Notes from afield

I've been in BC for a week now.  Things were a little crazy while I tried to prepare to leave and put as much in place as I could to help G manage the farm easily while he was also working full time.

A few photos and notes I'd been jotting down before I left:

Looking down over the sheep paddock at sunset.  The swale plants are doing well, the grass is surviving but needs a rest, so it's time to move them past the house to the few rotations by the garage.

We don't quite know what's been going on out in the fields as far as the insect kingdom goes, but it must be something major, because every night in the last few weeks of July there were dozens of swallows hunting out there.  It was not unlike old footage of WWII aerial battles. 

My little barn helper, Bufo americanus. American toad.
 He would arrive every evening at dusk to hunt under the barn light.  Is that a disapproving look? Or is it just me...

After Winston lost his nice egg bar shoes out in the deep paddock a few weeks ago, I was after my farrier to come out and replace them.  Of course it took a week just to get a response, then he couldn't get the shoes ordered and delivered by the day he had promised.  So when he finally did show up, I was shocked to find him nailing on the WRONG SHOES.  He was putting on heart bar shoes, which put pressure on the frog and heels of the foot.  Oakley wore that type for a spell when he had a bad thrush episode on his foot with the contracted heel. THIS IS NOT WHAT WINSTON NEEDED. 

We are working under the diagnosis of some level of navicular syndrome with Winston, and when the vet 'tested' the heel (basically using special metal calipers to squeeze parts of the foot and see if the horse reacts painfully) Winston was very sore there. So why our farrier chose to put a shoe on that added MORE pressure is beyond me.  He claimed that the shoes he was applying mimicked a bare foot, so he wanted to try them.  I figured he had just messed up again and didn't have the shoes I had asked for.  I don't really know why I didn't just say 'take them off!!' or maybe like Gollum 'LEAVE! And never come back!'.  I will be letting our vet know about this episode, and imploring that they actually put aside their personal issues and work together properly.  As an aside, our new driving coach for Oakley is working on finding us another farrier that will travel to our area. 

So of course Winston started acting very painful, and by day two I was convinced he needed the shoes replaced. I'm no expert, so I just try to interpret behaviours the best I can. I called the farrier, waited another four days until I heard from him, and by then Winston was a little bit better, but still at least grade one lame, and walking with head down.  Since Oakley's trim and reset date was coming up, I asked him to make sure he had the egg bar shoes, because I wanted those put on Winston again. Then I realized I couldn't be there at the time we'd agreed on--my flight to BC was early in the morning.  I texted him to ask that he coordinate with G while I was away, and get it done.  Winston was now grade 2 lame.  No response from him. Tuesday, Wednesday, no response.  I texted again, asking if he'd worked out a time with G. No response.  I was going to be off grid with no cell service for the wedding in a remote part of Vancouver Island, so I tried one more time Friday morning.  I was not polite. I said I wanted it done before I returned. I wanted a response.  It had the desired effect.  He responded not in a professional manner but rather sulkily, and perhaps even with lies.  I asked G if he'd heard from him. Nope. 

By Friday night Oakley was trimmed and had new shoes, and Winston had his egg bars back on.  G texted that Winston was better already! He even tried to race Oakley out to pasture the next day. Phew. Not really what I wanted to be worried about during my 'vacation'. 

Winny Bear from this past winter, looking his age. We are trying to give him the best!

Harvest time!

I finally sent our fleeces to the mill in North Dakota!  Can't wait until we get it all back.  I ordered mostly worsted weight this time, and roving for Mama Ewe again if she figures the fibre will break too much on machines.  Maybe I will have to coat both Mama Ewe and Henry, since that moorit (Shetland brown) fleece tends to bleach in the merciless Minnesota sun.  

Sleepy Mama Ewe on lush spring grass.

Mama Ewe has some nice crimp in her fleece, so I'm hoping I won't have too much trouble spinning her roving myself, hopefully on a spinning wheel I will get this fall...

Some of our yarn from last year:

Tree frog at the barn. 

In 36 hours I will be asleep in my own bed....But for now I'm excited to go and spend a few hours on White Rock beach at low tide.  One day left of ocean, then back to Minnesota heat.