"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Bringing Her Horse Home



If our life isn't interesting enough, it just got even more.  We don't make this stuff up....


Meet Bombshell Blondie.  She's my daughter's horse.  We suddenly needed a place for her.

The people that were leasing her just up and disappeared, and stopped paying her boarding.  My daughter has been unable to reach these people also.  We are told that both the woman and her husband had lost their jobs.  However, I am upset that they handled it this way, by simply leaving and cutting off all communication.  Once I was told, hubby and I scrambled to figure out how to get her here.  It was our only solution, as we could not pay her boarding as well.
  

With a make-shift stall in one of the barns (a barn that is in the best condition), and a temporary fencing area, a free trailer trip to bring her, a free bag of horse feed, we succeeded.

Unfortunately, she is up for sale.  My daughter had not been able to find a job and is attending college.   I hate to see her have to sell her, but that is her choice.  The horse came to us very underweight, and is very happy to have grass.  By nightfall, she appeared to be much happier.  If she doesn't sell, and we are able to keep her, Blondie will get a new lean-to and a larger pasture.

Just say a prayer that she loves her stall and fencing area enough, to not try and leave it.  I don't want to be chasing a Thoroughbred around.  And I don't need her crossing the 2-lane highway we live on either.  


My daughter, and a good friend of hers, put together a very quick blanket - one fleece blanket underneath, and leftover fleece from one of my sewing projects on top, and twine.  It worked out perfect until we can get her a good blanket.    Thankfully, we are not having snow and rain.  Yesterday it was very cold - wind chill at 11°F. 

As a child living in the city, my parents owned two horses.  Since then, I've been on one or two, but I do not have the good knowledge of caring for a horse.  Thankfully, my daughter does.  I already learned a lot in one day.
 

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Surprise Delivery ~ Busy Saturday


In my hustle and bustle of daily duties, including the terrible habit I have of worrying, a delivery arrived to my door.
A very special delivery.

A beautiful bouquet of  flowers, that were arranged in a beautiful vase.  

Smelling and seeing them is just the prescription I needed for stress. 

They came from my sister-in-law, who sent me a very inspiring note, regarding her enjoyment of reading my blog.

Saturday was a busy day around here too.  

The girls started their day by working on the horse fencing and building a make-shift stall with what ever they could reuse.  I had to make a trip to town for horse feed, wood pellets and pick up something at my brother's.  Then it was back home to unload the second truck load of wood.  I still haven't been feeling good, but the elderberry is definitely helping.

While unloading the second load of wood, I ran inside to fetch my camera.  We've been having some beautiful sunsets here recently.  

It was then, that I saw all my laundry on the line, and had to run out and get it all down in the dark.  It was nice to come inside and find the turkey in the roaster ready to eat.   Boy were we all hungry. 

The horse fencing and stable were completed and her horse is to arrive Sunday.