September 17, 2025
Today’s fortune cookie advice was “Pour your mind into planning”. There is always a list for today, tomorrow, the week, the month and the future. I do not dwell on the list for the future, it requires a very big lottery win, I will just have to buy a ticket. That chore is on the weekly list. Then there is the list for stuff that has to get done, the to do list that would be nice if it got done. Perhaps I would get more done if I quit making lists. What a thought, it is so satisfying to draw lines over the done chores. So lists it will be. For today I will satisfy a few things. I will oil tack, mostly bridles, but it is sad, every horse has their own bridle. These bridles belonged to some of the rainbow horses. Bunny, Jamaica, Fancy, Art, Molly, Sunday, Breezy. They have been around for a while, I am cleaning and oiling to prepare them for a needy home. Leather tack will last for years if it receives good care. I am still using a bridle and a Barnsby saddle that I bought in England in 1956. They were not new when purchased. The herd is only 9 strong, so there is a lot of tack left, I am not good at marketing, and most online venues require pictures, so it sits.
My lists are also divided into those that cost money and those that don’t. Organizing the workshop will just cost me time and effort. Time I have, effort seems to get lost. Cutting trails in the back 30 acres will cost megabucks, that envelope is not full yet. The list for the month includes walking and tightening the fence at the winter paddock. No $$’s. See how easy it is to manage lists!! I have spent some time wishing I could travel, I do have an itinerary, a wish list, it hasn’t happened. This summer has been a joy, so many people are dropping in from all over the world. My favourite visitor was from Canada and the west coast. My daughter and grandson. Lottie had not been home for a long time and Matteo was 3 months old at his last visit. Her visit brought lots of friends and neighbours to the Sanctuary, we had our own Old Home Week. Then my Danish friend’s daughter arrived. One day Helle and I toured West Prince following the coastal roads. I have been on the island for a lot of years and never had the chance to enjoy that drive. Highway 2 seemed to be the fastest and most boring way to get to the Visitor’s centre at the northern tip of the Island. We came back on route 14 and got lost. Her visit forced (not at all difficult) me to introduce her to Hackett’s Island Blueberries, Raspberry Point Oysters, PEI Aquafarm Mussels and Lobster from Doiron’s in North Rustico. She is a foodie and all this fresh food received raves. Producers may just have a new market in Denmark to pursue.
Herd health is always on the agenda. That list includes gathering herbs and drying them for the winter. I love to see so many herbs for healing arriving on my computer these days. During the 40’s and 50’s the garden and the woods were our mountain pharmacy. When I came to the island 50 years ago, my herbal teas and remedies for the simplest of things, were not embraced. A family had a bad stomach upset and the squirts. I suggested raspberry and strawberry leaf tea. There was a bit of scoffing. The equivalent at that time was Extract of Wild Strawberry at a cost. Ivan Kennedy carried it at his store. Grandpa’s mantra was to heal the outside, you feed the inside. This was applied to the animals as well as human’s. Any scrapes, rashes or lesions were immediately treated with a salve of Calendula, Plantain, or Yarrow. And then a meal of fresh greens. Now we know that the greens containing the calming B vitamins are essential for tissue repair and building. Unless you grow the greens, it could be quite expensive for everyday eating. Probably more economical to purchase the B complex capsules. In the winter for the horses, I depend upon good hay, seaweed and a mineral supplement to keep the herd calm and shiny.
On another note, I am most grateful for the donations received from visitors to the Sanctuary, it seems it is a necessity, my accountant has informed me that the farm is operating at a loss, “again” she said. CRA does not like this. There is always a good side, I am told, the herd is healthy, I have not lost a pound, blast that one. And folks enjoy the calming side of the herd and the Sanctuary. So I will keep calm and carry on.
Love and hugs from Yogi and the herd at Handibear Hills