Happy Halloween

Thank you to all my family and friends who offered their condolences, love and support for our loss.    It was a very sad time here and we are gathering ourselves to continue on this journey of life on the farm.   

It’s been a week’s hiatus from blogging…I needed a short break to grieve and recalibrate.   A quiet stillness has fallen over our home.   It’s being home alone and truly home alone for the first time at the new house.   Even when I was home alone (ie no other humans at home) I would always find myself in conversation with Corona.   I would ask her questions, develop her answers and in general just get her opinion.   I know I am not alone…lots of you reading this do this too!   It’s an emptiness that begs to be filled.   If not, I am a crazy lady talking to myself and developing my own answers!

The first days for me were the worst.   I was not able to take a few days off work as I had to travel on business first thing the next morning.   I work with 98% men, so when I arrived to catch our ride to Toronto early on Thursday morning I was met with jeering and innuendo until they realized why my eyes were red and puffier than marshmallows.   Once they knew; they were a sincere bunch of steel workers…they like to front a tough image but most of the guys I work with are really decent human beings once you wipe the grease off of them!  J  

The tears don’t seem to flow now like they did and I know as time passes the memories of her will be ones that make me smile rather than evoke the sadness of the loss.    We have yet to put all of her toys and possessions away…somehow I think it really makes it final.   Washing her things; washing away the last grasps of reality she has left behind for us.   Vacuuming the last tumble weeds of fluff that are floating through the house gathering in the odd corner; It’s so final.   So, now it’s time to recalibrate, refocus and be reminded that kindness in life extends to the final act of kindness that we choose as custodians to the pets we share our lives with.   As difficult as that decision has been to deal with on that day and every day since then, I would never stop sharing my life with special animals that enrich my everyday being because I fear this decision.

Moving forward we have not had idle hands on the farm … we both have needed distractions!

DH has been super busy with the indoor arena.   The footing is getting better and better.   Still some more leveling to get the final deep spots smoothed out and the thin spots filled in.  He worked away on it again last night so I can’t wait to give it another ride. 

Hurricane Sandy presented lots of rain and lots of MUD!!   We have a few leak issues throughout the farm buildings that we now know we will need to deal with in the priority sequence of getting to everything that needs fixing.   We knew the bank barn roof leaked…well it REALLY leaks when you get 50+mm of rain in a day!  

I was able to clean the future tack room area in the lower bank barn.   The cob webs were unbelievable and it took all day to vacuum the ceiling and walls.   Still need to scrape the floor in the area that was once the old owners chicken coop.   It’s a terrible smell now that all that poo has been saturated with water.   Ick!

The wind and rain also left my 2 girls inside for their first night since moving to the farm.   Unfortunately, we are using the existing old run in shelter that is attached to the building that will be the shop in the future.   This building opens to the north.   Sandy’s 100km/hr winds on Monday night were gale force blowing directly into the shelter.   The poor girls were wet with their heads down in the corner, tails to the wind!   They seemed quite happy to be in for their supper that night but by morning I was getting the hairy eyeball from Emma wondering what the heck was going on leaving her inside as she was no longer a show horse but a “ranch retiree”.    After 24 hours inside they were happy to be back out to the mud!

Here they are enjoying play time in the arena out of the wind and rain with blankets off for a really good roll!

Izzy found the monster pile of sand in the corner a great place to have some fun.

All this sand needs to be moved outside to the outdoor ring...It's at least 2 dump truck loads.  I have no idea how the old owners horses stayed sound riding in that footing!

Outdoor jobs have been on hold for the last 5+ days due to all the rain.   It works out Ok in reality since we have loads of inside jobs to do as well.   I spent some time in the last days cleaning the barn windows.    I don't think they have been cleaned since they were installed.   I took the stickers off that would have advertised the manufacturer.   What a difference in the natural light just having them clean! 

Here are some pictures of the transformation...

Start

With the Bars removed

Cleaned

Lastly, does anyone else out there reading this have trouble with rocks getting into their rubber boots?  I have been wearing the cheap farmer rubber boots.   You know, the black ones with red rubber soles that you can buy at TSC.   I swear that I walk 20m and I have a small sharp pebble in one boot or the other.   I promptly stop and dump it out.   I walk another 20m and have to repeat the process.   I have no holes as I have no leaks so these little buggers must be getting flicked in over the top.   Do I just have a strange gait that flicks rocks into my own boots or this a common annoying problem others have when they wear their rubbers?