RicelandMeadows

August 25, 2026

We have had a very damp august. Some days it rains multiple times. The pastures and lawns are growing again and quickly! It is nice to have plenty of feed for the horses, especially the nursing mommas.

I have been keeping busy inside and out. The training of Murtagh and Jaime continues. In the photo above, Jamie stands patiently in his big boy harness complete with his bridle. He is doing very well for a young horse. No work yet but lots of training for his mind. He continues to do very well.

We had a visitor looking for a free meal. I’m thinking the short grass makes field mice easy to spot. In any case, it is wonderful to see this magnificent bird! I guess he took advantage of a break in the weather to go out for dinner.

When weather drives me inside, I like to work in my blacksmith forge. I am a novice, but I enjoy the craft very much. I am making more hooks for the new barn. As I use shovels, scrapers and brooms, I make specialized hooks to hang them on. I like the order found in a clean organized barn. These hooks make it fun.

They are not fancy. They are far from perfect, but they are functional and fun to make. The “U” shaped ones I made from pony shoes. They will hold my manure/sawdust forks. The “J” hook will hold lead ropes or something similar. The heart hook will be mounted to keep the long handled barn scraper tucked neatly against the wall.

Jobs such as training and forging are not “work” for me. They fill my time with productive things when I can’t be outside working. I guess it is like therapy, the results of which produce useful things. It is a win-win. I need both the mental break and the hooks…perfect!

August is quickly coming to an end, making me wonder where summer went. The children are back in school, goldenrod is blooming and I even see a tinge of fall color in the trees. We need to start thinking about wrapping up projects and getting ready for the cool days of autumn…we all know what comes after that!