Farm Update

Seems it will be yet another 4 weeks until my desktop is back from the repair shop! I'm using the little laptop and I hate it. Well I'm getting used to it actually. I haven't posted in so long I don't even know where to start! All my friends and family keep asking me when I'm gonna post again! And its that time of year for all the cattle questions to start coming in. I've already had several searches so guess I'll try to get back in the swing of things.
Harvest time is upon us here at the farm. Corn and beans are ready. Corn is right at 20% and Norm is going cut some to put in the bin with the fan to dry them out a little further. 20% is the highest you can go. The beans themselves are just right, but the stems are a little green and tough, so he is going to adjust the bean head on the combine and start running them. I havent gotten any good pictures yet, all its been so far is just machinery work getting it all ready to go! Kinda boring to me!
The two little cows above are MY newest additions. Flower is the mother and Lilly is her baby. I finally found my Jersey's! Flower is a 14 mo old and she was bred way to early but luckily had her calf, Lilly, safely and both are healthy. Flower (the momma) is a little thin, but will soon get to a healthy weight. She is eating awesome and the baby is as well. Both are extremely docile for not being hand raised. A trait of the breed. I'm really pleased and I've been spending a lot of time with them. In the few days I've had them they are now eating hay out of my hands! Soon I'll have them gentled down with a halter on them, and hopefully can work on leading. They are so sweet natured and quiet. Lilly the baby is even more curious and friendly than her mother!
The last month or more my very good friend and neighbor, Mari, have been putting in A LOT of hours working in the barn. The stalls have been holding water and urine more and more. I guess with the horses in the barn more often the ground is getting even more hardened and holding the liquid. its been so bad that we have decided to place a dense grade gravel down that will pack and harden over time like concrete yet still allow water to drain. A THICK layer of straw is then laid over top to prevent any sore legs or hoof problems. The horses will only be in this barn until spring, then another barn that is on the property thats not being utilized will be turned into their very own home. More space, better drainage, and access to a pasture that will be all their own without having to be moved for cattle or shared at any time. Its been a lot of work shoveling all that gravel and laying it all out as thick as we needed it to be. But I have to say I think the both of us got some muscle and lost a little weight in the process, not to mention how good the hard work feels when your done and the pride of your accomplishment feels! The barn will go back to the cattle, my baby calves and not have standing water! Which means no more wrestling baby calves at feeding time and getting covered from head to toe in poo and pee!!!! Well, if you know cows thats still gonna happen but not as bad now since the rain water doesnt hold in there now! :-) In this process of barn renovation I have discovered that MY horse King has fallen in love with someone else....yes..its true. *sigh* Its Mari. He loves her. She pulls in and his head snaps up, he comes up in the field to greet her right away with this beautiful rolling snort, lays his head on her shoulder, will let her rub him for ever as long as she will, in fact she can groom him awhile the other horses eat and he forgets about his food....YES...he doesnt care about eating even! Should I be jealous? LOL No...I've actually enjoyed watching this special bond develop. To see My Boy who a yr and half ago who was a horse closed off to the world, blossom into this beautiful loving horse who now loves the attention of humans and who has not only bonded with us but with Mari..it really warms my heart to see them together. Okay, a twinge of jealousy!

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Our Little Jack has had so much going on its unreal! I'm so proud of Leah and all her hard work which is paying off. He is the perfect horse to be her first to start. And she has done well! Here is an overview of the past couple months....first bath...first farrier work (no shoes just trimming)...new bridle...taking the bit...learning the bit...FIRST RIDE...

I think this is one of my favorite pictures I've ever taken of Leah with the horses..can you feel the love they were both feeling at that moment?

So..with each of these...Jack has been..let me say...PERFECT...not a jump, not a buck..not a scoot, not a twinge of nervousness! He acts like an old horses who has done all this a thousand times! He will make Leah such an awesome horse. He is just a couple months shy of turning 2, so they have many many years together and I think that is so awesome!

This is one of my VERY good friends Libby! She and her family came to visit, had a cookout and bonfire and a WONDERFUL time, I loved each of them. It was the first time I'd gotten to meet her two boys and her husband and it was really a lot of fun and I cant wait to have my hippie momma Libby and her clan back again! I love you Libby!!!!
So thats it in a nutshell.
Our annual Bonfire and Hayride is coming up for our birthdays....Leah, Mine, and Norms, and my nephew John's birthdays are all in October. I cant wait for our big party! It is always SO much fun! I love having our bonfires, we didn't get to have as many this year, it seemed to rain every time we planned one!
I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things again, I miss reading every one's wonderful blogs and I need to catch up, I wonder how everyone is doing, how your farms and horses are, your crafts are going, etc. And just how YOU are in general! I have missed you!
~*~Rae~*