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- #391
SSDreamin
Almost Self-Reliant
I am so relieved it's (the trial) is over! I didn't realize how much it was stressing both DH and I out. I am hoping for the best possible outcome too - door or window, whichever opens, I'll take it 
We had to rush around putting straw on our tomatoes and peppers last night. The news was calling for frost overnight! Frost! Four days ago it hit 95 for a high, and we covered for frost last night, plus expecting a high of 60 today. Crazy weather! Uncovered everything this morning. No frost bite, but once again, DH doesn't know his own strength - told him to 'sprinkle' the straw, GENTLY over the plants, letting it build up. He apparently is NOT a sprinkler. Two of my tomatoes are now bent in half!
I can't really complain, he tries hard.
Speaking of sprinklers, I have to buy two new ones while I'm out today (Dr's appointments - surprised?
). You see, we have horrible luck with sprinklers. The first year, they work great then, no matter how much I coddle them over the winter, they won't work right ever again! Well, DH was out playing with the sprinklers yesterday. I heard a crunch, asked what happened and he said the sprinkler broke. I walked over and, after surveying the wreckage, asked just how it broke. DH said "Might've been when I stomped on the stupid thing!" Gee, ya think?! We will give the sort-of still working one to the in laws. They don't have one, and FIL refuses to use the bucket/pitcher method I used to use - insisting on going out and holding the hose for 2 hours at a whack. Believe it or not, DH DOESN'T get his bull headedness from his Dad, his Mom is much worse!
Our next door neighbors with the horses are on vacation. We have become very concerned about the horses. Whoever they have 'caring' for the horses, seem to be clueless. DH said he saw them feed them one small (Ice Cream sized) flake of hay to each horse on Sunday - and that was it! We were outside most of Monday, and never even saw anybody stop in to check on them. DH wanted to feed them some of our hay - there is a black one and a white one, and you can clearly see the ribs of the white one (while standing at our back door, probably about 250 feet away - I'm not good with distance). Yesterday while we were out, the horses were trying to eat 'pasture' - except 99% of their entire enclosure is bare. Didn't see anybody there feeding then either, but we were gone for a good chunk of the day. This morning, I went out to uncover the plants, and the black one (the healthier looking one) was laying in the field. I've never seen a horse lay like that, but have VERY limited experience with horses. Rocky (our dog), ignored my calls to stay by me, went over to the fence beside the horse and started whining. After a little bit, the horse began to rock back and forth and finally got up. Our hay is what is referred to as 'cow' hay around here. We were told no decent horse owner would feed their horses cow hay. So, do I take some over and throw it over the fence, and risk them getting sick because it's 'cow hay' or do I sit by and watch them suffer and possibly die before their owners get back? DH has actually been upset since we moved in with the way the owners appear to take care of them too.
At first, I just brushed him off, explaining that almost nobody spoils their animals like I do - and because of the way I spoil ours, he may look at somebody treating their animals normally and think they aren't doing enough (his biggest complaint before was that they never spent any time with the horses, never petted them or showed them any attention - unlike me, who walks out to whatever area Ice Cream is tied out in, makes sure she isn't tangled and has plenty of water, pet her, love on her, get cow kisses, etc. I told him I AM THE ABNORMAL ONE! )
Bet you can guess what I did, right? Inferior cow hay, or starve to death. I'll risk their wrath if the horses get sick! Poor horses!
We had to rush around putting straw on our tomatoes and peppers last night. The news was calling for frost overnight! Frost! Four days ago it hit 95 for a high, and we covered for frost last night, plus expecting a high of 60 today. Crazy weather! Uncovered everything this morning. No frost bite, but once again, DH doesn't know his own strength - told him to 'sprinkle' the straw, GENTLY over the plants, letting it build up. He apparently is NOT a sprinkler. Two of my tomatoes are now bent in half!
I can't really complain, he tries hard. Speaking of sprinklers, I have to buy two new ones while I'm out today (Dr's appointments - surprised?
). You see, we have horrible luck with sprinklers. The first year, they work great then, no matter how much I coddle them over the winter, they won't work right ever again! Well, DH was out playing with the sprinklers yesterday. I heard a crunch, asked what happened and he said the sprinkler broke. I walked over and, after surveying the wreckage, asked just how it broke. DH said "Might've been when I stomped on the stupid thing!" Gee, ya think?! We will give the sort-of still working one to the in laws. They don't have one, and FIL refuses to use the bucket/pitcher method I used to use - insisting on going out and holding the hose for 2 hours at a whack. Believe it or not, DH DOESN'T get his bull headedness from his Dad, his Mom is much worse! Our next door neighbors with the horses are on vacation. We have become very concerned about the horses. Whoever they have 'caring' for the horses, seem to be clueless. DH said he saw them feed them one small (Ice Cream sized) flake of hay to each horse on Sunday - and that was it! We were outside most of Monday, and never even saw anybody stop in to check on them. DH wanted to feed them some of our hay - there is a black one and a white one, and you can clearly see the ribs of the white one (while standing at our back door, probably about 250 feet away - I'm not good with distance). Yesterday while we were out, the horses were trying to eat 'pasture' - except 99% of their entire enclosure is bare. Didn't see anybody there feeding then either, but we were gone for a good chunk of the day. This morning, I went out to uncover the plants, and the black one (the healthier looking one) was laying in the field. I've never seen a horse lay like that, but have VERY limited experience with horses. Rocky (our dog), ignored my calls to stay by me, went over to the fence beside the horse and started whining. After a little bit, the horse began to rock back and forth and finally got up. Our hay is what is referred to as 'cow' hay around here. We were told no decent horse owner would feed their horses cow hay. So, do I take some over and throw it over the fence, and risk them getting sick because it's 'cow hay' or do I sit by and watch them suffer and possibly die before their owners get back? DH has actually been upset since we moved in with the way the owners appear to take care of them too.
At first, I just brushed him off, explaining that almost nobody spoils their animals like I do - and because of the way I spoil ours, he may look at somebody treating their animals normally and think they aren't doing enough (his biggest complaint before was that they never spent any time with the horses, never petted them or showed them any attention - unlike me, who walks out to whatever area Ice Cream is tied out in, makes sure she isn't tangled and has plenty of water, pet her, love on her, get cow kisses, etc. I told him I AM THE ABNORMAL ONE! )Bet you can guess what I did, right? Inferior cow hay, or starve to death. I'll risk their wrath if the horses get sick! Poor horses!
My thought is, if I keep feeding them cow hay, they'll get sick or leave 'evidence' laying around, and I don't want the neighbor mad at me. So, I figured I could toss out some pellets to them, they'd just look like they're eating grass, and if there are some left, it should dissolve down and just look like grass too. Now though, after reading this, I'm wondering if I should've bought a few more bags???? When I talked to DH today, he said that the black horse does that all the time. I told him it shouldn't be doing it now, because it's going to give me a heart attack! 
Now, I just have to keep DH from stomping on them and, if they quit working, I can replace them! 
