Monday, October 02, 2006, 06:40

Another Craft Sale

Went to another craft sale on Sunday. Well, not a craft sale, per se. It was a farm toy show with a craft sale on the side.

Very slow. Very people few through there at all.

Either the weather was too nice on Sunday for people to want to be inside. Or else people were watching football games. Either way, not many people came through.

All together, I sold 2 books. I drove 113 miles round trip -- and sold 2 books.

But at least it wasn't raining! So I didn't have to turn around because my windshield wiper didn't work!

LeAnn R. Ralph

Saturday, September 30, 2006, 19:53

Lost and All Alone. . .

For a while now, Randy has been talking about how he ought to fix the corner with the gate post and the fence in Isabelle's pasture.

For some reason, the gate post was leaning south but the brace post was leaning north.

Randy said he was afraid that some morning we would come out of the house, the gate would be down, the corner post would be down and Isabelle would be out tearing around the hayfield.

So, on this lovely last Saturday in September -- with a cool breeze and peeks of sun and scattered clouds and the trees turning gold and yellow and red and orange -- Randy decided to take out the gate post and the corner post and fix the thing, once and for all. He went into town first to get some fencing supplies, and then he was ready to start.

"Would you help me move Isabelle down to the 'L' pasture?" Randy asked.

There's a lane between Isabelle's pasture and Kajun's pasture, and then there's another little pasture at the end of Kajun's pasture. Randy set it up so that there is a wooden fence across the lane, and to shut one of the horses down in the L pasture (because it's shaped like an L), all we have to do is put the boards up across the opening.

I put the halter on Isabelle. I was hoping she would follow me down to the pasture, but she was MUCH more interested in what Randy was doing up by the gate. Isabelle loves to help Randy fence. She knocks his cap off and nuzzles his hair and nuzzles his elbow and scatters his tools and all that sort of thing.

Since Isabelle was not about to leave Randy (in case he was going to do something FUN) Randy grabbed her halter and led her down the lane.

We put her in the pasture, put the boards up across the opening and walked back up the lane.

And that's when the trouble started.

Isabelle, it would seem, thought she was banished to the hinterlands for the rest of her life.

With a whinny, she started tearing around the pasture, kicking up her heels and running up and down the fence line. Around and around and around she ran, as fast as she could go.

"Well," I said. "So much for that. We can't let her run around like that all afternoon. She'll make herself sick."

Randy took the big metal gate off the gate post and then we set it across the lane near where Randy would be working and tied it to the posts. With the gate up across the lane, Isabelle wouldn't have to be shut in the L pasture.

Once we had secured the gate, we went down to let Isabelle back up into the lane.

She came tearing up to the gate, out of breath from running. While I held her halter, Randy took down the boards. Then I let her go.

Isabelle ran as fast as her legs would carry her to the other end of the lane, almost ran into the gate that she's not used to seeing there, slid to a stop. . .and started grazing.

"Now isn't that something," I said. "She will go down to the L pasture by herself and graze all afternoon. But I guess she doesn't want to be shut down there."

"I suppose she thought she was gone forever," Randy said.

And then, too, I would imagine that besides being "lost and all alone" and "gone forever" that Isabelle was afraid she wouldn't get to help Randy with the fence if she was shut down in the L pasture.

After all, Isabelle has helped with fences before. If it wasn't for Isabelle's help, I'm certain Randy would never, ever be able to get a thing done.

She has helped put up bluebird houses, too.

And she has also helped with minor repairs on her shelter.

Which is all just another indication that Isabelle likes people.

My old Quarter horse, Red, was like that. Loved people. Loved to be with people. Loved attention from people. Loved hugs and pets and kisses from people. And he especially loved children. (Well, you know. They're small. They don't weigh much. And when they are put on your back, they often are content to just sit there or to have you walk around a few steps in a circle. Plus, they can easily be persuaded to pick handfuls of grass for you. And to get apples and carrots for you.)

Red, I must say, ranked right up there with my Standardbred mare, Irene. You could put anyone on Red's back and he was fine with it. You could ride him anywhere. You could ask him to do all sorts of things. And he was always willing to try. He never kicked. He didn't bite. He was careful not to step on your feet.

On the other hand, Kajun, my Morgan-Arab cross, never comes to see what we are doing if someone is working on the fence or is picking up horse manure in his pasture (Isabelle loves to help pick up horse manure, too; she especially loves to see if she can't tip the wheelbarrow over). Kajun could not care less that someone is out by the fence or is in his pasture. As long as he's got hay to eat, that's all he worries about. Kajun has never sought out attention from people. And he would just as soon be left alone as much as possible.

And so, Isabelle is content to be in the lane today, so she can keep an eye on Randy, and to help him if he needs help. Oh, sure, she might wander down to the L pasture to eat some grass.

But she can always come back on the run if her assistance is needed.

LeAnn R. Ralph