In the Arena #159 - Your cheatin' heart, will tell on you...

Having not yet solved the puzzle of how to get Val out on the trail again, and more importantly who to do it with, I've resorted to borrowing ponies who aren't as locationally challenged. Here's documentation of some excursions outside the confines of the sandbox.

I did a number of rides solo, one solo ride with a horse I'd never ridden before, and there was lots of cantering. (!) Yes - on a couple of these rides there was no helmet on my head. Please don't judge - I haven't made it a habit.

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

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

                       

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