Dear Anne - All Around the New Barn

Hi, Anne,

Sorry for that interruption - Pepper loves her daily walks and we were dodging rainstorms, so I had to go when there was a break between storms.

Anyway! Back to Elecktra's visit to the barn. After I topped off the water trough and we fed Abby and Sultanna their treats, Little Lynn could not wait to show Elecktra Tim's vehicle collection in the new barn.

They got the giggles at the paddy wagon since they'd promised to be on their best behavior and were now sending you photos of themselves in an antique jail wagon.

But they knew you would laugh - Elecktra and Little Lynn have good heads on their shoulders.

The girls especially liked the red and black family surrey. When they climbed up into the luxe leather seat, they discovered bells.

They promptly plopped down on those bells and started singing. They'd kick the bells with the heel of their boots and then sing along with the chimes.

 Oh, how I wish I'd gotten a video of that to show you - they harmonized beautifully! And Little Lynn taught Elecktra the song, Back Home Again in Indiana!

I jumped in and sang that song with them - I couldn't resist.

You had told me that Elecktra was bold and liked to climb things. Did she ever!

Not gonna lie, Anne, but my heart was in my throat when they scaled the mail wagon. I'm afraid of heights, but luckily things went okay and they came down when they saw how scared I was. They explained that they wanted to have the US Mail sign in their photo, and I guess that makes sense. 

A tour of the new barn isn't complete without going into the tack room and seeing Tim's collection of western saddles, bridles, and harnesses.

More climbing! Elecktra shinnied up some harness leathers

while Little Lynn stayed down lower - like me, sometimes heights bother her.

There are two antique typewriters in the new barn's office, and the girls had fun pushing the keys. 

It was like watching the piano scene in the movie Big where Tom Hanks plays that big keyboard!

Little Lynn and Elecktra tried out my English saddle and then went into the lounge of the new barn.

They checked out Tim's wood carvings

and the outhouse mousetrap. The "Do Not Open" sign on the door ALWAYS tempts people to open the door. Opening the door triggers the mousetrap but no one got hurt as the trap inside had not been set.

After touring the interior of the new barn, we went back outside. The girls noticed that bluebirds were coming in and out of the birdhouse mounted on the fence.

Elecktra climbed out onto it and peeked in the holes, but all the birds had flown away.

The last thing we did was walk out to the nursery paddock and climb into the hay mow of the loafing shed. Little Lynn showed Elecktra how to jump from the mow into the hay stack and then Elecktra gave it a try.

Honestly, Anne, I didn't stop them and I hope that that was okay with you.  Having done so myself a few times when I was their age, I know how much fun it is to jump into a big pile of hay. Plus, the hay was stacked really high so I knew the girls would have a soft landing regardless of where they jumped from.

Well, this letter has gotten lengthy - are you still reading? LOL I'll stop now, but look for another letter soon. I think tomorrow's plans are to go to the circus and visit Circus Girl and Mr. Nedz.

Don't worry about your girl - she's having fun and we love having her visit!

Love,

Lynn xo

A Surprise in the New Barn

Yesterday I decided to do a walk-through of the new barn. I rarely go in there, but when Tim travels, I like to check on things and make sure all is well. Usually everything is just as expected, but this time when I stepped into the lounge, I had a surprise.

A piano! And not just any piano, but an antique player piano!

When I texted Tim my daily report on the horses and grounds, I asked him about it. Typical Tim, he said that buying it had "improved my musical talent by 100%" but he also texted that it didn't sound right when he played it. I offered to take a look at it and see if I could help - it could be that the roll bar had shifted or something else that would be a quick fix on a player piano.

Tim was surprised that I knew anything about them - he'd forgotten that we have an antique player piano, too.

Mine is in our living room where it is a favorite activity for pony pals and cowpokes. I also use it to display seasonal decor in the form of models from my collection. That's Sugar Maple on it right now, and in a few days I will put Cryptic, Ichabod, Nevermore, or Crane out.

Last week we had a family birthday party and Cowpoke Ian played the Happy Birthday roll while Lukie and Mila (dressed as Wonder Woman; she can't wait for Halloween) danced. 

Our favorite rolls are stored in this rack that a friend made us but I have more, some of which are damaged or falling apart from age.

When your legs are too short to pump the pedals and play, sometimes a cousin will come to your rescue! Here Horse Buddy Trinity helps Pony Pal Mila.

A look inside my player piano. It plays by blowing air through the holes in the paper of the roll.

This is what the inside of my non player piano looks like for comparison. (We have two pianos, but we used to have three. When my kids were all home and taking lessons, we couldn't get everyone's practice in around their sports, school, and church activities. Having three pianos - one in the living room, one in the dining room, and one in the family room - made the house a bit crowded and loud, but our kids got their practicing in and can now play well as adults.)

A player piano can be played like a regular piano - no pumping necessary.

Here is a video I made of The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah last Easter and sent to my family. Notice how the words of the song scroll by as the roll plays? That's so that you can sing along. And we do a lot of singalongs as a family, especially at Christmas time. (It took me a while to master reading from the bottom up!) 

Fast forward to 0:58 and you will see that the keys actually depress as they play. This is accomplished in a player piano by pressing foot pedals. It's good exercise, and it is actually how I rehabbed my hip when I had it replaced.

It sure was a surprise to find that player piano in the barn lounge, but I am looking forward to playing it later today. There is a tub of rolls that came with it, and there are some I don't have - I can't wait to hear what they sound like.

The View from the Veranda

I've been meeting Teacher Daughter Lisa out at the barn fairly often recently. Her remote teaching schedule has given her some unexpected open blocks of time, and I am always thrilled when she wants a horsey break and meets me at the barn.

The other day was sunny and warm. Lisa was delayed in coming, so I beat her there and settled in on a bench on the veranda to wait for her. 

I had a beautiful view of the lane to the new barn. (Beautiful now and beautiful in winter, but hard to drive when it's covered in snow and ice.)

There is a nice home on the property, but Tim and Loni do not live there. They already had a beautiful home just two miles away when he bought the place, and they decided to stay there. This house is rented to someone who agrees to keep an eye on the horses. 

Tim added this veranda when he bought the farm about twelve years ago.

 Sure am glad the birds enjoy the bird houses scattered around the property...

 There's a boot scraper by the door, but we usually go in through the shop door and bypass this one.

 Tim's a cowboy from western Canada, and he likes western themed decor.

 I am so lucky to board with Tim. I have free rein (haha) of the place and Abby gets terrific care and is very happy.

So am I.

Redoing the Stalls in the New Barn

When Tim is traveling, I try to walk through the new barn a few times while he is gone to be sure everything is in good order. Today I decided to check out the work he is doing on the eight stalls on the east aisle - he's completely refurbishing them. Not only does he take great care of the horses, he keeps the property well maintained.

 This is a completed stall - doesn't it look nice?

 One that is in progress. You can see the replaced wood siding behind the door.

Tim is also working on the floors of the stalls as he redoes them. That is lime that he has put down.

Neither Tim nor I want our horses kept in stalls. We both agree that they do best when they can roam free with access to good pasture, hay in the winter, shelter, and water. But, there are times that a horse may need to come in for a while. Sultanna is in foal and due this spring; no doubt she and her baby will spend some time indoors before being turned out with the rest of the herd.

And, he may someday have a boarder who prefers to keep their horse in a stall. Or one of the herd may be sick or injured and need to be kept quiet. (My horse Indy was on stall rest for a month when he damaged a ligament in his leg.) Keeping the stalls up to date and in good condition makes sense on so many levels.

Wandering through the new barn made me wish for warmer weather so that I could do some work in the arena or a grooming session in the cross ties.

Tack Room Tour

When Tim travels and I am doing the daily herd check, I usually walk through the new barn a time or two to be sure everything is all right. The new barn is really nice - it has eight box stalls, a large indoor arena with good footing, a lounge with windows that look into the arena, a bathroom, an office for Tim, a large workshop, a storage room, and a tack room.

I love the tack room. Sometimes I just go in there and breathe in that heavenly leather smell.

The walls are lined with reclaimed barn wood and are very roomy with lots of space for hanging all the things you might need for horses and their care. (That's the lounge that you can see through the door.)

There are cabinets for storing any dewormers and medications, fly sprays, and leather conditioners.

More saddle racks are next to that and underneath them is my old tack trunk. I got it when I was in high school and it holds some pretty sentimental things - Amy's saddle blankets, Cee's show halter, my western hat, and my riding helmet, just to name a few.

Another wall is where Tim hangs his harnesses. He used to have a couple of Belgians and I think he sold their harnesses when he sold them. But Diablo drives so he has a light harness set or two for her.

 Tim's chaps are hanging on the wall, too.

Some of Tim's horse drawn vehicles along with a couple of mowers and the tractor.

He comes home later today so I will not need to do the daily checks or walk through the new barn as I have been doing for the past week. (I'll still go out and visit Abby, of course!) 

Mystery Hoofprints

When I visited Abby yesterday, it was clear that someone had been charging around the paddock by the new barn.

 There were lots of divots

 and skid marks

all over the turf.

But which horse was it? Was it Siren, the new (and only) horse in the blue barn? Her pasture adjoins the paddock; had she gotten loose, trying to join Abby and the herd?

This mark identified the horse that had made the marks - it was Sultanna. She is the only horse on the property that currently has shoes on.

No doubt Tim was working on her training (that's why she has shoes - he's trailered her out for some rides recently.) She's also in foal, and when one of the mares has foaled in the past, he puts them in the new barn for the first few days of life before introducing them to the herd. This paddock acts as a nursery where the rest of the herd can see the baby, sniff it over the fences, and safely become acquainted.

My guess is that in preparation for the big event, he put her in there. Or, it may be that he had been riding her and turned her out in the paddock for a bit before returning her to the herd. Regardless, it caused a bit of a stampede!

Tim's Tack Room

Tim, the owner of the ranch where I keep Abby, is a well-respected professor at Purdue University in entymology, but he is a horseman at heart and also likes to restore buggies, wagons, carriages, and sleighs. He goes to a lot of auctions and finds some pretty interesting tack that comes home in the truck with him along with those bigger purchases.

The new barn is where he tucks those items away and it is the ultimate man cave.

The new barn has an indoor arena that is lined with box stalls down both sides. But they are rarely used. Like me, Tim prefers that his horses have the freedom to go in and out at will so the old barn and the loafing shed are where the horses shelter when they want it. He brings them up here to the cross ties when he is trimming their feet, deworming or giving meds, or tacking up for a ride.

 The entrance to the new barn.

You enter a lovely, open lounge area with viewing windows and a door to the indoor arena.

 Tim likes to hang antique implements and cowboy items that he finds at sales on the walls.

 There are some chairs for sitting if you want, but neither of us spend much time here sitting down. (Although I did use those chairs before my spinal fusion as I could not stand for very long.)

Door number one, door number two, and door number three - sounds like a game show! The door to the far right opens to the rest room. I do use that occasionally!

The middle door leads to Tim's office. My tack is kept in there separate from his tack.

This is because Tim does a lot of horse trading, and if my tack was in the main tack room mixed in with all of his, it could get accidentally sold!

Tim also keeps an antique pony saddle in there as decoration.

The door on the left leads to the main tack room, and it is chock full of saddles, bridles, harnesses, and other horsey items. It also has a wall of cupboards where he stores medical supplies, helmets, and other things needed for a herd of horses.

I didn't take pictures of all of Tim's horsey vehicles that he has restored and that are kept in the new barn. The next time I go into it I'll do that and post them here. He has some pretty amazing ones, including an old jail wagon!

I took these photos when I checked on my tack - I don't ride any more, but I do clean and oil my tack in order to keep the leather in good condition. It was looking like it needed some attention, so I'll be doing that as soon as I get a block of free time.

Check back for those photos of the vehicles!