SkyWatch Friday

~He confused me in body and mind.

I'm still trying to straighten things out.~

~Virginia Ball 1890~

After my rant yesterday, I dedicate this 

beautiful sunrise to all animals in need. 

May they have a "new dawn in life."

See more beautiful skies around the world at Skywatch Friday~

The Responsibility of Responsible Animal Husbandry

~When the time comes to die, I hope I'm ready to go.~

~Eve Thomas 1878~

There are no pretty pictures because this story isn't very pretty.

I know that I'm goin' to be preachin' to the choir here, but I guess I'm hopin' that gettin' this story off my chest makes me feel better.

Yesterday I made a trip up to the feed store. There was a man being waited on ahead of me, and I just waited politely behind him. His conversation with the store clerk came about that his 31 year old mare had died. The mare's mother had lived to 32. That's quite an accomplishment.

The man's next statement was something to the effect that "she just couldn't take the cold anymore...there wasn't any shelter from the wind, even though there wasn't much wind."

Excuse me!!!???!!! That's kinda your responsibility...to take care of the needs of your animals!

So, all I've been able to see in my mind for the past 24 hours is this poor ol' mare lying down and giving up on life...on a cold, lonely, dark night... The temps have dropped as low as -35 in some areas of the county. But let's just say it was -25 with a 5 mph wind...according to my wind chill chart the wind chill factor now reads -40.  Frost bite time at that temperature is 30 minutes.

How long does that idiot think anything can survive at 40 below! I just wanted to beat him over the head with a 2 x 4...knowing that he was laying comfy in his warm bed...as the mare died in agony...

Responsible animal care isn't overly difficult...

• fresh, clean water
• ample nutritious food
• shelter from the elements

Throw in a lil' bit of vet care...

I don't feel any better yet...maybe I'll see that guy at the feed store again, and I'll get a second chance to knock him over the head with that 2 x 4...

Christmas at Our Family Farm

~It's kind of exciting not knowing what's coming next.~

~Anonymous~

I know this is totally late, but the following text is what I wrote for the January Horsefly (one of the reasons I didn't do much posting after Christmas)...and wanted to share it with you. I'm adding a lot more photos than were printed in the publication...as usual (you know me!).

The View From My Saddle

You know, I’ve heard that it’s not a good idea to go back to a place you sold; it’s usually worse for wear and always a disappointment. In this instance, we didn’t sell our family farm, but when my father and uncle retired, they divided the farm which was located south of Hillsboro ,and my uncle sold his half a few years later.


After the new owners took over, they tore down the old two-story farm house I lived in for years as a child and replaced it with a manufactured home. That was hard to take. But the worst was yet to come. I remember the day I drove up the driveway for a visit and the old barn was gone. I was angry. I was hurt. A part of my life was gone…forever.


That old barn was the nucleus of my childhood. From hay forts and the smell of burnin’ calf hair on branding day to little girls spending a night in the barn for a sleep-over and getting my horse ready for 4-H fair; that old barn was my life.


Time has healed the wounds. I enjoy just remembering the way it was. My younger brother now owns the farm and has done wonderful improvements to not only the house that my mom and dad built, but has also built a cabin down at the irrigation pond.

My dad built this irrigation pond way back when.
It's fed by a stream. The deepest part is probably 13-15 feet or so.

The Cabin.
It comes with a pot bellied stove, running water, and electricity powered by a generator.
There's a half loft above with a bed. Totally cozy!!!

We spent Christmas Eve afternoon at the cabin playing
 the card game "Euchre" and eating popcorn.
Cindy Sue was trying to get a corner of the dog bed,
but Bella Jo was being a bed hog!

What would a cabin in the woods be without a matching outhouse?!?

Peace and tranquility.

The dock sees a lot of activity in the summer. Big kids and little kids alike are out there
with their fishing poles catching bass, catfish and blue gill.
The boat ties up to the dock.

The annual family Christmas Eve gathering was held at the farm this year. My husband and I spent three nights there and enjoyed every minute.

My favorite meal of all were these stuffed Cornish game hens...
(my brother's not too bad of a chef for a general contractor)

...along with these "fresh from Boston" lobster!!! Serious...they were still alive
when they got plopped into the boiling water...the best I've ever tasted!

Spending time at the pond and cabin brought back childhood memories of summers swimming and catching pollywogs and extreme winters when it froze over and the church youth group came out and we played hockey. Ah…the good ol’ days.

So, life goes on no matter what happens. Mom and dad would be mighty proud of our family farm now; even with the changes.

It’s good to know that the land is still in the family. It’s cared for and loved by all of us.


Well, that was our wonderful Christmas trip. The weather was pretty good going over the passes and we also got to visit friends. But, as always, we were sure glad to be home!

NOTE: The nursery stock you see in some of the photos is on the property that my uncle had owned. My brother raises a few Christmas trees, but leases out the majority of the land to another farmer.