Thursday, August 30, 2018

Life with Igor

Like all cats, Igor assumes he is in charge of everything in his kingdom. He particularly enjoys supervising us and the horses during morning chores. Igor doesn't miss anything, and I'm certain he could tell us about every last thing that happens on the front half of the farm.

Igor and Jason have a little ritual during morning feedings. Jason calls Igor very loudly, Igor goes running over to Jason, then Jason picks him up and carries him around for a few minutes to assist Igor in his supervisory duties. Keep in mind that, in his own words, Jason is "not a cat person." Words and actions Jason, words and actions.

Igor making his rounds, checking on the horses. Art keeps an eye on him as Igor marches past.img_0295-800x600

Igor making sure Gus is grazing properlyimg_1492-800x600

Igor supervising breakfast. Remmy, Cino, Duesy, Havana and Taylor all stay quiet and orderly under Igor's watch.img_1971-800x600

Igor gets some assistance from Jason  . . . img_2415-800x600

. . . Igor's day isn't off to a proper start without a lift from Jasonimg_2460-600x800

Baner grazing, Remmy and Duesy groomingimg_1151-800x600

Happy and Tacoimg_1229-800x600

Wilson and Ripley groomingimg_1337-800x600

Moe and Apolloimg_1346-800x600

Roho, Gus and Walon
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Asterik and Georgeimg_1573-800x600

Nemo and Quigly groomingimg_1589-800x600

Art, Havana and Taylor must have lined up under Igor's direction for breakfastimg_1952-800x600

Alfieimg_2449-800x600

Jo and Miss Lyle helping themselves to some hayimg_2486-800x600

Romeo and Donneur
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Sunday, August 26, 2018

Sunday Stills

Hemi, Thomas and Revy waiting for breakfastimg_2462-800x600

Traveller and Dolly groomingimg_1626-800x600

Duesy and Brunoimg_0274-800x600

Cocomo and Flyerimg_1096-800x600

Cocomo and Gus grooming with Silver watchingimg_1157-800x616

Sebastian and Paramountimg_1201-800x600

Baner and Cino groomingimg_1427-800x600

Cisco, Elfin and Revyimg_1719-800x600

Merlin, Havana, Fabrizzio, Baner, Art, Bruno and Cino meandering in for breakfastimg_1804-800x600

Digby and Paramountimg_2062-800x570

Maisie and Calimba groomingimg_2070-800x600

Flyer and Gibsonimg_2125-800x600

Norman and Cinnamonimg_2219-800x605

Calimba, Maisie, Cuffie and Renattaimg_2223-800x600

Thursday, August 23, 2018

DIY Projecta are Fun??

Several months ago I somehow managed to convince Jason that putting in an arena would be an acceptable idea. I'm still in shock that I made it past the first go of, "what would you think about putting in an arena?" Amazingly he acquiesced, and we began to discuss the logistic of arena building. Our first conclusion was that aside from the dozer and backhoe work our budget was DIY. Jason only trusted one specific dozer operator to make the pad, and we had to wait over four months for him to be available. He stays busy because he's really good.

I eagerly awaited for construction to begin for several months. Finally we got the call that our project was next on the list. A few hours were spent measuring, shooting points and making a plan with the equipment operator. Then the bulldozer work started. The first step was to make the pad, and also to put in two tile drains down the long sides. This part went fast and the dozer and backhoe work were completed within 2.5 days. These were long days with the equipment running from about 6am until 8pm.

The next step was laying out the geotextile fabric and beginning the delivery of the quarter down for the base. This also went quickly and over the course of another day and half the fabric was laid out and what seemed like 2,000 loads of quarter down was laid down in the arena. (Side note, this arena project made us realize more than ever how desperately we need to own our own gravel pit . . .). As the quarter down was brought in a bobcat with a very wide box blade was smoothing and leveling in conjunction with the laser level.

To this point it seemed like a fun project. Then it was time for the DIY part. Before we went further on the base we needed to set railroad ties around the perimeter to hold the footing in. Everything has seemed so simple to this point I was  innocently excited to move on to the next step. Jason was not excited at all. I quickly learned why. We were now entering the phase of first world problems that involved intense physical labor.

Those railroad ties are freaking heavy and impossibly hard to manipulate with precision. Jason bought two cant hooks so that two people could lift a tie, each using a cant hook, and put it in place. Then we had to make sure it was straight, level with the other ties, etc. I had never hood of a cant hook before and I'm thankful Jason had. I don't know how we would have moved 200 ties without them.

After four days of lifting and moving ties into place (Of course doing this around all of our regular farm work) my body hurt in places that I didn't know it could hurt. That's when Jason told me we were now to the hard part. After he revived me with smelling salts he explained that now we needed to drill two holes in every railroad tie and then use sledgehammers to pound in rebar to hold them in place. I stupidly thought this couldn't be hard, that's what power drills are for. Jason bought special drill bits, and went through several of them. He put our generator in the front end loader of the tractor and used the hammer drill to drill the holes. It was so hard to drill through these holes, even with his exepensive, fancy, super sharp drill bits, that I literally couldn't do it. Jason had to drill every last hole. He did this over the course of a few days. It was seriously hard, it was hot,and of course we still had a farm to run. So he drilled holes for a couple of hours after we'd finished the farm work each day.

Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse Jason handed me a sledgehammer. We each had our own sledgehammer and we pounded in almost 400 rebar spikes to hold the railroad ties in place. In case you are wondering, this was not fun. At this point I stupidly thought we were now in the home stretch and our first world, arena building miseries were done. But they weren't. This was also the time that I began regretting this entire project and wishing I had never had the desire. Those railroad ties were killers.

Now it was time to get more quarter down brought in and continue building up the base. Yet again this fell on Jason's shoulders. He put countless hours in on the tractor using the box blade and front end loader moving quarter down, smoothing quarter down, leveling quarter down. I was beginning to think we were permanently stuck in this phase.

Finally, this phase seemed to wind down and Jason rented a vibrating paving roller for a day. We (well mostly Jason) spent an entire day rolling, rolling, and rolling some more. Finally, at about 6:30pm, Jason decided it had been rolled enough.

I want to weep as I type that we're still not done (insert more regrets about deciding an arena was a good idea here). Jason says the base needs to continue to compact and settle for awhile before we add footing. I will at least be allowed to ride in it the next few months when Jason finds the conditions to be acceptable. I will continue to pile onto my first world problems by apparently having many days where I can only admire this arena and not ride in it.

A few weeks ago I looked at Jason when we were sledgehammering in rebar, with sweat dripping off every part of my body and huge blisters on my hand, and said, "whose idea was this PITA, money pit idea of a project anyway?" He graciously elected not to strangle me on the spot.

the first step was measuring and shooting points in order to make the padimg_1030-800x600

the earthwork beganimg_1035-800x600

the laser level was used extensivelyimg_1038-800x600

It started off looking like a big mess. The pad was made, the tile drains installed, the geotextile fabric was laid out, and the initial quarter down was brought in. img_1041-800x600

setting the railroad ties, drilling out the holes for the rebar, and pounding the rebar in with a sledgehammer was up there with the worst jobs everimg_1266-800x600

Jason has spent countless hours on the tractor moving quarter down using the front end loader and the box bladeimg_2073-800x600

today's job was rolling, rolling, and more rollingimg_2433-800x600

Quigly and Mickimg_0375-800x600

Igor having a cat napimg_0576-800x600

Johnny and Happyimg_0654-800x600

Moe and Homerimg_0801-800x600

King (Trigger in the background)img_0815-800x600

Chance and Conveyimg_0840-800x600

Walon and Ripleyimg_0921-800x600

Magic, Sushi and Squirrelimg_0970-800x600

Roho and Gus having an early morning grooming sessionimg_1021-800x600

Donneur and George having a grooming sessionimg_1490-800x600

Toledo and Rockyimg_1537-800x600

Wilson and Walonimg_1554-800x600

Asterik and Silverimg_1585-800x600

Cuffie and Maisieimg_1838-800x600

Romeo and Lotusimg_2014-800x600

Miel and Samimg_2085-800x600

Cinnamon and Dawnimg_7477-800x600

Silver, Asterik, Lofty and Donneur; I like the fog around the hills in the backgroundimg_8549-800x600