I haven’t even cracked open a book. I am going to regret it later this week....but I just can’t get motivated to do any school work.  I need to pray for a better attitude.

Winding Down

      It has been a very busy week.  Dan’s girl friend, mom and step dad have been here from Tennessee all week. They just left a few minutes ago.  Jessica stayed with us and her parents stayed at the Motel 8 in LeRoy. They all took different day trips to Chicago, Springfield and Indiana, but it was still a busy time for me with them coming and going.  We hung out together, watched a movie, played some games, etc. I served 3 dinners during the week and 1 lunch to the whole clan including Courtney and Mike on Saturday. 

       Yesterday after church, Courtney and I went horse shopping.  It was over 90 degrees, humid, and the horses hadn’t been ridden in a while.  So, it was hard to get them to do much, but they were well mannered. After over 3 hours in the sun + 4 horses, and no sunscreen, we were both hot, tired, and sunburned.  My face got it pretty bad, but Courtney really got burned.  Silly we didn't think to use sunscreen....don't think we realized we would be out in the sun so long. It is very difficult for me to decide on a horse. None of them are perfect. They could all use a good home.  I want all the pretty horses.  Decisions, decisions....

    

     The chickens continue to grow.  They are big enough that the dog doesn't bother them and they aren't worried about her.  Of course I had to teach kaysha to leave them alone.

     The four chicks we hatched from Carol's eggs are also getting bigger and into more trouble.  In this photo they are on the lid of the trash can that their feed is in.



       This is my last week of summer. Lots will be going on out here at the farm (hopefully). Fence guys to put in new corner and gate posts, concrete man to poor a floor in the barn for the tack room, electrician to put a light and switch in the tack room and electricity to the old unattached garage. I am also taking Britney to Children's Memorial in Chicago for her check up. How am I going to get any school work done?

       I had a task force meeting last week for the Biology I curriculum and new text book adoption.  It was a bit ,uh, “harry” at first, but once we got past our differences and established a plan, it went quite well. 

       My window shades also arrived last week.  BUT, when the installer took them out of the box, he discovered they were the wrong window blinds.  My blinds were shipped to Cedar Rapids Iowa apparently.  Boo! They are supposed to come tomorrow.  We’ll see.

     I gave blood last Friday.  I always feel good when I can help out a good cause.  My BP was higher than normal, 120/60.   All the other times when I have gone to donate, it has been under or right at 100/ 60.  Hum....
Hope it isn’t this farm living
getting to me.  I think once the fence and barn are all done and we have horses, I will be able to relax and enjoy life out here.  Actually, most days I take time to sit and look out over the country side, and count my blessing.  I feel very lucky and happy to be able to have and enjoy this place.