Success

The De-construction project has been successful. I have one more project that needs to be done this fall and then I am finished with project work for at least a year. 

I'm pretty much worn out from all that I've gotten done the past 6 months.

This is the part of the ugliness I looked at for so many years. We do have a beautiful place in this hollow. Really, we do!

But when anyone pulled up to the house to visit or make a delivery, this is what they saw just north of our house.

I, of course nagged my husband for years to get the place cleaned up. However, he was never well enough to tackle this overwhelming job.

I hired Patrick from Midwest Excavating to get the job done. This is a shot from my 'security camera' that I captured when Patrick was working. You can see the proximity of the mess to my back door.

I had to look at that mess for 14 years. You've seen this shot before.

The view from my back door became this:

Now 3 weeks later? The grass has filled in around the concrete pad and it looks so much different. Another shot from the top of the machine shed.

I put items in the gravel there for two reasons. The ground under parts of it were still a bit soft and I don't want UPS or any other heavy vehicle leaving ruts. I also need to go over the gravel area a few more times with a magnet to pick up any nails or chunks of metal. 

I worked on revamping the east side garden yesterday. I'm making a mess, but I am moving some of the bulbs that are next to the house to another spot. 

This summer:

After two days of cleaning up the weeds and the dead stuff:

Hey! No messy dilapidated garage in the background!

I pulled out all the border rocks and had to dig out two trees that wanted to grow next to the foundation. I dug out the grasses and cleaned out the flowers. I normally leave all it winter for insects and birds. This year it really needed a clean up. I didn't want to wait for Spring.

I transplanted 20 or so tulip bulbs to another area as they were getting so crowded. I moved 2 Blazing Star bulbs out away from the house. The birds love the seeds from that plant.

I took out Iris plants by the score and still have more to move around. In 10 years they have multiplied like crazy so I'm going to find some a new home. I also trimmed back the spreading phlox and replanted [hopefully] them by an area that is too difficult to mow.

The flowers around the porch are still going like crazy. Zinnias, Cosmos, Borage that has re-grown and re-flowered, and the Nasturtium flowers...wow.

I should just plant those flowers. They are so much fun. They have tried to take over the porch but I cut them and the morning glories back. They are now shining along with the marigolds in this fall weather in yellows and oranges. They are still attracting bees and showing off along with the orange cosmos which are very bold and beautiful too.

By late afternoon, the dogs and I decided to go out to the 'camp' and hang out in the hammock. As the afternoon cooled off, both dogs piled on me and we kept cozy enough to take a nap together.

The view above wasn't too bad either.

When we headed home for supper, these two insisted on riding the 4 Wheeler with me.

I do wish they would be the ones to open up the gates for us to pass through. Oh well, they are cheap help!

I worked hard all day while my little co-workers supervisors looked on.

Sunday.
It looks like a day of rest and relaxation for us. 

Again, I wander

This is the new header👇

 It is the top of a rock that I took my friend Pat to Friday morning.

Here it the bottom of the rock....👇

I go here a few times a year. The path to this place is not for the light hearted. The narrow footpath travels through dense woods.

In August and September the forest on each side sports amazing fungi. [Of course! I love mushrooms!]

Beware though. The trail is lined with Poison Ivy on both sides. The narrow trail is rough but well worth it.

I took Pat through and cautioned her not to put her hands down in the brush on either side of her until we got to a clear area.

Photo of Pat looking back at the trail that winds up to the top of the rock.

The first view as we emerge from the forest on top of the ridge.

A walk out to the edge.

Me taking the first photo and the new header for the blog.

For this hike I only used my cellphone camera, it was quick and easy. That is Charlie's rear end next to me.

Both hounds came with us of course.

My friend may be as crazy as I am. I invited her to do a pre sunrise hike to the Rock Top where we could sit and have some coffee and watch the valley come alive.

She nodded and said she wouldn't mind doing that. 

About 4 years ago I convinced another hiking friend to do just that. It was the blue hour when we hiked to the top. It was his first and only time experiencing this amazing place.

He was speechless.

I will be going again soon. My last visit there for a breakfast granola bar and coffee was two years ago with Charlie.

We hiked up in the dark. We waited, listened, and watched the world awaken.

I cannot even describe immense emotional feeling of watching the sun rise and listening to the forest below wake up.

My heart slows, my eyes widen, 

my breath is deep,

 and my mind goes quiet and lives purely in the moment.

It feels magical and I don't want to leave. 

Flowers

 Things are really popping with colors.

Here is one of my Wild Gardens with about 25
Sunflowers.

Nasturtium..

These are my tried and true flowers...

I think I'll go with mostly these 

next year around the porch.

Bug!

Best guess?
Damselfly resting on a Blazing Star in

my east garden.

 

We've been taking evening walks and early morning walks. 

I sometimes just let the dogs lead on my land and follow them through brambles and brush.

I'm glad I did.

Ghost Pipe Plants also known as Monotropa uniflora

Another evening bonus.

Black Berries. Generally our forest isn't blessed with a lot of them. But.

This summer they are flourishing.

...and then.

As I picked them and ate them both

Charlie and Hannah had to investigate.

I handed berries to Charlie.

I handed berries to Hannah.

Hannah figured out she could pick her own.

and on the way home she hunted berries and found them in underbrush were I wouldn't have looked. 

Now we've been going out to the forest in the evenings to hunt up dessert. 

Moving right along...

It was a 'week'. Charlie is feeling 100% better. He seems more chipper and brighter since his surgery. I am now thinking that the teeth had been bothering him for a while and he just didn't know how to tell me.

He wants to go on walks and he is more attentive and playful. I'm so happy! I keep reminding him that he is on light duty. 

Sunday evening I went riding with Kristi. She rode her daughter's mare, Willow.  Willow is Haflinger and pony cross. I absolutely adore Willow as does Sunshine. Sorry, I didn't get a shot of Willow.

Willow looks much like a small horse I had called Lily. 

Lily was Halflinger and Arab which meant she was small, tough, and had a go get 'em attitude. Rich rode her in team penning and I rode her trail riding and she never missed a step and had so much stamina!

Willow is Halflinger and pony cross and is the same size as Sunshine. Willow and my old horse Lily were caramel colored with flaxen flowing manes and tails. If I was to keep a horse from this point forward, I would definitely want one just like Willow.

Here is Sunshine after our ride. Yeah, I took scissors to her bridle path and did a crap job of it. I'll need to roach her mane again. 

Monday was saddle cleaning morning for me. I am pretty convinced that these saddles hold no huge value as they are not even made anymore. They weren't top of the line when I purchased them. 

The one in back is one of my favorites. It has a name on it 'El Dorado' and is a 13" seat. I've had it for 36 years. I've kept it clean and oiled. 

The one in front is a Circle Y with a 14" seat. 

I used it mainly for trail riding. I took it to the Amish for a good oiling and they really screwed up by getting oil on the suede seat. Honestly it wasn't a top notch saddle but it is 31 years old and Rich bought one to match for our wedding. I still have both saddles.

Who has wedding saddles???? 

I'm keeping Siera off from the pastures with clover and she has stopped gimping along. She and Sundance are browsing on some of the weeds and are getting hay on the side. They are not happy about being confined to this area, but it seems to be helping Siera. 

Mr. Pony is doing yard work for me. Every few weeks I graze him on this hillside next to the shed, he picks out all the delicious stuff first and then goes back and works on the grasses leaving the weeds for me to mow.

Once he finishes this section, I move him to the next. You can't see his water pan, but he has water available which is refreshed twice a day. 

If I recall right, this guy has been doing yard work for us for nearly 30 years. He eats, fertilizes, and provides us with constant laughs.

Here is Little Richard and Mr. Morris 19 years ago hanging out together. Little Richard loves the gravel driveway, he can lay down and itch his back and so many times he'll sleep on it.

He also serves as a guard pony. 

You cannot pass ... unless you pet me! Photo taken in 2009.

Catching up.

So a lot of this is 'news' that isn't worth news to some folks. 

Sunshine is doing well at Kristi's place. In April she will be 29 years old. She is showing her age in her face but not her attitude and willingness to go riding.

Kristi has given her a new pasture mate named Willow. Another mare and Sunshine is really quite happy with that.

Her gelding Cash, seems to be losing weight so she has moved him into an area where she can grain him and help him maintain a healthy condition.

We have finally figured out what is going on with Siera. Her weight and the great pasture I had was not kind to her.

I did some more researching about pastures and removed them from the back meadow. It is lush and has quite a bit of white clover in it. The high sugar content is not good for her. In years past, that back meadow has been grazed to the ground with 4 or 5 mules so it wasn't so lush and dangerous.

This morning I walked around and set up a plan to try and deal with Siera's weight [I know, I dropped the ball on this issue because she had been going through periods where she seemed 'cured'.]

Tomorrow I am making Sundance and Siera a smaller lot in this shady area. I can keep them there until Winter and they can be joined by Sunshine this late fall. It will be a dry 'lot' where I can monitor exactly what they eat and their condition.

Old photo from 5 years ago.

This morning.
What a difference a wet summer makes when you have only 2 grazers instead

of 5.

This area is on my list for a clean up project for next year. It won't take much but it will take machinery I don't have to clean up the fallen trees not pictured here from last August's windstorms.

Sundance is the youngest mule. She has been off and on slightly gimpy for quite a while now.  She has been diagnosed with ringbone in her right front. Otherwise she is perfectly healthy and full of herself. Ringbone is a form of arthritis. Treatment can include joint injections, special shoes, and special meds. She is a pasture pet and only shows slight discomfort once in a great while. 

Three older mules and an ancient pony cannot keep down our pastures so I have to consider doing something different.

The large meadow in front of the house will be brush hogged and one section will be bulldozed so I can mow it myself next year. The other half will be used as a winter pasture since it offers protection from the winds.

Photo from last year. Winter Pasture.

I'll keep mowing the back meadow because the dogs and I love walking there and in the winter it will make a nice area to cross country ski.

Little Richard is 35 years old and his teeth are worn out. He made it through last winter with flying colors. 

This summer he gained weight being staked out and having access to a small forested paddock. He is slowly losing weight again. I am fighting a slow motion battle that I will lose. It will pain me to possibly make a decision this fall with him.

I'm a realist. I won't keep animals that are in poor condition or in constant pain. I feel that is cruel. We set our long term plans in motion 10 years ago when Rich was no longer able to help with chores and maintenance. We kept the elder animals to give them a retirement. The young ones we had were sold. Over the years, the elder animals have crossed over. 

Charlie is recovering nicely. He has been bossing Hannah around and trying to steal her chew bones. Uffdah. I can't let him do that! He is back to ruling the household.

Hannah? She honors Charlie's space and cuddles with him when allowed to. She is also quite good at getting into trouble.

Here I ask her if she was in the shed digging under the old tractor.

Who...?
Me?

What shed?
What makes you think that?

It's August now and I'm finding it to be difficult to deal with so many decisions. It seems like that is all I have been doing for months now.

I'm even trying to plan out what I want to do once the large animals are gone. Some days I think I know what I am going to do and others?

I have no clue.

Damn it was Hot!

The dogs and I took a walk just after sunrise hoping to get some exercise before the dangerous heat moved in.

It was hazy and humid as you can probably see behind Charlie. [He seems to be doing fine even with his bad tooth situation right now. I don't know if he is just excellent at hiding his pain or he is stoic. My bet is on stoic.]

The heavy dew was amazing at showing spider webs that are springing up all over the place. In a few weeks the meadow behind Charlie will be full of webs for Orb Spiders. I was able to actually find one tiny spider between two webs. It took quite a few shots to get this little spider in focus, but I persisted.

The web below is likely built by a Funnel Weaver. I've yet to see one, but can appreciate their beautiful webs.

The bees are incredibly busy on these flowers. Horse Nettles. I've been fighting them in a section of pasture for a while. I tend to think of them as beneficial to bees so I am leaving most of them alone. When they are flowering, I can sit in the grass nearby and watch the bees swarm the flowers.

They are toxic to humans and animals so there is that. I'd like to get rid of them but not quite sure I should, I'd rather support the bee population. Perhaps I'll just make that spot smaller and keep them from taking over.

The morning quickly turned incredibly hot with the humidity. I picked a large bunch of Queen Anne's Lace along with a few of the Zinnia's that decided to blossom this year.

I thought I'd do a little photographic 'study' of them while indoors and beating the heat.

Your eyes are not betraying you. Some of the ones I picked have a pink hue to them. I left most of the flowers alone that I noted the pinkish color. I thought all Queen Anne's Lace was pure white.

By late in the afternoon the 'heat index' had risen to 115. I went out a few times with the dogs. I stayed out as long as I could and then brought everyone inside.

Hannah played ball and took all of her toys out of the basket and spread them around house. She was bored.

I read for a while and then decided to try and find something to watch.

I found a program that absolutely captivated Hannah.

It is a series of videos by a guy named Rocky Kanaka that goes into Dog Shelters and basically 'sits' with dogs that are non responsive or deemed not very adoptable. It is called Sitting with Dogs.

Hannah had a keen interest in what was happening.

The weather broke overnight. It is still muggy but the temps are in the 70's for today so I will celebrate by getting out and about.