In three days I need to be ready to travel to New York City — Will be there a while. Grandma having tooth work done — Schedule there uncertain until at least first dentist look- see. So have much to do to shut this place down and ride Perla in 4th of July parade. So, if I do not post each day u know why — well, I will try to use ipad to do so even while travel.
Horse Fly on Peral’s back
1. Yesterday I showed you that we protected our horses from horse flies — they zing around and that makes it difficult to photo them — but I finally photographed one to show you!
Trail warm-up
2. Trail ride warm-up. Every trip out — wether we go north, south, east, or west we do a warm up — just like any athletic –like baseball pitchers like Charlie, Tennis greats like Patrick, Golf folks like Grandma, — or what ever — why do you not send me a photo of your warming-up for your sport — what ever it may be and I will post it so may see others.
Our horse trail ride warm up consists of doing figure 8, 9, etc around these bushes to get us and the horses into good communicating form. turn left, turn right , whow — stop, back up, run into branches without jumping — etc.
I assume this cabin (home) was built in 1918You guys out there . tell me about this flag.
3. Here is a flag for you to study — on our trail ride we came upon a cabin with 1918 carved in the logs — and a flag hanging on it. Is this today’s flag? — was it the 1918 flag? Study it and post your answers in the comment bubble. THANKS!
4. Grandpa never wrote anything after July 2 — Guess summers got very busy — or boring? but here excerpts from June 27-July 2, 1903:
June 27- 30 “Plowed in afternoon. broke plow beam. went to Hooversville for pow beam, but did not get any. Rained in forenoon, Bought old plow from Frank Shaffer. Plowed after dinner. Finished plowing for buckwheat.”
July 1-2 “Hauled load of old iron from shade Furnace to Hooversville. Grandpa Ripple and Stella here today. Very warm Thundered all afternoon — Harrowed, Plowed corn, potatoes, and truck and hauled stones and wood.”
On way back from Perla ride saw a skydiver — Guess he jumped out of plane so he could celebrate the 4th on Drummond!
Today is a hodge-podge of 3 topics — I have so much 2 tell u — I will do my best to cover all 3 topics:
TOPIC 1. I think I made a mistake. I said in an earlier post the hatch was a fishfly — but I do not think they are big enough to eat a tadpole as ecnyclededia said fish fly do — and it said they last a week — but look at my drive after 30 hours —
Many Dead ones. I think, maybe, they are MayFlys — So, I went 2 the web
Mayflies usually live for 24-72 hours. Don’t forget that they’ve already spent 1-2 years on the bottom of the lake as a nymph living burrowed in the mud. Within that three days, though, they manage to get into about everything you can imagine. You will find dead mayflies lying around on the sidewalks, in spider webs, on window ledges, etc. They’ll go anywhere where there’s light at night. Wear a white shirt outside at night and you’ll see what I mean.
TOPIC 2. FIRST CLASS TO STEERAGE – A DOG’S LIFE — Got this photo (digital art) of my ex-dog Dyna on trip between H’s cottage and home:
The phases of a dog’s life — Dyna used to have the passenger seat to herself, then it was the rear seat, then it was back to the third row seat, but now as cars get smaller and families grow, it is under the bike in the way-back — guess running along behind the car is the next phase!
TOPIC 3. Yesterday’s trail was a special ride because our young friend got to take her first trail ride — she will ride in 4th of july parade on our Island. Maybe her Mom will send me photos of her to post here tomorrow. — or maybe I will get some photos today . Pushed wrong button on iphone camera during the ride. Here are some photos of our get ready and finish — probably takes more to get ready then you think:
First we talk about the ride to be takenThen we tell our horse we love themThen we put on protection from the big horse flies we find on trails around here this time of yearThen we curry and comb them
Then we do pooper scoop
Bridle, Saddle in place – I am ready and waiting
Helmet on, I am ready — Helmets are a must for me –for my protection and to set example for folks new to horses
OOPS! not quite ready — Before we go — my people gave me a chance for a snack!
When all riding is all done we must scratch our back — do not tell Perla I took this un-lady like photo — I think she would buck me off next time for sure!
Gee, it is good to rest — even though i was not on todays ride!Finally home on the front porch.
I received not a single answer to yesterday’s question — Come on folks — I want to know!
It is not even 9 am — but I will tell of this morning anyway. We awoke to loud screaming of seagulls on from lawn — we knew what that meant — we had a hatch over night. Guess i need to tell you what that means:
They land on the windowsThey land on the side of the house
Thousands of these little critters emerge from the mud in the bottom of the Bay and float to the surface crawl out of their cocoon – spread their wings– and immediately get eaten by a jumping fish or seagull — or escape and land on our lawn, house or windows — do not stand still or they will land on you!
They come out of the mud in batches and they are called a FISHFLY — From Wikipedia:
In contrast to mayflies, which are small and live only 24 hours as adults, Fishflies are quite large, eat aquatic plants as well as smallish animals including vertebrates like minnows and tadpoles, and may live up to seven days as adults. Their entire lifespan is several years, but most of this time is spent as larvae.
Now to the botany question: when corral was built last year — the surface was scrapped — this year it was covered with a very robust growth of weeds and grasses per this photo:
I think the seeds were lying dormant for many years – including the seeds for this one which I found while mowing — It is on the endangered list in Ohio at least — My friend helped us identify it: Can you identify it?
Well, l must go wash windows, paint barn, mow, weed, repair chairs, maybe put our little fishing boat into water, train Perla, wash truck, much more I will not bore you with — might not get it all done today or even by next month — but I already did have a great breakfast — Grandma said I was to ask if any of you had the same things for breakfast — So did u? Oh what was it — Coffee, V8 Juice, and a banana split with walnuts, black cherry ice-cream and honey! Very good!
Hey smart kids and folks out there — Question — at 10:00 am Eastern Time how much of the world is on the same day as we are? Figure it out — tell me and tell it at your first opportunity at school this fall — tell them it was your crazy Grandpa’s question! — or your Grandpa’s crazy question! b kind when you select which it was.
From photo shoot:
Grandson’s diary June 27, 2013: What did I do yesterday? I will try to remember. First I made coffee, then sat with Grandma and read numerous newspapers on our I-pads, resolved some travel plans for July, Created blog for June 27, scrubbed garage floor and my bathroom, Washed cleaning rags, had lunch, WENT ON PHOTO SHOOT (some results shown above) with 5 friends (one being Grandma), spent 1 1/2 hour with Perla — I feel we are making great headway — hope she does — We are working on three things:
1. Walking very much like in a heel competition if she were a dog.
2. When riding her, go where I ask and away from herd and barn.
3. Jumping in trailer when I ask and stay there in a total relaxed state of mind.
Then grilled dinner, transplanted some geraniums that needed bigger pots, mowed weeds in corral, had a beer, swatted mosquitos, read Farley Mowat, woke up and decided it was bedtime at mid-night!
I am sure you will never ask what I do all day again!
Just got an invite to go the eastern end of the Island to do a photo shoot of the flowers in bloom.
Fun art work painting in Photoshop
But first let’s see what was going on in 1903 in June 24-26:
24. Took props to Hooversville, bought feed for $2.50, wire, scythe snathe, and steeples for $3.85.
25. Plowed for buckwheat, cultivated corn, and loaded props. Paid Hiram Weaver $10 for lunber, and Frank Eppley $11.00 for making mine props. Mejlon Berkey plowing done in spring.
26. Warm and pleasant. Worked on the road with team for Mehlon Berkey. Made Icecream in evening.
Making road in 1903. Today we only do retirement stuff — Se U 2moro.
Yesterday I learned a lot about training a horse to into a trailer — maybe not enough to be fully successful — but I hope enough to trailer Perla to the Parade on the 4 of july – We always ride in that. I will explain what I learned at another time — But the foundation of my learning centered on this thinking:
I am the problem, not the horse — of course after 6 hours of rough trail – I was not in the same frame of mind as I am when loading the trailer at the barn before a ride — I am sure I was anxious about it — what do we do if my horse does not enter trailer — do we have to ride back to barn — all of that anxious thinking demonstrated lack of confidence and horses can pick up on lack of confidence because they depend on the head horse to be confident and protect her and the herd.
— if that confidence is not there — then what —- You got it — Perla takes over the leadership role — and says she as the new leader “I sure as hell ain’t going to lead that fearful man into that cave where there might be a bear waiting to eat us. I am a good leader.”
Rusty old cave with maybe a bear in there!
So, I demonstrated confidence yesterday — hopping into the trailer beside perla — showing no fear of entering that small cave with a 1,000 pound crazy animal that may panic and stomp all over me like one did in Texas once to beak and arm and do even more damage — not me — I hid all fear — kept it inside me and sweated a lot but I hid it!!! Yep — I ain’t afraid of nottin — not me boy — what fun — cause it worked — together we entered the cave — success is always fun — hope we — me and Perla — can continue our success program! We will see.
Just be wise and think relax like me – no fear — thats all you have to do.
Now for what went on in 1903 June 19 thru 23:
19. Plowed for buckwheat – to Hillsboro for lumber and milk trough.
20. Sold two turkeys = 31 1/2 # – 12 cents. Schoolboard meeting to sell contract for new school building a Menges . Cow came fresh.
22. Put milk trough in cellar. Hauled props. Borrowed $50 from Harvey Shaffer. Bought potatoes for 60 cents, plow point 30 cents, and pop for 5 cents.
23. Rained in forenoon. Afternoon I took two small logs to Hillsboro and got them sawed and plained for boardwalks. Bought 14# lard from Grand mother. Paid $2.00 for it.
That is life on a homestead in Pennsylvania mountains in 1903. How much of that stuff did you do in June 19 – 23, 2013 — It is only 110 years later U know.
A 8 hour trail ride — lots of words, but I wanted to get it off my chest.
Last Saturday was a nice sunny day — from time to time a threat of rain — but none came.
Forecast for Sunday was more dire. So, say we — lets ride today instead of tomorrow – Sunday. Mr and Mrs H said they would cut some trees that had fallen over the last quarter mile of trail and return to pick up their trailer. I would travel to Whitney Bay to pick up my trailer. 1 hour spent.
Could have stayed home and re-painted the trailer door!
Take two trailers to the road on the north side of the Island and park them at the entrance gate to a coastal resort. We would ride through the woods from the farm — using logging roads, old homestead roads, and new “Jeep”/”snowmobile” roads — No one but Mr H knew of the chain of roads through 5 miles or so of northern Michigan “forest” but we had faith that he knew the path to take– he assured us, with the tress they cleared from the end of the trail, we would have clear sailing — I mean clear riding.
The trip to deposit the trailers was 4 miles by road. Mrs H. picked us (me and Mr. H. ) up in her truck. One half hour spent. Back to the farm.
First chores — bringing horses to the barn, putting fly spray on them, saddling them, and riding to the trail head — 1/2 hour
Begin the the ride — homestead site and trail
Three horses — one golden colored 16 year old quarter horse “Goldie”, one 6 year old beautiful black Icelandic know phonetically as “Aus Dees”, and one 10 year old Icelandic named “Perla”.
Already 2 hours into the project — 2 more trail hours planned to ride to trailers. Off we go. Clip/Clop on and on through some of the most beautiful forest with wild flowers every where – deer are glimpsed from time to time -all through as series of homestead roads and new logging roads —
Trees, fields, and flowers
then we needed to join up with a set of new “Jeep” roads. What is a jeep made to do — — You got it — see how much mud can be splatter over them — through mud holes that look like rivers — some actuallty flowing — what do horses like to trail through — You got it -nice smooth trails with flowers and grass to munch on
— WOW three hours of splashing through mud hole after mud hole — water up to the cinches , wet feet in the stirrups – hooves slipping and sliding — one hors loves water and wants to lie down in it with rider (me) on it — did that once — feet even wetter — one horse refuses to enter water and needs to be coaxed or lead around through the woods and underbrush. — and one that is unpredictable and tries to brush rider in mud puddle by getting half way thru and turning left or right to brush rider off using trees along the puddle as the “Knock-Off” weapon.
Miles of mud, ponds and rivers to cross
As a result of Mr H’s inexperience with”Jeep” roads after a week of rain — Two hour prediction became 4 hours – with constant “working” at helping the horses deal with the unfriendly environment we put them in — this sport we called trail riding! Mrs H says — worst trail ride ever — and she is an experience trail rider. I said, quit an experience because I am not experienced and thought all trail rides were rides to h_ _ _. — now six hours in the project. Mr. H is saying nothing!
Got through that one!
WOW — there are the trailers — I will not bore you with any details — but here is an overview — we have 3 horses that love to rid in the trailer and go off to a new experence — Well, they want no new experience today — 2 of them refuse to enter — I am sure they think we lead them to a cave at the end of the mud holes (that is what the trailer must look like to their minds) with a bear sleeping in there — ready to wake up and eat them when they enter. So, one hour later — with sweating riders – wet feet – tired bodies we were able to convince all three horses the we had full control of the bears, would protect them from the bears and would have their food awaiting them back at the barn with their buddies.
In addition, I did explain that a 15 minute ride in the trailer was a lot better then that 4 hours ride back to the barn — the only alternative for them and us of course. Whew!!!! they agreed and jumped into the trailer.
Back to farm we go — un-trailer the horses, brush them down, muck out barn — poop from the 4 buddies left behind all day. I think that adds up to about an 8 hour trail ride –completed in what seemed like only 14 hours — I still have muscles that hurt — and a horse that now suspects that all trailers are caves with bears in them!
Finally home on the front porch.
& thinking of a smile or is it an out-right laugh at our stupidity for planning such a “worst” ride?.
Marc sent this comment to me on my blog a couple of days ago — “Good to see an image of beauty! There was a show about ‘faces’ I saw once that suggested that humans view a face as most beautiful if the proportions follow the “golden ratio” rule.”
From that I thought “The proportion of the golden rule must be created by a smile on the face.”
1. I went looking for a face with a rewarding beautiful smile.
2. A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside.
3. Always remember to be happy because you never know who’s falling in love with your smile.
4. I found the face with the perfect smile. — and I call it “THE REWARD” for 2 reasons:
A. His reward is the award metal — see it hanging around his neck
B. All that view the photo received his smile as their reward. See it on his face.
