(oh dear..)and here's the inside:
lolz!1They are so cute! Plus, I like that it's from the cat also.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Congrats it's a...
My in-laws sent us a card in the email today:
(oh dear..)
and here's the inside:
lolz!1
They are so cute! Plus, I like that it's from the cat also.
(oh dear..)and here's the inside:
lolz!1They are so cute! Plus, I like that it's from the cat also.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Herding... horses.
Today at HorseNet Horse Rescue's New Windsor barn we had to move the gelding herd to the pasture across the street. When it starts getting warm and nice out the geldings go to this other pasture so they have room to run, and grass to eat. It also gives their winter pasture time to recover and grow more grass.
As you might imagine, moving a whole herd of horses is a little tricky. Horses can get pretty anxious about new things, especially when it involves members of their herd going places.
We moved the herd in groups. There were four of us volunteers who were trusted with leading the horses so we could move only four horses at a time. Fortunately all them were pretty well behaved!
Leading the last group up the driveway.
The volunteer coordinator was a little nervous that Gobie would be naughty, but he was a good boy. At first he didn't want to be lead out of his paddock, but we got him moving without too much trouble. He got a little excited once we actually got across the street and saw his pals waiting for him on 20 lovely acres of grass.
Looking pretty tiny out there, Gobie.
It was a productive day. By the end of it the horses and the volunteers were happy.
As you might imagine, moving a whole herd of horses is a little tricky. Horses can get pretty anxious about new things, especially when it involves members of their herd going places.
We moved the herd in groups. There were four of us volunteers who were trusted with leading the horses so we could move only four horses at a time. Fortunately all them were pretty well behaved!
Leading the last group up the driveway.The volunteer coordinator was a little nervous that Gobie would be naughty, but he was a good boy. At first he didn't want to be lead out of his paddock, but we got him moving without too much trouble. He got a little excited once we actually got across the street and saw his pals waiting for him on 20 lovely acres of grass.
Looking pretty tiny out there, Gobie.It was a productive day. By the end of it the horses and the volunteers were happy.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
A Place for a Pony
Today Sam and I went on a visit to Ellicot City.
The main purpose was to check out a place offering horse boarding. I found out about it on Craigslist and was amazed at the price and then really pleasantly surprised by the location--just 30 or 40 minutes away.
Getting there was a piece of cake. The house was nestled back in a little wooded area a big off a main road. When we pulled in to the drive we were greeted by two adorable corgis. They were vocal but really friendly and enjoyed the scritches and attention. Bonnie, the owner of the place came out to say hi.
To say this place was perfect might sound like over enthusiasm but really, it was perfect. The I-would-like-to-live-here! kind of perfect.
The house where Bonnie lives is central to the six-acre property. When you're coming up the drive there's a paddock on the left, and then two paddocks in the back behind the house. There are trees on all sides protecting the fields from wind and providing some shelter to the horses. There are also at least three shelters.
The fence line along the driveway.
the paddock along the driveway.
Bonnie's house.
The back paddocks.
Some of the shelters.
Bonnie was really nice and easy to talk to. She inspired the kind of confidence in me I was hoping for--really sweet, and really experienced. She said she had three other people who boarded, in addition to her own horse that lives on the property. She goes riding about once a week she said.
She also has indoor cats in addition to the two corgis. And she allows people to bring their dogs if they like!
Some of the boarders' horses, relaxing in the paddock.
She has a trailer and said she was happy to do any short trailering. There are places to ride around her house, but I got the impression that every so often she would take the horses out to ride someplace new.
Trailer!
I told her about some of my past horse experience, and that I've been volunteering at HorseNet Horse Rescue for a little over 6 months. The visit left me pretty excited and happy about what could be coming next...
The main purpose was to check out a place offering horse boarding. I found out about it on Craigslist and was amazed at the price and then really pleasantly surprised by the location--just 30 or 40 minutes away.
Getting there was a piece of cake. The house was nestled back in a little wooded area a big off a main road. When we pulled in to the drive we were greeted by two adorable corgis. They were vocal but really friendly and enjoyed the scritches and attention. Bonnie, the owner of the place came out to say hi.
To say this place was perfect might sound like over enthusiasm but really, it was perfect. The I-would-like-to-live-here! kind of perfect.
The house where Bonnie lives is central to the six-acre property. When you're coming up the drive there's a paddock on the left, and then two paddocks in the back behind the house. There are trees on all sides protecting the fields from wind and providing some shelter to the horses. There are also at least three shelters.
The fence line along the driveway.
the paddock along the driveway.
Bonnie's house.
The back paddocks.
Some of the shelters.Bonnie was really nice and easy to talk to. She inspired the kind of confidence in me I was hoping for--really sweet, and really experienced. She said she had three other people who boarded, in addition to her own horse that lives on the property. She goes riding about once a week she said.
She also has indoor cats in addition to the two corgis. And she allows people to bring their dogs if they like!
Some of the boarders' horses, relaxing in the paddock.She has a trailer and said she was happy to do any short trailering. There are places to ride around her house, but I got the impression that every so often she would take the horses out to ride someplace new.
Trailer!I told her about some of my past horse experience, and that I've been volunteering at HorseNet Horse Rescue for a little over 6 months. The visit left me pretty excited and happy about what could be coming next...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Guess what? Ponies.
I've been laying off the ponies for a little while, but I finally made it back out to the barn this weekend. It's been a combination of being busy, and being bummed out. On the one hand I enjoy being around the horses, but on the other it brings up all these conflicting emotions about keeping a horse of my own.
Today the horses were very much interested in soaking up and snoozing in the sun.
Seriously, Gobie. Could you BE any cuter?
Everyone was enjoying their hay as well.
Our main chores were spreading out the hay so everyone could get to a heap without fighting about it, and checking water troughs. Part of the work involved going in where the goats stay. They were feeling pretty cheeky, and I had fun messing with them and deflecting their headbutts.
nerd.
The rest of the gang was working on the fencing to the pasture across the street. They're going to move the geldings over there next weekend. I'm not really looking forward to that.
Today the horses were very much interested in soaking up and snoozing in the sun.
Seriously, Gobie. Could you BE any cuter?
Everyone was enjoying their hay as well.
Our main chores were spreading out the hay so everyone could get to a heap without fighting about it, and checking water troughs. Part of the work involved going in where the goats stay. They were feeling pretty cheeky, and I had fun messing with them and deflecting their headbutts.
nerd.The rest of the gang was working on the fencing to the pasture across the street. They're going to move the geldings over there next weekend. I'm not really looking forward to that.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Dammit Spring
Once again, I'm impatiently waiting for the arrival of Spring. This year I decided I would start trying to grow things INSIDE because it's not yet warm enough to grow them outside yet.
I decided to get started with pet grass, also known as pet grass. Locksley really enjoys nomming on grass, and I hear parakeets are supposed to like it too (although Dorsia hates practically everything novel--so we'll see).
So, I planted a bunch of oat grass in a big pot for Locksley, and a bunch of oat grass in a small container for Dorsia.
Locksley's pot was quiet for several days until BOOM! explosion!
Dorsia's pot grew nothing. I thought maybe they were late bloomers or something. So I waited.
Meanwhile, Locksley's pot continued to grow like crazy mad men.
Dorsia's pot, still nothing. I gave up on it until...
One peasey blade of grass. Growing, smashed into the corner, mocking me. Jerk! I guess I'll give this pot a little longer to produce something substantial.
You might have noticed there's something ELSE in Locksley's pot. A mushroom!
It's not real of course -- I think it's ceramic or something. Anyway, I thought it was adorable. Who doesn't need a friend in a grass forest?
At the same time I planted purple basil and sage. I got these already started from Behnke's, our local garden store. I also decided I would grow some regular old basil in this pot as well. They took forever to sprout (at least in comparison to the grass) and seem to be pretty slow growers. Though it may be because the pot is already pretty active.
I was also inspired by Chris and Sandy to grow an Avocado plant. They have a HUGE avocado plant in their dinning room that they grew from a grocery store avocado pit. They didn't start it in water or anything -- just chucked it in some dirt and watered it. I'm trying that same route, though I'm not expecting to be as successful in this endeavor as they were.
I've got several other seeds to start, but I'm trying to pace myself. This whole process so far is only confirming a sneaking suspicion I've had for a while: I need a backyard.
I decided to get started with pet grass, also known as pet grass. Locksley really enjoys nomming on grass, and I hear parakeets are supposed to like it too (although Dorsia hates practically everything novel--so we'll see).
So, I planted a bunch of oat grass in a big pot for Locksley, and a bunch of oat grass in a small container for Dorsia.
Locksley's pot was quiet for several days until BOOM! explosion!
Dorsia's pot grew nothing. I thought maybe they were late bloomers or something. So I waited.
Meanwhile, Locksley's pot continued to grow like crazy mad men.
Dorsia's pot, still nothing. I gave up on it until...
One peasey blade of grass. Growing, smashed into the corner, mocking me. Jerk! I guess I'll give this pot a little longer to produce something substantial.
You might have noticed there's something ELSE in Locksley's pot. A mushroom!
It's not real of course -- I think it's ceramic or something. Anyway, I thought it was adorable. Who doesn't need a friend in a grass forest?
At the same time I planted purple basil and sage. I got these already started from Behnke's, our local garden store. I also decided I would grow some regular old basil in this pot as well. They took forever to sprout (at least in comparison to the grass) and seem to be pretty slow growers. Though it may be because the pot is already pretty active.
I was also inspired by Chris and Sandy to grow an Avocado plant. They have a HUGE avocado plant in their dinning room that they grew from a grocery store avocado pit. They didn't start it in water or anything -- just chucked it in some dirt and watered it. I'm trying that same route, though I'm not expecting to be as successful in this endeavor as they were.
I've got several other seeds to start, but I'm trying to pace myself. This whole process so far is only confirming a sneaking suspicion I've had for a while: I need a backyard.
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