Our neighborhood Icon...

Small communities.

Some folks complain about living in one.
Yes, everyone seems to know everyone else's business.

Two days ago I was coming home from a night shift and it was about 8:30 in the morning.
On our little gravel road, there were two trucks and two cars stopped. One truck had its 4 way flashers going.

There were old neighbors and current neighbors standing in the road.
When I pulled up, I put my car in park and stopped. The road was somewhat blocked and besides...we never get this kind of crowd on our gravel road. I had to see what was going on.

Our neighborhood icon, Gabe, who is the Great Pyrenees dog pictured above, had been on his morning walk~~and quit. He gave up. His back legs wouldn't help him go any further.

Gabe has been on our ridge ever since I moved here in '96. He has always walked with his masters each morning. On the mornings his 'masters' stayed home, Gabe walked on the side of the road...well, sometimes down the middle...but you could count on Gabe every day like clock work.

Gabe is quite aged now, as you may have guessed.

But Gabe belongs to us all on the ridge in a way. All of us have stopped for him in the road, we've all pet him, or fed him when his masters were gone off the farm. Gabe knows all of us~~silly as it seems, I always felt he was looking out for us also. [he was named Gabriele after the Angel]

It wasn't until I counted everyone that had stopped to help out offering to pick up Gabe and take him home, that I realized how important this animal was to our small community.

I called his 'mom' today and she said Gabe is doing okay. But he probably won't be doing many more walks and his health is beginning to fail.

I really cannot imagine driving down our gravel road and not seeing him.

Here is to you, Gabe.

Coming Home...

When I pull in the driveway at 1AM, the garage light guides me to where our house is. I shut the car door and turn off the outside lights. I can see the bright stars if the sky is not cloudy. It is quiet except for the chirping of crickets and perhaps a nicker from a horse or bray of a mule [who like to announce the fact that I have arrived]

I go to the back door and open it quietly.
And there he is
Morris.

He is my happy little Jack Russell who shows his exuberance by rushing into the living room and grabbing a toy to bring back and show me as I take off my coat.
He nudges me on the leg as I pet him and tell him how my evening went.

He is mostly a good listener, sometimes though he is distracted by more important issues, such as ~~ going outside for the last 'duty' call.

If I don't change fast enough, he is there to egg me on. He wants to go to sleep in the 'big' bed. Meaning, he wants me to crawl under the covers so he can hop in and snuggle.
[which of course is very nice on a cold winter night]

Right now my shifts have been 4-midnights which I assume will change when another guard takes vacation and I sub for them.

But I must say, it is awful endearing to have a nice little fella to meet you at the door a sloppy grin on his face and his tail doing 90 MPH.
Sorta makes you feel like coming home.

Just a morning on the farm...

I start the morning with making sure that all the water tanks are filled and are nice and clean.
Then....

Feed and water the hound dogs...
This is Pressure, sitting nice and pretty.


Morris decides to supervise from on top of his favorite piece of equipment we own, the mower!

Then I spend some time with Eddie while I fill his water tank.
He never refuses any attention...
A little physical therapy with Sunshine and some time out on the yard grazing. You can see the difference in her shoulders. Surrounded in a pink outline~ the nerve damaged shoulder and leg...Sweeny shoulder. Still unknown with a prognosis.
This is what the other shoulder is supposed to look like.

Clean the trailer from yesterday's ride and of course wash the floor nice and clean...
Work with Siera. [She is coming along nicely]
Then by noon get lunch ready...or dinner as we call it in this part of the country.
I then have an hour or two before I have to get ready to go to work.
I generally spend that time relaxing.
[this may include grooming Dynah, Cheyenne, or playing with the foal, Sundance]

Hunting Treasures

This is what I like to do on my hikes into the woodland. I hunt treasures.

A treasure can be a very cool and gnarly looking root...
or
a wildflower that just stops you in your tracks [False Dragonhead].

This year, I've been 'shooting' wildflowers as I find them. I have a guide book for Wisconsin and it has helped me to identify many of the flowers I've found.

I plan on putting together a table-top book of photos with my collection of flowers and wild - cool - things that I've found within hiking and riding distance of where I live.

This will be a winter project.
I think I'll have a lot of fun with it!

Pretty blues...

I love this flower...the Blue Lobelia...

what more can I say?

A little hike today

I like hiking as much as riding.
So this afternoon I took 'the dog who thinks he is a body attachment' ~~ Morris, and Eddie the donkey for a little hike into the woods.

Eddie was extremely happy to get out of his paddock and go for a stroll in the woods. He was even more pleased to follow me after I'd picked an apple from a scrub apple tree and gave it to him.
I think he suddenly believed that I could pluck apples from mid air.
I'm not a firm believer in 'hand treats' but if Eddie believes I have something, he is much more willing to travel along.

If anyone has ever tried to lead a reluctant donkey they will know what I mean.
Meredith Hodges who is a world renowned mule and donkey trainer does advocate treats as a means of impulsion for donkeys. But only in the beginning stages.

Well, this being my first donkey from birth to saddle, I'm taking all the help I can get. If Eddie will follow in these beginning stages with a little incentive, then later on he should follow because he is just plain happy to.

Pictured are some things we found on our hike.
The snake is a Brown Snake and eats slugs, snails, and earthworms.
The second picture is of some newly forming Turkey Fan Fungus.

It was a very pleasant day for being with my equine and canine friends.

Morris Rides Again...

As Morris sees it:

You know, when I see Val get out the curry comb, I just know there is a chance that she'll be taking Badger on a ride into the Big Big Woods.
I like taking hikes with her, don't get me wrong.

But going with that big bay mule is nice. We go into all sorts of places and stop to look at things. Val usually gets off and takes pictures of things that of course...I have to come along and 'mark'.
[After all, I have to 'make' it my territory.]

Badger is cool. He never is bothered by me walking right on his heels or when I dart between his legs to go roll in something very yucky and disgusting. In fact, I think he laughs a little when Val goes *OH NO Morris, bad dog!*
Sometimes I like to grab some mule poop just to make her cringe.

Today was nice and warm and we went far and far. I don't know, but I think I went the farthest because I kept running ahead and circling behind Val and Badger trying to get all the good sniffs I could.
Lots of good sniffs out there, too bad people can't smell like I can.

When Val and Badger headed up the ridge road past the fields I decided that I was tired. So I started my routine of looking absolutely pitiful and giving Val those sad Jack Russell googly eyes.
Panting heavily works too.
Along with jumping on Badger's front legs.

Badger stops and Val tosses me in the saddle. She remounts and we are off, me...sitting in the lap of luxury while Badger does all the work.

Nice view from up there, and comfy too.

Don't I just look absolutely cute and adorable riding?