Tag: Welcome To The Zoo

A World Champion..and I knew her when

This is a video of the young woman who just two days ago won the AQHA World  Show Amatuer Trail class in Oklahoma. For those of you who are not of the horsey set, this is like winning the Olympics!  Our little farms were side by side for many years and I am proud to say I KNEW HER WHEN!..

 Many years of blood, sweat and tears, heart ache and hard work went into this win. 

Congratulations SARAH and TUG!!!!!……..
A blast from the past:
On the left- Sarah on her first horse Maggie and sister Casey riding Missy
The girls had braided feathers in their horses manes for the family Christmas card.
No horses have ever been loved more,
 and no one I know has ever worked harder to achieve her goal.

New Shoes… and.. SNOW?

We’re not even upon Thanksgiving yet,
and the white stuff has made it’s debut.

Mike cut down the roses and perennials in the back yard this weekend,
 just in time, apparently.

 Ben doesn’t like the cold… after five minutes he’s had it, can you tell?
Opie got new shoes on this miserable slushy morning too…
I NEVER pay more than $100. for a really good pair of shoes for myself, and even that is rare.
Opie gets a fancy new set of shoes every six to eight weeks at $165. a clip.
Now you tell me, who’s the fool.

       Opie and Harley in rain gear…
 this is Opies “get out of my hay pile” face.
 
When the blacksmith arrives it takes about 45 minutes to remove the old shoes, assess the new growth, trim and file, refit new shoes shaped to Opie’s foot using hammer and anvil and sometimes a forge.
My blacksmith has a wonderful truck and trailer setup,
as organized as any type A person I know.
For this shoeing he decided to give Opie snow pads and pegs to help prevent slipping
 in weather such as we have today, and stop snow and ice from balling up in his hooves.
The top layer of rain gear had to come off so as not to soak the farrier.
aka blacksmith, horse shoer.  All terms apply, never sure which one to use.
Old shoes… Opie tends to grow long in the toe…

Pulling the old shoes…

Trimming and filing before re-shoeing.
fitting new shoes to the hoof.
If you click on the image to enlarge it, you can see the snow pad and pegs.

There are many sizes and shapes to a horses hoof.
You’ll find many sizes of horse shoe in a blacksmith’s supply rack.
The anvil, forge and hammers are used to shape them according to
the individual horses foot.
It’s a precise science, blacksmithing,  and it’s hard physical work.
There aren’t a lot of young people learning the trade these days
for those reasons.  I worry that someday it will be a dying art.
Sadly, I think it’s already on its way.

 New shoes, blurry shot. Opie did not like the flash. 

Air Line Rail Trail

  A few of us barn girls spent a glorious halloween afternoon riding along the Air Line Rail Trail.   For those of you who live in or around Connecticut, this is an awesome resource for biking, hiking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, walking, dog walking  and running.  Even young children can enjoy it, for the terrain is flat and easy to navigate. I will warn you that the high elevation of some of the bridges and portions of the trail system require caution, especially when you’re riding a 1000 lb. animal who might jump to the side if spooked.  My trusty steed behaved,  thank you to The Powers That Be.

Very Brief History of the Rail Trail –  Two of the most important cities in the United States in the mid-1800s were Boston and New York City.  To build a railroad on the straight line between the two cities, diagonally through Connecticut and Southeast Massachusetts, had long been a dream of various railroad investors and engineers. The “Air Line” route got its name from the idea that the railroad would follow a path as “if a line had been drawn through the air” between the two cities.

 The idea eventually took shape after much trial and tribulation, corruption and re-organization.  However..in the long run and moving forward a hundred years –  by the 1960’s there was flood damage to many of the bridges and it was no longer profitable to run certain sections of the rail trail. It slowly became defunct, although certain portions are still in use today.

Once certain parts of the line were abandoned, the state of Connecticut stepped in to oversee the property. The section of the Airline from East Hampton to Willimantic, from Willimantic to Putnam, and in Thompson were placed under the control of the Department of Environmental Protection. The state government in the 1980s began planning the 50 plus mile greenway corridor from Portland to Thompson which would become one of New England’s most treasured recreation paths.

 The information I posted here and the  complete history of the train service can be found on this site.

 My photos don’t do the trail justice, as I had only my iphone and the fear of falling off the side of the cliff should my horse decide to do the unthinkable.  Fear-based iphone pics generally suck.

The trail system all the way through is wide and clean … just amazing. 

Self portrait in shadow
 This is Paula and her horse of many years, Max.
I know what Paula needs for Christmas… those electric socks that keep feet warm.
It was indeed chilly enough to have frozen toes by the end of the ride.
An excellent link to find rail trails in your neck of the woods…
http://www.traillink.com/home.aspx

In search of the rare silver-winged water fowl

  There were rumors.  It had been spotted by more than a few people.  Something folks around these parts have never seen before!   I wasn’t sure that I believed it…until I caught a flash of silver as I drove by the rumored pond on my way to the grocery store.

  This little pond happens to abutt the back of This Old House’s property, and it borders the main drag most people take in and out of town.  So yesterday Ben and I took a walk out back to see if we could get a glimpse. I wasn’t hopeful because the trail narrows and the  brush gets thick around that pond and who knows whether the silver winged water fowl was still in residence. Or if it had ever existed at all, for that matter.

   With hiking boots, tick repellent and stoic resolve we headed into the wilderness, unsure of the length of the journey or it’s outcome. As with all great journeys, there were risks. It’s hunting season after all, so I wore bright yellow and talked nonsense with great frequency and volume.

Ben was up for the task.

 Our first leg was uneventful…
…except for the passing of the chicken manure pile in the back field.
You remember the flies, right?
And the man’s denial that it had anything to do with this HUGE MOUND OF SH*T ?!

Back to the journey…

 We avoided the consumption of poisonous berries….

Considered harvesting mushrooms for the evening meal…
Decided against it since I haven’t a clue as to which are edible unless they’ve come
from the grocery store in a cardboard carton…

The woods became dense and the trail less obvious…

but the sky was still friendly and the temperatures moderate…so we forged ahead.

I made note of markers along the way as the trail narrowed to non-existence.
As we neared the body of water the moss grew thicker and the footing became treacherous.

 Just as I was about to give in and go home, out of the corner of my eye…..
 I saw something….

 Good Lord, the rumor is true.
Behold the rare silver winged duck.
And there is more than one!

There is a moral to my story.
When your son  who has no interest in hunting comes home with an armload
 of old decoys he bought from the neighbor’s yard sale

..disappearing into the garage and mysteriously into the woods for an hour or two…

 don’t be afraid to ask the Big Questions.
I suppose this is our version of Graffiti here in the sticks.

An Evening Stroll with Bailey and the Rebel

…my camera,  that is. Although some would say that’s me.  *sigh* ….there’s always a critic, isn’t there.

   New England can be a dreary place come January and February, when all the snowbirds have scattered down South.  I’ll admit I have dreams of a little seaside condo with sugar white sand and gulf waters where I can flee those bitter grey days.

However, THIS time of year…. is glorious. 

   

Laughter is definitely the best medicine

 Ok, not to make light of a sad situation, but since it’s me that had the sad situation… it’s OK to laugh now, isn’t it?  Cause this is actually funny…and I give you permission.

Today I was at work and I got a text from my friend saying she was going to the vet (my vet) with her injured dog.  SO…. I had a favor to ask…. read on in the link below.

http://catchjoyasitfliesby.blogspot.com/2010/08/it-never-ceases-to-amaze-me-how-one.html

This is me and one of my best buds, Joey. (the one in the above-linked post)  Let me tell you a story about the photo below.

   A long time ago in a far away land  (ok, this same small town, but whatever)  there were two women who’s paths never crossed.  They never crossed because… she was the ex of the new boyfriend I had when I moved to this small town.  And even though I had nothing to do with their break-up, I was still  the next one.  And, you know.. that’s kinda awkward.  Especially awkward for me because I was the new kid in this one-horse town, and they had been a couple for many years.    SO… I was alittle intimidated by her and made SURE we never crossed paths.  It didn’t help that he never got over her.

    Years went by and the guy and I inevitably broke up, a very good thing because it wasn’t a good thing. I met my husband and Joey met hers and we are still married to those men today.

      Bear with me here…

     From time to time I would see her… in the grocery store, in the hardware store… we had babies on our hips or groceries in our arms…and she’d glance my way but then turn away quickly.  A SNUB!   She hated me, Good God, she did.  But didn’t she know I didn’t even KNOW her ex when they had their great fall?            So I avoided her more.

      More years… more avoidance… and then… The CALL.  I was editor of a local publication.. and she had a business she wanted to advertise.  She called to place an ad.   GASP.   I called her back…..
     
     We got to talking,   because we had to,   you know….. and … I asked her if she knew who I was.  She said she thought so, but didn’t know that she had ever SEEN me.   We thought we’de meet at the Town picnic coming up and so we did….  Sure enough, she had no idea who I was… and that really makes perfect sense.   The reason I knew HER… was because he still had pictures of her plastered here and there when I arrived.    And truth be told?  She could have given two __________  because she was so happy to be free of that relationship. 
       
        We are now great friends with so much in common. The above picture was taken in Newport.   There were three of us girls on that trip. We rented a room on Bannister’s Wharf so that we could spend a full two days there shopping and browsing and eating.  Missy took one bed and Joey and I shared the other.  As we turned in for the night thoroughly exhausted ,  we turned out the lights…..and I said… “If you had told me 15 years ago I’de be sharing a hotel bed with Joey, I’de sooner believe Brad Pitt.”  

   To highlight the irony further, in this picture I am wearing a pair of Joey’s jeans, because I didn’t bring long pants and it was cold down by the docks. They fit me perfectly.  I still have them,  and I call them my Joey Jeans.        Who woulda thought.
   
       
  

Barn babies

 I went to the barn last night to tend to Opie’s wound…

(you’re welcome) ……
And this is what Opie thought of that…
So when I walked down into the darkened barn and flicked on the light… there were four scurrying creatures underfoot… four adorable baby skunks running for cover. They could fit in my hand.  I turned the light off again and stood still for a few minutes while they ventured back out, playing with each other like kittens.  The bravest started wrestling with another and then backed up to him with tail raised as if to say “back off,  or I’m gonna spray!!”  Really cute, until I realized I was just feet away and if he really WAS gonna spray, I wasn’t going home smelling like roses.  So I flicked the light back on and quickly took these pics with my iphone (sorry for bad image quality)….
I want one!
Three!.. poking their heads out of their current home the shavings pallets..

Happy Hour

 Last night the guy and I went to my favorite mexican restaurant to decompress.  I needed decompressing, you see… because this week has been less than joyful due to the still-unpacking nature of things at This Old House plus the financial stress of still owning two mortgages, my back went out,  the camp schedule for the manchild and  my back went out, my work schedule thankfully still part time, (my back!)  and the three times daily cleansing of the horses GAPING CHEST WOUND schedule.   

My charming little quarter horse thought he might try on a fence post as, oh.. I don’t know… a chest piercing maybe?…  and he learned it hurts alot and bleeds profusely too!!… plus there’s the gaping hole that remains, minor detail.  Kinda like those holes left by the (what do you call them) … pegs?  you see people wearing now and then in their ears.  I’ve always wondered what happens with those holes when they get tired of wearing the big round peg things.  Do they close back up or is surgery needed to repair the earlobe?  Anyone know? Just wondering.

  Anyway… I had my favorite things (cheese enchiladas with a big bowl of fresh quacamole and if you don’t recognize that drink, you’ve been missing out on something really good). …. in an atmosphere I just love.  The buzz was a necessary evil at the end of a hectic day…. it was truly a happy hour.

 
    

Raptors Live On

  We were given two wingback chairs from the late 1800’s by the previous owner of This Old House. They were in need of new fabric and I found a nice toile print.  The color is a faded coral with a brown  and beige pattern.  I loved them immediately when they came home to roost… and then my son said:

 “Why are the dogs chasing dinosaurs on the chairs?” 

Huh?   

“See? … aren’t those Raptors?”  …..

*Sigh. *
You know… I see it… I really do.

Ben made himself right at home in his new digs (my office)… and then he decided to DIG in my office.  So.. apparently at 14 months old he is not yet trustworthy when left alone to his own devices.  The Pen came back up from the basement and takes up most of my… office.
 (see hole in new pine floors in front of pen).  

The place is still a mess, and we’re still going back and forth cleaning up the old homestead.  I do love it here already though…and thanks for all your comments and encouragement . You make the ride that much more enjoyable.