work work work

In our yard we have one very rough spot to mow. 
Last week, hubby's mower was in the shop and I mowed the yard with a little mower. In fact I mowed most of it twice last week because it grew so much.

By Wednesday my hands felt like someone had smashed them, crushed them, drove over them, and stomped on them.
I looked at this section of yard which is incredibly rough with little gullies and a hill which requires ones to push and pull the mower back and forth and said... I'm going to fence it.

He said: No. No No No.

If I let them graze it to the bare bones, it would save me hours of pushing, pulling, and cussing. And my hands would thank me.

He gave me a look. And replied that fencing that section would be too much work.

Heh.

Heh.

Hmmm.

So I offered him the little mower and said I'd follow him around carrying his Oxygen if he wanted to hand mow it.

I got the look of a thousand blades.

And then I fenced it despite his protests.

I made a gate from their pasture into the area....and they walked in. Immediately they began to work.

I enjoyed watching the 

all natural self driven lawn mowers. 

They weed and feed at the same time.

And they don't charge you an arm and a leg.

They don't complain about the working conditions ...

And sometimes, they make nice Yard Statues.

It took them 24 hours to crop it short. And yes, they could walk out of there into their regular pasture which they did often. 
It was kind of them not to leave any manure in the yard.

When they were finished, I disconnected the hot part and coiled up the lines to use again this summer. Hubby was surprised just a little at how nice a job they did. I took the little electric weed whacker and trimmed the weeds they didn't eat. 
The job was done with little effort on my part!

The next shot is my Spring Garden and Shade Garden. I didn't weed it last year due to the drought and this year the weeds had a hay day while I was busy with other things.

The garden is full of Daffodils, Virginia Bluebells, Star of Bethlehem, Hostas, Irises, some ferns, Japanese Iris, a peony, and Phlox.

In the spring it looks so nice when it starts to green up and the little ephemeral flowers appear.

And if it isn't weeded, it looks like a mess or some sort of disaster.

The pile of wood belongs to a neighbor of ours, they helped clean up a fallen tree last year and stacked the wood there for later. The weeds and grasses were so bad, I could barely see the individual plants!

I ended up with 4 carts full of grasses, creeping Charlie, nettles, Bedstraw [sticky!], and saplings.

I love making bouquets early in the spring with all the iris flowers and mix it up with some Peonies. After the spring, the Hostas grow and do their thing.

It isn't a well organized garden at all. I just kept tossing plants in there as they multiplied in other spots.

The NOAA has sent out a statement warning of warning of some very severe weather heading our way on Tuesday. Potential of heavy rain, flash floods, hail, tornado, and strong straight winds.

I guess I can say I won't be doing any yard work for a couple of days. That's okay. 
I have plenty of indoor work that needs to be caught up on.

It's Dandy Time

Some see a weed.

Some see a wish.

Who loves Dandelions?
Not everyone.

Those sneaky little yellow flowers turn white and then spread their fluff all over the place!

The flowers heads duck when you mow over them and then spring back up after you have passed. Those Dandelions are the bane of so many suburban yards. People fight like heck to rid their yards of these bright yellow spring flowers.

Of course, I don't care. Once spring is over, they aren't as noticeable and their foliage is green, just like the rest of the yard.

But for a couple of weeks, they are out there glowing in the morning light and their seeds of fluff blow everywhere.

Dandelions are just little weeds that want 

to be loved like other flowers ~~~
Heather Babcock

Be like a dandelion

Scatter dreams in the breezes.

Passing by the pond....

I thought I'd go past the pond for a while now at least each time I went to town and back. 

How adorable is this? Mom or Dad [I can't tell which] were feeding the chick!

I was able to sit in my Subaru and watch them without disturbing them. 

I've discovered other birds that are coming to this area also. Now I wonder.

We've had a few very dry years and that caused the fast flowing stream here to slow down and sort of bog up. When that happened, the trout fisherpersons that used to visit with frequency at these spots has literally dried up.

I have not seen a fisherman in this area for over two years. I think the fisherman have gone to the spots with easier access? I don't know. 

So...

does that mean the birds are coming back? Does that mean that the birds are finding fish that they eat?

On Thursday the girls and I spotted the Great White Egret and...and... a Blue Heron.

Both birds were at the edge of the stream bank and it appeared that they were fishing. If they are finding food, that means the fish are in the stream.

If the fish are abundant in the stream, that means the stream is in good health.

Now I am not posting these shots with any indication of where they were taken on Social Media. My purpose is to enjoy viewing these birds on my trips to town --- or when I take a notion to drive to this spot.

In my mind Social Media that tags an awesome location for something like wild life or certain landscapes [that would be ruined by crowds] shouldn't be shared. 

Since most people literally fly past this spot and never slow down to look, I think the birds will be safe from harrassement.

I'd hope to see all of these birds a few more times. 

I love my mules!

I haven't had the mules out for a ride since October when I took my neighbor along for a ride down to the creek on my other neighbor's land.

With everything I have going on, I really haven't been able to do a lot with them other than brushing, cleaning their feet, and doing the chores.

I've got some great friends at our CrossFit gym. Last year two of her little girls came out to ride. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous because I didn't know how they'd act around the mules and how much riding knowledge they had.

They were actually pretty good and followed directions well. Gracie and Tory rode in September last year. 

Kids and Equine

I had such a great time with them ... and well, they've been asking about it again. You know girls and equine. There is something that just makes them 'horse' crazy.

Well, today I brought them home with me after our work out. Their littlest sister came along. They are 10, 8 and 6. I figured it would be a handful and maybe even a bit of crazy. But it wasn't. The girls were careful and got to work on cleaning up Sunshine and Siera.

Please excuse the yard, I haven't mowed this section again this week. [Mr. Pony will deal with trimming it first.]

Aside from trimming hooves, this is the first time since last year they were pulled out of the pasture.

[I go out to them to curry and clean their hooves]

The rest of the Motley Crew watched.

The girls wanted to ride bareback because after all they had learned to ride on their old pony that way. 

So we compromised and put a saddle on Siera and kept Sunshine bareback.

Gracie decided she could get on by herself.
And ...
she did.
I was pretty proud of Siera for 
not walking off.

[Yeah, I haven't given them spring haircuts either. But these young ladies did not mind one bit.]

The kids struggled a bit with figuring out how to operate turning, and the mules gals really wanted to be with their pasture mates. Neither mule put up a fuss.

With some encouragement and a little bit of work, Tory and Gracie got with the program. They still gave the mules a bit of mixed signals, but for what it is worth, the mules didn't really care.

Leesie on her first time on Siera....

There is a trick to this. My mules will follow me where ever I walk. So I walked ahead of Leesie and asked her to make Siera follow me. The confidence boost was amazing. She had no fear because in her head she was doing it just like her big sisters.

Eventually I had her walk about on her own. 

And then we switched things up.

We went to the bigger pasture. Big sister helped her little sister.

And they kept switching things up and taking turns until....the girls asked if they could ride double on Siera.

And Siera never batted an eye about it.

One sister slid off, the one behind got in the saddle and then I helped the other sister back on so she too could take a turn in behind.

And so it went.

In the long run, everyone got along fine. My mule girls figured out what their riders wanted even if it was communicated a bit differently than they are used to.

13 seconds:

I used to think, that allowing this to happen would totally ruin an animal. And I suppose it could. But the girls are open to learning how to be softer with their hands. After all, they learned on a hard mouthed and hard headed pony with no real guidance.

The sorrel mule is 26 and was trained by us to deal with the shenanigans of children. While riding and training her we'd grab branches and yell, squirm in the saddle, and do all the things kids will do. She is a solid equine. Will she ever show? No, but she'll do what is asked.

I got Siera when she was 3 and she'd been handled but not ridden. We spent a long time working together. She is great on the trail.  Unless of course a bicycle showed up in the woods or...even worse yet, a baby stroller. [She knows they eat mules]

Tory asked Sunshine to trot and when she started to jog, Tory got scared and slid off Sunshine by hanging onto her neck until her feet hit the ground.

Sunshine stopped and stood stock still next to Tory who tearfully told me she had gotten scared and slid off. 

I told her it was okay and that she did the finest emergency dismount I'd ever seen. She was more afraid that Sunshine would trot away and leave her. 

I kneeled next to her.

"Has Sunshine moved since you came off?"
"Um. No."
 

I reached out and put my hand on Sunshine. "She knows it is her job to take care of you and stay by you."
Tory tearfully nodded.
"Did you know that Sunshine loves you?"

Tory's eyes widened, "She does?"
"She does."

Sunshine took that very moment to nuzzle Tory softly.
Tory wiped her eyes and then asked, "Can I get back on her?"

"Absolutely."

The mules finally got tired of riding in circles and I called an end to the riding.

The girls brushed their mounts and cleaned them all up. 

It was time to put them away.

Tory's reaction?

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I do know my mules since I raised them and trained them. They are solid equine. They don't get fussy and they absolutely adore attention and young folk. They don't mind mistakes and they almost never get stupid.

They have worked all of their lives to be just like this. Good quiet, and patient. I attribute that to their donkey side.

The girls and the mules filled my heart up today.

A surprise and a hike

For 25 years, Canada Geese have been visiting this little spot of land above the water. This year, I noted what I thought was a big brown rock.

It wasn't!

It was a Sandhill Crane!

So each time I drive to town I take a different way to see what is going on at the pond.

At 7:30, the Cranes and the eggs looked like this:

There were two of them there...

at 9:30 I went by and...

both Cranes just hanging out.

Oh and the turtles I didn't know existed in this tiny pond were sunbathing:

It was a fantastic and gorgeous afternoon so I cut down some weeds. Then...

I decided to take some time and go on a hike at KVR on the Wintergreen Trail. It had been a long time since I'd done a spring hike there. I wanted to see if I could find Trillium before they disappeared.

My hiking partner:

He would rather be moving and he totally ignored me asking him to look at me. I even tried the COOKIE trick and he was more interested in what was happening in the woods below us.

All parts of the trail are my favorite. Though this view seems to be one I can never resist taking a shot of .

The haze from the Canadian Fires gave it an interesting light and atmosphere.

I took my time and searched for the Trillium. I wanted to see it in a slightly shaded area so the sun wouldn't blow out the white petals.

I took photos of plants that I have never identified before so I could figure out what they were.

This is the Canada Mayflower. It has a scientific name, but I like this common name. I have them in our woodland too. In a few days they should shoot up tiny tiny white flowers. I think I called them wild lilies at some point in the past.

They grew all over this bluff through the detritus of the pine needles.

Below is the Rock Cap Fern. Oddly enough, it is considered an evergreen which makes sense because it is green through the winter. These grow in the pine forest and all over the shaded rock bluff.

I'll make this short. I found so many beautiful things to stop and look at. I spent an two hours just slowly walking through the woods. Most folks don't walk to the very end of this trail, but turn around at the bluff that over looks the river.

I like to find what is hidden in the woods.

And after passing up many Trillium, I did find one that was absolutely perfect.

I found many more incredible plants and flowers, but I'll save them for another day.

After all that...

I have to admit that I lost a lot of sleep over the weekend with the unusual Northern Light Show. I will definitely never forget that first evening.

Our old mower had a sudden death and it was left up to me to mow the overgrown yard with my little mower. Thankfully, the mower guy, Mark, came out to pick up the rider and take it to his shop. We've done business with Mark for nearly 30 years. We've purchased all of our mowers from him and hubby has purchased his chain saws from him. He has been the only guy we go to for repairs on that equipment.

It took me 4 days of mowing at 2 hours a piece to get the yard done. If the big mower stays out of commission, I will be making temporary fencing for the mules. Most of the 'yard' was over 6 to 8 inches tall! How did it grow so fast???

I turned my flower beds over again and started planting seeds and finished off my rock-succulent garden in front of the porch.

It's cute and I know I'll enjoy it. It is a great spot for my fossil rocks to enjoy their days while the humming birds visit.
Over the years I've changed this area several times.

Work, work, work. I really was burning the candle at both ends and trying to get everything done at once. I got tired and cranky. And the other half was being a pill too since his mower was out of commission.

I however did get out to get some 'shutter time' on one of our very foggy mornings. You know, a walk to the mailbox on the ridge where I actually just wander around for a bit.

Dandelions in the yard make for interesting macros!

Dew dropped poplar leaves just emerging.

Oh so sweet smelling Honeysuckle and a much unloved plant in many forests as it is invasive.

I do love  Box Elders they have such interesting shapes. This tree is putting out it seeds. The seeds start out as red and turn green. Sort of Christmas-y in color.

The maple trees are filled out now. This was the star of the walk. A single water droplet on the tip of the leaf catching the morning sun.

This was a form of Forest Daydreaming for me. I just meander-er along and stop to peer at spiders, insects, study the light on the leaves, and listen to sounds around me. 

It is calming and satisfying. Each time I go out and investigate at my leisure, I feel like I learn something new.

To catch up on sleep, I tried to take a nap on Monday. It didn't really work. Instead I fell asleep while watch Brokenwood on Acorn TV. Hubby likes the show, it is amusing, not too dramatic, and they always get their guy. 

 Perhaps Charlie and I need to go out and do some Forest Daydreaming in the Reserve. I'd like to find some Trillium before they are all gone.

After Wednesday, it looks like we will have rain for a few days. I may as well take advantage of the good weather while I can!

And the skies lit up!

 

So I had set my alarm for 11pm and thought I'd look out the window to see if I could spot the Aurora Borealis.

I saw nothing. I got a drink of water and then checked my cell phone and social media. A friend of our in Missouri had posted some shots of the northern lights at their house. I scrolled a bit more and another friend had some shots from Madison, from Racine, and some from Viroqua.

I got dressed and walked outside. I looked up in the sky and it seemed their were some faint clouds over the shed.

I used night shots on my cell phone and took a photo.

Green? Weird skies!
Then I realized what I was seeing for the second time in my life. 

It was the Aurora Borealis.

I grabbed my camera and set about to work. I tried to recall the settings I should use and then finally I settled on the camera settings I use for shooting the Milky Way.

I did a bunch of flubs before I realized I was just taking random shots of colors. The lights kept changing slowly and I was mesmerized.

In fact at one point, I just laid on the gravel driveway and let myself enjoy the show. Life is about being in the moment. And man...

I was deep in the moment....

And then my brain simply seemed to explode or maybe implode.

It was crazy. 

I finally decided to just frame the photo with the pines that surround our house.

Looking west.

I decided to see if I could do star trails that include the Northern Lights. I wasn't sure it would turn out well, but if it worked, it could be pretty cool.

I set the camera up for a 15 minute LiveComp with Starry Auto Focus and let the magic happen inside the camera while I laid back down on the driveway to watch the sky do Nature's Artwork.

I got cold laying on the ground but it was worth every minute of it. I couldn't leave if I wanted to. I was stuck watching the lights until they faded away.

Now I understand why people book trips to Norway to go see the lights. They are breathtaking in every way.

They are silent.
They explode your brain cells.
They are musical and magical.

I'm glad I witnessed this.

It will be a night I will never forget.