Friday, July 22, 2011

The Fan Man

It hardly seems possible but yesterday the temperature broke a heat record. It seems it soared to over one hundred degrees, virtually eliminating the possiblilty that it may snow in the next day or so. This is fine with me. I don't care for the accompanying insects, which make a meal of my legs, but what can you do.

The Haflingers are so damp with perspiration they look black much of the time. To that end the woman has installed fans in front of their rooms. Molly is an old hand at the fan routine and stands, lower lip drooping, forelock blowing in the breeze. She is still wearing an ice boot in the evenings and she quite enjoys it.

And then there is Chester. He likes the whole fan idea but regards it as an interactive toy. He moved his pile of hay in front of it so he could enjoy the breeze and then had the brilliant idea of inserting some long strands of hay directly into the machine. The results pleased him immensely. The fan said "braaaap", particles of hay flew everywhere and the woman leapt into action. She moved the fan further back and gave him a lecture on the dangers of electrical devices. She had no sooner turned around than he was bouncing his Jolly Ball, which was tied to the front of his room with a rope, off the front of the fan. The woman removed the ball. Chester had to content himself with allowing the breeze to blow under his upper lip, which he extends upwards, letting his eyes roll back in his head. He has likewise discovered the great joy of turning his posterior to the fan, elevating his tail, and letting the breeze waft over his unmentionables. That boy is a heathen at heart.

Owing to the firey furnace in which we find ourselves, we have been moved to an altered schedule. The last two evenings, we have been brought in, the horses bathed, iced, fanned etc. and then put back out when it is dark. I was so shocked that initially I refused to countenance the change and had to be wheeled outdoors like a trolley. Chester was so excited that he ran around in the dark yelling and Molly just grunted and went off to graze.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Hot, Humid, Heavenly

Yes. That describes the weather right now but frankly, I seem to be the only one appreciating it. I have shed half my winter coat, will shed the rest by month's end and will immediately begin growing next year's covering. All around me are wilting but I can be found in the sand ring, soaking up the blistering goodness.

Violet caught a striped tree rodent and set it free in the house. As a result my sunbathing has been disturbed by muffled shrieks and dull thumps for the last three days. Violet says they just don't appreciate the generosity of the gift and refuses to do anything about it. Penny has offered to rout it but the humans say the structural damage would probably be unfixable.

Molly is suffering from washerwoman's ankle and is having the next while off while she takes meds and has her leg soaked. My word she's a tough nut - she had twelve needles in her ankle region and didn't even flinch. Then she had to stand on wooden blocks while they photographed the area. She is taking beef-flavoured meds (apparently the canine version is the same as the equine but one tenth the cost). The medical woman was astonished that Molly inhaled the tablet with great gusto, smacked her lips and grunted out a request for more.

Chester is horribly smug as his lessons are progressing steadily and he receives lavish praise . He is very jealous of the ice boot and stole it off the front of Molly's room when the Woman draped it there. It was retrieved intact, but somewhat frayed. He also wants his ankle photographed but so far has been denied.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Jack Rules The Roost

I am pleased to report that Herself finally got over to visit Jack and Company but not pleased that her hostess gift was a bag of vermifuge. Honestly, how embarrassing. Most people would think of a bag of apples or carrots as being a fitting gift but no, my representative takes parasite poison. All I can say is good luck trying to get any of it into Jack.

Jack of course remembered the humans from here and greeted them politely. Then he remembered his busy schedule and tossed the Woman aside so he could get on with things. They met his two lady friends, Molly and Maggie Donkey and they renewed acquaintance with Simon and O'Sullivan and many of the other permanent residents. Poor O'Sullivan isn't doing well and was resting with his head on a pillow provided by Sheila. Russell is feeling his forty six years and for the first time in his life is walking like an old man.

TJ (Virgil) and his mule friend Finnegan fill the role of resident hooligans very well and range far and wide, pestering, thieving and generally causing chaos. The Woman still avers that TJ is the cutest thing on four legs but if she could look inside she would see the black soul of a tiny pirate/brigand.

All is well here. Chester is progressing with his lessons but continues to exhibit a streak of youthful exuberance that is sometimes alarming. This morning he grabbed the hose out of our water trough as it was filling and nearly drowned himself before realizing he needed to drop the thing for the drowning to cease. He ran off to the corner, snorting, dripping and looking puzzled and hurt. Then he approached the trough from another direction and tried to drink with his lips extended as far as possible. Herself says he may need something called a straw with a bend in it. Pshaw. What nonsense. Let the boy sink or swim, I say.

My harness fitter is making extensions for the waist portion of my new outfit. Once those arrive I will be able to progress in a stately fashion through the newly-cut hay fields. I need to be ready in case royalty drops in - some of the younger ones are in the area visiting and after Dennis's brush with them, who knows what could happen.