Miniature Horse Update

It would be difficult to come up with a narrative for this post, so I'll just call it "Random Snapshots." The first is of Remy and Blue tasting their mineral salt block. As you can tell by Blue's facial expression, he wasn't so sure he liked it:

 Blue, looking rather elegant beneath the Box Elder tree:

 Back at the salt block, but this time Blue decided not to have any:

 A lazy September day in the south field, beneath skies of blue with white, puffy clouds. The winter's hay supply rested nearby:

 Blue was always shy and not one to rush up to be petted. Lately, however, he's been warming up and moving slowly in my direction because he truly does enjoy affection:

 Both horses tend to spend too much time in the barn. If the weather and/or fly population are bad, I allow it. But if it's cool, sunny and free of flies, I push them outdoors to do their pooping:

 Blue is an adventurous grazer, willing to flirt with the electric fence and brown stalks, hoping to find some new taste treat:

 I was cleaning the barn when I snapped this photo. Remy always thinks I am there to play with him and gets in the way constantly:

 And when I'm not feeling playful, they have a fun time chasing each other:

 Blue was peeking out the barn door. The chain is to keep the cows from pushing it open and covering the interior with manure. The chewed wood is courtesy of Blue and Remy. I have been painting all such spots with Ivory Dish Detergent mixed with red pepper and Angostura Bitters. They don't like the taste, so it helps dissuade them:

 Remy was scanning the field, perhaps looking for the cows, or perhaps hoping to see an Amish horse trotting by:

 Their favorite cow is Rosella. They've been a threesome from the beginning:

September On The Farm

It has been a busy month for the fantail pigeons. The birds who haven't been able to hatch eggs or raise babies for a long time suddenly began doing both. I'd like to credit my new cake pan nests, but I suspect there were other factors as well. Anyway, here are two babies at one day old. Mama needed to be nudged aside:

 Day two:

 Day four:

 Day seven, when the parent was actively feeding the two babies:

 I discovered another nest with a baby in an advanced stage which I hadn't previously noticed. There were several other nests in progress as well. Sadly, not all the babies lived - but most of them did:

 My little bantam hens have had less excitement, though you'd think otherwise if you heard them all clucking and squawking at once. I used to think that meant someone had just laid an egg, but when I checked, there was no new egg. Heaven only knows what they squawk about:

 Their coop has a clean floor and they get their food and water topped off each evening. Their life may be unexciting, but it's safe and comfortable:

 Blue, Remy and Rosella lined up for a photograph when I walked out into the south field. With the bull gone, it is safe for me to walk out there whenever I feel so inclined:

 Lady-Thumb Smartweed is the plant which produces the pink and white flowers. I was perplexed at the tiny, daisy-like flowers but decided that they were Galinsoga parviflora, sometimes called Gallant Soldier. I furthermore decided that the flowers I previously identified as Galinsoga quadriratiata were too big and must remain unidentified, at least until next year:

 My Rose Mallows put on a big show this year, and the Tree Hydrangea did also. They made quite a handsome display:

 I tried hard to kill all the thistles in my pastures, but this one got missed. I decided that it was Bull Thistle even though it was smaller than usual:

 Autumn is harvest time, and when I stopped at these wild grapes I smiled, remembering how mouth puckeringly bitter they were in years past. But I tried them anyway and discovered that these were not bad at all, perhaps because they were riper than what I'd previously tasted: