How To Think Like A Horse....

Which is what I'm learning by my new book of the same title! I've been eyeing it for a couple months and have skimmed through the pages while at Tractor Supply....I finally broke down and purchased the book today!

So far......I LOVE IT! A "new" approach focusing on the "old" cowboy ways....basically along the lines of how horse whispering is done and how and why their methods are successful.

Just in the first chapter...I've learned soo much....

So I'm pleased!

I'm so excited! I've gotten 3 soap orders this week...things had slowed down after Christmas! I havent even had time to "make over" my shop like I had planned this week.

So again- I'm pleased!

Saturday I'm meeting a fellow Bluegrass Etsy Street Team member who lives in Louisville. Libby and I are gonna grab a great lunch at Panera Bread...she's never been there and she'll be in for a treat! Plus I get a little treat by getting to meet her daughter Maylee! She is such a beautiful little girl! I'll have to think of a treat to take her! Must win over the munchkins with treats you know! LOL

So did ya'll hear about the plane crash today? I'm sure you have its all over the news! US Airways and a flock of Geese...they dont mix well, made an emergency landing in the only place he could lay the plane down and that was the Hudson River....good quick thinking on the pilot's part saved EVERYONE! Thank God for Miracles!

Poor Norm has been busy and out in this terribly cold weather all day. He had to take his mom to town for grocery stops...5 places....then feeding, several people have called about the farm trucks we have for sale and the old trailer that we pulled off the lot for Josh to put his in. The trailer isnt worth ANYTHING - nasty and old, but with money can be made livable....I'd never live there, but you would be surprised at people! Just like with a yard sale, why is it the things that you were gonna throw away but in after thought said "heck I'll lay it out there and just see if someone wants my totally trashed out item that is useless..if anything I can throw it away with the other junk thats NOT coming back in the house"...THEY ALL SELL AND SELL FIRST!!!! Why the heck is that??????

Some trash can never be made into another persons treasures no matter what you try! LOL

Doug helped with feeding which involved getting all the gates open and shut for him, and today required pushing a hay bale after it was spun and the small tight bunch wouldnt come off the thingy that turns...Norm will laugh when he reads this cause I should know what thats called! LOL Oh well - laugh on Norm!

Its my job to make you smile!

I had a doctor apt...I've been told..NO carbs at all, EXERCISE no matter what, and get a light box.......hmmmmmm where am I gonna come up with the funds for that box? I've been looking on line for the last 3 months and I couldnt find any cheaper than $300.00...however today i decided to check on Amazon and found a better one for $125.00 I'm praying that we can swing it......

I do need it, very badly actually.

The weather is too cold to do anything with my critters and this dampens my mood. I know that you must be confident and happy and excited in a good way when dealing with horses and I make my first trip out to the barns with a good attitude keeping that in mind no matter how I feel. I'm met with the same loving and exuberant attitudes from my horses. It's giving me more confidence with them each day. My little Pepper never ceases to make me smile, I never knew I'd love a chicken SO much..but she is a joy! Little Carrot greets me happily too waiting for her treats she knows I'll bring her. So with the weather today, bitterly cold, coldest its been in 8 years I'm stuck inside. Stalls need to be mucked...coop and rabbit cage need to be cleaned, barn needs to be cleaned, dog needs some loving, hooves need picking and mud cleared from those magnificent bodies of my dear horse friends....Right now its 9 degrees, low tonight to 0 degrees..wind chill.... like negative 12 I think....you cant be out long in this. I'm still running a fever so the cold seems to bite even more. I'm really worried about my dear chicken and rabbit, hoping they will brave the weather okay....they are snug in the barn cages surrounded by thick hay, hopefully insulating them from the cold. I even thought of putting them together in the same cage to help them warm up with more body heat...but I dont believe Pepper will tolerate the rabbit being so close...she is a Diva....I'll be out to check on them before bed and thats all I can do. The basement is way too hot for either of them with the wood stove...and Norm wont let me bring them in...though I'm gonna ask him again. He did let me have a baby starling i tried to nurse back to health.....so we'll see. The answer will be no I'm sure. But worth trying.

Okay....time for me to snuggle under a blanket with my new book....tomorrow is soap making! And Dougs Basketball game.

Night all - stay warm.

*BTW thats me and Oliver back in March! I miss my little calf being a little calf!

Wilmoth Farm's Sunday Reading - *photos of Doug's duck hunting adventure not for the faint of heart**

Today was a really good day for Douglas! He went duck hunting for the first time with Donnie and Neil (neighbors and friends) and got a beautiful Male Mallard!!! Yea Douglas!! Below are some pictures of his first duck. We have him saved back and frozen until I can gather the money to take him to the taxidermist. He was so beautiful....still made me sad to see such a gorgeous dead animal! I loved this next one...TOOOOOOO funny!

Here you can see the beautiful colors of his feathers!

LOVE the next one too!

I havent written much about Georgia who is going to be a mommy soon. In our herds hierarchy she is last...well now poor Bella is with that bunch. We had a mare, a lovely tenn walking mare who foaled about 2 years ago. He baby was the one that kicked Douglas and severed the tip of his middle finger. Momma and baby got sold back in Feb. She wouldnt let Buck who at the time was a stud anywhere near another mare. Right after we sold her, both he and Georgia took a trip to the Amish to be broken. When they came back he was gelded. (The most gentle horse you will find even as a stud...he is only 4 years old.) Well in that month and half that he was able to mate....he got Georgia (who is about 5 or 6 yrs)!! So now we are looking at a baby due the end of this month to middle of Feb. We dont know the exact date since we dont know when she was bred. Anyhoo....now to decide what we are going to do, we have thought the last year about selling her, she is a very hot horse and I hate handling her at all, and she don't seem to like me either unless there is a fence between us. I'll let you know as we go...I wish I could have gotten better pictures to show her large barreled belly, but she wouldnt cooperate with the camera.

This is a pretty cool home made duck blind that some acquaintances have made to hunt over on part of our farm. So I took a picture of it.

My little guys are slowly getting bigger! I turned my camera off too soon, they ALL began jumping and kicking in the hay that Norm spun off the bail....too cute! Of course...I missed the shot. You can see how wet its been by how deep the mud is on their legs....N-A-S-T-Y! Is anyone besides me ready for those hot days of summer? Geez this winter seems so long! And we haven't even gotten into the coldest or snowy days yet! As of today we have 69 days until spring!!!!!! I am praying that these 69 days move along quickly!

We had a good weekend, as always with Leah home. Douglas was very sad tonight to see her go and cried most of the way home...my heart breaks a little more each time too. I wish I had some wise words of wisdom for him, but I'm trying to handle it gracefully myself.

The cattle are getting more hungry as calving time approaches. We will begin feeding silage very soon. They are in need of it, seems that this year pasture kinda disappeared sooner than usual. Its mud everywhere.

Typical Kentucky Winter.

The Bulls are getting along well, there are only 5 in a nice big paddock. They are lazy and fat. Except Amos, who was napping in the bail ring.

He appears a little thin. Of course he is the youngest Bull and as far as his rank in the bunch, he is last in line to the throne! We will need to begin feeding them some feed again along with their hay. The hard part is figuring out how to get it over there without going back and forth from the grain bin here at the house back across the street to them. It'll be somewhat of a hassle carrying 2 or 3 buckets of feed over every day. But guess if thats what we have to do...then we do it.

Leah changed Jacks halter today, he didn't appreciate the pretty new blue halter coming at him, so she cleverly placed the halter open across his feed and he placed his nose right through! She said he gave her no problem at all as she pulled it in place and buckled him up. I'll be working the next few days with taking the halter off and on getting him used to it.

King has a new halter too, a pretty maroon that will look nice with his red roan coat. He knows he is tall and thinks its quite funny to hold his head high these days when he is haltered or bridled. But once its on his nose (and thats a good reach for me! lol) he lowers his head right down....little bugger! He is really feeling good and looking so healthy! Its taken us since spring when I acquired him back to get his weight up to where it should be, and get his coat to begin to shine again. His eyes are no longer depressed and "beaten" looking and he has a beautiful sparkle back in them! He used to not care for attention one way or the other...he was indifferent, but lately he is really taking a turn! He appreciates the daily contact, and is seeking affection!!!! I love my old man and I'm so pleased in his turn around!

Pepper and Carrot are living quite happily in the same pen. I see the two of them often sitting out together. They both need some company so this works for now. The temps are falling into single digits this week, so I'll be moving them both back to the barn until it passes. Luckily neither of them care if they are moved back and forth...as long as fruit and cookies and veggies are given daily! The do miss each others company when they are in the barn, there is no good place to have them together while in there.

Levi is FINALLY (knock on wood) learning to stop chasing my car when I leave! That darned dog has driven me crazy about this. He absolutely hates to be tied out and pouts like none other when he is, so since he hates it so much, he has figured out to stop chasing me! YEA!

Leah and I checked out one of our barns thats not really used at all except for storage of tobacco sticks and a few pieces of equipment to see if we can turn it into a horse/goat barn...I'll post on that later tho. This is already long.

Norm is feeling good but achy. Being off the pain killers has helped him tremendously.

We are both back to feeding the farm by ourselves.

Before you can be old and wise, you must be young and stupid! - Nite, Rachel