Fair Weather Day

Today was the first clear nearly cloudless day we've had since I don't remember when. Absolutely no threat of rain! Look how blue the sky was:

Because Melody has a small hoof abscess, she had been wearing her big blue Davis boot for over a week (with a bandage change mid-way). Now, with the pasture drying, she could up-grade to a bandage made of a diaper, Vet Wrap, and duct tape.

 First I shaped the duct tape and assembled the other materials so they'd be easy to reach.

After removing the boot, my husband held up Melody's hoof while I diapered it (newborn size makes a nice hoof bandage) and wrapped it in purple Vet Wrap.

The I slapped on my duct-tape bandage, pulled the edges up, and added a few more strips of tape to secure it. The duct-tape will help protect the underlying layers.

When we opened the gate, Melody fairly pranced into the pasture where she grazed under a clear blue sky.

Because we're due for several days of clear weather, it was a good day to cut hay on Polecat Creek Farm. This is our point field—and the hay is down. 

Here's another view, taken from the edge of our top field.

Here's the hay being cut in the top field.

. . . and here's hay on the ground.

This evening, we rode by the farm to check on things, and the smell of curing hay was wonderful. My husband will rake it in a day or two.

"Make hay while the sun shines," the old saying goes.  

"And change a horse's hoof bandage," I might add.

~

Up on the Roof

My first chore of the morning is to feed the resident critters. This morning, I was running a little late. (My husband had already started the coffee and let some of the house-cats and garage critters out.) When I catered Potter the Porch Cat's breakfast, I heard a meow from out of thin air—but no cat in sight. Then I looked up.

Chloe was on the roof. It looked as if she might be ready to come down, but the distance was a bit far.

I went to the back of the house and called her. Soon she appeared.

She checked out how far it was from gutter to deck. Too big a leap for a small kitty.

So she went to the western corner of the roof where the red-top tree hangs over.

After checking the distance, she made a leap onto the branch . . .

. . . and soon started down.

Meanwhile the barn critters were getting impatient. When I drove to the barn, Twiggy and her children Spotz and Sherman were waiting on the flatbed where they like to be fed.

Olivia—Chloe and Jim-Bob's mother who made a career change from house-cat to barn-cat—was waiting near her flatbed.

Soon Twiggy, Spotz, and Sherman were eating. . . .

. . . and so was Olivia. 

The sound of a hoof banging against the gate alerted me that Melody wanted to be fed NOW. As soon as her breakfast was in the bucket, she started wolfing it down. She hadn't even taken the time to shake the shavings from her mane.

And that's how this morning began. Perhaps Chloe was inspired by this song from the summer of 1962:

~

Horsepower

Yesterday, the twins who live near Polecat Creek Farm came to see Melody. Melody generally likes visits by kids because those visits usually result in treats. Melody loves treats.

At 16 hands, Melody was probably bigger than what the boys expected, but they decided to try to brush her anyhow.

While Melody cast a wary eye at them, she stood stock still and awaited her brushing. She was pretty sure treats would follow.

Both boys took a turn—albeit a brief turn—but they could now say they had brushed a horse.

After Melody had her treats (apples AND carrots!), the boys' attention turned elsewhere—to my husband's tractor collection. The guys may have been hesitant about approaching Melody, but they climbed onto those tractors like they'd been farming all their lives.

I guess guys just naturally like horsepower. But some guys prefer it not be attached to an actual horse. 

~

Melody at 23

Today my mare Melody Sundance turned twenty-three. She is in her golden years . . .

. . . especially when the setting sun hits her just right.


I bought her when she was five. For the last decade, she's mostly been a pasture pet because various health issues (hers and mine) prevented me from riding. Her favorite pastime is eating.

This morning I served her breakfast as usual. 

She scarfed it up as usual.

After breakfast, she went to the pasture to graze—as usual—but came back later.

She parked herself in front of the fan, as she usually does every mid-morning. So far, her birthday was pretty routine.

To celebrate her birthday, I thought we should do something we don't usually do, so I dressed her in her best outfit.

A few days ago, my husband mowed the front pasture. A few days ago, I found my decades-old jodphurs which hadn't fit me for years. Since I've lost a lot of weight this year, they were actually a little baggy. In honor of Mel's birthday, I put them on. I put on my helmet, too.

I led Melody to the front field where my husband helped me mount. And then—well, here we go.

I didn't ride for very long. The riding muscles I used to have don't seem to exist anymore, and my legs felt like jelly. But I actually rode my mare, albeit for just a few minutes.

Happy birthday, Melody!

~

Melody's Morning

Because the clover has been so abundant this spring and because Melody came close to foundering while she had Lyme disease, she's been confined to a corral for most of the time. However, she's doing so much better now that she can go out for limited periods. I let her into the front pasture about 6:30 every morning and let her graze for an hour or two. She meets me at the gate when I go to get her.

She gets in a last bite or two of clover, and then she's ready to head back to her corral. I don't have to lead her; she knows the drill.

The flies are bad, so she swishes her tail as she goes.

Every so often, she stops to grab one last bite. 

Then she moves on again—toward the shed where her breakfast awaits.

She goes through the corral gate . . . 

. . . and down the hill to the shed . . . 

. . . where she eats her breakfast. I put on her fly mask and turn on her fan. She'll stand in front of the fan and snooze.

And that's how Melody's morning usually begins.

~