Saturday Farm Report

This week the weather has been amazing! It's been about 40 all week, and above 45 most days. The horses have been out at night, leaving me less cleanup in the morning. That may sound lazy to some horsekeepers, but they look cleaner, happier and calmer than when they spend nights in their stalls. It has helped with the cleanliness that it's also been dry, so there's less mud to roll in. I don't understand the rolling in the mud thing, but our horses love it. I was talking to our farrier the other day about that, and even he, the expert, couldn't explain why they roll in the cold, wet mud, even in the winter. We could both understand summer rolling, but winter? We're mystified.

I've been working on scheduling and planning this week. Last year, I talked about planning the garden. This year, I'll be doing that soon, but I am also planning horse projects, house and garden maintenance projects, and vacation scheduling. Our first planned trip away will be in February, when we go to visit cousins in Iowa City. We planned that for this month, but the silly Buick decided it needed new tires. Our trip money was invested in Firestone. So, next month it is.

Today Mary and I are headed out to visit two stables near us. At the first one, I am going to talk to a lady about lessons for me and my horse. I last took lessons about 30 years ago, and, although I am generally content with what Hope and I do, I am beginning to want a little more. If I can put a little polish on my meager skills and connect a bit better with her, it could be fun. After a stop for lunch, Mary and I will head to another stable, where one of her 4H leaders works. Said leader has offered her the chance to work with a young horse, and is going to show her how to do that. That's golden, and I'm going to make sure she gets that opportunity. So, since it's later than I thought, I'll be heading out now. Have a great Saturday!