Mission Accomplished
Yeah! We did it! In April this year we set out on our horse-farm adventure and today I call it complete. We bought the pasture, built the fence, built the run-in shelter, cleaned up the weeds and brush in and around the pasture … and, most importantly, we got the horses.
Today, we finished the tack storage in the shelter, put on the last bit of hardware on the fence (gate wires and closures) and installed a light in the shelter. I call it done. At least the “construction phase” is definitely done now. There is still some cleanup to do. The work never ends. We also want to paint the shelter. But all the important parts are in place now.
Waldo and Cleo are now quite at home. I am very pleased that they seem to like the shelter and spend a bit of time there every day (mostly to poop). When I am working on the shelter, they always come over to check out what I am doing (and to see if I have any treats). They always sniff over all the tools … and lick some of them. When I work on something I sometimes look up and look right at Cleo’s face. She looks at me like “Uhh … what yer doing there?” It’s really funny. She is very curious and she has to have her big ole nose in whatever is going on. At one point she tried to climb into the truck to see if there are any treats in there.
The only damper on our excitement about finishing this project today was the big copperhead snake I had to kill right outside the shelter. These snakes are always more active in the fall, and I suspect he was attracted by the mice that are already moving into the shelter. The mice are a bit annoying, so I have been encouraging the cats to come out there. But I just can’t have a copperhead roaming the shelter where the horses and my kids hang out all the time. And you really cannot relocate a poisonous snake. It’s dangerous, and no one else wants one in their back yard, either. So, I am afraid I had to end its exploits. Sorry!
What a summer! This was a lot of work, and it feels good to call it done. But there is much more. We want to clean up the pond, build a tree house, make a campsite and I want to get a pulling harness for Waldo so he can help me clean up the fallen trees in the woods. That’ll be fun!