Of Veggies & Minnows & Lush Pastures

First Post of the Day

Tim loves having Belle's family boarding at his barn. They are nice people, the kids are hard workers, and they bring a lot of life to the place. They are out almost every day and often Tim saddles up and goes trail riding along with them.

Despite the heat wave, I headed out to the barn right after my physical therapy appointment.

It's always good to look out and see horses in a field. 

Penny, Eazy, Sultanna, and Bogo. (Belle went to buy Penny and was offered a two for one deal with Bogo added in!)

New to the scenery are two very full horse troughs by the paddock gate.

Tomatoes and other veggies are being grown by Belle and her family!

There is another change that surprised me and then made me smile.

The Kevins have arrived! A large group of rosy red minnows, Belle's daughter Indianna had asked Tim if she could put them in one of the troughs. He agreed and so now we have a school of Kevins (named by the two youngest boys), Kevinettes, and no doubt some l'il Kevins will soon be on the way!

There is a Great Blue Heron rookery close by; I would not be surprised to see one standing by the trough and fishing for minnows some day. I hope not, but experience says it's possible. Tim's home is close by, and he built a small fountain and pond feature there, stocked it with koi, and the GBHs fished them all out!

The changes were fun to see, but that wasn't why I'd dropped by. I really, really wanted to walk out to Abby's grave and visit her final resting spot.

I had my walker with me, but the pasture grasses were just too high.

There is also a new fence out there, dividing the pastures for rotation, and I'd have to duck under those wires and somehow pull the walker after me.

I was disappointed and even a little teary, but I know where she is and will try again. (I ought to ask one of  Belle's kids to mow a path out to it! LOL)

Stay 'tooned - another post is coming today.

Peaceful

Bonus Post - More to Come

I went out to the barn yesterday after church. I was wearing a dress and sandals, not conducive to hiking out to Abby's grave, but then, I wasn't going to her grave.

I'd asked Tim at church if the far northwest pasture had been grazed recently or if it was high and in need of horses to come and munch. As I'd expected with only three horses to graze the pastures now, he told me that the field was tall. And, as he pointed out, there was manure (which doesn't bother me) and very uneven ground (which does) in that particular pasture that I'd need to navigate my walker around.

"I honestly don't think you'd be able to get out to the graves without help right now," he said apologetically. 

I wasn't surprised. And you know what? It was okay.

As I said, I drove out directly from church.

As I drove past the north end of the northwest pasture, I could see what he meant - the grass was high and would be difficult to push my walker through.

I could see the spot where Abby and Two Socks were laid to rest even though I could not get out to it.

I continued past the barn's property and drove past the woods on the other side of the graves. I love that the woods shelter and protect them from the prevailing winds.

Turning my car around, I drove back and around, heading up the lane to the new barn and parking my car. I was able to walk out to the fence bordering the south pasture and the hayfield where I could look out to the graves.

I snapped some photos and as I stood there, a wash of peace came over me. Abby was gone, true, but her final resting place was familiar to her and she was at the home she had loved.  

I turned around and walked back to my car. The feeling of peacefulness remained, and I drove home quietly, feeling very grateful that she had been my girl.

I am gonna be okay. 

Yellow outlines the property; the red circle shows the three smallest trees on the property. Abby and Two Socks were standing under the one on the right when it was struck by lightning. The light blue dot is their grave site.