Full Hay Barns

Jason has been getting antsy as we usually have first cutting hay filling up our barns by mid to late May. This year it has been more difficult to source quality hay. The hay field yields in our area are down due to drought damage from last year, prices are up, and many people didn't get their first cutting off as quickly as normal due to weather. All of these things added up to us having 2.5 of our 3 hay barns being empty. 

Thankfully we began to rectify that today. We put a dozen large loads of hay into two of our hay barns today. We're far from done filling our farm up, but we're a lot closer than we were this morning. Our goal is always to fill our barns up with first cutting hay in the spring, and since building our third hay barn last year we can now store a year's supply of hay.  We will both sleep better tonight knowing that not only did we put a lot of hay in the barns today, there is even more coming tomorrow. 

a big load of fresh hay is always a welcome site on any farm; we had the pleasure of seeing this turning into our farm about a dozen times today

Of our three hay barns, this one is now full and another is well on its way

Rip and Revy

Renatta and Dolly

King and Trigger

Cuffie and Lily

Dawn

Charlotte and Calimba

we like them lined up and orderly at feeding time; Mick, Johnny, Happy, Lighty and Sam

Rubrico

Walon and Roho

Walden and Fabrizzio

Fabrizzio, Remmy and Duesy

Duesy, Baner, Hesse and Bruno

Baner, Bruno, Hesse, Cino and Havana

Sunday Stills

Maisie and MyLight

Elfin, Grand and Rip grazing in the fog

Johnny and Happy

Faune and Flyer

Squirrel, Magic and Sushi

Taco and Nemo

Dolly and Traveller grooming

Blu and B-Rad

Chance and Convey

Homer and Moe, AKA "the twins"

Taylor and Alfie

 Levendi, Apollo, Hemi and Thomas

Life Goals

It has been 21 years since Sparky the donkey joined our family so I feel like I know him pretty well at this point. Sparky has fairly simple wants and goals in life. He wants his daily treats each morning. He wants his blanket on him if there is even a hint of cold in the air. I've never met an equid that genuinely enjoys wearing a blanket like Sparky. Sparky loves a good butt scratch, and will turn his rump to you and start backing up when he wants a butt scratch. People who don't know him think he's getting ready to kick, but he's just putting himself in position to make it easy for you to give him a butt scratch. Finally, Sparky wants to have friends. He doesn't want friends that obsess over him, cling to him, and try to run his life. He just wants regular friendship.

Sparky struggles a lot with meeting that last life goal. It almost never works out for him. He's been obsessed over, clung to, and followed around by mares and geldings alike. No matter what pasture he is in, no matter what group he lives with, the highest honor is always getting to be Sparky's special friend. Sparky's special friend always has to follow him around, try to run his life and try to keep him from having other friends. 

When you are as cute and sweet as Sparky, I guess it is inevitable that you will attract more attention than desired. Sparky currently has Sabrina and Bonnie obsessing over him and running his life, and Sabrina is the definition of the clingy girlfriend. She dutifully follows Sparky's every step and continually attempts to give him unsolicited advice on how to run his life. As he has done with every other equine that has been obsessed with him, Sparky largely ignores her and goes on with life. At this point he has a minimum of 21 years of practice at ignoring unsolicited life advice. Hopefully he has many more.

Sparky sandwiched between Bonnie and Sabrina, the two horses currently obsessed with micromanaging his life

Merlin and Cino

Moe and Levendi

Elfin and Grand

the grey horse club had claimed a section of the pasture; L-R Asterik, George, Gus, Cocomo, Silver

Johnny and Happy

Nemo and Lighty

Lily and Calimba

Flyer and Donneur

Gibson waiting for breakfast

Toledo and Rocky

the World's Cutest Fainting Goats were ready to start their day; Jo, Miss Lyle and Mina

Toledo and Johnny

Apollo and Thomas heading in for breakfast, escorted by Ewen

Cisco, Baby and Trigger

Miel and Mick

Sunday Stills

Norman on the run followed by Calimba and Cinnamon

Sparky and Sabrina

Gus, Roho and Walon

Flyer, Gus and Silver

Maisie and Lily

B-Rad and Blu

Donneur and Lofty

Squirrel and Johnny

Sushi and Gus

Duesy and Remmy

Paramount and Digby

Ripley, Magic, Wilson and Johnny

Johnny, Mick and Lighty

Lotus and Romeo

Gus and Asterik