Not Something One Sees Everyday

One last image from our expedition to Peterborough. We spotted this fellow at the corner of Country Road 8 & Wingfield Road, near Hoard's Station. I think this might be a juvenile Goshawk.

A Day Dedicated to My Husband's Hobby

Every now and again I am compelled to leave the farm and support Brian in his hobbies. For those of you who don't know, a portion of the barn is a stained glass studio. Brian started this hobby in 2003 while we were in Virginia. Under the tutelage of Diane Phillips he quickly mastered the basics and now has two completed Tiffany reproduction stained glass lamps to his credit. He needed to purchase the glass to start the third project which is a Tiffany reproduction sculptured chestnut lamp.

About a month ago we went on a stained glass road trip. Our first stop was in Peterborough, to a delightful store called Hues in Glass. While we were there the first time we spotted the perfect sheet of glass for the newest lamp and ordered in a similar sheet. Yesterday, we drove to Peterborough to pick it up.

Another unusual move is we brought our dogs along for the ride and decided to do a walking tour of the Peterborough lift lock. I had only seen photos of this lock and was quite taken with the size of the structure. I am looking forward to the opportunity to see the locks in operation this summer.

The view from the top of the lock. This lock will be 104 years old this year and is the tallest liftlock in North America. Most flood type locks will raise a vessel anywhere from 8 to 25 feet, this lock is a staggering 65 feet.

Pip-Squeak was decidely unimpressed with the view. She was certain this was a fancy contraption for disposing of misbehaving puppies. Pip is our rescue dog from the Lewis Upshur dog pound in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

Always Bittersweet.......

We are now into our second day of warm sunny weather. That first real glimpse of the nicer days ahead always come at a time when some enjoyable things are coming to an end. I've always ridden my broodmares late into their pregnancies. So long as they are sound and happy the nice light walk-abouts have been a pleasant experience. I've never had trouble with edema, obesity or cranky/stir-craziness in my mares and I think it is because they continue to lead full lives right to the end of their terms. I typically look for signs in the mare that she has "had it" until foaling and I saw it in Misty today. Where she is usually happy and spry she was obviously uncomfortable and reluctant to do much of anything. She typically carries her foals close to a year meaning a late May delivery but she is looking and acting as she did 6 weeks prior to delivery last year. So with a sigh I decided to brush her and fuss over her. She never turns down the opportunity to be a princess.

As I was brushing her I reflected on our journey together. Misty was the third curly I purchased. She came to us as a yearling and was the first of our family to live in Virginia. It was such a joy to raise our three baby Curlies. I enjoy the babies I have now but not the same way as I enjoyed those first three. Perhaps it is because I did more with those youngsters than I do with the ones I have now. I didn't have riding horses at the time so all of my horse time was dedicated to them. Now, several years later, several miles in the saddle together later, we are now on maternity leave. I always miss my mares when they are busy being Mommies so I always feel a tinge of sorrow when I decide they don't need to be ridden anymore.

A Canadian Moment........

Dedicated to my friends in VIRGINIA and points South who might never have seen what a decent snowstorm can do to a place. Last Friday thru Sunday morning we were blessed with 40cm (that's 15 inches U.S.) of snow. Considering the wide open spaces and high winds we were left with many drifts, some up to my hips. Doesn't sound like much when compared to that storm we had in 2004 which shut down Washington DC for the better part of 3 days(!) but added to the 24-26 inches that we had already received, it's made life interesting.

First, hats off to the Wetheralls and their hired hand Calvin for digging us out of this latest mess. Good cowboys ride good horses and sometimes drive great tractors!! A sampling of Calvin's industry last night.... our snow banks! Misty and Rose in the background marveling at how the banks appear to be as high as *they* are wide! (sorry to burst your bubbles ladies, but you gals are wider!)

But massive amounts of snow is not without usefulness. Something you all in VA probably never thought to do..... the ultimate of beer fridges!!! A good snow bank will chill a two-four in 2 minutes flat! The ultimate in environmentally responsible beer management.


One interesting engineering challenge this snow does present is in the effective containment of horses (particularly stallions!) is that every time it snows, the fences shrink. Here is *Sam's hind end next to his fence. Yes, he is 16'2 but he could step over the fence in a heart beat. Just ask *Moon, who helped himself to a bevy of beauties in the wee hours of the morning.

I Must Not Get On, I Must Not Get On.......

Yesterday was an excellent day for no riding. The sun was bright and the footing was excellent so I elected to spend my time with *Moon. He has learned his lessons very well. He tries hard and stays focussed on the lesson at hand (what a vast improvement from last fall!) I have saddled and bridled him several times now and am now working towards getting the saddle to fit properly. It seems like he changes shape between lessons ;-)) Yesterday was his first day under the Western saddle. I prefer a Western saddle for the first few rides as I spend a lot of time leaning on and hanging off and the Western saddle has much more to grab than the English one. *Moon was unconcerned by the new tack. We reviewed bending and following the feel in the halter. I then taught him how to brace in preparation for being mounted. I spend so much time teaching them how to give to pressure that there is usually some serious confusion when I start pulling on the saddle horn or putting pressure in the stirrups. *Moon has learned these lessons well as I was able to lead him sideways with the stirrup. It took some doing but he finally learned to stand and brace against sideways pressure in the saddle. He has progressed quite a bit faster than I had anticipated and, if he follows the same schedule as the other horses I've started, I should be on his back in the next 3 sessions or so. That always brings me back to wanting him to be a little older before I do that. So I guess we'll leave well enough alone until the fall.

Some Things are Just WRONG.......

Like my poor saddle..... Stashed away in the corner collecting dust, it was also serving as the solid object upon which a trash bag leaned.

Well, yesterday was it's return to dignity. After some brief cleaning it was used on Misty, Thunder and Sam. These are three very different horses and it was all productive in that some progress was made and I am left looking forward to the next rides with each of them. Details to follow!

Let's Interupt Horse Training with a Discussion About Real Estate......

No details just as yet..... but where my horses are usually my inspiration, my reason for getting out of bed and the cause of my undignified existence at a certain (swimming) pool place.... they are again the cause for me to consider getting into it all over again, only a little deeper. We've been pondering relocation and we've found the "right" place.... now the games shall begin. Here's a sneak peak of that place I find worthy of being home for my beloved horses.......