Curiosity Killed The....

 They say, "Curiosity killed the cat."  It's an idiom that, to me, never made much sense, as cats are perhaps one of the toughest, sure-footed, capable animals of all.  After all, cats have nine lives, right?

Perhaps a better saying would be "Curiosity killed the horse."  Anyone who has ever cared for equines knows that for as large and robust as horses seem, they are quite fragile.  And curiosity often gets them into trouble.  (Donkeys, on the other hand, are way too wary to get into much trouble!)

Before we go any further, I will tell you the ending of this story first.  Just so that you don't have to suffer the almost-heart-attack that I experienced as the following story was unfolding yesterday.  The ending is this....

as you can see, everyone is peacefully resting.

But... just one half-hour prior... all hell broke out in the dry lot.

It was early afternoon and I had just brought the horses in from the front pasture, where they had spent the morning.  I was busy cleaning up a couple of piles of manure in the dry lot when I noticed that Moonbeam was no longer wearing his fly mask (ie: sunglasses) and the sun had just come out (not that that matters, because I make him wear his eye protection every day from sun-up to sun-down, regardless.)

I keep an extra mask for him, so I left my muck bucket and manure rake in the dry lot and ran back into the barn to get his mask. 

 In the split second that I was gone, curiosity got the best of our pony, Scarlet, and somehow she slipped her head right through the handle of the muck bucket cart.  She lifted her head only to find that now the cart and bucket were hanging around her neck.

Of course, being a horse, she didn't stand still awaiting help.  No, she took off running, swinging the muck bucket and cart to and fro and totally freaking out.  (Thankfully, there was no ice in the dry lot, or this story would have had a much different ending.)  What a clatter as now all the horses were insanely running around... scared to death of the apparent monster that had Scarlet in its clutches.

I was helpless to do anything to help her as she was just too spooked.

Luckily, after just a moment (that seemed like forever), she freed herself from the whole apparatus.  Meanwhile, I had died a thousand deaths while watching in horror.

As it turns out... she was fine, just scared. As you saw at the beginning of this story, all was back to normal calm within a short while.  Except, perhaps, for me.  My heart is still pounding!

Several things I have learned in dealing with horses...  expect the unexpected, be prepared for anything - even the un-imaginable, and leave nothing up to chance!

I have tried, over the years, to educate my family in the unpredictability of these creatures.  I harp on the need to always think ahead and think like a horse.  For example, don't leave a broom or a wooden-handled manure rake unattended.  In one split second you can end up with a shish k'bob - a horse on a skewer.  Yes, it has happened (not to me). With these animals, more times than not, curiosity gets them into trouble.  I will not leave a muck bucket unattended ever again.  Lesson learned.

And yes, I found Moonie's fly mask out in the front pasture where he left it.

The cats, on the other hand?  I never worry about them!

By the way... as I was first walking out into the dry lot with the muck bucket, I was wondering what I would write today's blog about.  I said to myself (which turns out to be the kiss of death), "just give it a few minutes, something is bound to happen that is blog-worthy."

Also... look what I found in the front pasture.  The daffodils are up!

As for the rest of our day.... sourdough bread-baking!  I'm working towards baking prettier loaves.  This might be the best one yet.

I added iron candlesticks to the dining room plank.  By the way, I finished the live edge wood with Walrus Oil (and no it's not made from walruses...  but, instead, all plant-based oils).  I highly recommend this product.  It is food safe and leaves the wood with a beautiful finish... no harsh chemicals needed!

If you live in the area, a wonderful source for live-edge wood is Alderfer Lumber.

To answer a question from yesterday's comments:  Hubbs and I are both retired now.  When we first started the farm, we were both working (me part-time).  I was lucky in that I could stop working and take care of the farm full time... which made life much easier for both of us.  Otherwise, we would have spent all of our weekends doing work around the farm.  With both of us home now,
the work load is quite manageable and is something that we both enjoy.  There is never a day that I don't thoroughly enjoy going out to care for the animals.  It keeps me in touch with nature and has taught me an appreciation for a simpler life.

Another question as to if we ever considered getting a solar battery backup :  We thought about it, but decided to wait until the technology was better and the price was lower.  We have a large generator for back up if we lose our power.

PS:  Today is Jack's Birthday!!  Unfortunately, he is still under the weather.  Happy Birthday to the best man I know and the person with whom I could definitely be marooned on a deserted island!