Filed under: April 2022 | Tags: farm work, foals, shedding, Spring, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses, Suffolk stallion
April 25, 2022
It was such a nice day yesterday, that I simply had to let the horses out for a run, romp and roll. They did all of the above! They managed to find a very muddy spot to roll. They enjoyed the sun and the fresh green grass. Hank {our stallion) had to watch from the feedlot. He would very much like to be with his ladies, but we will wait a few more weeks. The plan is to have foals born in April or May….not March.
He is a good boy. He is very attentive and doesn’t miss much. He watched the girls playing for the entire afternoon. He too enjoyed some time out on the small jump lot where the grass is growing. He too found a muddy spot to roll, but he kicked up his heels and enjoyed the day. The pastures are drying up fairly well. Amee and Maggee are in the big pasture out front. It too is a bit soft, but the two of them shouldn’t hurt it too bad. Mom needs the fresh grass and the baby needs room to run!
Our yearling Grace got her first bath too. Her baby fuzz is slow to shed, but is finally giving up. Soon her coat will be the shiny chestnut that the Suffolk Punch are known for. She took it very well after the first squirt. I think it was the hissing noise more than the water itself that gave her pause. She eventually just stood quiet as I washed her with the warm water.
Farm work is idle for right now, but the coming week looks good. We shall see what the future holds. In the meantime, we will continue with training and brushing…lots of brushing. The shedding is in full swing as all the horses start putting on their summer coats. This grooming time allows for lots of personal contact and bonding for us all. Spring has sprung!
Filed under: October 2021 | Tags: farm life, farm work, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses, Suffolk stallion
October 31, 2021
In the photo above, Hank my 30 month old Suffolk stallion stands with the couple who sold him to me. The Pidcock’s from Nelsonville, Ohio sold me Hank as a weanling over 2 years ago. It plunged me headlong into loving this rare breed of horse. It’s almost spooky how it all started and how things continue to fall into place.
As October comes to an end ad winter looms, I am busy wrapping up projects. It seems that I have too many left over from summer! This past week we got almost 5 inches of rain. The ground is way beyond soggy! The corn harvest is on hold for a little while.
Next week looks much better. I hope to be able to finish the job of hand picking our field corn for the animals. The only other job pushing me hard is the job to finish filling the woodshed. In a mere two full days I can have that done too. I am mostly pleased with my progress but there is always room for improvement!
It will soon be time to start our fall butchering for our family. I like this time of year. Once the work is wrapped up, then rest and fun begins. It is getting hard for me to tell work from fun. Each day has a horse and something I like to do in it. Who could ask for anything more?
Filed under: September 2020 | Tags: farm work, firewood, home gardening, Suffolk Punch horses, Sugarwood
September 2, 2020
On the last day of August, We finished filling the woodshed. The wood will now have many months to dry and cure. The fire will burn hot under the boiling maple sap next spring.
This is a great job to have behind us. Corn harvest will start soon, along with getting the soil ready for our fall planted crop of speltz. I will also continue to work on firewood during the autumn season. I hope to be a year ahead by late winter.
I have started to shock corn. These small shocks I made in the garden from our sweet corn. I will open my animal corn field in the coming days, by making shocks down the center. The shocks make good feed and protect the corn just like a dry crib. The best thing is, shocking the corn divides my field into two small rectangles instead of one big square. It makes harvesting more efficient. I don’t spend a lot of time driving around the ends of the field this way.
We hope to wrap up the tomato season in the next two weeks. The potatoes are wonderful this year too. We have been enjoying all of our garden produce. It has been a good year for gardens and gardeners.
Late summer jobs and early fall work is commencing nicely. The horses are working well. The young stock is growing on the good pastures. Our stallion is learning manners and how to be a work horse. Our young filly is about to be weaned from her momma. Hank, our young stallion, will accompany our mares as we harvest the corn crop. He will mostly just walk along learning to behave and work. I like him very much. Here he is looking over the fence at us last Sunday morning.
Filed under: August 2018 | Tags: autumn, draft horses, farm work, field corn, maize
August 24, 2018
There is a nip in the air this morning. How can it be? I still have hay to make, wood to gather and garden crops to harvest. I guess today was just a teaser. The August heat showed up by late afternoon. I think this is just a warning that soon, autumn will be here. I heard the school bus as I closed the gate. It was almost an exclamation point for my thoughts!
Work here at the farm continues, but so does the “fun”. Baby calves have started to be born. We calve in the fall. It’s backwards for most folks but works well for us. Pastures are in good shape with lots of feed for the animals. Plowing will begin soon for our speltz crop planting in the next few weeks….one more sign that fall is close at hand.
The corp crop is looking very well. It is one of our best crops in a long while. The reconditioned corn planter did an awesome job. The stand of corn is spaced just right. The ears are plentiful and well formed. The timely rain allowed the kernels to fill and made for some nice soon to be “hand picked” ears!…If picking corn by hand doesn’t signal fall… then winter… I don’t know what does.
Filed under: August 2017 | Tags: bale grabber, bale hugger, baleage, Cwtch, farm work, Friendship, Hugs
August 19, 2017
Once again, friends came forward to do my farm work while I recover from knee replacement. This time, one friend donated the use of his bale “grabber” and another friend donated his time to haul and stack all of our wrapped bales. The day went very well. Now, all the second cutting has been stored right next to the feedlot for winter feeding.
I can’t help but think the bale “grabber” should be called a bale “hugger”. It squeezes the bales just right. They can then be lifted, moved and stacked with care. No holes get ripped in the plastic. This is important, because a hole with cause spoilage in the bale. This machine attachment along with our skid steer, made easy work of the job. It hugged the bales one by one and set them into place.
Who wouldn’t rather be hugged than grabbed?!
The attachment works like a pair of big smooth tongs. It doesn’t pinch, it doesn’t grab, it gently squeezes. The Welsh people would called it “cwtch” A very special hug saved for the ones we truly love, creating more than a snuggle, but a safe place as well. So, as I click one more job of the farm list, I hope you’ll agree a hug is much better than a grab!
Filed under: June 2016 | Tags: a man's worth, contentment, draft horses, farm work, stress, time management
June 17, 2016
Why is it that when it’s time for work we all move a little slower? I, like my horses, move like a snail until the last minute. Then I rush around and try to beat the clock. I usually lose, because, “the time and the tides wait for no man”!
Once I get started work is no big deal. I will say that this all goes out the window when it comes to working here on the farm. I jump out of bed and start my day with a big smile. Even when things don’t go exactly as planned, i just adapt, move on and complete almost any task. In the corporate world, too many stumbling blocks prevent me from being as efficient as I would like. There is no doubt that putting your hand where your heart lies is the answer.
Hoss, in the photo above, waits patiently to finish getting ready for work. He and Knight were worked yesterday as a team. It was the first time in a long time that I only worked two horses. The job I had only required two. It was in a tight spot where three horses would have been a bother to navigate. As Abby gets into her training, I will be using two teams daily. That gives all of them a break while allowing me more “horsepower” 🙂
I must get moving because its time for me to get …..ready for work 😦
Filed under: April 2015 | Tags: chores, farm work, firewood, hired hand, Honey do list
Nice to see the green again
April 19, 2015
We spent the weekend working on projects from a big list my wife and I made. It included such things as washing the house, picking up “stuff” from the yard our dog Max finds and carries there. We built some raised beds in preparation for the gardening season. We got the flower beds ready for mulch and restored order to several trivial, yet annoying things.
Chores are an every day, two times a day affair. The maple syrup season puts everything else on hold, until it is done. I played catch up these last two days, but having a list kept me on track. My wife is pleased with what we got done. We did not mow the lawn for the first time this year. I hope I don’t regret that….especially as the rain is now falling…in very large drops 😮
One good thing, having paused with farm work to do the little things keeps smiles on faces as the spring planting season bears down on us. A large pile of firewood is waiting to be cut and split. I want that job done and over before it’s time to cut hay. Farm work keeps a guy busy, but he must set enough time aside for the things that are important to his wife. It pays to remember those little things!
The horses had the weekend off. They will be back at it soon. We have a little plowing and some firewood logs to skid. I will work on these projects as the weather lets me. When I can’t plow because its too wet… I can always work on wood. I am breaking in a couple of new hired hands. So far they are standing the work well. I have not held back and they keep coming back, so I think it’s going very well 😮
Filed under: September 2014 | Tags: draft horses, farm work, patience, Tie stalls
Knight and Hoss enjoy breakfast
September 21, 2014
As I write this post I am reminded of a man’s saying at work. Pete will come with a couple of work orders and say, “I have to do this….but first, I have to do that.” He calls it , being…”but firsted”. I can’t help but think just how many times that happens to me. I will ask one of my sons to come help do something. He comes prepared to do what I asked. Then I say, Thanks, we need to do that…but first……” It makes good help hard to get 😮
This month of September has found me working extra shifts at my off farm job. I still need to re-bale some big round bales into small square ones. I must get my speltz planted. The window for speltz planting will soon close. The weather must cooperate too, by holding off the rain. Then lastly, a mountain of firewood still needs to be cut and split. So, with all of these farm jobs at the top of my list, I realize that I am free to wade into those jobs…. BUT FIRST….I have to complete my work obligation.
I can see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. I will soon get several days off as I take an autumn vacation. I will be free to do as much farm work as I want. I can hitch horses everyday as I click jobs off my never-ending list and smile while I do it…. But First…I have to get to those days off!
RicelandMeadows 