Good Fortune

a friend of mine gave me this for good luck some 25 years ago.  In my previous post, I recognized good friends and the value they bestow on our lives.  Good fortune has played a role in my life as well.  Through struggles and despair,  I'm also grateful for the good fortune I have had in the fulfillment of my dreams.  A simple one.  Being able to own and care for horses.

This gift from a friend which we hung on the dairy barn years ago is a reflection of that!

This is June Royal, Starburst - a pony, and L.S. Quinarius in the foreground.

Jim Dandy close-up.  his eyes are puffy from allergies to some of the wildflowers in the pasture.

Jim Dandy rough housing in the early morning just out of the barn.  Another one ready to roll in the snow.  Horses like to roll over first thing out of the barn - one way they groom themselves.

June Royal showing signs of aging - gray on her face /coat

Smokey Boots, our oldest horse who died several years ago - see my Memorial post 

Rosa Bonheur painting "The Horse Fair" hanging in the MET, my days in NYC from which I took inspiration and dreamt of having horses to care for.

Nurturer, Friend

Perhaps the greatest definition of a friend is one who nurtures - essentially being the support of another person for a moment in time - little by little, problem by problem - and one who shares in the joys of another - moment by moment, step by step.

Sharing these times with my friends and family - especially a day at the beach - is so uplifting for me - and this year we got together twice.  Once at Avon by the Sea, and than on the fishing beach at Spring Lake - a well kept secret...Shhh!

There are times when the ear of a confident helps us sort out the cobwebs of life - we offer our hand  - it will be alright, we say - knowing that each time we are setback in life - we'll get a chance to move forward  - if only we take the chance.  Assure each other that not giving up /not giving in - is half the struggle.

Seeing old and dear friends is another reason to Celebrate.  Remembering that you were once close friends -  times you shared were a treasure - and always will be - the distance of time and space is meaningless  - we see each other again and reminisce.

Stay around my friend, for another day, when things are lovely,  when you sail on a cool breeze of salty air, reach new heights - stay around my friend for we nurture each other.  Life takes us to new heights - we help each other hold on along the way.

Play Time

...children show us how to play again and enjoy the things they love!

"Notice what is # 4 on the list?" Our family takes time to visit us on the farm even tho we are many miles away...sometimes they even help us with chores- like milking a goat-feeding horses-sweeping the barn.

Most of all  - they give lots of TLC - showing love...something we don't always have time for... mostly, a large dose of LOVE for the animals...and we feel it too!

Summer Days

...most of our lives are spent outdoors, here, surrounded by nature.  This view from our pasture allows me to contemplate the depths of the world - with such vast space in my little corner of the Earth, and so much boundless energy - I can only imagine the entirety of the Universe.

There is very little time to stare into the sky, or take in the views, or be with the animals, but when it happens, it reminds me of the smallness of each of our lives, marking time by what we give to the Universe, absorbing the vast beauty around us, that which we can see, and that unseen.  Bringing light whenever we can, aspiring to reflect the blessings of life.

Hay is Here!

what a relief and a thrill to have great horse hay again - we were nearly out - knowing you have mouths to feed - goats and horses - and the weather has been so precarious...it is a relief, for sure.
we need about 3,000 bales for the winter months.

The Benefits of Our Farm Cycle

As you see here - Gene is ready to hay - the land we own is beautiful - we are stewards of this land.  The horses provide the manure - recycled in 180 days - the hay we harvest goes to the horses for winter feed - the string from the bales of hay are used to tie the tomatoes to stakes - which he makes from downed trees - the goats clear some of the brush in their travels...

I hope to plant a vineyard in their fields some day.

The dogs act as deterrents for wildlife - to reduce loss from plantings  - but in the event they are brave enough to break the hound dog barrier - we plant enough for them too!

we do not farm every swath of our land - provoking farmers to ask to rent it or Amish to tell us we are letting it go to waste.  Does native plant life and wild life that thrive present a waste land? I'm not of their same mindset.  We give back to the land more than we take 1000 fold.  And that is just how we do it.  By the way, have you ever seen how much fallow land produces when it is still viable - tons of edibles, wildflowers, and interesting life forms of many shapes and sizes.

Lots of land is left fallow to revert back to forest - to act as cover and home for deer, woodchuck, coyotes, rabbits, and other mammals, birds, & insects native to NYS.

these bridal paths are mowed for riding, running hounds, and for better hay making - the grass clippings are collected in a TRAC VAC, laid around plants to add nitrogen.

Hay that's imperfect for horses serves as mulch for gardens.

We try to recycle, repurpose, and rejuvenate "God's" Creation"...

RIver Fun

the river gets brown after a storm as the sand rises from the bottom

gives dogs a body of water to splash, swim - they love it - especially on a humid day

heres Buckeye making a splash

heres Robin on the rivers edge eating the tall grasses - and chasing scent

here's Bucky going in for a dip - none of the current dogs we have are swimmers - but we have had some really good ones that could swim besides me on a kayak trip along the rivers edge.