Toe Work and Blueberry Season

The passing of time is marked in these strange days by
unusual occurrences... like the every-eight-week visit
of the farrier.
Time's passage used to be marked by much more exciting activities,
but such is life in the year of Covid-19.


I'm not complaining... truly, I'm not.
Our days are full.
We never have to search for something to do.
It always finds us... and gets put at the end of the "list".
You know the list... if you've ever lived on a farm...
the list is never-ending.
It's job security.
And there's plenty of that around here!


But, back to the farrier...
Healthy hooves are a super important part of equine health.
After all, the entire weight of the horse
(and in Moonie's case, that's 1500 pounds) is carried around on their hooves.
The amazing thing is - in comparative anatomy,
the hoof is comparable to our big toe.
The bones in the hoof and directly above are the distal, middle and proximal phalanx...
(the exact same bones that are in one of our toes.)
It's no wonder horses are so fragile.

Each visit, the farrier inspects the hoof health, trims extra growth of the hoof wall,
and makes sure the angle of the hoof is correct
to facilitate the horses' movement.

It takes him about 1 ½ hours to do all seven of our equines...
in part because they are all very well behaved!


Even the donkeys... once they resign themselves to the fact that
they actually want to have their hooves trimmed.
As Hubbs always says, "We can get out donkeys to do anything...
as long as it's their idea!"


The dogs love the farrier visits and eagerly await
each stinky piece of hoof that drops to the ground.
Dogs are gross!
(Ok, maybe not your dogs.... but mine sure are!)
I love them, regardless-
 I just try to avoid being licked in the face!


After each farrier or veterinarian visit,
we have to do a truck inspection...
just to make sure none of our barn kitties have become stow-aways.


Griz was in the spirit of things as the farrier worked...
he cleaned his own feet...
including nibbling on his own toenails.


"Mmmmm... I get what the dogs see in toenails.... pretty tasty!"


Yesterday's blog comments produced a question as to where all of the other
hens lay since the Russians don't allow them to lay in the upper house.
Our large chicken yard has a house at either end, 
so there is always a place for them.
And... some of them love to lay in the turkey house...
so the options are limitless.

We are knee-deep in blueberry season...
picking, freezing, and baking.


I made another Blueberry Buckle to help use up
the last of last year's frozen berries....
as the freezer fills up with this year's crop.

Here's a little video about blueberry season.
And just in case you need a link in order to see the video



So as to keep it real...
You may have already guessed that I love to play dress-up...
it's the inner child in me that loves fancy, fairy-tale dresses.
But as we all know, dressing like that is a bit inconvenient
when picking up manure or moving heavy animals around.
So, if you drop by the farm... don't expect that you will be met
by Laura Ingals Wilder.
She just appears for fun sometimes.
And so as to keep it very real... the person in that fancy frock
in the above video happens to be polluted with poison ivy over every inch
of her torso and also her arms.
Let's just say... by pulling out poison ivy vines,
to facilitate planting that garden around the tree next to Maven Haven, last week....
I took one for the team.
😬

Comments

colleen said…
Poison Ivy, OUCH!! Maven Haven looks so inviting with the tea and Blueberry Buckle on the table. Thanks for the recipe. I did try counting your blueberry bushes...you should of told me you were going to tell how many you had at the end of the video :). Jack, I sure do enjoy your drone footage.
Lisa said…
Ow ow ow. I've never been in contact with poison ivy and I hope never to be in contact with it. We have a plant around here that I guess helps with the sting of mosquitos and poison ivy rashes. It's called jewel weed. Not sure if you've got it there.

From your posts I'm figuring that we are about a month behind you in the gardening world. Our blueberries are not quite ripe yet.

Oh and yes dogs are gross. One of ours loves to eat the others poop. 😩
Diane said…
What a charming post. Your outfit, the turkeys, the blueberries and two of the cutest pigs to ever live.
Anonymous said…
Oh no on the poison ivy!
jaz@octoberfarm said…
oh no....poion ivy...i am so allergic to it! dogs are gross...some more than others. here comes another killer heat wave!
Unknown said…
So sorry about the poison ivy. When I read your post about pulling that out I worried for you. My mom can just be down wind from someone cutting it and get covered. Hope it clears quickly.
What wonderful caretakers you both are, your animals won the lottery. Lisa G in TN.
Marcia LaRue said…
Poison Ivy and Poison Oak ... Ugh to both!! I have had one case of each and that was enough to make me immune to any further outbreaks! I was one of the lucky ones!
I always love your videos ... such a nice way to visit the farm and never having to leave my home! Thank you for that!
Those blueberries just make my mouth water!
I hope you've got something good and healing to slather on that poison ivy!
Such pretty drone shots of the farm...peace & tranquility! Is there any chance some of those oh-so lovely aprons will appear in your shop...you know, in your spare time!

Mary - Windy Meadows Farm
This N That said…
My days are full as well but mostly because I spend too much time on my computer and I don't get up at the crack of dawn..Getting up at 8:30 helps make the days shorter..Love the picture go Griz..Yum..Another yum..Blueberry Buckle..Oh my..PI is nobody friend..Prednisone/Medrol dose pack really helps when it's that bad..Hugs
I didn't see the fairies helping to pick the berries! I hope they are earning their keep and are helping with some of the chores on the farm.
Bev, I just loved your video, especially when you petted the turkey! Loved watching you make the buckle too! Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your poison ivy...and just as you're trying to get over your upper respiratory infection. Ouch! May you be feeling much better very soon! Sending prayers up for you, friend!
Angie said…
We're just here watching your beautiful video. Hubby loves the turkeys. You have a truly amazing piece of this earth.
Hope you feel better soon!