Summer Morning Delights

The Sorraia stallion, Altamiro, showing his highly collected canter amidst a profusion of Ox-Eye Daisies

Yesterday morning found the pups and me hiking out to the northwest sector of the property to connect with the primitive herd. After a string of days that were cool and rainy, the already surrealistic explosion of Clovers and Ox-Eye Daisies expressed even greater profusion of fragrant flowerings. I cannot resist, therefore, including more photos documenting this audacious demonstration of Nature's extravagance.


Altamiro and his family were situated in the Scanty Field (or the "Field of Plenty as we call it this year). Some members were grazing the finer grasses that grow among the Ox-Eye Daisies, while the rest of the primitives were in the shade of the Cedar trees dozing or rubbing on tree trunks to itch away the irritation from the mosquito bites they received shortly after dawn, (one of the peak feeding times for the female mosquito).

Dee, Doll and Jerry (the "floater" draft mules) were grazing in the general vicinity, and Jerry decided that he would come over to where I was grooming and itching Ciente. Animado, assisted by his father, Altamiro emerged from the shade to engage Jerry in a bit of rough and tumble boy games.

The Sorraia partbred, Animado (Altamiro x Bella), what a handsome yearling!

After about eight minutes of these boy games, Altamiro and Animado went into the Cedar trees to take a break, Jerry went back grazing and I was free to do a bit more grooming on some of the other grullas. While I was working on Interessado, Fada and Encantara came out of the woods and engaged in a bit of mutual grooming themselves.

I have mentioned before what a high degree of self-assurance Encantara has among her other family members and her environment. This confidence has not yet carried over to us humans. During the first weeks of her life outside Belina's womb, Encantara only once ventured to touch me and she recoiled herself away from as soon as her muzzle touched the folds of my skirt. If I should even look at her with the thought of walking toward her in hopes of making a connection, this sensitive filly deftly winds her way through the other horses obscuring herself from my view. If I have no mental intentions of hoping to reach out and touch her, she will let me observe her without issue--but just the thought of wanting to touch her sends her away!

One time, I thought I had made a definite breakthrough because while I was grooming her mother, Encantara came over to us and her mother began grooming her rump and I was able to keep one hand brushing Belina and use my other hand to scratch the middle of Encantara's back. Her body responded to my hand with the same feeling of pleasure as that of her mother's nibbling teeth. Eventually, Encantara lowered her head and began to nurse, and I was able to position myself a little closer to her and itch her withers and shoulders--but when she pulled her head up from nursing and saw that it was a human who was itching her and not her mother, she immediately dashed off!

Yesterday, Fada came over for some itches after awhile and Encantara came with her and almost reached up to touch me. I decided to take a different course of action this time, and rather than be still, hoping she actually would touch me again, or rather than extend my hand out for her to sniff, I backed away and left her. What a puzzled look she had then, and I noticed that while I was working my way over to groom Zorita, Encantara kept her gaze fixed on me, deep in thought. I'm guessing the next time I'm around, she's likely to walk right up and touch me and maybe not recoil when she does. I certainly will not corner her and coerce her into accepting my touch! She has noted how everyone else seeks out a connection with me...I'm hopeful she will one day too.

Just as I was receiving the sensation from the patiently waiting troupe of dogs that they would like to continue our hike, Jerry came back over and restarted the boy games with Animado.
After this last "attack" by Jerry, Animado called it quits and left the playground to return to the shady grove of Cedars and Jerry walked back to where Dee and Doll were grazing. The pups and I resumed our walk, and the last photo I took on this particular hike was of a section of old cut Cedar tree that the woodpeckers had turned into a garish grin. I always refer to this tree as the "Ghost Tree". The moonlight has been spectacular the past two evenings...I'll bet this tree looks especially frightful in the moonlight!

The Uncomely In-between

Happy Vernal Equinox!



In some regions of the western hemisphere, the beautiful blush of spring is well underway. Here at Ravenseyrie we are yet in-between winter and spring,---which is, frankly, a rather uncomely time. The slow retreat of the snow reveals a landscape covered in semi-frozen manure, dissipated dead plant matter and the un-cached bones once carefully hidden away by the dogs. I've many times referred to our yard looking much more like an abandoned Viking encampment than the habitat of a tree-hugging vegan couple.

We've been graced with a lot of sunshine and sometimes even with temperatures above freezing. The open grasslands are now well exposed (or under water and ice), but at the edges and within the forest proper remains a depth of snow that yet measures above boot tops.

The horses and mules were actually friskier during the deep freeze of winter! Now their footing is too precarious for much reckless cavorting about, and anyhow, it feels so good to spend the day dozing and soaking up the sun or simply shuffling about in a mini-torpor, leaving behind piles of hay to pick at microscopic emerging grass shoots, heaving long equine sighs and dreaming of the full arrival of spring.

There has been no shedding of hair yet, which is good, because this morning the thermometer read just 10°F for the first calendar day of spring. Everything was frozen solid and frosty at dawn. But now, we are above freezing with the steady pulsing of the March sun working magic over the landscape once again.

I have a few videos embedded with today's journal entry; one taken this morning, the other two taken several days ago. Let's look at today's footage first (after an introduction to what we'll be viewing):

I had noticed while out walking that occasionally one or two of the horses would leave their breakfast hay and wander over to the edge of the seasonal run off, where just the day before a good fresh drink could be had. It seemed to me that even though the ice I was walking on was frozen solid, and the spot where the horses were traveling to was equally firm, yet they each appeared to be taming their thirsts just the same.

Altamiro is leaving the ice hole, while Bella is now taking her drink. Below, a close up of her drinking from the ice hole. I made a wide half circle so that on the return of my walk I could investigate this spot the horses appeared to be drinking from. I found several areas where the foot prints from the horses passage during the melt had left big holes in the ice that were now frozen over, but not so thickly that I couldn't vigorously poke through to the water below with my walking stick. I scanned the snow-packed-ice until I saw slight hoof print impressions near the hole that Bella and Altamiro had been drinking from earlier. It was my good fortune that as I was appreciating the marvel of this drinking hole, Animado came along to have a drink too. I snapped a few photos and then recorded some video footage of him drinking:

This makes me so happy to see the horses getting fresh water like this, and the small opening reminds me of the little stainless steel troughs of the automatic waterers installed in some barns with water always at the ready.

When the temperature is above freezing, during this uncomely in-between time at Ravenseyrie, the horses can pretty much get water any where they want. Zeus has just slacked his thirst in this photo and seems to be contemplating the change of seasons while he stands on a bit of high ground:

Part of the landscape looked incredibly odd a few days ago as the water below the ice would seem to swell up and freeze glacier like:
While it was still quite frozen, Maeb seemed to take even more pleasure than normal in playing with her red ball (which is actually a horse ball, but Maeb made herself owner of it, exclusively. I have one photo and then some video footage. I would be surprised that you don't find yourself grinning and laughing after viewing these images!

The snow-pack from the yard and by the fence where the horses eat their morning oats has begun to thaw, and Kevin has painstakingly chipped out little canals encouraging the water to flow away from the sheds. This particular canal, however, is one that nature formed on her own and it was flowing like a river the other day.

For the past two years we've had a pair of Canada Geese that spend the spring with us. They have returned again this year (one week earlier than last year), and I can get some nicer photos now that I have a better camera.
A lone Redwing Blackbird made an appearance on the same day the Canada Geese returned. I heard his distinct voice, saw him in the apple tree and took a photo. I love this camera!:

Our domestic geese haven't been able yet to make their way down to the seasonal lake in the grassland area, so they make the best of things in the puddles in our yard. They are very much aware that the "fair-weather" Canada Geese have returned and they seem to project an air of haughtiness and ownership of the area--after all they have stuck it out here for the entire winter, unlike the wimpy wild geese who left for warmer locales when things got tough.
Uncomely as parts of the landscape are in this "in-between" time, there are yet some truly beautiful scenes, and so much promise of renewal, one has to embrace the uglier elements, for they serve as a bridge between winter and spring, and I for one, am ready to walk across it!