November 2, 2023
First snow!! And that means it is cold enough to kill most of the Bot flies. For me, it is now time for the fall Deworming. Bots begone! And those other critters too. Not the biggest problem in the world but the one field we did not clip has many Burdock plants in it. Prince and Cameo seem to roll amongst them. Many, many Burrs in their manes and tails, their forelocks look like Unicorn horns. It took us a while to remove them. I just pull the hair away from the burr. I put the burrs in the trash, this will get them burned. If I put them in the manure pile, I will just be replanting them. This is a wonderful useful herbal plant. The roots are the greatest blood cleanser, the crushed leaves, applied externally are a remedy for ringworm and scabies. The roots make an excellent lotion for treatment of burns, scalds and skin irritations. It is sad that I did not have any around when I scalded my foot. I usually have a bottle of Burdock tea In the fridge most the time. Not this time!! The roots are tough to dig. I usually dig them in the spring when the frost has loosened the ground. I did not have knee surgery on the 16 as planned. I had a little hitch in the git-a-long. I was making a pot of tea. As I was pouring the boiling water into the teapot, the appointed knee collapsed. I fell, dropping the boiling water on my foot. Ouch and big blisters on the bunion. I was so mad at myself, I have been waiting quite a few years to have the collapsing knee replaced and I messed up. Dr. Champion declared a 2nd degree of burn (pretty well disinfected, I thought). It was not going to heal in 5 days. I called to give them the news, they cancelled the surgery and bless their hearts, rescheduled for Halloween. This is probably the best time of the year to be laid up. The days are getting shorter and colder. Only the hardy ones will be out riding. Although Helena, our Swede, has always claimed there is never bad weather just poor clothing. I don’t think she was including blizzards, do you? Canada’s athletes are doing very well at the Pan American Games. Of course my eye has been on the Horse competitions. Canada won Gold in the Eventing. Bronze in the Dressage Competition. Next is the Jumping, I think we have a very strong team. It is amazing that the animals can acclimatize themselves so quickly after long air flights, new stabling, different climate, and a different time zone too. I wonder if there is as much research into jet lag for animals as there is for people? There is so much training, conditioning and planning for competition. I know horses have an off day too. Much to be considered when training for high performance for both the horse and the rider. We did water testing last week and received good news and bad news. No e-coli, but the coliform (bacteria) count was high. So we are on a boil water regime. Not sure if this is bad news for the horses, the three at the barn, are drinking it and show no apparent ill effects. I am drinking the recommended 8 glasses a day and seem to be fine. Strong constitution I guess. I cannot boil the water for the horses, so they will take their chances. I have tested regularly because we have lots of folks around. It is the best tasting water. All these years, this is the first negative test we have had. We will retest and if there is no improvement we treat the well if we have to. The lab thought that it could be from all the rain we have had the week before. Time will tell. I keep thinking I am prepared for emergencies. Tammy was the last storm that was gathering force in the Atlantic, I haven’t been keeping track. Tuesday I received a 72 hour emergency kit, these are being distributed by The United Way. It is amazing that there is enough supplies for two people in the kit box that is 20 inches long by 10 inches square. In another box a butane stove and fuel was also provided. Try and get one for your home, it was free for me. If that is not available for you, Youtube has a great tutorial for an emergency kit that fills a 5 gallon bucket, although that may cost a bit. It is so important to be prepared. I would like to give a great shout of thanks to ATV and Dirtbike riders on the Adam and McCourt Roads. They are very respectful of the horse and riders, they reduce speed, some turn motors off. We are so so grateful for their kindness. In difficult times, be kind, love and hugs from Yogi and the herd.