Dodging Rain Drops

     Several bunnies (in all sizes) have been darting around the last few days. I believe their homes or hiding spots were destroyed when the hay
field was cut. Not sure where they go 
when it rains...or during hot, sunny
days when it is not cloudy.  

     On Memorial Day I hit the outdoor work hard in the morning.... I had bought more (cheap) pine trees last week that Britney and I worked on planting out by the tracks. There were also a bunch of day lilies in the front pasture that needed to be moved before we could put Chuck out there, cause he eats them.  So Joe worked on moving them out as I planted them by the drive. I could tell rain was coming...so worked fast and furious...but got rained out right at lunch time.

Joe with his two horse "helpers"            While it rained, I moved inside to  
work on my Blog and catch up with e-mail.  The warm tea and tired muscles caused me to take over an hour long nap.  The little storm and fair amount of rain lasted for 2 hours.  A little more tea to awake up and the sun soon came out and so did I.  It was too wet to dig, but the weeds were coming out with less resistance, although it was muddy work.  I was hoping the rains would not return, that the wind would pick up, the sun would stay out and our hay would dry out.  The forecast for the next several days was not very promising however.

      After a nice horse ride Tuesday morning, I continued with the plantings  I had been doing Monday.  Here is a before picture with all the weeds, and
                                                           an after picture with the day lilies. 

I had dug up about a 6 foot long stretch of weeds from the old stump going north to the existing lilies.  Now it is one long row of "flowers". 
     We didn't golf in the afternoon (Joe felt he needed to mow because of the prediction for more rain). After dinner we went to town to visit friend Bob in the hospital and then get feed and more Peat Moss at Farm and Flet on the way home.  Tuesday night it stormed.  I love thunderstorms...even when I have to run around in the rain at 3am to chase Chuck out of the barn stall where he was lying while the horses were standing out in the rain.  After I got the horses in, I had to shut barn doors because it was blowing in from two different directions.  I also had to close the chicken coop window.

      Wednesday morning I went out to investigate the results of last nights storm.  Boy did our hay get wet.  Luckily we had not raked it yet, but it was going to need some time to dry.  My next concern was whether or not it was going to dry so we could bail it and be able to use it. (A side-note on worrying... The bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."  But, because sometimes I can't help but worry, I also like the quote from Maureen Gallatin.  "Worrying is our way of taking things seriously, of feeling like we're being responsible, even if we can't affect the outcome of a situation."  This helps me understand why I do fret about things I have no control over, when I know I shouldn't.

      Because of the wet and prediction of more rain, Wednesday was mostly inside work.  I spent lots of time on last year's Blog posts, caught up on Facebook and E-mail, defrosted the freezer in the garage, did some laundry, and watched life outside my office window.  In the afternoon, it got sunny and rather hot...good for hay drying. I went out to work in the barn. 
                                                      Here, the horses can be seen
grooming each other...I had them off pasture and out of the sun.  I had put them in the corn crib because I was mucking their stalls and wanted to let the ground dry out before putting clean shavings back in.  Courtney came over to ride Zorro. She has been having more difficulties with him. She is really trying hard with him....but he is a handful. She has been working every day almost.  I wish I could help her because it is so frustrating for her.  I have been getting along great with Amiga. She has been willing to go new places as I have been exploring along the tracks to the east and more of Becks fields south and west.  I can now get her to stay at a walk when I want.  She still likes to push the speed limit.... kind of like Joe when driving. LOL  In an article about training, it says it is important to "note what motivates or frustrates a particular horse".  I think we need to do this with Zorro and Amiga.  This affirms my thinking that each horse sometimes requires different training strategies.  Amiga is a "hot" horse with lots of brio so it doesn't take much to set her off or get her going, and she can be very reactive.  But she really wants to please.  Zorro is much more lay back, and up until recently he has been willing but lackadaisical.  However, now he seems less willing and more calculating in his actions.  He is testing Courtney all the time.  He definitely has good days and bad days.

     Thursday was another warm, sunny day.  In this photo, the horses are again grooming each other, but now they are out front in the shade.  The patch of lilies we have been working on can be seen behind them to the right.  Courtney and I each had a great riding lesson.  Zorro has become very ornery and disengaged while Courtney has been riding him.  But Marj was able to straighten him out and give Courtney several pointers.  I also got great help with getting Amiga to flex her head both vertically and laterally.  This will help her gait better and move more fluidly.  Flopsie was missing at "bed time".  I looked everywhere for her.  30 minutes later when I smelled major skunk stink out the window I could only imagine the worse for the chicken.  I hoped Flopsie was in a good hiding place out there.

     Friday morning I found Flopsie in the garden shed. She was standing by the door waiting to be let out.  I had looked in there twice the night before. Daw gone chicken, glad I hadn't lost sleep over her.  Mid morning I headed back to the railroad tracks with wheel barrow and shovel, intending to finish planting the last of the spruce trees.  When Mark came to rake the hay, I
                                                      paused to talk with him.  Thinking we
might be bringing in hay today, I stopped the tree planting, and started preparing for hay storage.  A bit later Mark dropped off the hay elevator and again I was interrupted from tree planting.  The decision was made that the hay would be ready to bale in the afternoon.  After Mark and his helper

took a break for lunch and Joe's extended lunch/poker game was halted by my panicked phone call, the baling began.   Because our helpers were not scheduled to come until 4:00ish, Joe and I started putting up the hay in the loft on our own.  We got along pretty well, but could not keep up with the loads coming in. 
                                                      Here I am loading bales onto the
elevator, which wasn't too bad because I didn't have to walk far with them. 







At the top of the elevator, Joe is unloading and walking the bales to their storage spot in the loft.  More time and energy spent by him for sure.
                                                      Having the elevator chain get
derailed did not help our progress any, but boy was it a welcomed pause from the work. 







Eventually Richard and Adam (our horse trainers husband and son) came and pitched in on helping us get the hay stored in the loft.  We had a bit
                                                      more than we wanted to squeeze into the loft, as you can see in this photo, it is quite full.  So, we had the last 50 put on a wagon and sent down the road with Adam and Richard.  It is a token of our appreciation for all of their help.  At this point, brother in law Ralph showed up with subway.  He was stopping for the night on his way from Dayton Ohio to Missouri.  Having prayed throughout the day for the rains to wait for us and our neighbors to get our hay in, I felt so reassured that God does provide for and take care of our needs.  We got 360 bales off the side pasture.  Even our supper, that I was too tired to think about, but needed to eat, was provided.  After I had rested and refueled, I went back out to the tracks to plant the last pine.  I finally finished the 2 rows of 11 trees.  Now to keep them watered and wait for them to grow. 
     Courtney had come just after Ralph and was ridding Zorro by the time I finished with the pines.    I decided to join her.  Due to lack of time and energy, I jumped on Amiga bare back.  No brushing, ground work, desensitizing....just put in her bit and hopped on.  Courtney was just finishing with Zorro (who did great) and caught me with out my helmet but let me use hers.  I kept Amiga in the round pen.  We did all the flexing exercises I had been shown in my lesson Thursday.  Amiga did great.... walking, gaiting, turning, stopping, going....one way then the other etc.  She is so good, very smart and such a pleasure.  It was a wonderful ending to a great day.

     Saturday we got a much needed break from farm work and spent the day in Greenville for Alissa's wedding.  She was a beautiful bride.

As you can see, Britney was a pretty cute Brides maid as well.
In the picture below, you can see that all the running girls "clean up" quite well, and were having a good time together.

    
     Sunday morning Joe left by 5:30 to go to State Farm to work (If it's not one farm it's the other).  I was totally wiped out due to lack of sleep....had been up 3 times during the night because of storms and barking dog.  I worked on this blog post, drank extra tea, and waited to see what the weather, Joe, and our hay buyer were going to do. Sunday's morning of rest was followed by work out side.  I moved more day lilies with Joes help, cleaned and reorganized the garden shed, burnt some branches and 2 old weedy bales of hay that were bad, and cleaned up dead debris from flower beds.  We also moved Chuck to the front pasture.  Getting him into the trailer took time, patience, and some fresh lush clover. 

     Once out on the front pasture it did not take Chuck long to start eating the remaining day lilies I hope to still move.  And then he went for the two prairie willows.  Joe set up the snow fence around the larger tree.  He is such an ornery cow....I am ready to make him roast.

     Later in the day Courtney came over and we went for our first ride together off the farm.  We went around Beck's field and then up the tracks almost a mile to Co. Rd. 2375 E. and back. Zorro did great.  Amiga behaved well, but I couldn't get her to stay in gait...she was very bouncy.

     The rain has been a mixed blessing. It is needed for my new transplants, garden, and for the farmer's crops.  But it is not good for those trying to dry and harvest hay.  They have to dodge the rain drops.