That's One Clean Barn!

Yesterday was barn clean-up day.  After a summer of over-active web-builders, our barn was looking more like a haunted house than a barn.  

Hubbs moved anything that could be moved and swept behind, 

while I vacuumed the rafters - removing thousands of cobwebs and orb webs as well as just as many egg cases.  Either we will have many fewer spiders next summer, or our shop-vac will be overrun with baby spiders!

Of course we had a curious audience.

More than once I heard a very loud braying as Daphne or Chloe peered in the stall door at me with the shop vac.   "Sound the alarm!!!"  "A monster has Mom in its clutches!"

Donkeys tend to overreact just a bit.

The polar opposite, Ollie spent quite a bit of time nosing around the shop vac.  

Surely there had to be something edible on this thing!  I also wheeled the vacuum down to the pig house and gave that a thorough cleaning as well... just in time for it to get filled with hay for the winter.  Spring cleaning might be a better plan for this space!

When the barn was finished, I turned my attention to the herd.  The ponies had crusted dirt on their backs from the recent rain, so a good brushing was needed.  Tails and bridal paths were trimmed as well.

Red always looks so handsome with just a little bit of effort.  "Could you try to stay that way, Red?"  Doubtful!

On our way back to the house, Hubbs pointed out a few mushrooms that had burst forth, literally overnight.  This group are shaggy parasol mushrooms and they were quite large.  (Don't eat... they'll give you a bellyache!)

These tiny specimens (no bigger than a pencil eraser) are called Birds Nest mushrooms, for obvious reasons.  They were all over the surface of the mulch next to the shaggy parasols.  Mushroom season is here!

Comments

jaz@octoberfarm said…
during the pouring rain on saturday, i vacuumed the front porch. willie suddenly does not like the vacuum. he ran out to the toy woods in the pouring rain. i looked everywhere for him and finally found him nearly dry sleeping on the porch of the witch shed. pretty smart move by the little guy!
Dee J. Hartman said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dee J. Hartman said…
Hello Bev,
(I deleted the first comment, since there were typos! LOL!)
To repeat , this time, hopefully all the typos corrected. . .it sounds like you are forever busy, even on rainy days! I was not familiar with either of the mushrooms that you shared with us today....Could you possibly do a blog someday on the mushrooms that you know that are edible and the ones that are not. I have books about mushrooms, but I'd like your expert advice!
THE BEARDED ONE said…
YOU HAVE MENTIONED BARN SWALLOWS..WE USE TO HAVE SEVERAL....THEY WUIT USING THE BARN AND STARTED NESTING UNDER OUR CARPORT...NATURALLY I DID NOT WAT THEM THERE TO MESS UP AND RUNIN THE PAINT ON THE CARS/TRUCKS...SO I'D GENTLY REMOVE THE NEST AND PLACE THEM IN THE BARN RAFTERS...BUT THEY WOULD NOT USE THEM ..FINALLY THEY JUST LEFT...I LIKE THE BARN SWALLOWS BUT NOT UNDER THE CARPORT...THIS YEAR I HAD ZERO BAARN SWALLOWS AND ALSO NO MARTINS..AND I USUALLY HAVE SEVERAL MARTINS ..I KNOW THS WAS NOT A PART OF TODAYS POST..JUST WONDERING IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHY NEITHER CAME BACK...WE ALOS DO NOT HAVE CATS ANY MORE..JUST TWO DOGS....I SURE LOVE AND ENJOY THESE OIC AND COMMENTS SO MUCH....SOOOOOOO VERY INTERESTING..THANK YOU MUCH...WE ARE IN FOR SEVERAL WEEKS OF NO RAIN..IF...THE FORECASTERS ARE CORRRECT...HAVE A GREAT DAY AND THANK YOU MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORD !!!! KEEP SMILING !!!!
This N That said…
I'll bet there were lots of spiders that fell victim to your cleanup...
CAn't put a dirty horse in a clean barn!! Red looks great...
Those mushrooms look as though they have browned coconut on them...Cute little birds nests..Didn't see them that well on my phone this AM..SO cute!!
Lynne said…
Every once in awhile a post of yours pops
up on FB. And I love getting caught up,
even if it means spiders!
I will try Blogspot and see if I can stay
in touch with you there.
Hope you too are having gorgeous weather!