A lazy day, The must fun you can have at low speed, and an unpleasant surprise

4/25/08 

It seemed by all accounts that today was going to be a lazy day. I woke up late and was in the house eating breakfast at 7:35 rather then 7 sharp. David left to teach Friday school (there are only 4 regular days of school here M-Th) around 8. Not sure of what to do or perhaps preferring our slow pace Lisa and I mused about reading and working at the computer. Deborah came up around 8:30 or 9 and gave us some helpful ideas and set to getting her self ready to give a organic gardening talk to a group of Mormons in town. All of our heel dragging now completed Lisa and I walked down the hill to work on the wagon. We had brought with us a drill bit we figured and hope would be the right size. It was not. We both knew now that we had only a few options left and the one that we universally didn't want to do was fix fence. That decided Lisa head back to the garden to planting out some onion starts and I set to work mulching garlic in the flat field. Two long rows of garlic later Lisa joined me at the flat field and we finish a row more each. About this time we were both hungry and head up for lunch and more musing. No sooner had we entered the door then I spotted a drill bit of the right size. As our lunch came to a close Deborah came home and we all agreed that we best plant out more onions and put the wagon off for a bit. Lisa and set for the garden with two trays of onions, Red Star and Walla Walla. Working together we quickly and easily planted and watered them in. Finished it was back to the wagon as Deborah set off to pick up David in town. Once again the wagon presented problems as it seemed a drill bit was either just long enough or more likely to short. We decided to press on anyhow but soon found or selves short of a much need second clamp. No sooner had we become frustrated then the car pulled up and David came out and help get us back on track and moving. We were making good progress when we both became distracted by Deborah working with Stella (horse) in the round pin. We moseyed over and got a lesson in equine behavior, common birthing problems, and training technique. With sun now sinking it was time to feed and David called me to the manger. "Step in to the reins" he said, much to my surprise today it seem was to be my first day at driving the team. At first I was decidedly nervous but took a deep breath and follow Davids directions. At first things were difficult as the way a team is driven varies from a single a far bit, but as we progress up the hill I gained a little confidant. David and I switched driving for backing into the barn which might be described as several magnitude harder than your first three point turn in drivers ed. We loaded hay and I drove us back down the hill the reins became easier to manage and the horses seems comfortable with my driving. I felt in that moment as we started to around the bend for he finally downhill a great sense of exhilaration, this was a lot of fun! The must fun I'd ever had at low speeds. As we headed down the final hill it was clear that ever horse in the herd had escaped into a neighboring pasture. We went in a dropped food all the same but less as usual, "there will be hungry horses here tomorrow". We head back to the manger to unharness the and feed in the dry pin. As Lisa and I feed in the dry pin we heard Deborah yell "Flat field" and turned to  discover that the herd had moved out of pasture and towards the many rows of garlic. We bolted for the field to head off the herd leaving the feed behind. Turning the herd and shooing them back to the feeding pasture was exciting and distracting, it was simply amazing to watch 20 some huge horses run in a herd. The move completed I walked the fence with Lisa to find where they had gotten. A wide open gate seemed the must obvious. I then walked the remaining line of the gate to check for breaks and finished the feeding on my walk back to the house. Waiting for us was a warm dinner of ravioli, salad, and pumpkin and coconut soup that Francis and Minden had prepared. It was the perfect way to way to end a lazy and exciting day.      

A Surprise at feeding

4/21/08

Ernie is a newborn colt here at the farm. I think that he is about 10 day old or so. Lisa describes him as being special as he is a bit slow at learning the being a horse game. Today as we went out to feed the main herd we couldn’t spot him. Lisa saw him first but it wasn’t until we got to the gate that either David or I saw him. He was lying on his side in nearly the same spot as the day before. As we made our circle in the pasture depositing hay for the horses to eat we stopped near Ernie so that David could check on him. After rousing him David looked him over and was rather pleased with the body and coat he had put on. Lisa and I were quick to notice though that he was limping on one of his right front leg. This is where the ordeal began. David set to work removing Misty’s halter and gathering Sunshine Ernie’s mother. After which David and I lifted Ernie up on the wagon and David inspected the leg and determined that it was likely his shoulder that was hurt. It was my job to hold Ernie down without touching is front leg while Lisa drove the wagon and David lead Sunshine to the round pin.   Ernie was none to happy with the situation and didn’t like being held down one bit. I’d never felt time pass so slow as I lay on that horse with gentle pressure. Every time that we would hit a bump in the road Ernie would spook a bit and I would have to hold him down tight. The little guy had a look of fear in his eye the whole time. At several times he nearly got away from me put I held him as best I could and only had to readjust him with David’s help once. During the slow drive to the round pin I kept telling him to stay calm and that it would be over soon but I never seemed to convince him.  When we finally got to the round pin David lead in Sunshine and then moved Ernie in with her. I set to work feeding the horses in the dry pin as David set out water and hay for Sunshine and Ernie and Lisa unhooked Misty and Beth for the night. We have gone all we can do for the little colt for no. The vet will be by on Thursday but I will feel wrenched up inside for that little colt.  

4/22/08

It was decided today that Ernie’s shoulder is broken and there is no remedy for him.  Deborah put him down after we finished feeding today. 

A quick note

There are no pictures on this blog... yet.

Being on dial up internet is something of a relearning experience for me and need less to say the smallest size photo my camera can take will still take 30 minutes to upload. There is hi-speed at the local library but I  don't have any plans to go into town for a while. So the pictures will be here... soon.

About the journey

Getting here to Oregon was no boring trip.

It all started with my departure from Santa Cruz and my last breakfast with Rain. I miss Rain a lot being here but we talk a on the phone and she will be here in 2 weeks. After breakfast we said or goodbyes and set off in opposite directions. I drove for my parents house in Rohnert Park and made good time taking only a little over 2 hours to get there. Here I unpack, repacked, washed clothes,spent time with my parents and even rested some. The next morning I was on the road by 7:30 and head for Sisters Oregon. In no time at all I was on the I-5. Like the portion I had driven in Southern California earlier in my life there wasn't anything to see here. I turn on my cell phone ear piece and called an old friend Craig Emerson. Now Craig and talk from time to time but more recently with my work and his school our exchanges seemed to almost terminate. But with few distracts and a lot of time on both our hands we talked for hours updating each other, debating, and laughing. My conversation with Craig took me clear pass Redding for we finally said good bye to one another. I well energized to have reconnected with such an old friend and I motored on Oregon. The rest of the trip through California was uneventful and with the highway as my home I was left to my thoughts. They drifted back and forth between excitement and nervousness and then back again. I seem locked in the pendulum swing as I drove up through Klamath Lake when it was broken by a large bald eagle sitting on a power pole as if saying "Welcome to Oregon take it easy". From then on I just focus on my excitement. As I got closer to Bend I encountered something I had not considered...SNOW. Being unable to change the weather I pressed on and made it to the Small Farmers Journal Auction around 5 or 6. I walked the rodeo grounds and looked at the various pieces of equipment that had not yet been taken home by their new owners and take photos. I stopped into the auction tent for a while and watched as carts, wagons, and coaches were sold. I then went and got dinner in town. At this pointed I faced a dilemma. I had brought camping gear but it was ill suited to snow so some what bitterly I agreed to be gouged into a hotel room with two queen beds. In hindsight it was the right choice if for nothings else then for the shower. The next morning I returned to the Auction for a while and watch the beginning of the horse portion. To be honest it was a bit discouraging every time a draft horse was brought into the tent it fetched a low price and a non-draft type a high one. Just as disappointment set in so did a near white out snow storm. It seemed like nature was sending me omens and I got to the car and headed for Halfway. THe drive was long and beautiful and about halfway thought I was grace by another bald eagle this on in flight as if tell me I just need to keep going. And so I did. Around 6 or 7 I had arrived at the Maders. They were just about to feed their horses so I jumped on the wagon and helped. The journey was over I had made it.

I have arrived

Yesterday.

After several days of driving, snow, and high gas prices (although it is about 50 cents cheaper in Oregon) I have arrived at Halfway. The town is small and I'm no where near it. The Mader family with whom I am apprenticing were working on bagging up alfalfa leaf for a 3900 pound or so order when I arrived, which we have finished up today. I've been here just less then a day but every thing is amazingly beautiful both the land and the horses which are also very large. My first exposure to them for going out to feed the main herd of about 30 or more. David (Mader) and Lisa (apprentice) had loaded a wagon with loose and baled alfalfa hay. Lisa hitched Misty and Beth (two of the working Belgian mares) to the wagon and we set out for the field. When we arrive David opened the fence and Lisa drove in. It was my job to scare the horse away from the wagon as we came in so that they would not steal the baled hay from the wagon. I was of course not totally sure how to do this and in the process of keeping the horse back managed to knock the bales off for them. After scaring them away from the bales and getting back on the wagon with David we drove in a circle spreading the hay on the ground as the herd trailed behind us and spread out as each horse found a patch of food that it found suitable. After that we dropped some bales for the horse in the dry pin (I'm not sure why they are kept separate yet. but this seems to be where the working horse are kept) and then unhitched the team and took out the harness and took them back to the dry pin. After that we head to the house for dinner and I did a little bit of unpacking into a trailer with it seems will be my new living quarters. After that I sleep some and got up this morning and set to helping with the bagging of the alfalfa leaf. Lisa and I have been working on mulching the garlic with the alfalfa stems and it looks good. Thats all for now but there will be more to come.