Quiet again…

I love my parents to death, however it’s nice to have a quiet home again. Both my parents are hard of hearing. Father loves his news, and mother likes the normal stuff, but no soap operas day or night. There was no surgery for Father, as the doctors were afraid the risks were too great. His kidneys aren’t functioning properly, and if they failed it would be kaputs for Father. Mother was very relieved when we told her. For now they will continue to try medication as a form of plaque control, but his arteries are all clogged up. Too bad there isn’t Drano for the arteries, Father’s basically a walking time bomb. Like Rudy it’s hereditary, and there’s nothing he can do about it except for using medication. We’ll see how this new doctor deals with all this.  For now my parents are in their apartment, trying to unpack. I went over there Saturday, but all I really accomplished was to break down some boxes, take home some paper (winter’s coming), and take them to Wal-Mart for some shopping. It was all too much for Mother, but she did enjoy herself. Now if they would just get their phone connected things would be so much better, and I wouldn’t worry so much. I don’t really have to worry because they are in an independent care facility, but that doesn’t tell me how they are doing.

We have had an explosion of hummingbirds. The babies are now out of the nests, and drinking their fill constantly. When I came home from the hospital in Albuquerque one day, all four feeders were empty, and not a hummingbird was in sight. I filled them all, and next morning everyone was back.  There was also an unexpected visitor on the bird feeder. The poor hummingbirds didn’t know what to make of her, but a very pregnant Praying Mantis decided that the feeder was a good place to stalk her prey. I had seen her on one of the chairs the day before. Today I guess she decided that it wasn’t such a good place after all, because she has vacated the premises. The hummingbirds are very happy once again, and eating me out of house, and home.

As for the ranch, there wasn’t a water leak after all, or at least not a big one. I was talking to a woman at the feed store who lives below us, and raises goats. The water table got so low from the draught she had to put in a storage tank with an automatic on/off valve. When the pump can’t pump any more water it shuts off for a half hour, and then turns back on till the tank is full again.  This winter when we had a busted line they asked me if I wanted one, but it would have been another $200+ so I opted to wait. I guess I shouldn’t have, hindsight you know is great. I didn’t have the money then, and I don’t have it now, but the rains have brought the water table back up so it can wait a while longer. Today I left the water on all day, and I filled up the pasture tank, and when I got to the house I still had water. Of course it helps that it has cooled down considerably, and the horses are no longer drinking tons of water. Hey I don’t care why, I’m just happy I have clear water again.

It has rained nearly every day, so you can imagine what a mess I now have at the barn. Where everything was formerly brown, it is now green, and getting taller by the minute. Anticipating the need to mow, I had already gotten a new gas can (yes I finally broke down, and bought one) and I made sure it was full. I checked the battery, and sure enough it was quite dead so I put it on the charger. The tires were another issue. We don’t have electricity down at the barn so I found the air tank, and proceeded to ask Rudy how to use it. I’ve never used it before so I have a good reason to call about it. Tank in hand Rudy told me how to work it. I vowed to do at least some mowing. Everything was wet, but the tall weeds were getting ready to go forth, and prosper. I got one section done, that leaves about 3 or four sections to go (at the very least). There was no rain today or tonight so tomorrow should be a good day for mowing yet again. One section I will have to wait for several days, or perhaps a week of dry weather to mow. It’s re-claimed land that I filled with manure. Every year there is a little more vegetation, but when it’s wet, the mower gets stuck, and it’s a pain to break it free. I have to literally pick up one end or the other, I’m pretty strong but not strong enough to make it an easy task.  Lesson learned, I now wait until the ground is good, and dry before I mow. One of these days there will be enough grass to keep the mower from sinking into the mud.  Of course if I wait too long it’s a dust bowl, and I have to practically wear goggles when I mow, another lesson learned. Ok so I’m not a fast learner, after all I’m only a city girl gone native.

The girls are putting on weight (668 lbs), and starting to look good. Aulina is putting on a little too much weight w/o the benefit of being worked. You know what that means (all of you over the age of 30). Maybe tomorrow (if I’m not too tired), I’ll take Aulina for a little ride. I so need a ride. All this stress is for the birds.  The hills are green now, and I should be able to get some good pics of how it’s supposed to look come Spring.

Zara should be pregnant, and Sadie isn’t. We were moving girls, and as I went by Jeri Sadie’s tail went straight up in the air. Sure enough she was in. I already had Lizzie in the pasture, so I decided to put Jeri in with them. Lo & behold, Lizzie was in too. All this time she wouldn’t squirt, and now when it’s too late to breed there she is squirting, and shoving her butt in Jeri’s face. Poor Jeri didn’t know what to do so he took off with both mares following behind. Finally we took Jeri out, and put him back in his stall where he proceeded to scream at me. Enough already, we put Sadie in with Jeri, and Ibn with Lizzie in the big pasture. After three tries I’m not worried about Sadie getting pregnant, and come to find out, Ibn wanted nothing to do with Lizzie so there’s no chance of her getting pregnant either. She shoved her butt in his face, and he took off. I can’t believe these kids. I knew they didn’t really like each other but normally hormones win out, at least with all the men I know. Anyway both stallions are happy, there is little or no chance of either mare getting pregnant, and peace rules once again on our mountaintop. Thank you Lord!

Having Sadie, and Jeri together means Jeri will eat, and since they are both on supplements right now till they are a reasonable weight, it makes it easier to feed. Sadie is finally looking fairly decent, but Jeri still looks emaciated to me. It’s his own bloody fault for gawking at the girls all the time instead of eating. He can’t drop a few pounds here, and there anymore w/o it causing problems, he’s 23 after all, and no longer a spring chicken no matter whet he tells the girls. Ibn’s not much better, but he’s younger so he should start putting on weight with pasture grasses, and his alfalfa. Still it will take a while before he’s back to where he was before the girls all started going into season. We go through this every year. Next year I’m going to throw the boys in pasture with whomever it is I want them to breed to for a month or so, and maybe they won’t get so skinny. We’ll see for right now everyone is happy, and that’s all I care about. One can’t ask for much more than that, ok so maybe there are a few other little things I could ask for, ok maybe some big things, but I’ll take what I can get.