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Showing posts with label horse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horse. Show all posts
2014/05/18
We have a winner!
We have a winner in the "Name the Horse" competition!
Here's a clue:
Think you know what it is? Take a guess by leaving a comment!
Here's a clue:
Think you know what it is? Take a guess by leaving a comment!
2014/05/16
A cock, two weaners and a Dick
There seems to be a theme running through Occidental Acres this spring, but I can't quite put my finger on it...
Well, it's been a busy month here at Occidental Acres, Nova Scotia, my homestead, out there on Fundy Bay. OA has a new rooster for our girls as Flink was WAY too hard on them. The new roo is a Buff Orpington (we have three BO hens and they are far and away Laur's favourites), a bit more mature and has been really good for the girls. They all LOVE him - particularly our two small Golden Comets who were getting picked on by the other hens. He has restored the pecking order and those two Comets will not venture far from his side. The three BO hens we have also adore him and together, those five snuggle at night. It's quite funny actually. He is a big dood, and we call him Big Chicken - he has an amazing vocabulary and the hens hang on every word he says. Except when a duck flies by, then they tell him that he's over-reacting.
We've noticed a marked drop in ticks this year, probably owing to the chickens and particularly the Guinea hens. They seem to have really eaten a lot! Of course, I had three crawling up my neck saying Happy Mother's Day on Sunday, but that was because I was waaaaay out in the field finishing up my fencing and the birds don't go that far from home.
The most exciting news is that we've brought a giant Percheron home. I'm super excited and a bit scared as this is my first horse! I love the big breeds and have been jonesing for a Percheron but never in a million years thought one would come my way. He's 18hh and his name is Dick As you can imagine, ribald jokes abound. I'm pretty sure we'll be changing it! We're thinking Little Dan, but we'll see what sticks.
We've also been fencing like crazy for the two little piggies that came home last week (yeah man, weaners. Say it with me now! Weaners!), Berkshire/Tamworth crosses. One is red with big ears, the other is black with smaller ears - they are cute, but they are also food and so far I've managed to keep an emotional distance from them. So, we put an electric fence energizer out in the field which required approx 500' of hand trenching to bury the wire... then we strung the wire (three strands because I just copied my friend Gerard's set-up, not realizing his was originally fenced for lambs. Pigs only really require one strand... but live and learn!).
The top portion of my pasture has now been completely fenced. I divided it in two because the top dries before the bottom and it makes sense to rotate the fields, particularly with a big guy eating all the fresh grasses. I now have 2 three-acre pastures for Little Dan. Next big project is a run-in shelter/barn for him for the winter. Once that is completed I'm sure there is a cow on the horizon. I'd love to see a miniature Belted Galloway, but that's just me. They are so gorgeous. Highland might also be a decent choice for us.
The third project requiring hard work has been a new coop for the chickens. We will be getting some meat birds at the end of the month and want to keep them in the current coop and run. Our laying hens will then be moved to the new coop. The new coop will have a winter-proof run for the girls so they can go out during the winter and not have to face 17 feet of snow.
We currently have seven laying hens and get a half dozen eggs (on average) per day. We sell two dozen a week for $3/doz, paying for their own feed, specially since they don't eat much during the summer as they are free-ranging for bugs and seeds. We're trying a different meat bird this year (Meat Kings were last year's bird) as the genetic mutants we had last year freaked us out. They grew like monsters and could barely walk by the time they reached a good processing weight. This year's birds are called Sasso and they are originally from France. They are a meat bird, but grow a bit slower and can actually walk around and free-range for a good portion of their diet (rather than laying down, panting with their heads in the feeder).
My understanding and appreciation of farming continues to deepen - lots of work for little money, but you do it because it's what you like to do. It's also often quite dangerous (yes, we've done some stupid YouTube moment-type things). We've been running since the weather turned (only a couple weeks ago.... sheesh what a hideous winter!) and there will be no break until the weather turns again late fall. Lots of landscaping to do, run-in/barn building, more fencing (the bottom pasture and along the brook), then moving the pigs to new pasture a few times during the summer, of course haying and gathering this winter's wood (Little Dan will help me get to the places I can't reach with the tractor) and a whole slew of things I can't yet imagine!
Aaaaaand of course there will be lots of horseback riding!
... and that's the news from Occidental Acres, where all the women are strong, the male things are good-looking and the child is above average.
Well, it's been a busy month here at Occidental Acres, Nova Scotia, my homestead, out there on Fundy Bay. OA has a new rooster for our girls as Flink was WAY too hard on them. The new roo is a Buff Orpington (we have three BO hens and they are far and away Laur's favourites), a bit more mature and has been really good for the girls. They all LOVE him - particularly our two small Golden Comets who were getting picked on by the other hens. He has restored the pecking order and those two Comets will not venture far from his side. The three BO hens we have also adore him and together, those five snuggle at night. It's quite funny actually. He is a big dood, and we call him Big Chicken - he has an amazing vocabulary and the hens hang on every word he says. Except when a duck flies by, then they tell him that he's over-reacting.
He's missing a few tail feathers from altercations at his previous home, but they are growing out nicely and he'll present a rather majestic picture once he's all back together again!
We've noticed a marked drop in ticks this year, probably owing to the chickens and particularly the Guinea hens. They seem to have really eaten a lot! Of course, I had three crawling up my neck saying Happy Mother's Day on Sunday, but that was because I was waaaaay out in the field finishing up my fencing and the birds don't go that far from home.
The most exciting news is that we've brought a giant Percheron home. I'm super excited and a bit scared as this is my first horse! I love the big breeds and have been jonesing for a Percheron but never in a million years thought one would come my way. He's 18hh and his name is Dick As you can imagine, ribald jokes abound. I'm pretty sure we'll be changing it! We're thinking Little Dan, but we'll see what sticks.
We've also been fencing like crazy for the two little piggies that came home last week (yeah man, weaners. Say it with me now! Weaners!), Berkshire/Tamworth crosses. One is red with big ears, the other is black with smaller ears - they are cute, but they are also food and so far I've managed to keep an emotional distance from them. So, we put an electric fence energizer out in the field which required approx 500' of hand trenching to bury the wire... then we strung the wire (three strands because I just copied my friend Gerard's set-up, not realizing his was originally fenced for lambs. Pigs only really require one strand... but live and learn!).
Two weanling pigs (weaners) - both Berkshire/Tamworth crosses, both female. I call them Pigger Dhu and Pigger Roo
The top portion of my pasture has now been completely fenced. I divided it in two because the top dries before the bottom and it makes sense to rotate the fields, particularly with a big guy eating all the fresh grasses. I now have 2 three-acre pastures for Little Dan. Next big project is a run-in shelter/barn for him for the winter. Once that is completed I'm sure there is a cow on the horizon. I'd love to see a miniature Belted Galloway, but that's just me. They are so gorgeous. Highland might also be a decent choice for us.
The third project requiring hard work has been a new coop for the chickens. We will be getting some meat birds at the end of the month and want to keep them in the current coop and run. Our laying hens will then be moved to the new coop. The new coop will have a winter-proof run for the girls so they can go out during the winter and not have to face 17 feet of snow.
We currently have seven laying hens and get a half dozen eggs (on average) per day. We sell two dozen a week for $3/doz, paying for their own feed, specially since they don't eat much during the summer as they are free-ranging for bugs and seeds. We're trying a different meat bird this year (Meat Kings were last year's bird) as the genetic mutants we had last year freaked us out. They grew like monsters and could barely walk by the time they reached a good processing weight. This year's birds are called Sasso and they are originally from France. They are a meat bird, but grow a bit slower and can actually walk around and free-range for a good portion of their diet (rather than laying down, panting with their heads in the feeder).
My understanding and appreciation of farming continues to deepen - lots of work for little money, but you do it because it's what you like to do. It's also often quite dangerous (yes, we've done some stupid YouTube moment-type things). We've been running since the weather turned (only a couple weeks ago.... sheesh what a hideous winter!) and there will be no break until the weather turns again late fall. Lots of landscaping to do, run-in/barn building, more fencing (the bottom pasture and along the brook), then moving the pigs to new pasture a few times during the summer, of course haying and gathering this winter's wood (Little Dan will help me get to the places I can't reach with the tractor) and a whole slew of things I can't yet imagine!
Aaaaaand of course there will be lots of horseback riding!
... and that's the news from Occidental Acres, where all the women are strong, the male things are good-looking and the child is above average.
2014/03/15
A not-quite-Hudson Bay (tm) Saddle Blanket
Yesterday I bought the supplies for a new project. Because all of us are feeling under the weather, I thought it might be a good day to get down to business.
As all of you know, I would really like to have a horse. I'm already working on acquiring the materials for a barn. But with horses comes additional cost as the tack and equipment can cost thousands. In an effort to keep things affordable (and keep the wifey happy), I've been trying to make things myself. I've already made a couple of rope halters, a lead rope and some very simple rope reins (although I do have two leather complete bridles including - headstalls, bits and reins).
I've been squirreling my homemade equipment away in a canvas messenger bag I also made, but this project will definitely be too big to fit in with the other things. I'm not well versed with the ins and outs of saddle pads (used to provide a bit of cushioning but mostly to protect the saddle from horse sweat and dirt) so I did a little research, conducted a bit of polling and used a bit of ingenuity and came up with a plan.
I'd seen some really neat canvas on a previous trip to the fabric store and although it didn't suit my needs at the time, I immediately thought of it when I wanted to make the saddle pad. It's off-white, not an ideal colour, but the bars are kind of cool and so similar to the Hudson Bay's signature colours that it immediately invokes a historical connection to Canada's past.
The canvas itself was a bit too wide for what I needed (I wanted a pad somewhere in the area of 32x32x 1/2), so it was necessary to make some changes in width and length. Sadly I was forced to remove the top green bar in order for my measurements to fit properly. I folded it a couple of times and decided my course of action.
The red bar would be at the front, mostly covered by a saddle anyways, with the yellow, red and green stripes showing behind.
With 32x32 my target size, I needed to make a few more adjustments to fit the felt. Here I've sewn the edges and get a real idea of what my finished product will look like.
After hemming the edges it was time to bust out the felt. This particular felt is 3/8ths thick, and doubled would be a respectable 3/4" pad.
Here the canvas has been laid out on the felt for fit. I did make some adjustments to the width. I ended up turning the pad perpendicular to its illustrated alignment, with the folded edge of felt to be at the front of the pad (over the withers). I also shortened the pad to a 31x31 by eliminating the white stripe at the very front of the pad. After rotating the canvas 90 degrees, I made my "chalk" line down the centre and lined everything back up.
I have now hand-sewn the all-important centre line and chalked out the additional lines where I will add reinforcing stitches. The front of the pad is shown at the bottom of the photo.
Sewing through canvas and felt is really hard on the hands and I might ask Janet at Trimper's Harness to help me finish it by machine. My hands are sore... but this pain serves to remind me of the pride and satisfaction which comes from a job well done. Maybe I'll just pick away at the remaining stitches over the next few days.
We'll see!
As all of you know, I would really like to have a horse. I'm already working on acquiring the materials for a barn. But with horses comes additional cost as the tack and equipment can cost thousands. In an effort to keep things affordable (and keep the wifey happy), I've been trying to make things myself. I've already made a couple of rope halters, a lead rope and some very simple rope reins (although I do have two leather complete bridles including - headstalls, bits and reins).
I've been squirreling my homemade equipment away in a canvas messenger bag I also made, but this project will definitely be too big to fit in with the other things. I'm not well versed with the ins and outs of saddle pads (used to provide a bit of cushioning but mostly to protect the saddle from horse sweat and dirt) so I did a little research, conducted a bit of polling and used a bit of ingenuity and came up with a plan.
I'd seen some really neat canvas on a previous trip to the fabric store and although it didn't suit my needs at the time, I immediately thought of it when I wanted to make the saddle pad. It's off-white, not an ideal colour, but the bars are kind of cool and so similar to the Hudson Bay's signature colours that it immediately invokes a historical connection to Canada's past.
The canvas itself was a bit too wide for what I needed (I wanted a pad somewhere in the area of 32x32x 1/2), so it was necessary to make some changes in width and length. Sadly I was forced to remove the top green bar in order for my measurements to fit properly. I folded it a couple of times and decided my course of action.
The red bar would be at the front, mostly covered by a saddle anyways, with the yellow, red and green stripes showing behind.
With 32x32 my target size, I needed to make a few more adjustments to fit the felt. Here I've sewn the edges and get a real idea of what my finished product will look like.
After hemming the edges it was time to bust out the felt. This particular felt is 3/8ths thick, and doubled would be a respectable 3/4" pad.
I have now hand-sewn the all-important centre line and chalked out the additional lines where I will add reinforcing stitches. The front of the pad is shown at the bottom of the photo.
Sewing through canvas and felt is really hard on the hands and I might ask Janet at Trimper's Harness to help me finish it by machine. My hands are sore... but this pain serves to remind me of the pride and satisfaction which comes from a job well done. Maybe I'll just pick away at the remaining stitches over the next few days.
We'll see!
2014/02/10
It's been a while...
I know it's been a while since I last posted, but we've been plodding through winter just like everyone else in the Northern Hemisphere. Because I've been feeling a wee pang of guilt at ignoring all of you, I undertook a small project both to occupy our time on Sunday and to provide blog-fodder for you.
I've been reading quite a bit of Eric Sloane's work about the tools, buildings and lifestyle of historical New England. I came across this illustration in one of the books and decided that it was time to make something.
So the Boy and I decided to make a small winter sledge (or sled, sleigh or scoot, whatever your dialect) for the tractor or horse. To that end, we slapped some boards on a pair of road-shopping skis, strapped them together with a few other boards, put a chain on the front and called it good!
I've been reading quite a bit of Eric Sloane's work about the tools, buildings and lifestyle of historical New England. I came across this illustration in one of the books and decided that it was time to make something.
So the Boy and I decided to make a small winter sledge (or sled, sleigh or scoot, whatever your dialect) for the tractor or horse. To that end, we slapped some boards on a pair of road-shopping skis, strapped them together with a few other boards, put a chain on the front and called it good!
Step 1 - disassemble the skis and cut the runners.
Step 2: screw the skis onto the runner boards.
Step 3: screw cross boards onto the runners.
Step 4: strap entire contraption to bored horse.
Step 5: (no photo) watch bored horse go trotting, then cantering, off without you but still attached to said contraption and bewildered, albeit deliriously happy, six year-old son.
Crap.
Step 5: (no photo) watch bored horse go trotting, then cantering, off without you but still attached to said contraption and bewildered, albeit deliriously happy, six year-old son.
Crap.
2013/12/25
Horn hacking...
In retrospect, an Aussie saddle without a horn would have been a better investment - already having been caught and stabbed by it numerous times. But because budgeting is tight, a different saddle was not in the cards. So, I've had to do some surgery on my current saddle. I'm sure I'll end up replacing the current flap with something prettier, but in the meantime my saddle is much safer.
Because there wasn't a lot of information online about removing a horn, I decided to document my experience so others will have an idea of what to expect should they decide to do the same thing to their inexpensive stock saddles.
So, here you go... hack on, happy hackey hacker!
Because there wasn't a lot of information online about removing a horn, I decided to document my experience so others will have an idea of what to expect should they decide to do the same thing to their inexpensive stock saddles.
So, here you go... hack on, happy hackey hacker!
2013/09/06
Old-Time Country Fair
Last weekend, during a beautifully warm late-summer day, on a small plot of land next to an ancient country graveyard in Tremont, NS the Tremont World's Fair took place. This isn't the usual "Ex" as you might imagine - midway rides, games of chance and oodles of fried food and sodas. Nope, it was a real country fair, such as I've never experienced before - old-timey, with cattle, horses, 4H kids, vegetables, fruits, pies and crafts. I'm not sure why, but I didn't think to bring my real camera. But I'm glad I had my phone to record at least some of the day's events.
I have now been to two fairs in the Valley and I really enjoy watching people of all ages, body sizes and abilities participating. It wasn't just young, slender young women riding their perfectly groomed and finished imported European warm bloods - it was older/younger (there was a three year old girl on her pony with her mom leading!), slender/stouter, warm blood/draft cross... every body on every type of horse and participating in everything from the cross cut competition (cutting a log using a two-person saw) to the Farmer's Race (running through various farm-related chores like carrying water, moving bales, etc, all whilst wearing comically large overalls).
Coming from the prairies, I tended to think of agricultural events as white, wealthy, male activities. But here the emphasis seems to be on the animals and food, not gigantic machines, robots and huge farming "systems". Perhaps there are those kinds of expos here, too, but probably not in the Valley as there just isn't the same emphasis on enormous farms. But I was happy to see people enjoying themselves, having friendly competitions, visiting with both farm neighbours and the person sitting next to you. Everyone from all walks of life and abilities participated in all these events and it was refreshing!
A good time was had by all!
The graveyard on the hill behind the old Baptist church.
Hay judging.
Red ribbon goes to the highest quality bale. All four of these were second cut, mixed grasses. I'd like to watch the judging some time and learn how they judge quality. They were all very fragrant - you could smell them as soon as you walked through the gate.
There were competitions for all kinds of fruits and veggies, floral arrangements, jams, jellies, honey and pies! There were competitions for sewn wearable garments, rug hooking, all manners of crafts, photographs, many mediums of art and children's creations - including art work and LEGOS!! I kicked myself for not taking photos of the amazing Lego entries! All of the children's entries were wonderful and it's so nice to see kids participating in the community event.
Dairy cows wait their turn to be judged - this girl was entered in a contest whereby her udder was judged. I can't remember the specifics, maybe "largest udder" "Best Shaped" "Most Cowiful"? I can't remember. But what I do recall is how perfectly content these girls were to rest in the shade and chew cud!
Younger Holsteins waiting their turn in the ring. They were all so very placid, waiting, chewing, waiting, chewing. For dairy breeds we saw Holsteins and Jerseys. Meat breeds included Durhams, Herefords and Angus (Black and Red).
Dairy Showmanship - Over 21
These were my favourites to watch - The Showmanship classes. These are some dairy breeds being shown in the Over 21 category. Most competitions will have several categories for younger folks, think 4H, to participate. But this category is for adults who want to show their calves and judges them on how their cows respond to their handlers - if they stand nicely, how they walk, trot and turn.
Beef Showmanship - Over 21
See that guy on the right? He won every event in which he entered, with every cow. All of his cows also won every event in which they were entered - regardless of handler.
See that guy on the right? He won every event in which he entered, with every cow. All of his cows also won every event in which they were entered - regardless of handler.
Young oxen wait their turn.
In Nova Scotia, ox and horse pulls are a big deal and part of every fair. These guys are likely yearlings(ish). There were three weight classes for oxen. I cannot remember specifics, but it was basically divided by age - young, middle age and mature oxen.
Head yokes also seem to be the norm out East. I'm not sure if this is the French influence, but out west oxen were very rare and usually shoulder yoked.
Head yokes also seem to be the norm out East. I'm not sure if this is the French influence, but out west oxen were very rare and usually shoulder yoked.
The big guys wait in the shade for their turn. I took a picture of him because his horns point almost directly down. Because each yoke is made to fit a specific animal on a specific side, this yoke would be somewhat unique. His partner is obscured behind the trees directly above his shoulder.
Can you see the brown longer horned guy in the back? Its amazing that the horns don't interfere with one another when yoked together!
Ah! The main event - the horse pull. Here the tractor loads 100lb "logs" of concrete onto the sled. I wish I could give you details about team weight, poundage pulled, ratios of pulled weight to horse weight, etc, but I just didn't keep track of that info. But this is how the pull is judged - whoever has the most weight pulled per horse pound is the winner. Like the oxen, the horses have several different categories graduated according to weight. These Belgians were the only team I got to watch because mechanical issues forced the pulls to be delayed. I had to get back to make supper!
This team quite easily pulled 1400lbs. Another component of the competition is length - not only does a team have to pull the weight a specified distance, but the teamster also has to plan and control their animals because they only have a set distance in which to pull as much weight as possible. For example, this team has to pull this weight a minimum distance for the pull to count (I think it's right around 4'), but the teamster doesn't want his team to pull too far, because if they are a big strong team, the driver will want them to pull as much weight as they can before they hit the end of the course. Make sense?
I have now been to two fairs in the Valley and I really enjoy watching people of all ages, body sizes and abilities participating. It wasn't just young, slender young women riding their perfectly groomed and finished imported European warm bloods - it was older/younger (there was a three year old girl on her pony with her mom leading!), slender/stouter, warm blood/draft cross... every body on every type of horse and participating in everything from the cross cut competition (cutting a log using a two-person saw) to the Farmer's Race (running through various farm-related chores like carrying water, moving bales, etc, all whilst wearing comically large overalls).
Coming from the prairies, I tended to think of agricultural events as white, wealthy, male activities. But here the emphasis seems to be on the animals and food, not gigantic machines, robots and huge farming "systems". Perhaps there are those kinds of expos here, too, but probably not in the Valley as there just isn't the same emphasis on enormous farms. But I was happy to see people enjoying themselves, having friendly competitions, visiting with both farm neighbours and the person sitting next to you. Everyone from all walks of life and abilities participated in all these events and it was refreshing!
A good time was had by all!
2013/08/07
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Horse now on farm! Extra!
Well, here it is, the big announcement. Ok, it's not my announcement, but it's exciting nonetheless!
Today Mooshum and Kookum brought home their newest member of the farm! With help from Tim, Brandy (16 year old Percheron cross) came home to Black Sheep Farm this morning and is settling in nicely. She loaded into the trailer like a champ and stood nicely all the way home.
She came from a place that does trail-riding, but has been pulled, driven, logged and ridden. A great all-around package!
After a brief stint in the grass with Tim, we brought her around front and gave her a quick trim. Despite having quite a few superficial grass cracks (which are starting to grow out), her look feet pretty good. She's been unshod since she was pulled as a youngster, and this makes for some decent feet - nice big frogs, healthy heels and tough soles. We'll have to keep an eye on the cracks (none in the quarters), but with some supplementation and good exercise to take some weight off, she'll have great feet in no time.
Kookum gave her a good brushing and worked on her mane and tail for a bit while I gave her a trim.
Today Mooshum and Kookum brought home their newest member of the farm! With help from Tim, Brandy (16 year old Percheron cross) came home to Black Sheep Farm this morning and is settling in nicely. She loaded into the trailer like a champ and stood nicely all the way home.
She came from a place that does trail-riding, but has been pulled, driven, logged and ridden. A great all-around package!
This was the photo from her ad on Kijiji. Looking a bit rag-tag (and like she has a dingle-berry). A stout girl!
After a brief stint in the grass with Tim, we brought her around front and gave her a quick trim. Despite having quite a few superficial grass cracks (which are starting to grow out), her look feet pretty good. She's been unshod since she was pulled as a youngster, and this makes for some decent feet - nice big frogs, healthy heels and tough soles. We'll have to keep an eye on the cracks (none in the quarters), but with some supplementation and good exercise to take some weight off, she'll have great feet in no time.
Kookum gave her a good brushing and worked on her mane and tail for a bit while I gave her a trim.
Just out of the trailer, with Tim and the dogs - Stella and Morag. Brandy is big, but not huge.
She stood very well for her trim and lifted each foot for me. Say hello to my butt!
After her trim, we went for a wee walk. This road is perfect for her - it's not asphalt, nor is it too rocky. I didn't even have to hold her lead as she walked when I walked and stopped when I stopped. I turned around in both directions and she followed me to a T.
She's wonderfully calm. Throughout the entire adventure today, she showed interest but remained level headed. The only time she was a bit hesitant was when we went by the blue garbage bags by the side of the road. This is not surprising, however, as they contained chicken parts and probably smelled a bit off. Her head and ears came up briefly, we inspected the bags and were on our way. I didn't even have to hold the lead, she was so relaxed.
Coco, the Jersey calf, seemed to stare in wonder at the huge animal getting out of the trailer. All
Brandy had to do was look at him and he took off back to the barn. She
had her head hanging over the fence, trying to engage him, but he
wouldn't move from the door of the barn. It was quite funny to see him
interested, but so tentative.
After a bit of a walk down the road, we turned her out into her new pasture where she wandered a short distance and started to graze. I asked Mooshum to come with me, just to see what would happen, and we walked to the other side of the field. When she realized we had wandered off, she gave a whinny and walked briskly over to be with us. It was so great to have her already looking to us for companionship and direction.
After a bit of a walk down the road, we turned her out into her new pasture where she wandered a short distance and started to graze. I asked Mooshum to come with me, just to see what would happen, and we walked to the other side of the field. When she realized we had wandered off, she gave a whinny and walked briskly over to be with us. It was so great to have her already looking to us for companionship and direction.
A bit of supplement for those feet, a bit of exercise for the chubby bits and a bit of love and structure and I think she'll be an absolutely great horse - she already is!
(I can smell horse on me as I write this... I've missed that smell!)
(I can smell horse on me as I write this... I've missed that smell!)
2013/08/04
VWMB
Laur is working all hours of the day and night on a "go live" at work, so we've been grounded this holiday weekend. It's actually ok, because it's given us an opportunity to test-drive our chicken processing equipment for tomorrow. Because she was tethered to the computer off and on today, we stayed put and got some farm work done.
Laur weed-eated The Circle while I took down a section of the dog fence. She then moved sticks and branches out of the dog area and intended to do a bit of brush cutting, but work got in the way. The dogs will soon have a new set up which will allow us to let them out to do their business (unsupervised) whilst fowl have run of the rest of the "yard".
I'm 85% sure that Doo wouldn't harm the fowl, but Aida has not proven herself trustworthy in the least. Rather than having dead duck/Guinea/chicken, and consequently dead dog, it's best for everyone that dogs and fowl be separate.
This evening I'll be working on a couple of walk-through gates for the new configuration.
As you may already know, on Thursday we received permission from Canada Post to have a mailbox at the end of the driveway. It seems to be a rather long process, as we made the request before we even left Regina - almost a year ago! A Delivery Planning representative was required to view our driveway and road markings in person before any delivery personnel would commence delivery to our box. Until this time, we've been using a Community Mailbox, which hasn't been that bad. It goes without saying that we'd much rather have someone come out, view our location and make sure it's safe than have a preventable accident.
So! The time has come for us to sink a post and mount our mailbox!
As you may already know, we like to do things a little differently. To that end, I began looking at ideas for a chicken-themed mailbox. Some very nice examples were available for sale at $300 (US).
We don't have that kind of money (that's half a horse, for goodness sake!), so I began to look at chicken mailbox woodworking plans. But, I do not have a scroll saw to get into decorative nooks and crannies and I'm not sure the jig saw would be the most expeditious tool.
That's when Laur piped up. What about a Volkswagen mailbox, she asked.
She showed me a couple photos of some boxes available for $120 (US) plus $50 shipping. Wow! Good for the guy that can get that price for his mailboxes! But once again we just couldn't justify that kind of dough on a mere mailbox.
So, as usual, it's back to our default acquisition method. If it's too expensive, we'll make it ourselves. And just like that, we were on our way out the door and up the drive - going to the hardware store for a white mailbox.
After supper we took a jaunt over to Cottage Cove to watch the sun set over the bay. I took a couple snapshots while we were there.
Laur weed-eated The Circle while I took down a section of the dog fence. She then moved sticks and branches out of the dog area and intended to do a bit of brush cutting, but work got in the way. The dogs will soon have a new set up which will allow us to let them out to do their business (unsupervised) whilst fowl have run of the rest of the "yard".
I'm 85% sure that Doo wouldn't harm the fowl, but Aida has not proven herself trustworthy in the least. Rather than having dead duck/Guinea/chicken, and consequently dead dog, it's best for everyone that dogs and fowl be separate.
This evening I'll be working on a couple of walk-through gates for the new configuration.
As you may already know, on Thursday we received permission from Canada Post to have a mailbox at the end of the driveway. It seems to be a rather long process, as we made the request before we even left Regina - almost a year ago! A Delivery Planning representative was required to view our driveway and road markings in person before any delivery personnel would commence delivery to our box. Until this time, we've been using a Community Mailbox, which hasn't been that bad. It goes without saying that we'd much rather have someone come out, view our location and make sure it's safe than have a preventable accident.
So! The time has come for us to sink a post and mount our mailbox!
As you may already know, we like to do things a little differently. To that end, I began looking at ideas for a chicken-themed mailbox. Some very nice examples were available for sale at $300 (US).
We don't have that kind of money (that's half a horse, for goodness sake!), so I began to look at chicken mailbox woodworking plans. But, I do not have a scroll saw to get into decorative nooks and crannies and I'm not sure the jig saw would be the most expeditious tool.
That's when Laur piped up. What about a Volkswagen mailbox, she asked.
She showed me a couple photos of some boxes available for $120 (US) plus $50 shipping. Wow! Good for the guy that can get that price for his mailboxes! But once again we just couldn't justify that kind of dough on a mere mailbox.
So, as usual, it's back to our default acquisition method. If it's too expensive, we'll make it ourselves. And just like that, we were on our way out the door and up the drive - going to the hardware store for a white mailbox.
A basic, white, $20, rural mailbox.
I drew the design, Laur does the painting.
Yes, Kubota Orange is an actual colour. Bertie would be so proud!
After taping off the bottom section, she starts with the first coat.
The first coat is drying. It will likely require one, if not two, more coats.
After supper we took a jaunt over to Cottage Cove to watch the sun set over the bay. I took a couple snapshots while we were there.
Another gorgeous day comes to an end in Canada's Ocean Playground!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I've got my first horse booked for a trim this week.... and it's an exciting one. Stay tuned for some terrific news early this coming week!
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