Flood Damage

It has been a constant battle fighting with the weather.  A couple of weeks ago we had quite a bit of rain.  This was added to the constant rain we have had all winter.  The ground was saturated.  With no where else for the water to go, we had a flood.   

 The trees are no supposed to be in the water.

 And there is suppose to be a fence between those posts.

Is that a shark fin?

 Tuesday, the ground was finally dry enough and the temperature warm enough  for me to ride Otoelene around outside.

 The river is back where it belongs but left the fence flattened for about 12 posts.

This leaves J with a lot of extra work to do.

Horse Interactions

V and M came to visit for the day yesterday.  While M when out to help J with farm chores, V helped me with the horses for the farrier.  

 She caught her old steed Jessica for me.  She can sometimes be a little tricky, but she let V get her right away.  I now have new shoes on 4 horses.  Just waiting for some good weather. 

E is here for a few days on Spring Break.  This was her amount of horse interaction.  She went on a birding hike, walked past Pep, petted her nose, and went on. 
I, on the other hand, rode both Draper and Ototelene.  Finally, a day with no rain, temperature in the 60's but 30 mph winds.  At least I have a nice barn.

What's A Gabion?

To counteract the bad weather depression, I have been watching gardening shows on Netflix.  I have learned that Monty Don is a beloved gardener in England.  He is the host of "Big Dreams, Small Spaces,"  a very interesting British gardening show where homeowners transform their small backyards over the course of months.  I have also seen several of the episodes employ the use of a gabion as a retaining wall.  

 So, to answer the question, a Gabion is a wirework container filled with rock, broken concrete, or other material, used in the construction of dams, retaining walls, etc.  

 Just what I need to repair the small retaining wall that I built several years ago at the edge of my garden.  It was getting pretty ratty looking. 

 J had all the supplies that I needed, old bent metal cattle panels, bolt cutters and galvanized wire.  The old wall and rest of the farm are providing the rocks. 

 My original plan had the gabion at 18 inches, but once in place I decided that it was too tall. 

   So out came the bolt cutters and I went down to 12 inches.  I think this is a much more pleasing height.  Plus it requires me to pick up fewer rocks.

I am waiting for another break in the weather to finish the last section.  I have the basket made but the ground has frozen again and I can't get the area leveled until it warms up again.  There will probably be some more rearranging of the rocks on top to make it comfortable for sitting.  Then I have to decide what to do for the pathway under the pergola. 

Is It Real Or Is It Memorex

You know you have been looking for too many shark teeth when you are walking through the woods 300 miles from the beach and think, "Oh, that's a great one."

And no, not a shark tooth, tree bud. 

Major Poopy Tail

I see the small animal version of "poopy tail" all the time at work.  Poop sticks to the hair under the tail and continues to matt up until the animal is so uncomfortable it stops eating and the owner brings it in thinking it is constipated, or the owner notices an odor.  It is amazing that so many people just don't look under there for themselves.  This is one reason I don't have indoor animals.  Anyway, our fall twin calf, that J has named Edgar Allen Poe,  had the bovine version of "poopy tail". 

 I tried a few days ago to remove it will he was eating his grain, but that didn't work. 

 So we got he into the chute and J worked on the problem.  He stated that it was more difficult than he had thought it would  be.  We had to resort to a screwdriver and scissors to get is all off.

Now Poe is pounds lighter and still as happy and active as ever.

Third Tier Heat

After torrential rain and 50+ mph wind, we lost power on Sunday.  Without power we have no heat or water.  We usually have our gas logs available for backup heat.  But on February 8th, I had smelled gas out in the yard around the tanks.  I called immediately to report a possible leak.  The only help I got was, "find someone to turn the tanks off and we will get there when we can."   I called again February 12th.  "We are short handed, you won't be charged for any loss."  I said I was more worried about the safety issue.  Then came Sunday February 24, no power no gas logs.  

 So the little wood stove in the garage was called into service.  It was nice being able to come in and stand over it to warm up.  Luckily, the temperature didn't drop too bad in the house.  59 was as low as I saw it.  Then Monday morning I called the gas company and let them have a piece of my mind.  They sent a boy out to fill the tank, which surprise, was empty (even though we have not used any gas) and he couldn't tell if there was a problem and couldn't tell me if the logs were now safe to use, and of course the person that could possible know anything was not available.  I started the logs anyway and we haven't blown up yet.  But I think I will cancel my service (or lack there of) with this company.

Tuesday afternoon, we saw the powerline workers on the neighboring farm.  A tree had fallen across the line.  We finally got power back after 2 days, 3 hours and 4 minutes (according to the email from the power company.)

Rug Update

I really appreciate everyone's input about my rug delima.  In the end I did my own thing which was to send the wrong one back and hope that the right one showed up. 

 And it did. 

 I know the first one looks good, but it was just to loud.  Nothing would go with it. It made me think I had to stick with some sort of western theme which I didn't want.

 The new one is much more subtle.  It blends well with the floor and my existing furniture.  I like that it is lighter and brightens things up more.  Plus, I don't think it will dictate other choices for the room and dining room.

I think I made a decision that I am actually happy with.