Tuesday, April 04, 2006, 19:47
Isabelle's Bird Houses
"You should have seen Isabelle this afternoon," Randy said.
I had just come home from the craft sale on Saturday afternoon in Chippewa Falls. The weather had been cold and damp and rainy during the week, but in the afternoon on Saturday, the sun came out and it was a fairly nice day.
"What did she do?" I asked, hoping he was not going to tell me that the horse had gotten out again, as she had during the blizzard on March 13.
"She helped me put up bird houses!" Randy said. "And she helped me fix the fence. Well, she didn't help me with the bluebird house on the lean-to. I did that one by myself."
"She helped you? Or she got in the way?" I asked.
"Oh, she helped," Randy said. "She stood so close to my elbow sometimes, I could hardly swing the hammer. And then when I was kneeling on the ground, she came up behind me and kept nudging my cap. She did stand back, though, when I was putting the birdhouse on her shelter."
"I see," I said.
A few weeks earlier, Randy had built some more bluebird houses so we could put them around the place. When Randy's dad was still teaching seventh grade science, we had an endless supply of birdhouses. Every year, his dad would give the kids extra credit in the spring if they brought in a birdhouse of some kind that they had built themselves (or maybe with help from mom or dad.) We ended up with plenty of birdhouses out of the deal. Randy's dad donated many of them to wildlife refuges, too.
"Isabelle also followed me all the way down to the corner of the pasture to put up the birdhouse there," Randy said.
To tell you the truth, I am delighted that Isabelle was so willing to "help" Randy. It shows that she has a sense of curiosity about what is going on in her environment. And nuzzling his cap shows that she thinks Randy is a pretty good guy, even though she doesn't see him all that often. She will see him more now, though, that the days are getting longer and there is more light in the evening. And I like it that she followed him to the corner of the pasture. It shows that she thinks people are interesting to hang out with. This is a great accomplishment for a young horse because when we start working with her more, she will, I hope, enjoy the attention she is getting from us. And that's what I want -- a horse who likes people.
My old quarter horse, Red, who died when he was 32, LOVED people. Any time you went out to the pasture to do something, Red was right there to help every step of the way.
This morning, however, when I looked down the fenceline to where the birdhouse was attached to the post in the corner of the pasture, I could see that Isabelle had been helping again. The birdhouse was hanging at an angle. Which means that Isabelle either was nuzzling it -- or else she used the corner of it to scratch her ears or her head or her neck.
When I took the pictures, I pushed the birdhouse back where it belonged. So we shall see if it stays that way or if Isabelle will turn it sideways again.
It is a much nicer day on Tuesday without the 20 to 30 mph north wind. It is still windy Tuesday afternoon, but only around 10 to 15 mph The weather was so nice that Isabelle decided to take a nap -- and got up with bits and pieces stuck all over her!
LeAnn R. Ralph
Monday, April 03, 2006, 18:32
This Little Piggy. . .
I suppose I will be picking horse hair out of my teeth for the rest of the day.
This morning when I walked down to the barn, I almost fainted.
Kajun had decided to roll in the mud, and although I was reasonably certain it was Kajun, I could not be entirely sure because the horse was so covered with mud, I could hardly tell what color he was.
And this from the horse I call "Mister I Hate to Walk Through the Mud Because I Might Get My Feet Dirty So Once I Am Outside, I Am Not Walking Through The Mud To Go Back In The Barn To Get A Drink Of Water." Which is why, at this time of year, I have to put a pail of water in the barn for him and also one outside.
Kajun -- apparently -- has no qualms about ROLLING in the mud. He doesn't like to walk through the mud, but he will lay down and roll in the stuff.
Actually, wallow is probably a better word. Kajun WALLOWS in the mud.
When I had given both Kajun and Isabelle grain and water and hay, I grabbed the curry comb and set to work on Kajun. He is shedding like crazy, and I would imagine that's why he rolled in the mud -- to try to scratch his itchy back.
Personally, I have always thought that mud dried onto your hair would be itchy, too.
Anyway, Kajun decided he would like to stand outside while I was currying the hair and mud off him.
The wind, unfortunately, is blowing at 20 to 30 mph hour today out of the north/northwest.
Suddenly, as soon as I passed the curry comb over his back, I was in the center of a cloud of flying hair.
Ick.
I curried a fair amount of mud off Kajun. Not all of it, by any means. But a lot of the stuff on the surface, enough so that he looks somewhat better.
When I was finished with Kajun, I went out to brush Isabelle.
Isabelle, I was delighted to see, had loose hair today -- but she had not rolled in the mud.
I suppose I will be currying mud and hair off Kajun tomorrow, too. And the next day. And the next. Until the mud dries up and Kajun is no longer shedding.
Every spring I tell Kajun that I am going to legally change his name to Pigpen. And today, the name seemed more appropriate than ever, what with the hair and sandy dried mud flying all around us in the 20 to 30 mph wind!
LeAnn R. Ralph
