Barn Buddy II

When I arrived at the barn this afternoon, my little barn buddy spied me and came running. His parents live on the property, and he, his mama, and little sister were enjoying the beautiful fall day outside in their back yard.

"Can I go see the horses with you?" he asked as he reached me.

"Is it okay with your mom? Did you ask her?" I replied.

"Um, no," was his response.

I looked up and Melanie, carrying sweet baby Paisley, was walking toward us. She was a little worried that Deacon might be a bother, but I assured her that I did not mind his company, so she consented.

We set off around the corner of the new barn, Deacon chattering a blue streak. He commented on how I used the gates. "My Papa ducks through the fence. So do I. Why don't you?"

(Because I have an artificial hip and two artificial knees and the rest of me is stiff with arthritis!)

Only pausing briefly to pick a ladybug off a plant, Deacon trotted alongside me as we reached the old barn. Abby and the herd were out beyond that in the west pasture. (Just to prove I could, I ducked through the rails of the fence, but Deacon wasn't impressed with my prowess - he was too interested in the ladybug that was now crawling on his sleeve.)

I called Abby's name and whistled while Deacon held up the pear I had given him to share with her.

He's got that ladybug gently clutched in the other hand!

 Abby came right up for her afternoon snack.

 While the ladybug scooted out of Deacon's hand and into his sleeve...

... Abby stuck her head out and nudged his cheek.

"Stop that, Abby!"

Abby ate the pears I had brought, and then Deacon and I walked back through the pastures, around the new barn, and back to his home where his mom and Paisley were sitting out on the patio.

Can't wait to have my barn buddy join me again!

The Cornhusking Nationals!

(All photos in this post are from The Farm at Prophetstown Facebook page.)

Believe it or not, the Cornhusking Nationals are held here at The Farm at Prophetstown in tiny Battle Ground, Indiana. Not only that, but the state championship was held there, too, this weekend!

The corn husking is done by hand, and the shucked corn is tossed into a wagon pulled by draft horses as they harvest the fields.

It is hard, hand and finger blistering work, and far slower than modern methods done by gigantic harvesting combines.

A team of Belgians awaits trolley passengers in the farmyard of the homestead.

Competitors brought their own horses and wagons, and stabled their horses in the farm's big barn.

Bojangles, the farm's resident miniature horse, gets acquainted with a beautiful team of Percherons.

Isn't this Belgian gorgeous?

The Percherons,  harnessed and ready to compete. 

They wait patiently as the husker does his job.

Leslie told me the horses that had come for the competition were all Belgians and Percherons. I am assuming that this is a pair of black Percherons.

 A pair of Belgians wait their turn to compete. That's the big barn in the background.

The farm's Belgians pulled the trolley out into the fields so spectators could get a closer look at the cornhusking.

 Presenting the 2015 Golden Age Cornhusking Champion - 83 year old John Henry Becker!

I love the colors on this vintage grain wagon.

Working their way down the cornrows. And having some good conversation along the way.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... er, farmstead, there were games and activities set up for families and spectators. My favorite?

The corn sandbox! And all the John Deere green toys!

Cowboy Party!

Tim and Loni hosted a cowboy party and hayride tonight out at the barn. What a fun evening - I looked forward to it all day. Craig and I arrived a little early; Tim was still setting up the new barn for his guests. (Tim has three barns, the old barn where the horses spend most of their indoor time, the new barn with an indoor arena, lounge, shop, tack room, and bathroom, and the blue barn which is rented out by a couple who own Rocky Mountain Spotted Horses.)

 He pulled one of the buggies he has restored out of the barn for guests to look at and sit in.

Inside the lounge of the new barn, Loni was setting up the beverage and dessert table. She had found these cute, cowboy boot shaped glasses on Amazon.

 The picture doesn't do them justice - they were my favorite part of the meal!

One serving table with bread, biscuits, and some salads was put up outside by the buggy.

 Tim's buckboard served as our chuckwagon.

He fixed pork chops for everyone - they were delicious! (You can see the blue barn in the background.)

Twelve couples came, some of them horse people but most of them not.

 The entrance to the new barn and its front porch - a nice place to sit on a cool fall evening!

 Tim does such lovely work on his restoration projects.

After we ate, Travis Horton brought out his guitar and we had a sing along.

If you look through the windows, that's the indoor arena and the stalls that line it. Tim likes his horses to roam free and does not stall them, but if one were ill or injured, he's got a nice set of stalls where they can recuperate.

It was a cool day, and as the sun set, it became very chilly inside and out.

 A fire was lit in the cast iron stove and the lounge quickly warmed up to a comfortable temperature.

 In between Travis' songs on the guitar, Blake Robertson and I read cowboy poetry at Tim's request.

I had never read any, and am now hooked! There is a sense of humor coupled with reality in them, and if you know horses or cattle, you will not have any trouble understanding their meaning.

Dinner and entertainment over, we moved on to the next part of the party - a hay ride! Tim hooked the hay wagon up to his truck, made some seats out of bales of straw, and took us through the fields in the dark.

He would stop periodically and tell the history of the area, - stories of William Henry Harrison and Tecumseh, the Battle of Tippecanoe, and the Potowatami Trail of Death that went through the property. The ride culminated in a spooky chain saw story, and with Brandon, Tim's son in law, jumping out at us from the dark, wearing a mask and carrying a chain saw. Only he could not get the chain saw to start, and we all dissolved into gales of laughter instead of being scared!

Hot chocolate at the house wrapped up a wonderful fall evening. I cannot recall the last time I went on a hay ride or heard scary stories in the dark. And certainly I've never read any cowboy poetry, either!

Sure hope Tim and Loni do this again.

My Little Barn Buddy

When I arrived at the barn this afternoon, Tim's grandson, Deacon, was there with his dad and grandfather. Deacon was "born in boots" - he loves horses passionately even though he is only three years old. (He and I have a lot in common!)

When he heard that I was heading out to see Abby, he asked if he could come, too. His father agreed, so Deacon tagged along with me, chattering a blue streak about the horses as we walked out to where the herd was grazing.

 I whistled for Abby, and Deacon watched in eager anticipation as she ambled up to see us.

 She stuck her head through the fence, to say "hello," but Deacon suddenly became shy and stepped back.

Spying the bag of apple slices in my hand, Deacon cried,"Give her an apple! Give her a piece!"

 I complied (to Abby and Deacon's delight) and he looked on as she happily munched.

I asked Deacon to show me his cowboy boots, but he insisted that first he had to give me the handful of rocks he had been carrying around. I have no idea why he couldn't hold the rocks while showing me the boots, but I obediently took them so he could pose. (He is so cute!)

When all the apple slices were gone, Abby followed us back to the new barn. I felt a bit like the Pied Piper of Hamlin with her and my little barn buddy tagging along!

A Selfie with Abby

I am rarely in any photos with Abby. Usually I am at the barn alone with no one to point and click the two of us together. So, once in a while I try to take a selfie with her.

It's no mean feat.

 Apparently she doesn't like sharing the limelight...

 ... and likes to hog the picture.

 And, she kept wanting to smell the camera.

 Drat. Abby ducked, just as I clicked!

 Oops. I cut her eyes out of this one.

And now her eyes are closed. (Taking a page out of my book - that's usually what I do in family photos!!)

 Okay, sweet girl, you win! It can be all about you! (And I'll never tell her that Diablo photobombed her...)

Featuring Abby!

Jennifer Buxton writes a very popular blog about her life as a miniature tack maker/real horsewoman which is read by people all over the world, myself included. Recently she took orders for miniature nameplate halters, and I ordered one with Abby's name on it.

Several days later, Jennifer posted a picture of the halters - they looked so wonderful, I could hardly wait to see mine in person!

Photo by Jennifer Buxton; used with permission.

Abby's is the one  on the bottom left.

Last week she did a blog article on Abby and the halter. She's given me permission to repost it here.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2015

Abby's halter

I make model horse tack, but occasionally I get an order that has more to do with real, live, breathing horses than their plastic counterparts. This was the case with Abby's halter.

 Abby is a chestnut Appaloosa mare owned by Lynn Isenbarger.

She was a rescue, one of a group of  nineteen neglected and abused horses that were taken in by Indiana Horse Rescue in 2011. When Lynn adopted her, she had a badly slippered front hoof and limped for more than a year.

Lynn writes: My son called as I was hauling Abby home in April, 2012 His wife was in labor and later that morning gave birth to our granddaughter, Corinne. Corinne loves the fact that she was born on Abby's "birthday" and calls Abby her "tins hoss" (twin horse.) Makes me smile. 

Granted, I am hugely biased in favor of chestnut varnish Appaloosa mares and all animals name Abby/Abbie, but that makes me smile, too. I am happy every time Lynn posts a picture of Abby on her blog or Facebook page. She is one of my favorite "cyber horses."

Thank you for your order, Lynn. I hope you and your beautiful girl enjoy the halter!

Thanks, Jennifer, not only for the halter but for featuring my sweet girl in your blog!

Meeting Snickerdoodle at Last!

Tim has weaned Snickerdoodle and brought him back home from Williamsport where he lived the first few months of his life. As he adjusts to being on his own, he's in the small paddock behind the new barn with his full sister, Sultanna. Yesterday I stopped by after school to say "hello" and snap a few pictures.

 Using his big sister for protection, Snickerdoodle approached me shyly.

 He's lighter than Sultanna, but will probably darken up as he matures.

I hope he has the same sweet temperament that she does - I had a hard time getting pictures of him because she was following me around like  a puppy, hoping for some attention.

She's only a yearling herself, but she's easy to handle and loves to have her ears rubbed.

And where was Abby in all this? She'd come up out of the west pasture when she'd heard me call and was happily enjoying one of her favorite fall pleasures while I spent time with the babies.

Apple spaghetti!