RicelandMeadows

November 11, 2024

Thank you to all Veterans! Rest in Peace to all of those who didn’t make it home.

Our month thus far has been unseasonable. The temperatures have been warm and conditions dry. It rained yesterday and earlier on Election Day but just enough to give the Earth a drink. Connie’s violet, though in the house, seems to be celebrating too.

This very old style plow, was given to us by friends from New York. It is my hope to find a local agricultural museum that will display it for many people to see. It is a two horse, two bottom walking plow. We think it originated in England. I would like to try it out, but some of the wear points are in rough shape indicating a lot of use in its history. I admit I do enjoy looking at it and admiring the engineering that went into it.

I have been using the nice days to keep up with work. We had our annual fence repair day last week. It is a necessary job that is kept small by yearly maintenance. Building fences through wooded areas is not a great idea and horses are tough on fences! Hats off to Ed Struna at Hickory Nut Fencing for his experience and great follow up work.

We had to start feeding hay. The almost daily frosts have put the grasses into dormancy. The horses don’t seem to mind as they search for a few blades of grass with full bellies from the hay. I am enjoying it a bit too as the manure is scattered by them…outside of the barns.

Training of horses continues and is intensifying as more young horses reach the age of understanding. I enjoy this work, perhaps more than I realized while I was working off the farm. My pace has slowed allowing for more patience and time. Those two things are critical when training young animals. I think the only thing more important is kindness. It takes a while to build trust, but it is worth it!

The last of the sugarwood, is headed for the woodshed. The job of filling the woodshed will be complete by this coming weekend. It is a good feeling to say the least. We got a lot of firewood this year from trees that had blown over. I even managed to get some logs to be sawed for lumber from the salvaged trees.

I know winter will soon be here, covering the landscape in a blanket of white. I will shift into cold gear and enjoy what comes then too, but for now, I am enjoying these last few days of a warm November.