And then there were none…

When I got back from El Paso I was afraid that all the hummingbird feeders would be empty, but was surprised to find one ½ full, and the other ¾ full. It seems only one family was still here. They emptied the one feeder, and then with the last feeder only ½ full the last lone hummingbird came no more. This is the latest they have ever stayed. Now instead of the whirring of wings, and little chirps, I hear the calls of the bull elks. The elk are in full rut, and one can hear them calling out to each other morning, and night. I’ve even heard them during the day. One has to be careful this time of year when one is out, and about. The elk have one thing on their mind, and everyone is a threat to the fulfillment of that goal. Those racks are nothing to sneeze at. One night two were going at it in the arena, and Rudy swore it was gunshots until we went down to the barns, and found two big bulls going at it. Enough said.

The weather has finally given way to beautiful days, and chilly nights. April has been coming over, and the one row of stalls actually looks nice for a change. She comes three days a week mas o menos. She brought over some hay and Senior for Jeri, and has been working him in the round pen. He still needs about 75 more lbs on him before she can start riding him, but he’s getting there. I supplement his feed with beet pulp, rice bran, and oil, and some grass hay. It’s the least I can do. She can’t afford much, and any help I can get is greatly appreciated. He’s the only man in her life now since she has sworn off men. They are totally devoted to each other. Of course Jeri loves anyone who will pay him some attention.

April has been working Jeri, and Star in the round pen, and the other day (while I was around) she worked Storm in the round pen too. She wasn’t as sure about how he would react so she wanted to wait until I was around in case he pulled any funny business. He was a very good boy only she was too soft with him. I took the whip from her, and put him through his paces. He did very well, and even remembered what “in” meant. I was very proud of him, and he enjoyed the attention (just like a man). I told her she needed to be a little more aggressive with him, and she would do fine. Later I showed her how to use the video camera, and I took Ibn out for a ride in the arena. It turned out to be a lesson ride, but in the end I think he actually enjoyed being ridden again. It has been a while since I’ve ridden him, and he had gotten used to being ridden on a regular basis. Being Ibn, he had to put on a front, and refused to do what I asked of him at first. Being me, I didn’t let him get away with it. Once that little misunderstanding was over he did quite well. He has forgotten a lot, like flying lead changes, shoulder in, and out, and side passing, but all in all he did quite well. We’ll do it again maybe tomorrow, and see how he does.

When I went to download the video of Ibn, I discovered that April pushed the wrong button (like I have maybe a gazillion times), and I didn’t get any video. Oh well another time maybe. Today after cleaning stalls April worked Star. I played with Star (grooming), and Ser-Haat (also grooming) while she was finishing up the stalls, then April took Star to the round pen, and worked her a bit. We took one of the sawhorses over to the round pen, and put the saddle, and bridle on it before hand. Star spooked a little when she first saw it, but after a sniff she was fine. Once Star was warmed up she saddled just fine, and when April went to put the bit in her mouth, she lowered her head like she had been doing it forever. April worked her with saddle, and bridle with no problems. She’s a very smart, and sensible girl. I put weight on the stirrup (both sides) while April was getting the bridle, and she just stood there like a champ. Next time I think I’ll have April get on her back. Once she is cool with working in the round pen (and only then) I will take her to the arena. As I’ve said before I’ve never started a horse from scratch. April is younger so I’ll let her do the hard part, then I’ll start teaching Star the ropes of being a proper show horse. I may be a sentimental fool, but I’m not crazy. Ok maybe I am crazy, but I’m not stupid, how’s that.

While April worked Star I shot a video of her. My camera messed up so I didn’t get as much usable video as I took, but I put together a fairly good short video of Star (http://youtu.be/prH3MyujcUw) it on You Tube. I have decided that I probably need a new battery for my camera. It’s several years old, and the camera seems to work fine just after I have it charged up. When it doesn’t have a full charge I seem to have problems. Even those re-chargeable batteries wear out after a while (nothing lasts forever anymore). For now I’ll charge it before I use it, and maybe that will solve some of my video problems.

In betwixt, and between everything else, Katie brought over her two mares. One is a Paint, and the other is a Black Bay. The Black Bay is the dominant mare. She brought a big water tank to feed them thinking she could put in a bale, and it would last a couple of days. I knew that wouldn’t work, and sure enough they went through it like candy. Katie’s had doctor’s appointments (she a little under the weather) so I told her I would feed them for now. What I didn’t tell her is that I’m going to feed them separately so the Paint will get her fair share. Black Bay won’t let her eat until she has eaten all the best parts of the alfalfa. Naturally the Paint is the larger of the two horses. She also has the worst feet. April, and I checked to see how they would be, and the paint is a little shy about her one hind leg, but did well with the others. The Bay was fine she didn’t even blink an eye when April picked up her feet. Being more timid I would expect that the Paint would be the one with trust issues, and she is. She’s just not that sure about strangers handling her feet. She wasn’t bad she just needs some work handling her back feet. Her hoofs are bi-colored, and very chipped. It will take a few turns with the rasp to get them where they should be.

Hopefully all the drama in our lives is over for a while, and things will settle down to a dull roar. Our water issues seem to have gone bye-bye now that I have floats in all the tanks. Even better yet, I heard on the news that La Nina isn’t going to be as strong as it was last winter, and we just might get a little more precipitation. That’s good for the water table, not good for my transportation. I need a new head on the jeep, and I don’t think my little Fiero is going to make it up the hill through the snow. Hopefully I can get the jeep fixed before the first snow. If not I will just have to take the truck if I have to go out into the snow, or just stay home. I like that idea best. I got some wood cut, and the boxes in the house filled. That’s not enough for the whole winter, but it’s a start. I also re-arranged my little corner where the stove is, which I actually like better. It’s easier to get to the wood, and it’s more open making the room not seem so cluttered. Now I have to get enough wood for the woodpile, so I won’t freeze this winter. If we’re lucky we won’t have the really nasty hard freezes like last year, and I won’t have to repair any more broken pipes. That would be a nice Christmas present (just in case someone’s listening). I want to get some of the foam insulation in sheets so I can make some sleeves for the water hydrants. I’m going to be a lot more prepared this year. Not that it will do any good, but just in case at least I will know that I tried to do a better job of preparing for winter. With April here I can also get that flapping piece of tin roof fixed. She can hold the ladder for me. The girls will appreciate that. Now if the rest of our life will flow into place we just might survive this economic storm.