I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

Friday night I attended an amazing performance of Fiddler on the Roof, by Troika Productions out of Washington, DC. I was invited as the guest of an area hotel that I have done business with in the past. The hotel hosted a decadent "Fiddler" themed reception before the event, complete with smoked salmon, caviar, a vodka-bottle-shaped ice sculpture holding shots of exotic-flavored vodka, and a violinist (fiddler?). After the show, we stayed overnight in our complimentary guest room, and enjoyed breakfast in the morning, also on the hotel. The kids enjoyed the restaurant and the swimming. : )

So, Saturday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn, sped the entire 1.5 hour drive, and arrived home to be lectured by our four-legged bosses for being negligent. We had served Friday's supper WAY too early, and Saturday's breakfast was coming a full four hours late. This was not acceptable.

I rushed from the car, ran in the back porch, put on my boots and barn coat, and proceeded to spend the remainder of the morning shoveling shit. Right where I belong. : )

You know, it's good to be home.

My Hero

Well, I got "Tristan" last week, and he is slick. However, I needed a different girth becuase the one we use now was too short. So for the past few days I just stared at the saddle and polished it up with some mink oil. I ordered a new girth, trying to find the best compromise size that would fit both Kitten and Major.

Today I got the girth. I had a sinking feeling before I even put it on him that it would be too long (Kitten is much bigger around than Major). It just fit and I thought it was actually a bit too loose, but I decided to ride him anyway. I am dying to feel that saddle!!

I tried to mount in the pasture, but I can never get my leg over, mounting from the ground. He's a Morgan, and small, but I am too old, too fat and too short to mount without a leg up. So I led him back to the barn where I used a cinder block (B was not home from work yet for me to use his leg). All was good until the cinder block got squished down in the mud. I lost my footing, but grabbed onto Major for dear life, and the saddle slid sideways. I shoved it back on him and tried again. This time I was successful, and nearly had my leg over when the saddle really slid sideways again.

This entire time he stood as still as a statue. It was amazing. This is a stallion, the one who bites, who sasses me at every turn, who normally takes off while I am still mounting, who spooks at his own shadow. He must have known what was going on.

So there he stood, with the saddle on his side, with me exasperated, spitting mad, cussing through my teeth. He never once lost his cool, even when I took the saddle off the wrong side, etc. He was such a gentleman. I was so proud of him, I gushed. It overpowered my anger about the saddle.

I gave him a lot of candy. : )

Happy Day!

I checked the website and Val has been adopted!! I wonder if they know how close to death he came. That is the only thing that makes me a little sad-- that I can't tell them how close he was to death. But here, he had to live in a big kennel because he was too weak, and Nic kept trying to attack him. At his forever home, he can be free. He is so loving and sweet, that I am sure he will make someone a lovely friend. Lucky them.

Speaking of Nic, he is at the vet right now. He is no longer the fearsome tom that he fancies himself! He will come home tomorrow a little lighter, and hopefully with a little less cattitude.

: )

It's a good day.

Have you been watching the Strohbehn's horse cam? Red is due to foal any day! She's at day 343 today (horses have a 340 day gestation period) so it will truly be any day!

I posted that darn link as a half joke, and now I am addicted. I horse watched all day at work! I guess if I can't watch the horses here, I will have to watch someone else's...

What did you watch today?

Ag Cams

I was quite aghast at the fact that some of you (and you know who you are) just did not know about the Iowa Corn Cam. Therefore, I am making an earnest effort to educate you on the various agriculture cams throughout our great state. I hope you find them entertaining!

Soybean cam It's not up and working yet, as it's not springtime yet. Can you feel the excitement building as spring gets closer? I wonder if you will see the billions of Asian Lady Beetles as they make a beeline to our farm when the soybeans are harvested! Let's stay tuned all year to find out!

Quarter Horse Cam (Foaling, with a foal expected any day!)

KB Hilltop Stables Cam (this is a famous cam)

Tractor Cam Not really a cam, but let's cut them a little slack.

Corn Cam

Cow Cams (3 different options!)

Llama Cam and Pasture Cam

Butter Cow Webcam at the Iowa State Fair (a historical shot, maybe will be updated in August)

Swine Cam at the Iowa State Fair (a historical shot, maybe will be updated in August)

Bored

It's one of those boring days. Today I feel like watching corn grow.

Consumed

He consumes my thoughts. I can't concentrate at work, awaiting his arrival. I anticipate the day when he waits for me as I pull into the drive. I will smell his smell, soak it in. I will run my fingers over his smoothness. I will revel in the notion that he is finally mine. All the time I have spent wanting him, yearning for him, is no longer in vain.

His name is Tristan.
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Yes, Tristan. He was my Valentine's gift, from my Valentine. I can't wait to take him for a spin!!

Hired Help

Allow me to take a moment to introduce the hired help at our farm. They all operate on the basic premise of “will work for food” but the amount of work they actually do varies from employee to employee. We pride ourselves on our hiring practices, so some of our help have multiple job titles.


Name: Raven
Job Title: Motherer of all that breathes
Raven is the four-legged mother. She is kind, loving, and full of compassion. She is always willing to use the forlorn look to get her way, especially if “her way” involves a rawhide bone or food of any sort. Her special talent is catching food in mid-air. She also likes to eat horse apples. Her breath could drop a herd of charging rhinos in mid-gallop anyway, and adding apples to her diet really doesn’t improve things. She hates to have her picture taken, so this photo is basically a dirty look at the camera.


Name: Rocky
Job Title: Wearer of the Dunce Cap, Stuffed Animal Destroyer, Fearer of Friendly Cats, HazMat Drill Team Leader
You know when a guy is going on a blind date, and the matchmaker says, “she’s got a great personality?” So it is with Rocky. He really has a great personality, and his looks are pretty good, too. However, he is dumb as a bag of hammers. Usually this provides us with some humor, so it has value, but his low IQ does, at times, make it difficult to establish order. He does not sit well, does not lie down well, has no ability to speak, shake, roll over, fetch, or any other trick that Raven can do. But he loves us very much, and we love him. Rocky’s breath is sweet, but his gas makes up for it. He also shakes visibly when approached by a cat looking for something warm to curl up next to.


Name: Shadow
Job Title: King of Crank, Heavyweight Champ, Bad-Ass Wannabe, Heat Seeker
Shadow is the King of Crank. He always has a scowl for everyone. He is the typical bitter old man, angry at the youth for being young. He has everyone beat in the age and weight department. Somehow he does have redeeming qualities, and I love him dearly! He especially likes to be warm and if anyone is curled up under a blanket, you will find him there, too.


Name: Nic
Job Title: Havoc-wreaker apprentice
Head of the “kill anything that moves” department. He is known for battling pens, toes, bugs, lint, cotton balls, dogs’ tails, dust, and even imaginary foes. If you ask him, he’ll tell you he always wins. We are hoping for the invention of some sort of “kitty Ritalin” (Kitalin ™) so we can get some sleep. Most of his battles take place at night.


Name: Bub
Job Title: Temp, former Spy
Bub is on injured reserve at the moment, battling a broken leg. She is doing well, and will come out swinging pretty soon. She is skilled in paw-to-mouse combat, and will likely serve to put Nic in his place when the time comes. She is a former spy, turned to the good side.


Name: Code Names Unknown
Job Title: Spies
We named them just to differentiate them. Of course, being spies, they have super secret code names that only they know. We are not sure of their true identities or purposes. They come and go, very stealthily. I have seen them frequent the neighbor farms, spreading our secrets and collecting information. We know that they do not like Egyptian Cotton Sheets or other excessive pamperings.


Name: B.B.
Job Title: Spy
B.B. is the mother spy. She is very well traveled and worldly. I have seen her out and about over a mile away. She lived at our farm before we moved in.


Name: Mark
Job Title: Spy Baby
Mark is an embedded spy. He lives here pretty permanently, in the barn. Mark enjoys hanging out under the horse feeders, looking for mice. He is often successful at finding them. Mark’s name is Mark because he has a gray mark on his side. All the spies look so similar!


Name: Tippy
Job Title: Spy Baby
So named because of his white tipped tail, he is also a spy. We see him every few days, lurking about around feeding time, no doubt ready to share some juicy secret with the other spies over a bowl of cat food.


Name: Major
Job Title: Big Bad Biter
King of Sass, Chief Cheek, Toothy Terror. He is the big, bad stallion. Or, the big sissy, depending on how you look at it. In this photo, he is showing off his gleaming smile. Like all men, Major thinks that he is King of his Domain, but alas, he is just the Court Jester. His favorite things to do are smelling where the mares have been, eating hay and yelling at his peeps when they do not serve him as expected. He also likes to be walked like a dog, and has fun coming up to the back door and playing “Avon Stallion.” He also enjoys trips down the driveway to the mailbox.


Name: Kitten
Job Title: Farm Parliamentarian
Keeper of the rules. No deviation from the rules is permitted. Kitten is a big love, but don’t request a rule change, or prepare to be kicked. Kitten rules with an iron hoof. Kitten likes to eat hay and hang out.


Name: Cleo
Job Title: Love Ambassador
Cleo is sweet, kind, and gentle. She tries to break the rules now and again, just to keep Kitten on her hooves. It works! Cleo is Kitten and Major’s daughter. Cleo’s favorite activity is running around the pasture bucking and farting.