The head gardener is off on his annual hunting trip which means that I am on chore duty. Come help me do the morning chores.
Most days I am an early riser, getting up about 5:30 AM. I make coffee and settle in my easy chair to read my blogs on the iPad while the Head Gardener sleeps in. When I am on duty I try to keep his feed schedule at least in the morning, so I go out about 8:00. Sundance is usually in the corral waiting. He calls to me, telling he how hungry he is.
"Come on boys, can't you give me a smile this morning? You are going to be featured on the blog," I say to them as I try to get their attention. I want them both looking straight at the camera lens, ears forward, joy in their eyes, but they only have one thing on their mind: breakfast.
The boys know the routine.
Pop gets Senior Glow, a low carb pellet. His former owner told us that he is prone to founder (a condition that could permantly cripple him caused by too rich of a diet), so he gets a low carb feed and grass hay. His pasture time is limited, too, and he has to wear a special muzzle that limits his access to fresh greens.
Sundance gets a small amount of a high carb grain mixture of oats and molasses.
They each get a flake of home grown hay. Both cuttings of hay this year were exceptional. Sundance will finish his breakfast and head to the pasture, while Pop will stay in his stall until 2:00 when I let him out to graze in the pasture.
Next the hens. We are down to eight. We lost one last week. They are getting on in years so they are not laying very many eggs. From 8 hens we are averaging 0-3 eggs a day. We are not prone to put them in the freezer, so we have think about getting chicks next spring. We can only keep 12 hens according to our covenant.
Scratch--simply cracked corn. They have mash in the hen house.
Dew clings to garden in the early morning. The crisp, cool air hints at fall. Today will be sunny, mild, and about 70 degrees.
As a kid, I always dreamed about a barn with stalls for my horses. They were pastured, fed hay only during the winter. Our barn was an 80 year old milk barn where I kept my gear, but not my horses. These boys have it made. Sundance now 18 and Pop is 24, will live out their lives in peace, both spoiled princes.
I'll repeat the routine around 7:00 PM.
I'll repeat the routine around 7:00 PM.
The rest of day will be filled with cleaning, reading, daydreaming, laundry, cleaning out the refrigerator, did I mention daydreaming?
Now back to reality. There are chores to be done.
Thanks for visiting.
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Your horses have so much personality! Cute!
ReplyDeleteAre you planning a trip to the UK? We are!
Have a wonderful day on your special piece of earth, Ann.
I love how those who get up super early think anything past 6:30 is sleeping in...lol. I get up between 6 - 7 most mornings, and my 5 am husband thinks that's sleeping in.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing your morning routine, and am going to remind Boo that see, not everyone gets to eat at 6 am.
Jen
How happy your horses look! It must be a wonderful latter years home for them.
ReplyDeleteI can see your horses enjoy their peaceful life in stable and pasture. First photo with Sundance looking round the corner is so pretty, he is so glad to see you again in the morning taking care for his breakfast. And.....I see you have some lovely books to read, may be your dreams come true in the future.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I want to thank you for your beautiful written comment on my last blogpost, love it.
Janneke
It's always nice to have a day to yourself, even if there are chores involved. The weather looks almost summery. Sept is always quite nice in Ireland. October might be a different story.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted horses as a kid but we were a military family with a very limited budget so my only horses were plastic. Your boys are beauties. :o) What a beautiful way to start the day.
ReplyDeleteI always found it best to keep to a routine with my animals as well - then they know where they stand especially as I had dairy goats that had to be milked twice a day. Hope you enjoy your time whilst the head gardener is off hunting - perhaps more time spent blogging without feeling guilty eh.
ReplyDeleteHad my fill of chores already this week. And work. Dishes, dinner, all the laundry out away tonight, oldest off to scouts, and both boys bathed. And I worked for two hours at home on landscape plans. Guess what I am doing tomorrow night? I am going to relax and play in my garden. Baby shower invites were mailed today. I finished them last night. So tomorrow is my night.
ReplyDeleteI love this post Ann! The first picture is my favorite; what a cutie Sundance is! We had two horses when my sister and I were teenagers, and I loved to ride. My sister -- not so much. :) You do have a great place for those fellows to live a comfortable life. :) I love your hen pics, too. More and more people are starting to keep chickens; maybe one day hubby and I can do that.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you might be daydreaming of a trip across The Pond? Enjoy your day, Ann; this is a wonderful time of the year!
Hugs,
Denise
P.S. Could you e-mail me when you have a moment? My e-mail address is in the "About Me/Contact" link at the top of my Home page. Thank you for the very sweet comment on my blogging milestone; I was very flattered. :)
Someday I'm going to come out to your area, wished my daughter and son-in-law's move would have worked out. I love reading about your days on your farm. We are getting chickens again in the spring and I can't wait.
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