. I finally had the chance to check it out in person in Barnes & Noble a couple of weeks ago. All I can say is, Wow!
This much fruit makes a 2 batches - this year I did a dark, with coffee and blackberry jam, and a light with orange juice, mace and orange zest.
and H's favorite, lemon. I had to call my mom for both recipes, as she's usually the pie maker. Her pumpkin pie recipe is super easy to follow and turned out perfectly. The lemon (meringue-less and double the lemon, please!) was also a hit.
They're hearty, but substantial enough to have matched better with a thick potato or ham & bean soup. More notes in the cookbook for for next time.
This isn't an in-depth equine vet book like Merck or even as broad as the Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook (below), but it is a great book for the barn, horse trailer, or wherever your equine first aid kit is kept. I pack mine when I travel with the horses, and keep it handy in the barn at the farm. It covers some basic non-emergency stuff, like what to have on hand in just in case, but mainly it's for what to do if/when... your imagination works overtime sometimes, too, right?Seriously - First Aid for Horses is one I absolutely would not part with.
First, let's talk construction: the pages are stiff and heavy for easy turning if you're wearing gloves, and it even sheds water - to some extent - if you need to haul it out in the wet. Plus, the spiral binding allows it to lie flat without requiring something heavy on top of it or in can be draped over a stall or fence rail - great when you don't have a book-holder or extra hands to spare.
Best of all, though, the information is clear, concise, and readily understandable in an emergency. Injuries are color coded by type, It has lots of pictures, lists basic steps to take for each, and what to do in the meantime when it's important to get the vet there NOW. Paste your vet's number inside the cover for easy of reference, and then hope you never have to use it.
As a horse owner, I have a whole shelf of reference books covering horse care, emergency treatment, lameness, first aid, etc., but as soon as I glanced through this one, I knew I was going to have to add it to my collection. It doesn't have the depth of the bigger veterinary references, or offer the great horse-side format of the book above, but it really presents the basics well. It has great pictures, and clear, simple, and straightforward explanations. (The absence of jargon is refreshing to read after some of the hard-core medical stuff!)Last but not least....
If you give your own shots, or wormer, or would like to know what rain rot looks like, this is a really handy book to have on hand. I'd highly recommend it for new horse owners, and as a handy refresher tool for those of us who've been in the game for a while.
This is one of the first books I turn to when I have a non-emergency medical situation with one of the horses and want to do some slightly more in-depth reading - it's a lot less scary than Merck, and I don't have to look up quite so many words. (It's good for emergencies, too, but the format doesn't lend itself quite as well to hauling to the barn as Kellon's First Aid for Horses.) What is does offer is good, basic information and directions. It covers, for example, sheath washing (both how to and what to use), worming and vaccination recommendations, floating (what it is and why it's important), etc. It isn't encyclopedic, but it does provide a fairly comprehensive overview of a lot of topics, and it's handy to refer to before or after a vet visit to inform questions and discussion. If your budget doesn't stretch to accommodate multiple references, this is definitely one to consider.All of these are good titles. Are they the only ones I own? Sigh.... T wishes that were the case! But they are the three, along with Merck that I turn to most often. How about you?
Alternately overlooked and mocked for his short legs, tangled mane, and whiskery face, poor Fritz longs to be one of the honored few horses who carry the city's children. Unfortunately, only beautiful horses are permitted within the city walls, so Fritz can only gaze wistfully from a distance. But when a bridge gives way, with the children on the wrong side, and none of the elegant horses are sure-footed enough to carry the children safely back across the rocky ford, Fritz saves the day and earns himself a spot in the city folks' hearts.Fritz's tale has been a Christmas present for friends' children on more than one occasion, and I finally broke down last year and purchased my very own copy. Now I can enjoy flipping through the pages whenever I like. :)
Absolutely lovely illustrations - if you don't fall in love with stout little Fritz with his round barrel body and plaintive expressions, you're a stauncher reader than I - and a charming story to accompany them.
Mandy Sue and her brother younger Jeremy have both worked hard through the summer helping their parents around the farm. As a reward, during Indian summer each child is given one day to spend doing exactly as they like with no chores or other responsibilities. Mandy Sue spends the day with her horse grooming and riding and feeding and brushing. Although each activity is denoted by counting, smelling, tasting or touching, it isn't until the story has unfolded completely that a starling fact is revealed: Mary Sue is blind.
The plot is gentle, and the text is blank verse as easy on the ear as the illustrations are on the eye. While I question the realism (and wisdom!) of a sightless person taking a solo ride through the woods on a horse, it's a lovely, beautifully illustrated story.
Note to self: must find something heavy to ride back there!
Sunny guards his spotSomeday I WILL have my OWN place to keep my horses and be able to manage them as I please.
One escaped sheepWith malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.
Abraham Lincoln, second inaugural address, 1865
Our snow amounted to more freezing rain & blowing than actual accumulation. We probably had around 2 inches, but most if it blew away.
They spotted me on the rise and came running
But it was cold & much too tempting to keep going once they got started.
They didn't linger.
Lined out for the hay feederHow cool is it that the internet allows us to keep in touch with people in all parts of the world? Maybe I can't ride right now, but somebody else can (and is). It's a great motivator being able to share all of the progress vicariously.
This latter group includes trained animal acts, novelty roping and riding acts. The genuine rodeo contestant has little time for this type of thing but realizes that it is a drawing feature and essential for its entertainment value. In the first group mentioned, it is obvious that strained but friendly relations exit between bronc riders and calf ropers. This is a rather serious aspect which has led to professional jealousy and, in the long run has brought about many changes in these events.Okay - that addressed the men. I had to flip ahead and find out what the author had to say about the ladies... and round about page 84 he gives them their due:
A second characteristic of the man in rodeo is his youth. It is something that should not evoke surprise on the part of the observer, for only youth has the essential spark, power, dash, and the freshness which ar essential in sports of any type.
The cowgirls are not only addicted to riding broncs, trick riding and relay races, but several have been adept with the rope and have given exhibitions of steer and calf roping. Some have taken up the hazardous occupation of bulldogging steers and steer riding. The women of rodeo have entered into all phases of the work and have put on as great exhibitions of skill, nerve, and daring as the men.Cool! And pretty amazing for something written back in 1947. I may have to read further when the book comes back.
Today is my regular weeknight to work until closing, so I had the afternoon free. I don't mind working late so much after the time change, when it gives me one extra day a week to get out and about in the daylight! 
It's surprisingly cozy there with the tree belt blocking the wind, and there's enough grass still hanging on that they weren't interested in following me back up for hay just yet. They'll find it when they trek in for water later this evening.
Branded butt
