Archive for October 2013
Darkness
.
.
darkness
it swoops in
laterally
blown from another place
or another time
ready
eager even
to swallow what light remains
but it is helpless
against sleep
through no fault of its own
as slumber
washes away
toxins
accumulated
in the brain
.
.
Busy Day
Under a sky that alternated between peeks of sunshine and downright threatening yesterday, Cyndie and I started early and worked most of the day to establish a temporary fence around an area we want the horses to graze before the serious winter weather arrives. When we weren’t bathed in sunlight, which happened only rarely, we were being showered by occasional cloud bursts of light to moderate rain, and one blast of ice pellets that don’t deserve to be referred to as snow.
It was our first try at setting up a temporary fence, and now that it is done, we are feeling good about the accomplishment. It was a challenge of trying to figure out the best location, the distance of the run, how many posts that would be, and how to get the tape strung and connected to our existing electric fence. This kind of task is one of those that involves walking back and forth to get one more thing. I bet we made over a dozen “one-more-thing” hikes yesterday.
In addition to getting the fence up, we took advantage of the weather and our proximity, and lit fire to the brush pile located over toward the labyrinth garden. It burned so much easier than the two piles we had from last fall, because this one didn’t have any stumps or root bundles packed with dirt. It was all dead, dry branches that accumulated from projects like making room for the road behind the barn, or cleaning up sticks and branches that continue to pop up in the areas we cleared of brush last year. There was hardly anything left but a small smoldering pile by the time I took the photo below.
It felt like a day of non-stop effort, except for a couple notable breaks. One, to accept a gift from our neighbor. He brought honeydew melons from his bumper crop. He said he liked one he bought from the store, so he kept the seeds and put them in the ground. His wife told him that would never work, but now he as more melons than he can eat. He gave us 8 or 9 and still had plenty in the trunk of his car. Sounds like the story of magic beans!
The other break was when Cyndie made lunch over the brush pile fire. She roasted a couple of brats and we had a little picnic during one of the rain showers. Just 10 minutes earlier, and we could have had a much more enjoyable meal. As it was, it turned into a rather utilitarian affair of eating for the sake of eating, while trying to put things under cover to keep them at least partially dry.
Then it was back to work, toiling away on tasks in the vicinity of our temporary fence so we could watch how the horses would adjust to the new area opened up to them. We were so occupied with our tasks, we barely got in a wave goodbye to Elysa and friends, as they departed up the driveway after an afternoon visit with the horses.
As for the horses, they hardly took notice of the fence, putting their attention almost exclusively toward the ample grass finally made available to them.
Featuring Legacy
The last horse to be featured from our little herd is, Legacy, aka “Legs.” I saved him for last because he already tends to command the most attention. I think partly, that is because he is a gray in an otherwise chestnut herd, but mostly it is because he is the leader.
One of the ways I notice that he is in charge is how often he stands solid, appearing oblivious to the antics of the other three when they are doing their merry-go-round game of working out their pecking order. He doesn’t bother to look up from eating while they jostle and jump, jockeying for position. Another way Legacy’s leadership is evident is the fact that he is first to approach when the herd comes over to greet people.
Legacy is pretty inquisitive and can be a bit of a mischief-maker. When we happen to be cleaning up the paddock while they are in there, he will wander over to supervise our activity. Then he will sniff at the tools or the wheelbarrow, which leads to grabbing things with his teeth, as if he is going to pick up and help.
He noticed Cyndie had hung a shirt over the fence that she had shed when she got too warm. He smelled it, grabbed it with his teeth and pulled it to the ground. Then for good measure, he wanted to paw at it with his hoof, before I rescued it from a muddy manure mess.
It is very clear when Legacy is trying to communicate something. He will make a very obvious approach to address me, and as I stand in front of him, trying to read his message, he seems to grow impatient with me. He often stomps his hoof to make a point.
I usually turn and go find Cyndie to ask her to come figure out what he wants. Sometimes it is that he wants to be fed grain or expects some treats, but one time it was that they all wanted to come into the barn and get out of the cold rain.
Legacy is a wise old leader. We are very lucky to have his watchful eye managing the safety of the herd for us. He does his job well.
Happy Anniversary!
One year ago, today, we spent our first night here in our new home. Thinking back to that chaotic drama of trying to close on both houses on the same day, in two different states, has me really appreciating that all the plot twists eventually resolved, and we got to move in that next day, regardless the delay in closing. If you aren’t familiar with that part of the story, you really should look back in the “Previous Somethings” archived posts, at the days in October of 2012 when we made the move from Eden Prairie, MN to Beldenville, WI.
It has been an amazing year for us here. A lot has happened. And we are only just getting started. We added a couple of cats, then a dog, and finally, just a few short weeks ago, we brought on the 4 horses. Can chickens be far behind?
Partial Accomplishments
It was kind of a slow day yesterday at Wintervale. We are approaching the first freezing overnight temperatures, so it is time to pull the pump out of our little landscape pond, and drain all our hoses. I got part way through that project. It has been that kind of week for me. I seem to only get part way to completion on everything I choose to do.
We had some luck with Delilah behaving well, a couple of days ago, so I gave her some time off-leash. I was walking around the area that I recently mowed, on the north side of the driveway, taking measurements for future fencing, and she was having the time of her life. She was running back and forth at amazing speed. It was going so well, I offered to take her for a walk through our woods. She bolted down the trail, getting way ahead of me. When I got to a place I could see her, she was facing the neighbor’s woods, locked in on something.
I called her, but she had tuned me out, and then she darted through the rusty barbed wire fence that separates our properties. I didn’t see her again for about half an hour. Our period of lucky good behavior had come to an end. While waiting for her to come back, I killed time by pulling Buckthorn up by the roots. Upon her return, she got shuttled directly to her kennel where she spent the rest of the day.
I tried to do some work shaping the main drainage channel beyond the paddocks, but it was too soon after a recent rain, and my boots and tools became a comical mud disaster. I switched my focus to the deck, where I proceeded to dismantle our gas grill to troubleshoot a problem with gas flow. I hope it is the regulator, because I have exhausted all other logical possibilities. That’ll require a trip to the store where I bought it, to swap out that part.
As the afternoon wore on, a little sunshine appeared, so I headed down to mow the labyrinth pathways. It was still a little wet, but manageable. I guess that one did get accomplished, although it doesn’t feel like completion because, by walking the path to mow, I keep seeing all the things we still want to work on down there. I’m wondering how well it will survive the winter, and whether we will be able to walk the path throughout the complete snow season.
It wasn’t one of those dramatically rewarding days here, but that’s okay. There is something valuable to be gained from days like this. The horses have a way of dealing with things, and then just going back to grazing. At one point yesterday, I decided to go down and be by the horses, to immerse myself in that kind of energy. Being with them can provide a sense of calm.
It was good for me, but I must admit, I don’t think I could rate the visit as being anything more than just a partial accomplishment, in that regard.
Safe Haven
There are several ways the horses have shown us they feel okay with the new situation they find themselves in here at Wintervale Ranch with us. They have always been very friendly with people who have stopped by to meet them, approaching the gates and interacting well.
They frequently move in close to graze alongside us when we take up a project near the fences.
They are getting along with each other very well, and appear to be a great little herd together. A few days ago, as Cyndie worked with one of them in the round pen, the other three kept vigil close by.
Whenever two are removed to go for a walk, the other pair call out with a whinny over being separated and left behind.
On Monday, I was toiling away on shoveling a drainage channel around the first paddock when I glanced up and discovered that three of the horses were laying down out in the big field together. Dezirea remained standing to serve as lookout while the others enjoyed a little down time. That is a great way to tell the horses are feeling safe here.
Thorny Challenge
Today, Cyndie’s and my forearms look like we have been through a shredder. On Sunday, we decided to try tackling the chore of locating the old fence posts along the front half of our northern border, and then cutting out the old barbed wire. That section is a complete tangle of junk trees and vines that have been left untended for a very long time. Any area like that is bound to include that scourge, Common Buckthorn, and ours is no exception.
Cyndie had a thorn puncture her head, which we made sure to wash thoroughly and apply an antiseptic cream to, after my experience of having a puncture wound become infected, earlier in the year.
I said, “Ow!” so many times that Cyndie finally stopped inquiring as to what happened. The last one did require an explanation though, since it led to my taking a break to clean and bandage the wound. Regardless how careful I tried to be, one of the rusty barbs finally bit me, and it was deep enough to bleed a fair amount. Luckily, after washing the scrape, I found that the portion doing the bleeding was just a small section at one end that had broken through the skin.
I probably let my guard down about the barbed wire, after suffering so many stabs from the barbs of berry bushes and the thorns of trees in all the bramble. I think the thorns on the bushes were more lethal than the fence wire. Heck, they were probably the original inspiration for the idea of barbed wire.
One of the reasons we were doing battle with the tangled mess, instead of just clear-cutting it to get at the old fence, is that we want to keep as much growth as possible to maintain the visual barrier that already exists. The dilemma which that presents for me is to decide whether I allow the Buckthorn to remain or not. I seem to recall that it was originally brought to the U.S. for use as a hedge, and so I would be using it for its strengths in this location, if I keep it. But the problem with Buckthorn is that it out-competes native plants and can totally take over. I prefer a more natural diversity of native plants, if possible.
I may go for a compromise of trying to have both. I just need to be active in tending the growth in that area. When left to neglect, like happened over the years, trees grow through the fence, and send runners in all sorts of crazy angles, searching for the best sunlight. Buckthorn leafs out early in spring and holds its leaves late into the fall, creating shade that helps it to steal the light from other plants.
By the end of our effort of battling the nasty thicket, we had just a small distance completed. On the positive side, we found all 4 strands of wire, and all the old rusty posts for the distance we worked. I know the fence posts will disappear for a portion of the remaining run, and expect the wire will have gotten buried at those places where there is no bramble. At least we will be able to dig for the wires without getting stabbed all over our bodies!
Growing Grass
I have developed a new fascination with growing grass, which seems funny to me, since I put so much energy into not growing grass during the 25 years we lived in Eden Prairie. Now, as I drive through the countryside, I take note of the neighbors who have grass fields for cutting hay. There are a couple on the way into Ellsworth that look pristine, and have inspired me.
The other thing that inspires me is watching the horses graze. I want to give them the best of what they want, and I’d sure like to have more than they need.
Toward that goal, we decided to mow the area to the north of our driveway. Cutting down the weeds rejuvenates the grass that is already there. I used the brush hog behind the big tractor, and had to navigate around the pine trees planted in the west portion of that area, which made it a bit of a challenge.
I took pictures of the ‘before and after’ view. One of the first things you can see in these images is how the weather changed yesterday. It got chillier as I worked, becoming a dramatically different day over a span of just a few hours.
The other thing to notice is the trail we had that was cut around the border of the field. You can see how green the grass is where it was mowed. That’s what we are after.
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I wish it was as simple as knocking down the weeds to get what we are after, but it’s not. We plan to have this area for grazing, and to keep the big field for cutting hay. If we are to let the horses graze here, we need to get it fenced. How complicated is it to add fence? Now we know. We need to think ahead to where access through a gate, or gates, will be located. We have to establish the most logical perimeter, which won’t necessarily end up being the area that’s cut.
Fencing the area will block our trail. We could move the fence that will contain the grazing area in a bit, to leave space for a trail around the outside, but that can tend to make the northern property border ambiguous. The existing property border has remnants of rusty barbed wire fencing, which we want to replace. If we update the border fence line and fence the grazing area inside that, we end up with double the fence.
That’s a tough decision for me. I don’t want more fence, I want less fence.
It’s not as simple as just cutting the area to get everything we want, but at least just cutting it will be a pretty simple way to grow grass. That’s a start.
Spectacular Views
Up before sunrise, to feed the horses, we are rewarded with some spectacular views. I had Delilah with me, on her leash, and needed to get into the paddock to open the far gate that provides the horses access to the big field. We were slow to get in there, and the herd was miffed that I had made them wait.
They crowded us at the gate, and Delilah got excited to be surrounded by such big, fascinating creatures. They were full of vim after eating their grain. There was a lot of movement, and some hooves were swung in Delilah’s direction, as I fumbled to hold the leash and work the chain that holds the gate.
When I finally got that gate to swing open, those horses bolted with gusto, leaping and kicking their joy. It was the most spectacular viewing of the morning!
Relative Something 