Mid-June Already

I say this every time I have to write a check and have to figure out what the date is, but, sheesh...time is flying.

I look back at the last time I actually sat down to post, and I see that it was about Gem's injury-- well, to update, that little bugger has healed marvelously. The docs at Cornell, and our own vet, too, said that the flap of skin she ripped open (about the size of an English muffin) would die and slough off, but that they'd stitch it down to keep the flesh underneath as protected as possible while new flesh grew.

Surprise-- it never sloughed off! A small crescent-shaped band, about the width of a wooly-bear caterpillar, and about 3.5 inches long (if stretched length-wise) did die right at the edge where the stitches were, but the rest healed right back in place and has allowed Gem to return to horse life much, much sooner than any of us anticipated.

A number of factors went into this remarkable recovery, including the quick visit to Cornell, the great work by the surgeon there, the massive anti-biotics coursing through Gem's system, the regular and proper changing of bandages and maintenance of pressure on the wound, and some damn fine Foxwin Morgan hardiness genes. Amen and thank you, Jesus, for all of those things.

Above all that, however, was this little filly's personality. She took to being a patient like no three year old horse I could imagine. She hung out in her stall for days and nights on end while all her friends frolicked and played and called to her from the pasture, all while the good, green grass was coming on deliciously. But Gem stuck it out. She could watch horses from inside the barn, and she always had the company of either her dad, Tank, or her half-brother, Sonny, but she was stuck in a 10 X 10 stall for three weeks during the great spring playing weather. And she never complained. Never banged her bucket, kicked a door, or shoved at a visitor. She stood for bandage changing, and she choked down huge amounts of bitter-tasting antibiotics. (Huge amounts...there's a reason they call enormous tablets of medicine "horse pills"!) She was chipper and friendly and had the patience of Job.

I fell in love with her a little more through it all. And I suspect she may never be leaving our farm, though she is still, technically for sale. She earned a place as children's lesson pony once she's trained-- she demonstrated the courage, patience, and kindness that job requires, and the little ones will fall in love with her...

And now she's out and about, ripping around with the rest of them. Some days she comes to the gate first, knowing how nice and quiet it is inside, without the flies. She may have become a bit of a hothouse flower...ewww....there are flies out here....ewwww...it's hot out.... but that's okay; she's earned it.

And summer at the farm is just taking off with busyness and chaos.

The retiring partner has found an apartment back in her hometown, near her adult children, and is in the process of weeding through 25 years of accumulated belongings as she prepares to move at the end of June. It's a slow process for anyone, but things pile up on a farm, things you think you might need someday, might be able to fix or sell or give to someone who needs it. Suddenly, you look back and realize you've got more than anyone will ever need or want or use, and now it's your duty to deal with it.

So, it's boxes and trips to the goodwill and decisions and garbage and chaos. And that's just in the house, where things are usually quiet.

Outside, on the acreage, it's verdant chaos as well. The lawn and plants and gardens and trees are green and overwhelming. The riding lawnmower broke a week ago, and it was already a week past due for mowing at that time...push-mowed a lot of it last week, but not all of it, and it's already due again, and the rider is still at Agway awaiting repair...

The haymow has been cleaned out of chaff and waste from last year's hay, awaiting the influx of this year's. If the weather is good to us next month, we should be able to put up 1,000 of our own bales, and put our name on 3,000 additional bales from the hay Riches... if it's not good to us, and we lose some like last year, we buy more and hope the Riches have better luck than we did.

(By the way, we realized coming out of this winter, that the horses looked GREAT, better than they had in a couple of years-- the Riches' hay kept them in fine form, fit and healthy, and we're delighted!)

We've fenced in the new addition to the farm this spring-- six chickens. Can't tell yet for certain, but it looks like four hens and two roosters...getting them as chicks, you take your chances on gender. But two dinners and some laying hens is a pretty good balance.

We've fenced the large riding ring, which is fantastic, and if we could only get ahead of the weeds, it would be perfect. We have a request in to some friends with a weed-killer tank & spray attachment on their ATV, and hope to have a defoliation plan in place by the end of the month.

We've cleaned out and hoed out and tossed another small paddock worth of old posts and fence materials, preparing it to be re-fenced with all new for the Sr. Stallion to move into. Better he mow it and keep the grass & weeds down than us! Besides, he'll like his new digs, where he can keep an eye on everyone and greet visitors. Just a matter of financing the fencing now...and doing the labor!

The horse training is coming more slowly than I'd hoped, as we work through miserable weather, a long list of facilities chores, and the moving of the partner. Sherman and I have had some very good work sessions, and I'm really, really impressed with his maturity. I've found a bridle and bit combination that fits him well, and we've begun work in-hand in earnest. His longe work continues to be ahead of his age group, as he is wearing full surcingle, cavesson, side reins, bridle, and longe-line. On a couple of occasions, at the end of our longeing session, I have stepped further and further behind him to see how he will react to the line running down his back, and to having a person behind him-- all in preparation for ground-driving and eventual carriage-driving-- and he has been brilliant. He seems to almost get more comfortable with someone behind him, as though he was made for it. He's going to be fantastic.

The others, well, we're slow and behind. I'd wanted to get Stormy going well under saddle with Pat again this month and, by July, be riding him myself. So far, in two weeks, we've had two sessions with him, both of which indicated to us that he needs daily work for a while before we're ready for me to take over his training. And we're just not finding the time... that is frustrating.

The lesson program is bustling, lots of people getting the riding bug now that summer is about here. The income for the farm is good, and I am learning a lot about teaching riding, but some days I am a bit frustrated at the time it takes away from all the work that needs to be done...

But it will come. Once the partner has moved out and the hay is in, the summer will settle in to a regular routine of daily work and long, warm evenings. All that is good and wonderful about summer in upstate NY comes on in July and August; it's just always June that's such a catch-up month. We'll get there...