Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Summer Solstice Daze


It's been a busy time since the last post. Last week I pretty much did the preparations for running the "food shack" at the Trailblazers barrel racing show which was held Sat. & Sun. I ran to Eau Claire Sam's for supplies on Thursday, made barbecues for 100 and set up shop on Friday and then spent the next two days selling hotdogs, BBQ, and lots of pop and water! This was my first "big job" and I think it made the club some money. The past two years I worked the entry booth and the announcer stand so I'm not sure if I was promoted or demoted--could be either. 

Thankfully the HEAT didn't arrive until after the show. It's stifling and today is even worse than yesterday. The greenhouse is frying, I've been giving the horses cool water showers and keeping myself inside with the AC. The roving band of thunderstorms moving across Minnesota can't get here soon enough to break the spell. No tornadoes allowed, of course.

Weekend before last, the kidlets were here and we had lots of pony rides. Emmy is just such a dear little pony! I think I need to ride her myself--maybe I can improve my skills with a horse that is closer to the ground. 

Sadly, we lost two of our baby goslings. One died last Thursday for no apparent reason and the rest seemed to be having problems, too. After a few hours everyone perked up and went about their goose business. On Saturday, Don caught the whole gaggle out in the greenhouse and they were into everything and had managed to open a container of Preen and were munching away on that. Gee, maybe eating plant poison would bother them?!! Several days past and yesterday I found a second one had expired out by the barn. Don found a wood tick on this one--don't know if that had anything to do with it. Our general population of sparrows, blackbirds, starlings and grackles are now nonexistent so we are speculating West Nile might be working the bird population.  


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