Look at these characters

I don't know what to say about this goat.  Look at him.  What kind of goat chills like that?  He's a thug.  And look at that belly.  He is a happy, happy goat.  And he leaves many, many happy little goat pearls (I love delicate poop terminology) all over the place that are impossible to pick up with a pitch fork.  Impossible.

Donker doesn't know what to say about him either.

Donker: Goat, why are you sitting like that?  Goat: Do not disturb me as I reign from my throne.

 

These are the characters we deal with.  This is my view, trying to put EZ's boots on:

Goat: Let me try to eat you as you do this.  Donker: I probably should be the center of attention at this moment, as at all others.  EZ:  Why do they always get to eat all the hay?   Donovan and Dutch:  This hay is good, yo.

I don't know why Donovan and Dutch are gangsta, it just felt right.

In Which I am Helpful

...Or at least active.

So when I came back from hanging out with these guys in VA:

Colonial Virginians represent!

Cathleen immediately pulled me off the train and into the pasture to finish up the new barn single-handedly.  I'm lying, it was mostly Marco and Marco.

So the barn was in place, but it needed stone dust put in, tamped, and then the mats tucked into place.  Cathleen had shoveled about half of it (stuff is heavy!) and after a string of failed attempts to corral man-labor she found success in dudes who worked at her friend's farm, let's call them Marco and Marco (although, those really are their names) to help with the rest.

I bounded up the hill all confident enthusiasm, "Oh, should we have the tractor? I'll go get the tractor, I'm really good at driving the tractor, bc you know I've done it once before."  Of course I couldn't get it started.  Luckily Marco could.  So the rest of the operation was basically shoveling dust until Marco or Marco would ask for a screwdriver, or a sledge hammer, or a pink unicorn, and I'd say, "Sure, def, one minute," and go bounding back down the hill to ask mom if she knew where dad kept the pink unicorns, then we'd go and collect them and reappear triumphantly at the worksite.  Those guys were great.  I should've taken pictures, but I already felt bad that they were basically doing all the work and I was supervising, I thought photographing it would just add insult to injury.  They did scope out their inheritance possibilities if they wanted to marry me though, and were also very impressed with my Spanish and soccer goalie knowledge.  Cathleen and I agreed we COULD'VE done it by ourselves, it just might have taken approximately 47 years.  And managing the automatic tamper ("la bailarina" to Marco and Marco) would have been tricky.  I would've gotten hungry too. 

Anyway, good job!  And the finished product looked like this:

It was pretty close to sunset at this point (depressingly early--thanks winter!), but we were hoping to get the horses back in the pasture that night, so they could more easily have access to food (minor detail).  So that just left putting the fence back up.  Good thing I'm so good at that!

Check out those skills!  Mom and I were working on the last one when dad arrived home and informed me of a few things
1) I was putting the posts in backwards.  And upside down (not really upside down, although it came close a few times).
2) apparently you're supposed to make a hole with a crowbar first so that you don't have to stand on a 4 wheeler.  I thought I was just really short. And plus, I like driving it.  I feel hardcore.
3)  I guess they're supposed to be in a straight line.  Who knew?

But, they were good enough!  And look at the form! (mine, not theirs.  Theirs is crooked)

Who can argue with that? (And I'm pretty much still sore.  Yeah it's been a week, so what?)

So we rolled out the fence (by this time it was a full-family affair, Mom, Dad, even Liz, fresh of the DC train), and stuck the herd back in.  They were psyched.

The last step in this process is the electricity.  We got it scoped out and it was all basically ready to work with, except that little ditches had to be dug from the fenceline to the two barns, poly pipe laid down, and covered back up again.  Good thing I'm so good at digging ditches!

I started this one.  Dad finished it.  He can't bear to watch me work.  I helped though.  Swear.  Then luckily we had John Williams visiting, and he really can't bear to watch anyone else work, so he dug this one.

With one hand. In five minutes.  I'm only slightly exaggerating.  The goats loved it.

Check out the burs, by the by.

Then we put down the pipe (that dad and I bought at Tractor supply, I felt really legit, showing up all muddy and throwing it in the truck--that dad drove...) and covered it up and we're all set!

It's like ditches never even existed.  Soon they'll actually have electricity in them!

So, all in all, almost all done, and the end result is this:

Complete with an EZ Dollar!  And a Pigloo!

Big Developments

Indian Pond Equestrian Center is underway!  Practically.  We now have Cathleen's big run-in shed, plumbing and electricity prepped.  Sweet!

The first step was the plumbing.  The guys-who-move-earth-around came to put in the pipe and prepare the spot for the new barn.

View of the plumbing trench from the porch.

View of the trench up the hill to the pasture.

These guys do not mess around when they move earth around.  Like it's their job.  Which I guess it is.

Hello, little men, hidden by your trenches!  Good job!

Made it to their final destination.  But not in the morbid sense, just in the sense that we're finally at the pasture.  You know what I mean.

Good thing they have such cool equipment to help them out.

Here's the lovely pad that was made for the soon-to-arrive barn. Nice and level, just dying for a new barn.

We kept the herd down in the other pasture below while all this activity was taking place.  Donovan was the project manager.

The others were more interested in scouring for grubs.  That is what they eat, right?

A few days later it was time for the barn arrival.  Woohoo!

Coming in for landing...

Getting situated...

Wiggling around till it's...

Just right!

For full disclosure I should admit that I was not here for any of this, and Mom took all of these photos (good job, mom!).  As usual, I am unhelpful.  Different from helpless, but still not that useful.  I got back from my weekend visit to VA to help with the final touches though.

I'll tell you all about it later.  It's such a momentous event that it probs deserves its own post.

Millbrook School and Indian Pond Farm Unite!

Firstly, that title reflects how I may be spending too much time teaching the Communist Manifesto.  Anyway, do you want to hear why it's been so long since I've posted?  Probably not, but it involves chewed cords (I blame this character:),

                                                                                        and wind-storm-induced-power-outages.  No joke.  And laziness.


But anyway, last week was the final days of the fall riding program at school.  To celebrate they came to play with Donker.  And all the horses and stuff, but mostly Donker.

 Look at the joy he brings to the youth!

 Obviously, EZ Dollar was also a hit. 

 I believe in this case, she was teaching Donker to halt on command.  Very successful.

 We also took the opportunity of man (child)-labor to trim the goaties' hooves.  I felt like a farrier, "we'll call that one done."  Maybe that's only out west.  And those are "Be a goat!" faces. 

Notice my beaming delight at making the young ones do the dirty work.  It builds character!

 How cute is Donovan?  Please make note of his curly forelock, a result of his bur curlers he's so partial to.

 The herd.  They are all down in the lower pasture while the upper one gets water, electricity and a new barn!  Get psyched.

 This really captures all the work that I do.  Wrangle goats.  Kids.  Arabians.  Whatever you've got, I'll wrangle them.

 And then I'll feed the pig many, many treats because I think the kids will be really entertained by watching a pig eat.  Right?  Isn't that what they're into?

 Then I again try to take advantage of having helpless laborers to pick up sticks for me.  But there was a dead deer hanging from a tree, so staring at that obviously took precedence.

 As did pretending to drive the tractor.  Just pretending, I swear.  Notice the piddling stick collection.  Really, where's the work ethic today?

 And then there's the modeling.  This obvously is more important than picking up sticks too.  Not every day you get a tractor photo op.  Who can blame them?

 Tada!  I think the instructions on this one were, "Everybody get together, but not too close, so that it looks like you're working!"  If you notice me there in the corner, bending down, because I actually am the one working.  Oh well, you get what you pay for I guess when it comes to hired help.


So, bye for now, Millbrook riders!  I will only miss you a little bit. 

Some Observations

1) EZ has some bunk hair.

 

2) It's really bunk. What's with the random short patch.

 3) Luckily, he also has a cute face.

 4) We are artsy.

 5) EZ has a long neck.

 6) He also has realllllly long legs.

 7) Does it look like his left ear has a tiny notch?  I think it's actually just shmutz.

 8) Dutch and Donker wish they could come on rides.

 9) We are lucky to have all these conveniently crop-free fields.

 10) Sunsets really are pretty.

I haven't ridden for years

Ok, three days.  But it seems like years.  Very negligent parent.  Thursday was a surprise free day from school, which I thought would mean hours of horsey love, but the weather apparently was not a fan of that plan and poured down cold rain all day and night.  Ditto for yesterday, as well as dropping off cars and sleeping in dorm apartments (all very complicated).  Today was only a half day, nice and sunny, but I subbed for a JV Field Hockey coach whose bus left at 12:30 and didn't get back until 7pm.  Don't these people realize I have a horse to ride?!  When will I ever ride again?? Ok, tomorrow, you're right.  Keep your fingers crossed that the rain gods cooperate...

On Wednesday mom, Cathleen and I had our first group ride on our horses.  It was glorious.  And I've lost my camera, which means no photographic evidence and very boring posts.  I apologize.  But all horses and people were good, Donovan is a fattie, but a cute one.  Mom is a nervous Nellie, but a cute one.

 This isn't us on Wednesday.  That is definitely not EZ.  Nor is it summer time.  But it does represent a mother daughter ride, with Kristy the teaching whiz at Mole's Hill Farm.

But this is from Wednesday! Nope, psych.  Still not summer.  But it's Mama, on her Donovan!  He wasn't such a fattie at this point, but we still loved him.

And here's EZ, just to represent.  This is his "stop-trying-to-get-me-to-look-at-you face."  Also known as the "why-are-you-making-those-weird-noises" face.  He gives me this a lot.