RicelandMeadows


Life Lessons
April 28, 2020, 10:17 am
Filed under: April 2020 | Tags: , , ,

breehaltertie

April 28, 2020

As this pandemic continues and we get used to a new “normal”, I feel about like the foal in the picture. I am staying put , but I don’t have to like it!

Bree our new foal, is learning new things. This first lesson was all about being tied up. She needs to learn to accept this. She will learn to lead soon too. Once we have mastered these things, she will be able to accompany mom while we work. Bree will be tied to her mom at a safe distance where she can walk alongside, but not get behind or in front where she could get hurt. Social distancing at its finest.

All of us here on the farm are learning new life lessons. It is best to find the positives, look toward the future and make plans. Continue to live! This will pass, things may change, but we will adapt. We can do all things through God who strengthens us!



Suffolk Punch
January 31, 2020, 11:02 pm
Filed under: January 2020 | Tags: , , , ,

Amee&Abbyday1

January 31, 2020

Well, I did it! I bought a pair of Suffolk Punch mares. These gals are registered, six years old and in foal. The photo above was taken on their first day on our farm yesterday. I am pleased with them. It will be bittersweet to say farewell to my Percheron pals, Knight and Hoss, but these ladies will power our farm just as well.

We are making this change after thirty years of working mostly Percherons. I do really like the breed and have had some wonderful horses. I am simply getting old and throwing the harness up on my black gentle giants, takes too much effort. The Suffolk Punch horse is a chunkier and shorter work horse. These are just two of their attributes.

Amee&abbyday1butts

They are “easy keepers” meaning they make efficient use of their feed…much like me. They have been bred for stamina and gentleness for centuries. The powerful horses are known for their great attitude, willingness to work and calm disposition.

I am continuing to be amazed by this breed. Today the mares got their feet trimmed, bridal path clipped, dewormed and fitted to harness. I guess that is the equivalent to a day at the spa…am I right ladies? In any case, they took it all in stride. They look nice tonight all cleaned up and shining in the barn light.

Big changes for the farm for sure, but the future looks bright! Oh by the way, their names are Abby and Amee. Their DNA tests revealed that they both are unrelated to our little guy Hank.



Change is Good
July 11, 2019, 9:09 am
Filed under: July 2019 | Tags: , , , , ,

raking2019

July 11, 2019

Everyone tells us that change is good. I continue to believe that change is bullsh*t! I do adapt, but I hate it. It takes me out of my comfort zone. I don’t want to “try something new”, I like the old stuff and the old ways…but change does help us grow in knowledge and experience. I grumble, but I do it.

This is Abby’s second time raking hay. She is learning many new things. Her world is full of change. The first day that I hooked her to the hay rake, she was a nervous wreck. It rattled and banged behind her. The dry hay made a swishing sound that she couldn’t see. I kept a firm hand on the lines reassuring her, that everything was okay. Knight, her teammate, walked along paying no attention to the “rattling, swishing monster” coming right behind them. This soon gave Abby confidence.

rakingabbysweat

This photo shows the horses making their first round. By the time we got to the other end of the field, Abby couldn’t have cared less about the hay rake or the job at hand. Her frothy sweat dried by the second round and she settled in for the day. The next day there was no fear in her eye. She exhibited nothing but confidence. She knew her job and seemed to enjoy doing it. I guess she trusted me not to put her in harm’s way. She did trust me, but I think she verified that trust, by keeping one eye on Knight.

In life, I too get concerned about new things. I think I have actually broken out in a frothy sweat a time or two! I wanted to resist, but settled in and made the best of it. Pretty soon, the new became the old and change became the norm. I don’t have to like it, but I can control how I react to it. I just think about God on the lines, my “teammates” walking beside me, adapting as we go…and the quiet, confident voice of my wife, telling me that everything will be okay…. And you know…it usually is.



A Day for Me
October 16, 2018, 11:50 am
Filed under: October 2018 | Tags: , , , , , ,

knifeblankheat

October 7, 2018

I think it is very good for us as humans, to take some time out to do what pleases us. We need to take care of responsibilities first of course, but some time to relax is a necessity. I am guilty of working too much in the past. Life is short. There is no way to go back and spend time with people, see an event or watch a sunset from a comfortable chair. Those days are behind me and I have regrets for sure. I will try harder to spend more time on the things that really matter…and one of those things is just some time for me.

It is no secret that I have found a great hobby with forging. I like to heat the steel and make it move in my hands. I like to create. I like the solitude and alone time. I read somewhere, that men and steel get second chances. Its true. The metal can change, reshape, bend and harden. Men are the same way…it just takes guidance from a master to make it happen. Choose your master well…don’t choose money, work or pleasing others. Stay true to self and go forward following your heart.

I have been making blades from old files and rasps. The hardened steel has to go through fire before it can be made into a knife. They are very hard as tools. The fire restores flexible steel, reducing the hardened tools to malleable steel once again. They make fine blades with hardness restored in their cutting edges, while leaving the rest of the knife flexible enough to bend when put to a test.

Men too, sometimes need to go through a “fire”, for them to change. I have been through a few low points in my life testing my mettle. I did indeed change a few things. In the end I am stronger than before, but I can bend.

knifeblank

Slowly the knife blade takes shape. In men, maybe it is the loss of a job or failure in some way, that tests them. The birth of a baby or the loss of a loved one, will shape your life differently. It is not the reshaping that matters, it is the way you react to it. Be positive. Find the good in yourself and others. Change if needed, but at a minimum, learn from the new experience.

I stand at my forge and anvil. I hammer and twist steel into shapes. I make mistakes, but I turn out good stuff too. The joy comes not from the pieces of steel I bend and hammer, but from finding a skill that I didn’t even know I possessed! I wouldn’t allow myself to waste time on idle things…what a mistake!

So, the point of this post is to help my readers understand, the importance of rest and relaxation. We as humans need the down time to recharge and reset. The Bible tells us that on the seventh day, God rested. He was God. He didn’t need to rest…He did it because He knew that “we” needed it! This took me too long to understand, but now…I get it.

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Donkey Diplomat
February 12, 2018, 2:25 pm
Filed under: February 2018 | Tags: , , , , , ,

selfdonk

February 12, 2018

Our donkey has been with us for about six months. I had no idea just what awesome critters these guys can be. He is the sweetest, most loving farm animal that I have ever encountered. He is a gentle guy with patience that resembles “Job”. He follows me around, but knows exactly what the daily routine brings. He doesn’t like change much at all!

I will not say that every donkey is a sweetheart, but I can sure say that this one is. There must be a few donkeys that demonstrate the “stubbornness” they are rumored to have. I’m guessing that it has more to do with them not embracing change. They have a tendency to shout out and even lock their heels at new things. Hmmm, I show some of these exact tendencies myself when it comes to change. I am guessing that is why some folks see me as an ass……That’s ok with me…as long as a few others see me as a lovable, patient, gentle man.

I like the status quo. I can do change when I must, but am sometimes the one shouting loudly and locking my heels. At my advancing age, my tolerance for bullshit….also know as change…is just about zero! I think its almost time to separate my self from a place where constant change rules the day…It’ll be much better for everyone involved. If that makes me a donkey…so be it…. just call me a donkey diplomat!