Regaining my balance

It's been a wild ride this month. With the help of my daughters, Naomi, Macy and her husband Jon, I was finally able to get the pasture open to the horses.  They have been enjoying the grass all week, and I'm enjoying the reduced work load of being able to turn them all out.  The mares and foals can now go into the paddock during the day, so there is much less work moving everyone around daily and less stall cleaning. I've been able to get into my garden and find the dirt again - if there's one thing I can grow in Minnesota - it's record weeds. They can reach up over 8' if you don't keep up.  I was able to finish cleaning the large paddock last weekend with the skid steer, but the rain has prevented me from finishing Shadow's paddock.  We get rain every few days.. just enough to keep it too wet to work. Shadow spends his time hanging in his stall - only going outside to call to the mares and foals, and to relieve himself.  A lot of bugs this year from all the rain - and we are not getting the nice strong winds that MN is famous for. I never thought I would say this, but I miss the wind! 

I can't believe summer is 2/3 over - I have no idea where it's gone. I guess being so busy makes time fly faster than normal.  Nibbet, who had tendon injuries from birth, is healing nicely.  He will be 100% in another month or so.  Lucy, who went through a rough spell of hormonal imbalance (baby blues) after Nibbet was born, is back to her old self - thank goodness!  Encore and Ebony Rose are doing great - Encore has mellowed so much that it's hard to believe she's the same mare. I'm very proud of her.  Lightening is a star mother, and her colt, Darque Moon, is a rising star. That colt is just stunning - and BLACK!  Once Nibbet finishes healing and can move to his full potential, we will put a video of him up, too. I have never see a foal move like he can - even with being injured. He will stand there and stretch his foreleg horizontal to the ground, and likes to do high level dressage moves in play. I hope he develops the way he has given hints he will.  We live on a big hill of clay, so the paddocks can get slick when it rains, and retains the water - yuck.  We still have the spring muck in some paddocks because it's never dried up all summer. 

I am excited to do more with the foals. They all lead, bath, brush, and stand for the farrier, but they are babies so they belong to their mothers now.  Once they are weaned, we will do more with them.  They are the sweetest foals I've ever known. All they want is attention - which I am more than willing to give!  Time to start the day - lawn needs mowing, garden needs more weeding, weed wacking to do around the fences, and I want to get to the farmer's market this morning.