Above the Clouds

New Tool

I'm in love.

This quad is going to make my life SO much easier! I can't get my two-wheel drive vehicles down (or rather, up) the steep hill in snow and ice - but the quad doesn't blink. And it carries hay and will pull a trailer...

November Snow

I woke to a cold black and white world of snow and fog.

The geese don't care - as I took the picture I heard splashing, as one of them bathed in the kiddie pool.

Even early November snows are very pretty...

but the wet snow overburdens trees. Young cottonwoods bend down to the ground, making the lane impassable by vehicle. While I fed the horses I heard a large branch crack and fall to the ground.

The trees make beautiful patterns in black and white.

By 3PM the world regained color as the sky cleared and snow melted off the trees.

But not the ground. The clearing skies guarantee a cold night, and a couple inches of frozen slush in the morning.

Northwest November

Temporary safe harbor

Clouds Taking Off

Traffic

With limited turn-around space by the house, backing down the lane is often required. As I turned the first bend I noticed traffic in the middle of the lane.

There is room for passing between vans and Alpaca, but they were skeptical.

Who us? Move?

Tapestries in Yellow and Green

Autumn colors in the Pacific Northwest are subtle. Most native trees turn yellow and brownish orange. It may not be splashy, but it is beautiful.

Even the grass changes to yellow.

And the ever-present green. Conifers seem to darken this time of year, as the rain washes off dust from the summer. 

Hay Nets Revisited

My new slow-feeding hay nets are working well for most of the horses, but not for the two Spotted Drafts. They pulled the netted bale out of the trough I was using to keep it out of the mud, carried the bale around, tossed it down a hill into the water, and generally refused to eat out of the netting.  I decided to try tying it up.

On the left are the first two trees I used. I wanted to keep the net out of the middle of the path, but those trees were too small and in 3 days the leaned together tepee style. I moved the net to two sturdier trees, and filled in the soft muddy area on the slope with bark shavings.

This seems to be working. The horses still eat out of the top rather than the netting, but at least the hay is being kept mostly off the ground and mostly into the horses. I need stronger ropes, and maybe a pole across the top to help secure it closed.

I'd like to set up a second net, but with as many trees as I have, finding two sturdy ones the right distance apart (and not over a mud pit) and close enough to fill up is difficult.

Problems or Opportunities?

Just before dusk yesterday I realized that my horses had broken their frost-free water faucet off at the underground joint. Water was pouring down the hill, emptying my well. After a moment of panic, I realized I could shut off the water to the faucet while I called around to see if I could find a plumber on a Saturday evening.

The shut off wouldn't close completely, so I cut power to the well and started calling friends for references. I got lucky on the second call, and not only was the man referred home and willing to work, he lives just down the street. He came to dig up the pipe and assess what parts were needed. By the time he got back from Home Depot it was dark, and he fixed the faucet by flashlight.

This young man and his mother - who is about my age - are steeped in the values of presence, self love, and appreciating the Universe. His mother teaches Feldenkrais. We had interesting, heartfelt discussions during and after the repairs.

What could have been a difficult problem for me was resolved in a few hours, and led to meeting a new friend, one who lives less than a mile away. I am enriched.

A Cirrus Sky

 

These streaky cirrus clouds covered the sky this afternoon - predicting the deterioration of weather that happened at sunset. The rains have returned.

Sharing Resources

These two tiny deer mice scampered across the lane and up to my new hay storage building just as I was pulling up to collect a couple bales. They were surprisingly unafraid. I think these are young mice, considering their small size and lack of fear.

The Guardian

Jesse, in true Great Pyrenees Guardian fashion, choses a high spot overseeing the property.

Having been trained by Pyrs, he does his guardian work well. I never tell him that he's really a Samoyed; but after all, they are guardians as well, when they choose to be serious. And Jesse hasn't lost his Samoyed roots - he acts the clown and makes me laugh at least once every day, keeping me rooted in the joy of life.

Autumn Leaves

The big leave maples happily share their lovely leaves with the evergreens.

And the lane.

Liquid Sunset

The Old Man

Wherever Charlie settles, he gets joined by others. This is the first time I've seen the Peacock choose to sun next to him, though.

The cats, on the other hand, are often found attached to the big white boy.

Magical Horses

Magic, my lovely Spotted Draft mare, gave me a lecture last night on the Care and Feeding of Magical Horses. It started when she saw me stacking alfalfa bales next to the grain bins. She called me over to the gate, and told me about how cold clear nights are, how damp it is out, and how much big, magical horses need more alfalfa in their diets. Grain is good too. Grass hay just doesn't cut it.

So she got a large flake of alfalfa. The other horses got some too. She's a bit happier now, but I'm waiting for the next list of demands.

Slow Feeding

I'm loving my new slow feeding nets. Here's Molly, showing her adeptness at eating through one.

Random Beauty

Fungi

There are some upsides to lots of moisture - there is an explosion of fungi!

The Watcher

My lovely Zander, watching everything going on. It's a good thing there's wire there to rest his head on. That big head is pretty hard to hold up on it's own.