Making Waffles

I've been cooking this month ~ and waffles are on the menu. Hair Waffles. I've been so warm in my winter coat. Finally it's coming off in big chunks. We left a trail in the yard of hair waffles when I went out to pick grass. The birds were happy, and started carrying some off.

But wouldn't you know it, some of the nights are still cold. The Doctor came on Friday to get some horse juice, and he also gave me a poke in the neck. It made me feel lousy. I was stiff and sore and grumpy. Mom got out my winter blanket and tucked me in for the cold nights. That made me feel better. But now my blanket is a mess. This is what it looked like even after a good brushing. So Mom is off to the laundromat.

There has been some progress on my pasture. The farmer came back with a different piece of equipment, squeezed through my gate, and fluffed my dirt. I've been very sad that I can't go to the pasture to play. Mom let me out there at first, but I ate great big wads of dirt. It was so easy. I guess she was afraid I would get filled up on wiggly earth worms. But when the Doctor came he took away some poop, and he looked for worms. He said he couldn't find any, earth worms or other kinds either. So I don't have to eat any nasty paste this spring. I think it is much wiser to spend money on poop tests instead of icky paste.

So the back pasture looks like a farm. The farmer guy has been very busy around here, kicking up dust in all the fields. And there were lots of rocks out there in those fields, some nearly as big as my head. A big herd of Mexeecans swarmed through and picked all the rocks. I wonder if they store them in the barn? Rocks don't seem like a very good crop. Even I wouldn't eat a rock.

But Buttercups are Pretty!

Last year my little pasture was full of beautiful yellow buttercups.

No one has really used this pasture in the summertime for a few years, and the buttercups took over. Mom and Brita have been talking about what to do about this, since I have been trying to eat every little bit of green I can find. They said that buttercups will make me sick. and the more I eat, the sicker I'll get. So, today Mom was standing above my pasture with the crossthestreet neighbor talking about tilling them under. All of a sudden, on the horizon, Mom spotted the downtheroad neighbor with a tractor and plows, and he was headed past our little farm. I don't know what it is about a man on a tractor that gets these gals all excited, but add an implement and they just go wild. Next thing I knew, that big tractor was in my pasture just ruining the grass. And apparently, he will be back next week with more implements. I sure hope he plans to put things back the way it was.

So anyway, we went for a nice little ride. But while we were out, the winds changed, and the temperature dropped 20 degrees. I'm not kidding. It was like opening the refrigerator door. The wind was so high that we couldn't hear important stuff like traffic coming, so we'd gone for a little mosey around the fields, visited the tame red cows, had a nice little canter, and were headed up the woods trail when that blast of cold air hit us. We turned and hightailed it back to the barn before we got caught in the rain. Brita said when she got to the barn today it was 72 degrees and when she left, it was 50 degrees. Now it's pouring rain out, everyone is inside and we're munching our hay. April showers bring May flowers... but they won't bring buttercups.

Like a Heat Wave

OK, it's not LIKE a heat wave. It actually IS a heat wave. All weekend we had temperatures in the eighties. Which is about 20 degrees warmer than it should be. Way to warm to be running around in your winter coat, but I did anyway. We had a good gallop around the cornfield. It was firm and dry and made really good "clop" noises. Then we took a stroll in the woods. All this activity got me really sweaty. Brita washed my tail and waited for me to dry off so she could scratch my itches, but it didn't really happen. Not to worry, I have a solution to wet itchy coats.

For our purposes today, we will need to find some dry dirt. Wet dirt is good for lots of things, but not for drying sweat.

Then you get yourself situated directly over the deepest dusty spot.

Drop down and get right in it.

Make sure you get your wet neck deep deep into it and scratch back and forth.



Then "Alley-ooop" and get your props back under you.

See? All nice and dry.

The Mud Spas and the Aftermath

I have been spa~ing it in the mud. I am so happy with my messes. First I apply a primer coat, then a base coat, and finally a finish coat. Sometimes I wear mud pies on my rump. It's very flattering.

Brita attacks it with a shedding blade. Can you see all the dust flying? She even puts on a dustproof-hairproof suit.

Then she measures the pile to see how well she did. This one was 3 inches deep and a hoof pick wide.

This is how I look with the mud removed, half an hour later. Still not clean by any stretch of the imagination, but at least Brita isn't ashamed to be seen in public with me, and my dapples show through.

Really, it couldn't have been too bad... see how clean my saddle pad was? Mom even turned it over to see if the expected dirt was hiding on the other side. The key is I did my trot work and hills and didn't break a sweat. I am getting fit quite fast. what does Brita think I do all day? Sit around? Nope, I DO stuff.

We even found a little green grass. It wasn't much but oh it was so good!

Afterwards, when Brita left, I went out and repainted my blank canvas! I can't waste all this beautiful mud!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

May St. Patrick's Day put a little green in your Spring.

If I had grass, I'd roll in it and celebrate with a little wearin' o' the Green!

You know I would!

The Best Thing About March

.... is no bugs. I can nap in the sun and not worry about getting bit. I get soooo sleepy.

I managed to stay dry until Brita got here today. We went for a nice little ride on the flat route and did quite a bit of trot work. She says I did really well and that without shoes on I have more extension in my stride.

When we were done, I went back out in the sun and rolled in the mud.

Both Sides. I'm sure she's glad she didn't waste much time on the beautification routine.

What?

Good Day Sunshine

I'm sorry I haven't blogged much lately, but not a whole lot has been going on. I've just been hanging out in the primordial ooze of my paddock waiting for Spring to arrive. This past week was beautiful with warm weather and sunshine. I spent a lot of time looking for grass, but there isn't any. Brita would show up, and take one look at muddy me and find something useful to do in the barn. We did go for a looonngg walk last Saturday in the sunshine. It was great, and I even got to stretch my legs in the first gallop of the year. On a long straight spot, with firm footing. Glory!



But on Thursday, I looked up, and she was headed out for a ride on Ms. Copy. She said it was because Copy was clean and I wasn't. She just didn't have the time to scrape the mud off AND ride. Well I yelled for her to wait, and came galloping back to the barn, but she was already out of sight. I went to the gate and waited for my turn, but when she got back, she said she was sorry but she was out of time, and I had missed my chance. Well Poo. It was a beautiful sunny day, just perfect for a jaunt.



Of course, Ms. Copy-Poppy doesn't really enjoy going on rides, and I DO, so we put our heads together and came up with a solution. Yesterday before I came in, I rolled in the dry sand of the arena, and polished all the mud off. So when Brita came to the barn today she thought Mom had helped me because I was all slicked up and ready for my ride.... We go now?

And Ms. Copy-Poppy........


.........Was NOT.

On a dietary note, I've decided I like celery. The best part of celery (besides the green leaves) is that it comes in long crunch stalks and I get to eat the whole thing instead of having someone cut it up in little pieces and ration it out. I can put the whole thing in my mouth. It's great!