Summer on the farm

Yes, summer.  In May.  Not spring, but full-on summer.

I just wrapped up a weeks vacation and every day was hazy, hot and humid!  Very much like July it made working outside challenging (one day I went through a 2 liter bottle of water in a few hours!).

My week off from office-rot was spent trail cutting, manure pile moving, chicken coop foundation building, horse back riding and general do-whatever-the-hell-I-feel like doing bliss.  I could very easily be retired now and never have a dull or boring moment.  Working for a living is such a buzz-kill.  Anway....

We started off by getting new iPhones. :)  Just the 5s, but coming from the 4, it's a pretty substantial jump in technology!  I discovered the "pano" camera setting.

The view from the back of the property

The view from the manure pile

Turn around and you see this.........40 loads and I'm only about 1/2 way through.  I cannot wait to have the money for a proper tractor!

I took the horse out twice, once to Bradley Palmer State Park and another to the fire trails in Auburn.  Fabulous rides, very relaxing, just the way we like it.

Bradley Palmer

More at Bradley Palmer

I got a new pair of brown boots for the August cubbing season, so I thought these rides would be a good time to break them in.  I remember now why I hate new boots.  They are so much work to ride in! 

So much time has gone by since my last post......our well pump died, so we had to have a new one put in.  Add a well cap extension and new pressure tank to that and there goes $3,000.00.  So much for showing this year! 

There goes my show season.....but we have water!

It's ok though.  I was really stressing out about how the heck I was going to have time to ride and school for dressage amidst all the yard and house work that needs tending.  Plus I want to get her driving and I don't have time for that *and* riding!

Hubby helping with a lining/drag pulling session

The last lining session ended with me putting her between the shafts of my cart.  She honestly could care less.  I'm still going forward with a few more in-between steps (breeching training and training shafts) but I really thing she'll be just fine. 

On top of everything else, I've been maintaining my lifting schedule of every-other-day for about an hour.  I've been taking progress pics.  Here's the start back in December 2014:

December 2014

And now:

May 2015

 



Which reminds me....I haven't lifted yet today and I'm running out of day!  Gotta go lift, then make dinner then it's unfortunately back to the office-rot tomorrow!

Till next post.....

Spring came....and then left.

Apparently last week was the only bit of spring we'll get to see.  It snowed 3" last night and is going to be 9°F on Wednesday evening this week!

It's the middle of March.  Somebody needs to update mother nature.  She obviously thinks it's still January.

>:-(

No horsey time this weekend.  I stuck to inside projects.  The stainless chimney we had installed a year and a half ago is finally getting a "hearth" around the base where it passes through the floor in the sun room.  Up until now, there's just been a hole where the square brick chimney used to be.

Hole in the floor, looking down into the basement

2x4 framing that will support the plywood

Plywood that will support the Cement Board and ultimately the tiles

This is as far as I got on Saturday.  Once I can go get the cement board, I'll be able to put the rest of the base together and then pick out the tiles that we want to use to create the "hearth" around the chimney. 

I started weight lifting back in December (used to lift in my 20's) and happened to take some photos  last January, after a month and a half of lifting.  Well, I took another set of photos last night after 3 1/2 months of lifting 3 days a week and I think I see some progress happening!  I'm definitely feeling stronger. :)  My goal is to be able to bench press 90-100 lbs, 2 sets of 10 reps.  Right now I'm comfortable with 60lbs at those reps, although I did try 80lbs the other day and was able to squeak out 5 reps.  Got a ways to go, but it's fun, so I don't mind!





January 2015



March 2015

Building muscle is crazy fun!

So now it's Monday again and we're faced with another *entire* week before the next weekend. :-/  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I'll get some horse time.  I think this is the longest stretch I've ever gone without riding Daatje, 11 weeks and counting.  I just have no interest in risking her slipping on the trail or getting hit by a car on the snow bank encumbered roads.  So, we wait.  I lift.  She eats.  Spring will come.  Eventually.  It has to.

 

Oooh, ooh.....my Region 8 Omnibus finally showed up!  Time to start picking out which dressage show's we'll attend this season.  I'm thinking anything earlier than June will be too soon!!! :o

 





The harness fits!

I absolutely love the way this new Camptown Harness fits Daatje.  It's so nice to have something that actually works for her!

I took her out for a line yesterday, first time wearing the closed bridle in a long time.  Nothing phased her, which is amazing as this was also the first time she's been off the property since January 1st!

The styling on this breastcollar takes the weight off the neck strap and puts it back on the saddle.  Very neat!
 

Helloooo down there.

One of these is not like the others!

I'm so looking forward to getting her to pull weight again.  We have to wait until the snow shrinks some more though!  It's still really deep and the temps are just not warming up like they should this time of year.

Happy Birthday Daatje!

Saturday, 2/28/2015, marked Daatje's 14th birthday.  So hard to believe we've been together for 14 years!  Where has the time gone.  I can remember the warm August day that I brought her home.  The subsequent work in hand....taking her to open shows, showing in the horse colts and fillies classes.

Getting her started on the lunge, in the lines and eventually under saddle....

Her first outing under saddle at the Greater Manchester Horse Show, walk/trot pleasure, May of 2005 (she was only 4!)

 

Our championship at the NEFHC Classic, Walk Trot the following year.

Our first Dressage show as a 5 year old.

Taking dressage lessons from one of the best in the area, the 2006-2007 winter we spent at Rosebrook Farm in Georgetown, MA.

 

Discovering Foxhunting in 2008!

After 7 years of focusing on foxhunting, we re-discovered Dressage in 2014.

 

 

And this year........pursuing work in harness. :)  How fitting that her new harness would arrive the day before her birthday!  It's just gorgeous!  I cannot wait to try it on her and get her out and working in it.  Perhaps this coming weekend it will be warm enough!

 

We have to wait for this crap to melt though, before we can do any serious work.  This winter has been a pisser!

Daatje snoozing in the sun, the morning of her birthday

Worst. Winter. Ever

So sorry it's been a whole month since my last post!  We have been having just the most horrible winter ever here in the Northeastern US.

One week after my last post (Jan 21st) we got the "Blizzard of 2015".  Or as I called it, the.....

 

It snowed for 3 days.  And it hasn't stopped snowing the entire month of February!!!  Every third day we'd get another foot and in between 3-6" here and there......it seems like all we do around here is wake up, go to work, go home, move snow, sleep, repeat.  No time or energy for anything else!

So.  Depressing.

If winters were always like this, I'd move somewhere very, very warm.



From the manure pile during the first blizzard.

 

House?  What house?

 

Oh there's the house.

But where's the car?

So, since that blizzard on January 27, 28 and 29 it's been nothing but storm after storm after storm.  The back of my house now looks like this:

 

 

It's very hard to imagine that one day, the grass will be green the sun warm again and the ground thawed.  Nearly impossible to imagine, actually.  I hates it.  A pox on all who love the snow.  There's nothing to love. >:-(

For those who might be wondering, the Smuckers harness return went smoothly, the seller cooperated, I got a  full refund and the deal is closed.  Phew.  We are currently awaiting the arrival of our new custom Camptown harness.  I'm not sure how long it will take to get here, but it's not like I could do anything with it right now anyway.  Seriously.  If it shows up by May I still might not be able to do anything with it. >:-(

But it is coming.  And so is spring......I think.