End of An Era

Janet, calmly loaded in the trailer, ready to move.

 We sold our last horse this week. The sweet red-and-white tovero filly with blue eyes, named Janet for a teacher and friend known for her patriotic "support our troops" in-school campaigns has moved on.

When the full-grown, saddle trained horses were here we hardly had time to ride. Maybe the mares enjoyed the company of their small herd in the pasture, but none got to explore the miles of trails in the area, so we let them go to homes that could better serve them. The filly, although she grew with us for over 3-1/2 years, was not trained to saddle or bridle. Now, she has a new home.

We were concerned about loading her in the trailer for the first time, but when her new owner was present, coaxing her from the head while I kept pressure at her hind end, why, she walked on within minutes. The process was so calm, and smooth that we knew she was going to a good home.

Tashena with Jerry, her new pal.

Once she arrived in Nashville, she explored her new pasture with Jerry, following him as closely as she had followed us here. Her new name is Tashena Scout Winter Foxx. We are sure that Tashena will be well loved and cared for by her new owners.

Bye, Janet.

The Filly Janet, Moving On

Morning on the farm.

Miss Janet, our pinto filly, is ready to move on. She has a new home lined up and a new owner; we're just trying to coordinate her move. Right now the horse trailer is stuck in the mud at the base of the hill. Although I got the truck down there, too, the ground has been too soft to get the trailer hooked up and out of there. By this afternoon I ought to have both truck and trailer back uphill, parked on dry ground.

Then all we will need to do is coordinate the move with her new owner, Jerry, and get the filly loaded. That may be more easily said than done. She's never stepped foot into a trailer. Sure, I've been leaving flakes of hay and nibbles of grain inside it from time to time, but she'd never so hungry that she'll climb right in. No, she just settles for what she can reach.

I will miss her. Since she's been the only equine on the place for months now, she has become quite attached to us. She calls greetings when we step onto the porch or pull into the drive. She trots up to the fence for attention or treats. And now that the cold weather is here, she's a joy to watch as she bucks and races around the hillside.

But, we don't have the time or talent for her at this point. Thirty years ago I would have trained her without a qualm, but now I have greater respect for the potential risks involved and no desire to injure those older bones. Plus, I'm too big for her young frame. True, some train and ride two year old horses, but their bones are still growing. Now that Janet's going on four, she's ready for some smaller human, who is gentle and quick on their feet, who can train her and ride with her into a lifetime of adventures.

We will miss you, Janet, but it is time for you to move on.

Chicken Soup Weather

Raw apple cider vinegar for the chickens' water.

With the chill of late fall upon us, I'm itching to pull out the crock pot and have warm stock ready at any time of day. Heeding the advice of the Bragg family, I added some of their raw apple cider vinegar (ACV) to the water of those few chickens we keep in the kennel. According to the Braggs, some ACV in the water for five days before slaughter will made a tough, older free-range bird into one for which diners will ask for repeat helpings. I was willing to give this remedy to tough poultry a try.

With a few tablespoons of ACV added to the birds' fresh water each day, we figured that they would be table ready within a week, but then did not get around to slaughtering a hen for nearly two weeks. When the time came to sample the meat, I was pleasantly surprised at the moist and tender nature of it. Of course, we usually slaughter roosters, who are said to be tougher, so it may not be a fair comparison. But, this hen produced some tasty meat for chicken salad.

Chicken Salad

chopped chicken

chopped celery

chopped grapes

onion, chopped fine

plain yogurt

tumeric

fresh ground pepper

Paulina is Growing

Miss Paulina with a crunchy leaf.

 Miss Paulina alpaca is growing to be a sweet girl. Now a month old, she comes up to sniff at me or be briefly petted before moving on to more serious business--generally nursing because if I am sitting still in their stall, I must have delivered fresh grain for her dam, who will then be occupied enough to allow a long suckle without complaint. Van is a good mother, always taking better care of her cria that herself, but Paulina is old enough now that she will not always stand still lengthy bouts of nursing.

This year's chick, now an adolescent.

Much older than Paulina is this year's surviving chick, who appears to be a pullet--or young hen. Yay! After the year of a multitude of surviving roosters, any young hen is to be celebrated. And since this year's crop of chicks mostly were hatched out in the barn shortly after the cats had been retrained to report there for meals, well, let's just say none of those chicks grew much.

They're never too young to learn the rules.

Indeed, when some of Kimberly hen's first-hatched brood piled out of their nest last June to explore the great world around them, I did my best to instill a sense of responsibility among some of them (see photo) as I rounded the hatchlings up. I daresay, though, I do a better job with young humans.

Paulina is ever alert to the wonders of her world.

Anyway, as we celebrate our pullet and Miss Paulina, a week of hard-freezes has given all of our herd animals fuller, fluffier coats. The alpacas and goats are enjoying the crunchy taste of autumn leaves as much as the Great Pyrenees dogs are enjoying the earthy scent as similar piles of leaves crunch beneath their bodies when they lie to sleep, watch or simply to roll in the leaves.

Fall is such a beautiful season!

Welcome Paulina Alpaca!

P&CW's Paulina

This afternoon our veteran female alpaca, Van, brought a new cria into the world. Little Paulina is a bright-eyed gentle gal, who is curious, friendly, and eager to learn her new surroundings. Since the alpaca herd has been "working" the front acres this summer, keeping the green growth mowed, Van was none-too-happy to be hauled up to a smaller enclosure attached to the barn a few nights ago; however, the weather had turned stormy and her body indicated that she was due to give birth on schedule, so we moved her to a spot of greater safety. At the time I put our littlest goat kid, Lorraine, in with her for a companion, but Paulina is the gal Van would rather spend her time with, so little Lorraine got returned to her herd today.

Crias are so much softer and meeker than kids. As a rule, alpacas are gentler than goats--except when they kick in self-defense. A strong kick from an angry alpaca beats being run down by a goat any day.

After suffering through her initial physical exam, and passing, little Paulina happily soaked up the mid-afternoon sun beside her dam and looked wide-eyed at her strange, new world. We left fresh water and feed for Van then did the new momma's bidding and left the pair alone.