After Tommy was buried in our horse cemetery, I had to make the very difficult call to the processor to have Daphne put down. She had been plucked from a livestock auction three years ago, destined for a feedlot and I was able to give her a longer, happier life, but a deal is a deal. And that is the deal I has struck with myself when taking on yet another mouth to feed: She was only to stay as long as Tommy. I felt like such a treacherous murderer on the long drive to the slaughterhouse. If I were supreme leader, I'd make everyone experience this, that way no one would dare waste a morsel of food, knowing that it had come from an animal you'd raised with love. Fast forward three weeks:
Over 2000 lb Daphne yields 1010 lb Hot Carcass Weight. That's a lot of homegrown, organic beef.
Not to mention an incredible marbling and bold taste. If you're gonna do something, do it right.
Her life is appreciated and will go on to sustain mine and others. Amen, Big Momma.
Until I can figure out the time space continuum mystery, mere 24 hours in a day will persist. I'm looking to up our game at a nice round 30 hour day. Who's with me? The trick every day is to use my time at peak efficiency. Since Flynn has been off on medical leave since Labor day and my other worker is now gone, I've been working little bits of management magic every day. Number one, don't feel bad for me, I love a challenge and my solitude. Number two, Heather and Lisa have been taking Peter to physio for me, and Cristian and Adjanie regularly come in on Sundays to lend a hearty hand. If you don't get a day off, the key is to find moments in the day to squeeze in your agenda while still performing work. Enter my bicycle:
In lieu of booting around on a utility vehicle, I've taken to the mountain bike. This way, I get my workouts, plus I'm doing physio for my surgery foot AND I'm exercising and training the heathens.
Going back and forth between the barn and all the houses adds up to a lot of miles a day.
Throw in a check on beaver activity and you've got your cardio for the day.
Because riding with the dogs is no leisurely affair. Micah and Dax cruise at top speed this old gal has to keep up, or risk losing them.
Which is something that has happened more than thrice, hence they sport GPS collars and electronic collars. Now, I can watch Dax on a handheld screen run away from me, while he ignores the corrections his electronic collar is giving him. He's just a mess and always will be, but he's my mess and I adore him.
Getting up extra early in the mornings to try to ambush the day and get more done also involves the dogs. Both pointers continuously take turns sitting behind me on my desk chair or in my lap.
Enter the free leather couch from Facebook Marketplace.
What if I could cut it in half and make them a seat by my desk?
Never taken a couch apart before...
Tenacity required.
We have the office annex. Kind of like the barn office...
Work flies by with these kind of helpers around.
I swear they're smarter than some college students. I told Dax I didn't want him behind me while I was cleaning stalls that it was too dusty at ground level. I turn around to throw shavings in the dump wagon and he's watching me from high on the tractor seat.
My kids are not morons.
Make every day an adventure:
Our evening commute, notice Micah is bringing home a box:
Grassburs are not a plant you want anywhere on your property. They, in fact, should not be on the planet, they belong in some hell hole of a distant galaxy.
This noxious weed spreads via its prickly seed heads. Prickly is too nice a word. These thorns have barbs that prevent you from easily removing them from your clothes, skin, or Dax's tongue for that matter. In our case, I'm sure they came in on the tires of the power company trucks because the scores of them can be found under the power lines. From there, deer carry it further.
I found out the hard way that these pierce tires. Eradication is best undertook mechanically, according to agricultural extension services. Unless you Napalm an entire area, digging up the plant is the most effective and permanent solution.
Enter two day Project Nuke 'Em. By dragging a towel behind my bucket, I could identify the patches of grassbur hiding innocently among similar grasses.
Two days of dehydration in the scorching sun will be worth it when I won't have to worry about the horses getting these pods of death caught in their digestive tracts.
From how they stuck in my shoes, I gleaned another idea...
How about making a sticker picker upper to get the pods that have already fallen to the ground?
One sod roller, a yoga mat and plenty of epoxy later:
Victory is within my grasp. Die invasive specie, die already!
For weeks, I'd had plans to attend the International Masters Pentathlon competition being held in Atlanta on my birthday. As last week progressed, the more burned out I became, and by 9 PM Saturday night, while still at work, I threw in the towel and decided that being on the road 6 hours the next day wasn't in my best interests. I was bummed.
Until friends sneaked up to the house and hid in my dining room to surprise (give an old woman a heart attack) with cake and an orchid. Chocolate should be on everyone's birthday breakfast menu. Unscripted, I took my balloons and got to work in my recently returned camper.
Glow in the dark balloons.
The majority of the day was spend scrubbing every surface of the 1954 Kropf.
...with all supervisors in tow.
The Pest.
The Investigator.
Nary a nook or cranny unsnorted.
The Clown.
Searching in vain for the air conditioning vent!
Instead of returning to the comfort of the house, Peter, not wanting to miss any of the activity, settled in nearby.
Micah never missed a moment from his post.
A day of recovery spent with fur buddies, just what the doctor ordered. Even took two of my favorite old men for a spin.
The vet said 32 year old Henry and 22 year old Roscoe would benefit from more exercise.
Trying them out to see who would be the best lead pony and who would be best ponied.
Henry, retired over a decade ago, was one focused individual under saddle. A former team roping heel horse, you could tell he had moves in his youth. How to make a 48 year old woman happy: riding two previously never ridden and not eating dirt.
The fabulous day ended at the home of the same friends who'd hidden behind my buffet cabinet.
Adjanie is a competitive archer.
10 minutes of scanning Youtube tutorials to recall how to string my long bow.
An entire day devoted to projects and play.
A great day, not near anything I had planned, yet better!
