Yesterday was Mani-Pedi day for Claire and Honey. A day of pampering. That meant that I first had to coral them. When I went to close the back gate off their coral, in order to lock them in a confined area to catch them in, it was frozen open into the permafrost. So that meant I had to get the hammer from the barn and chip away for half an hour until I could free it and then swing it closed and capture them. Luckily I had tossed a 5 pound bag of carrots over the fence leading to the back yard, which distracted them long enough for me to get that back gate closed. Of course my shoulders felt like I had been hammering concrete. Still do.
Then I had to catch them. Now Claire was happily munching her carrots when I went to pull the halters off the fence where they had hung for 8 weeks since their last M-P. Lucky me, the ends of both were frozen into the permafrost. More chopping. And then when I finally got them free, those rope ends, which loop over the mules necks, were too frozen to tie, so I just wedged them into place and bent them like thick pipe cleaners.
Claire was her usual compliant self, so I had her tied off pretty quickly.
Honey, on the other hand, reminded me of what it was like to chase women when I was single. Exhausting.
But the gods were kind – a lot kinder than when I chased women – and I finally caught her.
So I tied them both off and killed some time waiting for the Farrier by tossing some bales and filling some hay bags. Claire and Honey just stayed put while Blue worked on their knees.
Notice that bent ear tip.
Honey loves to ignore me.
So the Farrier arrived and for the very first time decided to enter through the side gate, a move which required that I untie Honey from that gate. Of course she made a run for it. Luckily, my Farrier felt bad for me and caught her himself.
In the end, their hooves looked marvelous.
But the whole pampering process was exhausting for the poor divas, so afterwards they went up to the front of the house and napped, while I went and cleaned troughs and hauled water. My sciatica is having a fine time with my lower back.
As always, King Gnome kept watch while the mules slept. That gnome in the background is Geoffrey. He’s from my sister’s Primrose Hill home in London (Yep, like in the books). Notice that Buddha Gnome is sleeping. Nice Zen if you can get it.
While they napped, I chopped the fruits and veggies for the week.
I have to say, that by the time I went to retrieve Lisa from work, I was exhausted.
But today is a shovel shit day. No rest for the wicked.
But before I get to wedge those mule muffins from the permafrost, I have a kitty to cuddle and rounds to make.
And then the dreaded treadmill.
You fine, five readers put your feet up. And if you want to make me feel better, read my books.
But most of all, make today a great one.
3 Responses
Sounds lie one hell of a day. Now you know to put the halters in the heated shed or garage. Don’t leave them out. I didn’t get my package yesterday so probably Monday. I will send pics then. While you shovel shit I will be watching football. Yesterdays games were pretty good. I feel an upset coming on with one game today. Tootaloo.
Adrienne. That would be the smart thing. If I were a woman, that is exactly what I would do, but being a man, I of course hung them right back where they were.
I second Adrienne’s comment. Poor planning Tom. Lol.
As for the farrier, god bless them and the work they do. My nephew is one. He makes a great honest living.