This 'n That

[SandyG]

Whoever or whatever you believe is The Great Power -

Please take a few seconds on this all important day to ask your Great Power to hold us safe and protect Washington DC today. May it be a safe day with America celebrating the right to speak, the right to vote, the right to assemble, the right to worship, and the promise of a future. May your Great Power work in the heart of our new President to give him wisdom, keen eyes and ears, and a humbleness that will perhaps amaze even him. Guide him, protect him, and give him the wisdom and strength he will need as our President.

Amen.

[SandyG]

Thanks to a pair of very, very dedicated volunteers, the horses are set with new hay bales for the coming week but only after every single horse was brought in, hooked, and fed. What a treat to stand in that barn and listen to the munching while looking over some very plump butts! Such joy is addictive!!!

This morning, I took a quick trip into Hudson and retrieved our first roll-up door for the new hospital building. This is the door that will provide ventilation for the run-in area and is covering an 11' x 8.5' doorway. Needless to say, it took a bit of coordination and the forks on the skid loader to unload the beauty! It shipped in a sturdy wooden crate and actually was over 13' long when I went to bring it home!

The horses are all relaxed and were sleeping in the warm air. Even the barn cats are out of their insulated boxes and watching the world around them. What a great and badly needed break from the frigid air!

Enjoy your day and remember to be a bit pensive at the end of the day when you recall the good things . . .

[SandyG]

Seems a tad peculiar to look out and see Clyde-Mare picking grass on the bare spots in the pasture. But with this warmer weather, all of them are wandering a bit. At least getting away from the hay bales for a short time to exercise and dream of springtime!

Gracie manages well in that big herd of horses over 10 times her size. She knows how to scoot and also how to bite . . . she's a tough old girl!!

Emptying the ashes from the pellet stoves today, getting pet food distributed to food banks, and then picking up enough feed to get us to the weekend. Then, because feed is on sale, I'll bring a pallet (2,000 lbs) home Saturday for unloading on Sunday. Then, we can rest.

Have a good one today!

[SandyG]

Our little Gracie is a Houdini!!! Went into the barn with feed for her and Faline and I found Gracie's blanket . . . but no Gracie! I called and heard her reply and looked over from the noise. There she was - standing in front of her tie stall waiting for breakfast. So I put a different blanket on her today to see if she can keep that one on. Between her boots and her blankets, that little girl sure likes to be naked!!! Although, after her blanket was on and adjusted, I felt under it and she was already warming up like toast. Hopefully she will connect the two - blanket and heat.

Everyone else seems to be fine - wandering a bit and eating hay. Sleeping and just relaxing. This is great winter weather for the kids - not too cold, some snow for cushioning those with sore feet, and yet snow not so deep they cannot wander. Good for the caretaker, too!!!

[SandyG]

Odd, isn't it, how your mind begins to ponder an action that you want to take and then life happens and you find yourself not only wanting but now needing to take that action.

I have been pondering the commitment to resume blogging. For years, I told the stories of THE FARM in a weekly blog and it truly worked magic - with many who read the blogs and with me. It was my therapy. My way of wondering, and reflecting, and celebrating, and crying, and questioning, and planning, and yes, even boasting. But then, as humans sometimes do, we burn out! We dry up. We run out of words and need to take time to regroup until our soul wants to talk again.

Very recently, I have found myself wanting to share. To tell the stories and share the antics. To teach the lessons and to ask the questions. And so today, life happened . . . or more accurately, death happened. And so, out of honest respect and love for the mare, I wrote a blog. It was my therapy and my letting go of the grief. The tears will continue for some time, as they always do. Even years from now, the tears will appear when we remember or speak of her. But for tonight, so I can close my eyes and attempt to sleep. For tonight, out of pure love for one of the strongest, I attempted to share my observations of one of our own.

If you have the time, please go to our website (refugefarms.org) and read The Current Blog. Read of the strength and solidness of the Shire Mare we named Faline - the fairest mare in the barn.

Good night, All.

[SandyG]

It was clear and very brisk - almost cold - last night when I went out for the late night bed check. During the day I had added winter blankets to those who are in need of the extra help and so I knew The Herd was warm but yet I need to make sure no one is stuck outside if Ella and Joseph are standing in the door way like two massive bouncers.

Upon entering the barn, I found Helen, Hollie, and PONY! sleeping over their hay supplies. Calm and comfortable and, for the first time that day, Helen's airway was quiet. Miss April was eating, of course, and the "bouncers" were taking a nap in the hay. Alexius was outside on the primo bale with Josephina right next to her. Our dear, dear Josephina has stopped looking for Faline but is again a jittery mare looking for safety next to another member of her herd. Faline was her rock.

Clyde Mare was standing next to Miss April but was sound asleep. Everyone I was worried about was accounted for except for Gracie. Where was that little peanut?

I wandered the bales outside and no sign of her eating or sleeping in the hay. So I went back inside to find her as Gracie needed to be inside out of the cutting winds. I looked and looked and only when I wandered around the bale in the center of the barn did I see her - the little squirt! There she was, sleeping in the hay under the head of big Clyde Mare and right next to the hole that Miss April was making in the hay. Gracie is one smart cookie - the comfort of her pal, Miss April, and the safety of good eyes and fast feet in Clyde Mare. I found the mothering instinct of Clyde Mare very sweet and so I walked out of the barn to not disturb them . . . even though I wanted to kiss that big, black nose of Clyde Mare.

How caring they are and how responsible they are. If only we would learn from them.

[SandyG]

WHOA!!! Below zero in the barn this morning! That sunshine cannot warm the air too fast this morning! A few days of warm and then sub-zero again. Gracie is going to take the walk up the driveway this week, it appears. And the heavy blankets are dry so out of the living room to the barn they go!

But hearty creatures live in our barn! PONY! was pushing his way thru everyone to get to his feed this morning. Helen is a bit lazy about her feed - more interested in the freedom that waits outside. Miss April makes her way from the hay to a tie stall. And of all things, Gracie wandered into Faline's tie stall this morning.

I have left Faline's tie stall gate open all week. Out of respect for that fine mare, I let the horses decide if and when anyone would venture in and begin to use her space. No one ventured in - not even to check for kibbles and if you know Clyde Mare, you know the power of what I am saying! That mare would fight a lion for a few kibbles of feed! She shows me every day that at some point she was without sufficient food. At one point in her life, she was very, very hungry.

So Faline's stall stood quiet . . . . gate open, feeding hanging on the wall . . . . just sitting there. But this morning, after a proper time of mourning, our little Gracie walked into her stall, called out, and then put her nose in Faline's feeder. I fed her there and closed the gate. One very large, fair, solid mare invited and turned over her space to another very small, fair, solid fighter of a mare . . . . Just as it should be.

[SandyG]

Even with the steady west wind, the sunshine is getting warmer and, once out of the winds, the day was special. Most everyone was on the east side of the barn or on the east side of a round bale - depending upon the size of the bale and the horse looking for a wind block. While we moved round bales, Ella and Joseph gave us a dazzling display of their muscular abilities and - in Ella's case - her ability to have all four feet of the ground as she glides through the air! What an animal she is!!! Easy to see why she was a rodeo champion!!

I introduced little Gracie to Helen a couple of days ago - both need shelter from the rains and winds and both need a longer time to enjoy their feed. And, in both cases, a constant source of hay and water is good, too! They seem to do well together. No scratching each other yet but very aware of where the other one is and Helen seems very aware that a "little person" is close to her. Good companionship for them both.

With a new bale in the barn, we are set for the artic air that is approaching. But for today, we are enjoying the warm sunshine and the above zero temps.

Brandon made sure the kitchen has a large stack of pellet bags at the ready, the heavy copier is in the kitchen, and plenty of hay is out for the kids. Such a reliable young man. Again, I am so rich. Such a very rich woman!

Hoping your day was as enjoyable and successful as mine was!!! Time to watch the Big Game for those commercials!!! Wonder if the Budweiser horses will make an appearance?

[SandyG]

Life goes on . . .

I saw Beauty lying in the hay yesterday and assumed she was basking in the sunshine. I made note of her resting, however, as it is rare to see the big Warmblood on the ground. This morning, I know why she was on the ground - her right front foot cannot bear any weight. She hobbled into the barn for water and so I gave her feed and attempted to feel the leg and the hoof line. She would have nothing of the sort. So I called the Specialized Farrier and asked if he had time to come out. We can get her into the shoeing bed, sedate her, and then he can probe and use his heat tools to see if we have an injury or and abscess. Lord, I pray it is a sprain. Your prayers are needed here, too, please.

And Helen is having difficulty getting air in through her trach. It seems when she goes to breathe in, the trach seems to collapse or contract and she is forced to breathe through her nose. So her air is low and she is quiet and hesitant to drink. I watched her very closely last week and when she chose not to go outside today, I came in and got the tools and tucked the trach device in my clothes and went back out to her. This particular unit fit well before her trach surgery but it is getting her air now even with a not-so-good fit. Enough that after 5 minutes or so, she decided she wanted out which is a great sign. So I need to call Dr. Terry and see if there are other trach devices we can try for a fit and then move her on to the next step in her life - a trach device to keep the air moving both ways. Your prayers are needed here, too, please.

Some days are just heavier than others. Today, there is a cement truck of worry parked on my back. "Your faith is being tested", my Mom would say. I'll do my very best to pass!!!!

[SandyG]

Thank you, Everyone!!! Your support is visible!

Dr. Rande came up to give Beauty an IV injection of Bandimine to take the edge off of the pain. She wasn't too optimistic, but I felt it was worth a try - anything to help that big mare with her wrinkled brow. So, I headed out to empty the shoeing bed of horse blankets and Dr. Rande asked me why we "just didn't give her the shot in the corral where she's standing?" I reminded her of the size and the past of the mare and Dr. Rande was up for trying it. If we needed to, we could move her into the shoeing bed for safety.

Ten minutes later we are standing next to Beauty waiting to see if the meds would make a difference. Believe it or not, the IV injection was given with Beauty standing in the corral. That mare has come SO fat since she first arrived here! And while we talked, we watched her ease some of her weight onto her right front - what a great sign that was! But then, the miracle happened . . . .

With the pressure from her putting weight on her right foot, the hairline oozed out a bit of infectious pus. Her infection was opened and now draining. Time for joy, tears of relief, and rejoicing!! Rande and I hugged as we danced!!!! Beauty will, most likely, recover.

Thank you, Everyone!!! Your support is visible in our corral and on the track going down Beauty's right front hoof!

[SandyG]

You all are awesome!!!!

My check on Beauty this morning showed me a big (read that as enormous!) black mare walking well on all four feet! She still will not let me touch her hairline or her hoof - but that is not unusual for Beauty. I can see a line from the hairline down toward the bottom of her hoof that is gooey - something did break open and drained. As our Specialized Farrier told me yesterday, once it breaks open it is "all up to Beauty and God how well she heals but something tells me she will be just fine, Sandy. Beauty has probably had other abscesses that you never knew of and they have all healed okay, so relax and give her plenty of treats."

Beauty's head is high and she is scratching with Jeri-Ann and looking "normal" for Beauty. What a relief!

And Helen is getting support from many fronts:

Dr. Terry is researching equine trach devices to see what could work for this stage for Helen. He is being supported by Dr. Nick from the U of M Equine Hospital and we are hopeful that they will come up with an equine trach that will be an option.

In the meantime, my personal physician contacted me and she is getting a respiratory surgeon from Mayo to send an Rx to Spring Valley Drug for the "largest human tube trach possible". We'll try that approach as well.

And then Dr. Rande is coming to THE FARM today to modify a cattle bloat tube that she thinks will work very well if we can just shorten the wings. So, I'm awaiting her arrival with the box of bloat tubes and her hacksaw. I'm ready with my acrylic finger nail files (that I could never throw away!) and counter space created for our workshop.

Helen is outside being the herd boss again, which is a great sign. Even though the metal trach device does not fit her properly, she is getting good oxygen again and so when I released her this morning, she surprised me by trotting off and doing the circle tour of her herd. THAT was a grand sight to behold!

As I said yesterday, Life goes on. And today, it is truly LIFE! We are so blessed to be so supported by people of all walks of life.

I'll keep you posted!

[SandyG]

The winds are most certainly pushing the cold air in! The horses are settled with blankets, shelter, hay, and all tanks are topped off. And then there is Gracie and Helen . . .

Gracie is familiar with the workshop and even during the trip down the driveway she walks quickly because she knows there is heat and food and a radio awaiting her at the end of her walk. Helen, on the other hand, has never been in the workshop and so she was a bit nervous. But within a few minutes, she was standing with a hind leg bent, catching a few winks. And then I turned the heater on . . . . !

The heater has a cycle that feeds in the fuel, then the electronic ignition clicks a dozen or so times, and then the fuel is ignited and the fan begins to blow the heated (read that as smelly) air right in their faces. Helen was full alert with the sounds, the smells, and the feeling of her mane blowing in the breeze. Gracie, on the other hand, never stopped eating her hay. So Helen took her cue from her little pal and waited it out. I stood in the workshop with them until the heater clicked on again - and the second time we all just stood quietly and enjoyed the feeling of warm air being blown onto us. Amazing, aren't they? How quickly they adapt. I am constantly in awe of them all.

So I'm on hourly checks to insure Helen is really as calm as she appears outside but it is an easy check - I simply open the kitchen door and look. Man, I'm getting spoiled!!

Sleep well tonight and dress for winter tomorrow!!!

[SandyG]

We are all feeling better at Refuge Farms!!!

How do I know that, you ask?

Well, Beauty let Billy the Bully have it this morning as he tried to stand in the doorway of the big barn (in the sunshine) and block her entrance in to me. You see, for the past few days, I have been hand feeding her treats so I can watch that enormous beauty of a horse walk on that right front leg. The abscess may have opened but Babee Joy taught us we need to watch for 10 days or so to make sure the infection is gone rather than taking over the hoof bone.

This morning, however, Billy was blocking Beauty's access to her Human and the treats in her hand. I decided to stay out of it and so I put the treats in my pocket and went about the tasks of morning feedings. I heard air leaving lungs rapidly and turned to see Billy with his entire body off the ground! Seems Beauty had taken her enormous head and lifted him up from under his rib cage and gently tossed him a bit into the barn so the doorway was opened up to allow her in for her treats. You could see the whites all around Billy's eyes as he realized he was airborne!!!! And Beauty just "set" him down - dropped him just a bit - and walked into the barn and stood at the gate innocently looking at me.

I went directly over to her and rewarded her for her strength and her ability to put that little horse in his place. So now, we have TWO mares that Billy won't mess with - Jeri-Ann and Beauty! Wonderful! AND I have one of the largest horses that I have ever seen willing to move the earth to come for a treat. That is great to know that with a horse that is not one that halters and lead ropes work with, it's GREAT to know we have a way to move her in an emergency.

And, by the way, her foot looks sound this morning.

And then there's Helen . . . up in the workshop with Gracie due to the severe cold and the need to clean her trach daily. Last night, I did a bed check and everyone was standing and dozing. Helen had eaten a good supper and then when I offered her water, she stuck her nose in and took one swallow and then her head flew up and she continued to refuse the water even though she was thirsty. Something with that created trach device was causing her fear or pain when she drank. So, I got dressed in old clothes and went out and removed the old trach, cleaned her very well, and then inserted the old standby trach. Because it has a tendency to fly out when she coughs, I created a string and some surgical thread to hold the trach around her neck should she cough it out. Looks goofy but I told Helen she was dressed up with a pendant now.

This morning, I went out to offer her water and in the time since 4am, Helen decided to check out the workshop. HAH! The floor was scattered with bags of cat food, boxes of litter, trays of tools, bags of shavings, halters, lead ropes, horse blankets, cans of cat food, and every a few buckets in there, too. When I attempted to open the kitchen door to try to gather the workshop items into a pile, I realized that the door was blocked with boxes of donations and bags of cat food that she had somehow turned over!

So, from this, I take it that Helen feels much better and her neck no longer bothers her when she moves it!! And yes, we have consumed 4 buckets of water this morning.

If you take the time to listen, they will tell you what is bothering them. And some of the big trainers have told me they cannot communicate with us humans . . . I beg to differ. The status of the workshop is one loud statement, to me!!!

[SandyG]

Fun place to be this morning!

Gracie is becoming very independent in this herd of giants. She comes into the barn on her own, wanders to the good hay bales outside on her own, and if the big horses get in her way she just reaches over and bites their legs! And they move, believe me! That little mouth can make a dent!!! Great to watch her grow strong as she ages.

Billy has one eye CONSTANTLY on Beauty now - I went out for hugs and to have Beauty walk up to me and Billy was my shadow until I got about 10 ft in front of Beauty. Then he paused and waited for my return. Previously, he would have been between Beauty and me attempting to steal her treats but not now! Good he has a memory as that big mare will teach him lessons all day long!

Helen - dear Helen. Friday morning she took me down the driveway on her way back from spending 48 hours in the workshop - I was truly just hanging on as she strolled those long legs down the road! She called as loudly as she could and they recognized her sound and came to the door of the barn to welcome her. She barreled thru them and did her perimeter check, then found Hollie and PONY! to reunite with her closest friends, and then went to her "point place" to be their boss. Amazing creature.

This morning she was resting in the hay. I could not hear her breathing and she was very at ease so I just let her rest. I told her I loved her and told her she was a beautiful girl. She heard my voice and listened and then I told them all to enjoy the day!

What a fun place to be in the mornings! I am wealthy beyond words!!

You, too, enjoy this day!

[SandyG]

How playful and relaxed the horses are in this spring-like weather! Ella and Joseph are like two enormous kittens jumping, head tossing, rolling, and chasing - quite a show to watch!

Helen stands on her corner listening and insuring all are safe. PONY! sleeps in the sunshine and Faith listens for any sounds in the barn that may indicate food!! Clyde Mare continues to pace in order to be the very first in line for any food while Gracie snoozes in the hay bed. The rest are munching a bit, yawning a bit, and snoring a bit - truly the life they all deserve.

I'll head out about 4pm today when it is the warmest and change Helen's trach. This warmer weather increases her excretions and it is important to keep her airway clear and clean. Plus, she is so proud that she feels better and more pretty when she is freshly groomed!

Adele is a great star with a remarkable voice and the will of steel - with the entire world watching her she began again to insure her tribute was as perfect as she could make it. Gotta love the guts of that woman!

Enjoy your gift, today!