Games, Pool, and Kiwi

We kicked off this weekend with a few finishing touches on the mini's pen.  Friday night we set another post and put up some boards along with permanently attaching the slow feeders.  Next up: running a water line and adding a gutter to their shed.

 

 

On Saturday we had another game night and gave cart rides to the kids (and big kids too!).

 

And the twins went for a little ride.

 

It was such a beautiful day that we even got in a game of croquet before heading inside.

 

We also used the available manpower to help us move our pool table into the house.

 

It fits!

 

 

And with a cover, it makes an excellent dinner table!  We will be buying some new chairs though.

 

 

Today we worked in the garden and built a trellis for kiwi plants.

 

The final product, now we just need some kiwis!  (and even though there is no photographic proof, I did help build the trellis!) 

Dancing and More

This weekend we went to a Valentine's Day ballroom dance.

 

We also did some work at the house.  Saturday we worked on the landscaping around the front of the house.  Matthew installed a piece of edging to connect the side and front flower beds. The beds just need a little more mulch now.

 

And I picked up rocks, lots and lots of rocks!  There are still a few left though...

 

On Sunday we had a visit from some friends and then I went for a ride.  Afterwards we worked a little bit on the miniature horse pen.  We installed a gate and one section of permanent fencing under their shed.  We can't do the rest of the fencing until the stumps are cleared from the back two acres but it will be nice to have a real gate into their pen!
























































And finally, a couple more silly photos of Mow playing with a stick.

 

The Rest of the Weekend

Over the past couple of weeks Matthew and I have been building shelves with lights for starting my garden plants.  (They aren't that complicated, but we haven't had much time to work on them!)  Here is Matthew putting together the frame.

I finally cut the chains this weekend in order to hang the lights at just the right height.  Now my seedlings should flourish!  We put the shelves in the foyer for now.  After I am done using them this spring I will do some finishing touches like painting the frame black.

 

On Sunday we had beautiful weather (of course!) so while I cleaned all of my tack and gear from the endurance ride Matthew cut up a few more logs from our back two acres.  I think we'll have enough firewood for a while!

 

Matthew's birthday gift of chainsaw chaps came in handy for this job.

 

And finally, an update on bunny production.  We have had a population explosion recently (as a result of our new buck) and currently have 22 rabbits on the farm.  These ten babies are about seven weeks old.

 

These seven babies are four and a half weeks old.

Mow's First Endurance Ride

This weekend I took Mow to a nearby park and we competed in our first endurance ride!  My goal for the year is to compete in at least two different rides so I am already halfway there.  We arrived Friday afternoon, checked in, and set up camp for the night.  Mow was checked by the vet and then I took him on a short ride to help him settle in to the new location as this was his first time camping without Rabi.

 

Mow's accommodations.

 

At about 5:00 in the morning on Saturday it started raining.  It ended up raining most of the day and the temperatures only reached the mid fifties, so much for a forecast of sunny and 60s!  My event, a 25 mile limited distance (LD) ride, started at 10:00 am.  I waited for the rest of the competitors to head out before Mow and I started so that we avoided most of the excitement of a shot gun start.  A few other riders had the same idea and invited me to join their group.  I rode the first 15 mile loop with four other riders and we all got soaked and muddy together!  My camera was foggy for most of the day so the photos didn't turn out too well, but you get the idea.

 

The trails were pretty sloppy but not too slippery so we were able to move out quite a bit.

 

After the 15 mile loop we came back to camp for a 50 minute hold and another vet check.  Mow enjoyed taking a break for some hay and I enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa.  It was still cold out so we had to blanket the horses to keep them warm while we were standing still.

 

The second loop was about 10 miles long and I rode it with one of the riders from the first loop.  Her horse, however, started limping about halfway through so Mow and I ended up finishing the last five miles by ourselves.  Here we are after our final vet check (which Mow passed quite well).  We sure are a soggy pair!

 

Here's what my boots looked like when we were done, I had to hose them off!  I also had about an inch of mud in my stirrups that Mow kicked up on me during the ride.  Despite the conditions I had a great time and am really proud of Mow.  This was a big test for him and he stood up to the challenge.  We placed 19th out of 24 and finished the ride in about 4:45.  I can't wait until it warms up a bit for our next race!