Spring Has Sprung

It seems that we have only had a few short days when there is no snow to be seen. It lingered longer than most of the long time residents had seen. "This is the worst winter since 1985!" is a quote I heard often in the library. It seems that most people in town get there at some point or another and they all have a comment to make. Especially about this winter.

And, yet, with only a few short days of weather over 60 degress everything is starting to change. The grass is starting to green up. This is particularly important to me. I only have 4 more round bales of hay. I am still feeding in the morning, but hope to stop as soon as there is enough grass to support the horses. I want the hay to last until the first cutting. Last year, that was in May.

We still have a lot of hay from our second cutting last year, but the horses don't like it. They nibble at it and dig through it for the good stuff, but waste a lot of it. I think it is because it was soooo wet last year. The guy that cuts our hay for shares kept putting off cutting. He could cut at any time for himself. He is feeding cows and they are not fussy. But he knew he was cutting for our horses, so he had to make sure the dry weather window was long enough. If the hay got wet in the field it might mildew and this can kill a horse. It has something to do with cows having mulitiple stomach and horses being big fat babies, but nonetheless, he waited too long and the hay isn't as good and so they won't eat it.


The fun harbinger of spring is that the stark, bare trees are starting to bud. And even more important, my daffodils are coming up. Only one is in bloom and I tried to get a good picture on an overcast (but warm!) day. Aren't they cheery? I wanted to plant more this fall, but the snow came so fast and so deep and for so loooong, I didn't even have time to trim all the plants back for winter. So my few sad little bulbs are fighting back all by their lonesomes. And here are the first ones!

So I'm filling up the back of the mule with hay to drive it into the field. Then I put the muck buckets in the back of the mule and drive to the compost pile. They are really heavy ( part of my weight lifting for health :) ) so instead of lifting them off, I back up to the pile and tip them out. If there are left over bits I sweep them out with my glove.

And now I'm thinking, do the horses mind that bits of their pooh may touch their food? I know that I would mind. I would mind a whole bunch.

If they DO mind, how would I know?? They can't stop eating it because there is no grass right now. Well, I suppose there is grass, but I haven't seen any of it for weeks, 'cause it is buried under all the snow. They dig down and nose around, but it can't sustain them. And the hay is gone when I next come out.




I certainly don't wash the mule between jobs. Even discounting the time that would take, in this weather the mule would be an icicle. It will be in the 30s all week and hasn't been above 40 since forever. In the summer I only used the mule to transport me and pooh. They ate grass during the day and hay in their stalls at night...no need for the mule.

OK. Here I must digress. I really want to name it something fun. I'm not all that enamored with Saki....don't tell Mom. I can't really call her Molly, because I may offend Molly in Laguna Niguel. She's red and I got her for my birthday. I have considered Roja, but I like Ruby better. I have thought of Ana for compleanos. I thought maybe a Tongan or Hawaiian name because I have lived in both places, but I can't think of a short, cute name that fits. I sure wish I could get some cute ideas. I think of it as a girl, so if you give me a suggestion, make it a girl's name. I have started calling Lee's formerly Red and White truck, now Orange and Whitish, that has a bunch of rust holes, Rusty. Actually Trusty Rusty because it has gotten us up and down our hill in weather that none of our other newer and more expensive vehicles has. Rusty and Ruby would be cute, right??


Anyway, back to the pooh issue. Can I consider the fact that they eat the food and ignore the fact they have have no choice? I think I have to for now. I guess if it doesn't bother me, it won't bother them. That is my story and I'm sticking to it.