The things you do before 8 am... This little buckling took a trip to the vet this morning and will come back as a wether (castrated). Looks like we will keep him.

200 bales of hay in the storage areas, 7 chickens and 8 quarts of tomatoes in the freezer.

And the countdown to 'Moving Day' begins. Things will move fast now!

Tangle Ridge Farm welcomes two new members.  Introducing:  Shiloh and Freckles

These beautiful young horses belonged to my Uncle Jim.  Uncle Jim, my Dad's youngest brother, loved horses, hunting, and most of all his family.  He touched many lives in a positive way, and will be sadly missed by us all.  He was the type of man who made people feel good about themselves, and brought out the best in others.  He loved to laugh and tease.  Growing up, he was the most handsome man I knew (besides my Dad).   I used to tell him I wanted to marry him when I grew up.  I hope he is looking down at us today, smiling, and knowing his horses have a new home where they will be cared for and loved.

For us this was a big step, one we could not take lightly.  Caring for horses is a big responsibility, especially for novices.  I was at first a bit apprehensive about it, simply because we are still lacking much needed infrastructure such as permanent fences and horse friendly barns.  We already have our hands full with sheep, goats, chickens and dogs... Everyone else in the family was excited, and deep down, so am I. 

I had experience owning a horse a long, long time ago when I was young - from about 12 to 16.  In the end, allergies and other growing up priorities got the best of me.   I remember wanting a horse so bad I could taste it.  Mom and Dad finally gave in, and Dad took me horse hunting until we found the perfect boy.  His name was Bobbie's Echo, a well trained barrel racing Appaloosa who had been injured in a battle with a barbed wire fence and could never race again.  I had no formal training, but in my years of preparation, I read every book I could get my hands on about horse care, breeds, riding and training.  In elementary school I eagerly anticipated the bi-weekly arrival of the book mobile (our version of a library), grabbing all the horse books I could find, reading cover to cover.  I read Black Beauty at least 20 times and cried every time.  After all the horse books were read at least twice, I moved on to the dog books.  I guess its no surprise that years later I have my own version of Noah's ark, LOL

We travel this trail several times a day every day, usually by gator but occasionally on foot.  I can't help but wonder if it is coincidence or destiny that today, the day two very special horses arrive, we find this rusty horse shoe lying in the middle of the road.  I hope it means good luck and this is where the horses are supposed to be.

The lambs are now at least 12 weeks old and ready to be weaned. We brought them in, checked and treated for worms, and separated them. The lambs are in a paddock with Candy as their guardian. So far this evening they have been crying for their mamas non stop.

Candy seems quite happy with her new job, lying quietly and watching her herd. She even licked one of the small ones to comfort him.

Primrose has been in a smal lot with the goats. It seemed that she needed more room and fresh grass to eat, so she took a walk up the hill. She will help Candy and Bailey watch over the sheep for a while.

Progress on the house is at a temporary pause.  My Amish builders went as far as they could with the framing, and left for a while so we could back fill and bring in some of the other utility contractors.  The giant mound of dirt along with some gravel was used to fill the hole around the basement.  The rest of the dirt was smoothed out in the front yard and used to widen the new driveway.  Some other work was done inside, and now we are waiting for them to come back after the July 4th holiday.  I anticipate that things will move pretty fast again when they return. 

Meanwhile, Connor and I took some time to weed our much neglected garden.  I am ashamed to admit that one section was so weedy, I had to get out the lawnmower to trim it down. The varmints ate all of the green beans and cucumber plants because we did not put up the fence around it like we had intended.  It looks like they have left us plenty of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash, and onions.    The garden definitely did not get enough attention this year.  I don't like to say 'there's not enough time' because I believe that except certain circumstances such as illness and crisis, one can manage their time to do what needs done.  Sometimes, however 'what needs done' has to be prioritized, and it seems that the garden wasn't high on the priority list this year.  Still, it isn't too late, so we are doing what we can to salvage it. 

Tangle Ridge Farm would like to welcome Candy to our family. 

Sunday, she came to live with us from a friend who is downsizing her living arrangements.  Candy is an experienced GP Livestock Guardian dog of about 7-8 years, who has worked with sheep, goats and horses.  Her owner is moving from her farm to a smaller place, so Candy needed a new home.  With the loss of our beloved Scout, we were in need of a working dog, and one with experience was a plus.  I think she will be a good influence on Bailey, who is still learning. 



We will give Candy some time to become familiar with the sights and smells of TRF before putting her in with the other animals.  This will give her a chance to get to know them comfortably through the fence.