At the Farmette #12 - Just another day in paradise...

The farmette is located on a tiny barrier island in the Atlantic. I feel very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. There are great views everywhere you turn. Here is a sampling from 2015...

✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎


                                    ♬♪♫ On the Fourth Day of Christmas... ♬♪♫

At the Farmette #11 - All Creatures Great and Small...

We share the farmette with many living things.

My favorite encounter this year happened during the big 'ol drought we had for most of the summer. I noticed the resident rat snake (usually found keeping the hay barn mouse free, or scaring the tar out of me as I move hay bales) slithering down the wall of the chicken coop. As per usual, I snapped a couple of pictures.

While watching her, I remembered finding a few eggs suspiciously smashed, or out of place that week. Since she was bee-lining into the coop, I picked her up to re-direct.

Then - something sort of magical happened. I suddenly had a thought - really more of a picture - in my mind, that the snake was super thirsty. As she twined around my arm, I put her head over by the rim of the full rain barrel. Lo and behold, she began to drink. She drank for a full minute while I held her over the barrel. Sadly I'm not coordinated enough to water a snake and video, plus I was kind of in shock, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Here's a selection of our fellow residents -

This one isn't supposed to live north of southern South Carolina

Polyphemus Moth - anyone else read Girl of the Limberlost?

Seven's extra toes came in handy here

RIP

This is the thirsty one

 ✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎

                                          ♬♪♫ On the Third Day of Christmas... ♬♪♫

Sittin' chilly

In the Arena #158 - Size matters...

So I think Val and I have been having an impromptu fluffiness contest. I wish I was kidding.

Oh - also - I'm winning.

I used to be able to rely solely on my job (landscaper) to fulfill my exercise needs. The combo of hitting 50 and being sidelined from most physical activity for months while my arm healed up started the ball rolling, and did very unsettling things to my shape.

While I've never been tiny, I have always been fit and strong. There is only so far I plan to go in the pants / breeches size department. THERE WILL BE NO RESORTING TO ELASTIC! I've been walking / running five days a week for the last month, got a jawbone for keeping track of all the vitals, and am making better food choices. Or really just thinking before I shove something in my mouth. (chocolate makes the worries go away) My goal is to lose 25 lbs. It will take a while - shooting for June. I'll stay accountable here on the blog. Any recommendations on running shoes would be welcome.

Meanwhile Val has totally lost his topline. It may have slid down and become extra belly. No amount of shimming could fix the fit of our Neidersuss. While I am all about riding bareback, we do need the option of a workable saddle.  I lucked out and found a lovely County Warmblood on ebay, which fits both of us beautifully. We've been doing short rides - aiming for a nice forward walk at this point - and slowly increasing as fitness improves. Lucky for Val - his eating habits can basically stay the same - there's just more activity in his future... activity not related to his jaw muscles.

I've also cheated on Val a few times a lot - more on that in a future post. :D

New saddle fit and proof of fluffiness...

                                                          ✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎
              
                                                   ♬♪♫  On the second day of Christmas...  ♬♪♫


                       

From the Farmette #10 - When the troubles arise, you know I'm the cool coper (II)...

Xmas card outtake - aka cookie monster

 Two years ago I set off on a road trip with my horse...

I was so looking forward to the fun, comradery and challenge of a mini dressage clinic. Located in the middle of nowhere like we are, these opportunities are rare. I wanted to shake us loose from the rut we were in - trying to make progress on our own -  no trainer input or eyes on the ground. I had very high hopes.

A few days later we returned. Val with a barely-caught-in-time case of founder in both fronts, and me with a badly broken arm that would eventually need surgery to repair.

The fallout from these events was overwhelming.

The deadline of my five year mortgage deal on the farmette arrived this fall. I've been unsure how I could meet my obligation ever since breaking my arm / being out of work for months / acquiring a giant hospital bill. Anxiety and depression crept over me. I thought I was handling everything, but in hindsight...

Facing the thought of losing the farmette tipped me over into crippling anxiety by the summer. The feeling of scrambling to keep my head above water was the norm. Pair that waking most every night around 2 am only to fall back asleep just before the alarm rings. Some of you ladies out there know what I'm talking about...

Fast forward to the end of October.

Due to (finally) earning a substantial raise, taking on a handful of private clients and through sheer force of will, I negotiated a new mortgage. I now own my property outright, if you don't count the bank of course.

There is a little breathing room around getting the construction loan, though it means I'll be living in the Shimmy Shack through another hurricane season and a few more winters. That will just make eventually living within four solid walls, under an actual roof with actual heat, and having my possessions again, even sweeter.

I've also made taking care of myself a priority. Diet, exercise, sleep schedule etc. It makes a huge difference in my mental state and ability to cope with stress. I'm finding as you age there is less slack in the system regarding health. Disappointing, inconvenient, but a fact of life.

There are many bloggers out there much better at sharing personal stuff (non-pony variety) than I am. Every post I started since the spring has quickly been tossed into the whiny - self-centered - probably oversharing file. Commenting has kept me in the equine loop, and I've enjoyed living vicariously through your blogs. Non-horse-related life has been my priority, and there's been less free time than ever before. Thanks to those of you who have checked in on us. Hopefully visiting here will be more rewarding in the future.

On that note, today will begin my bloggish present to you all - twelve days of Christmas style. A series of year-end catch-up posts with a delightful holiday horsey media surprise thrown in at the end.

✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎✴︎

Despite the future of the farmette being up in the air most of the year, 2015 brought many upgrades. New garden beds and some clever recycling of landscaping materials into a fence. I sold produce and eggs to local stores and restaurants as well as individuals.

A six week stint of no rain followed by twenty four inches of rain over two weeks limited yield, but gave me valuable insights. Must. install. drip. irrigation.

I am also zeroing in on what crops work well here. Success in farmetting is hard won, and takes experience which must be earned. Sweat equity.

               
                                            And the promised delightful horsey media surprise -
                                                           on the first day of Christmas...