With no disrespect meant to the many additional deities that may or may not exist in this grand universe, I present me, the honorable Sir Fenway Bartholomule, as the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Captain Mosey attending).
Happy Halloween! May …
If you've ever loved a mule . . .
If you've ever loved a mule, or if you've ever loved a horse—or a donkey, hinny, pony—or a zebra, I suppose—then you're in. You KNOW. You know and love that smell, our intoxicating fragrance (strongest and cleanest, by the way…
Fantasy Shopping—Mule mom edition
Tell me, friends—if you were going to get a wee baby mule, which mare might you like to get him out of? FarmWife is certainly not in the market for a horse, but if she were she might be dreaming of a mare with style, breeding, character, c…
The events of the day
The top four events of the day—enjoyable, every one. 1) Mucking the paddock. Terribly fun! Amazing how enjoyable a task like this can be. Reminds me what it is to be alive, and why it is I love this mule about whom I blog so much. No—not be…
Wi-fi
Little notes are hard to type with hooves as large as these . . . For every character I type, there's need to delete three! Still, when I'm out adventuring or pausing 'side the trail, There's something great in making wi-fi u…
What to get for everyone on your gift list
Wondering what to get for everyone on your gift list? Here are my very self-indulgent recommendations, based upon my appreciation for the hay-buying power of FarmWife's entrepreneurial efforts:
1) A custom poem from www.commissionedpo…
Three things that make my heart sing
#1—Riding I feel fortunate to have identified the great mood-lifter of my life—riding. It's not the only important thing in life or even the most important thing in life, but it is the single most reliable fix for every foul mood. Ridin…
If I were a human . . .
I'd like to be a gardener.
I'd be great at it! The stereotypical gardener-for-hire is an athletic, handsome, hardworking fellows with an appreciation for the great outdoors and a decent understanding of plants, right?
I'm hands…
My Goat Missy
You know the way animal-crazy wives will tell their husbands that they simply MUST get a puppy for Bowser in his old age, and that Bowser's decline will SURELY be halted by the arrival of a little, tumbling, pooping, peeing, biting br…
Bent Barrow Gaia
Bent Barrow Gaia, formerly known as Ma Petite or Ma Petite Chatte, was born here at Bent Barrow Farm. She was a littermate of Jasper's, and was sold at three months of age to our dear friends The Chicken People. Upon learning the news…
Wednesday Repost
It's been a goatfully busy day and we haven't had a moment's time to blog. Here, then, is a repost. I am still banished from the orchard and yard, but I am happier than I was when this picture was taken—perhaps because today, i…
For FarmHusband, Who Thinks I'm a Bit of a Dandy
FarmWife's ol' man thinks a mule ought'r talk like a good ol' boy from up the road a piece in yonder Appalachie. As if I di'nt larn me no proper Inglish as a colt. As if my Mammy di'nt never larn me right. FarmHusb…
Thanks!
It will have been six months next week since I created Puddle Run—establishing this blog in response to my husband's and mother-in-law's requests for updates on something other than the mule . I have been only somewhat consistent in…
Trailhead Psychology
My FarmWife often encounters motorists entering at the logging gate which leads to our local trails, and when she does she goes out of her way to make polite conversation. First, "hello . . . may I pass by?" and then, "than…
A Story with a Happy Ending
Last night, at midnight, FarmHusband heard plaintive bleating. I heard it too, and the both of us thought FarmWife had better have a look at Missy. "Maaaaaaaaaaaah!," she screamed into the night. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
…
Notes from Bent Barrow Farm
Four random little smiles from the farm: 1. Pretty new livingroom floor! New England white pine with traditional cut nails for that authentic old farmhouse vibe. It will have that authentic old farmhouse wear 'n' tear soon enough, t…
Tidying up
FarmWife just mowed my hallway, raked my kitchen, shoveled my bathroom, weedwhacked my living room, and fluffed my bedroom. Ears to you, FarmWife!
Nothing like a human who can cook, clean, AND ride.
Now, she's indoors—vacuuming the ha…
Fame! Fortune!
Well, fame anyway.
My goats are in a calendar!
Good ol' Margaret of Nanny Goats in Panties has seen fit to put Missy's sister, Spring, Jasper's littermate, Gaia (aka B.G.), and Jasper's cousin, Bumble, in her 2011 Nanny Goa…
Bad Apple
My husband and I bought a new computer at the end of this summer. It had problems. It was not a cheap computer, and they were not small problems. When it turned one of my most precious files—a children's picture book that I've been…
Riding Lessons: Part III of III
Human Auntie, who also visited from across the continent, rode me with a childish sense of wonder and amazement. (Auntie, if you are reading this please understand—I do not mean to say that you ARE childish, but just that your uncensored a…
Riding Lessons: Part II of III
Here is my Human Uncle, who came all the way from Massachusetts to ride me this weekend. I was well worth the 11 hour round trip plane ride! Poor Uncle, having brought sneakers and fitting into none of the available loaner boots, was not …
Riding Lessons: Part I of III
Here is FarmHusband, Natural Equestrian, in his fourth ride ever and his first ride on me. #1 was a guided trail tour in his adolescence; #2 was a brief longeline session on FarmWife's old gelding; #3 was an elegant and amazing perfor…
The Embarrassment of Winter Head
My friend Bif wrote artfully on the subject of what we like to call "winter head"–an embarrassing and temporary condition wherein our tack no longer fits us as it should, and our heads have a grossly disproportionate appearance.
…
Were You Raised in a Barn??
I was. My transformation to barn living was gradual; as a young adolescent, I lived in the Oakland suburbs and commuted to the boarding stable daily with my horse-crazy mother. Between 6th grade and 7th, we moved to rural Washington state. …
No Reason Not to Smile
I can't smile in the traditional fangs-flashing, lips-retracted fashion of the great apes, and I lack the curved-lip conformation of my caprine brethren, but I smile with the best of them in my heart of hearts. My smile starts in my s…
A message for my readers . . .
EYE HEART EWES. Image credits: Joost Elffert (food art) and http://blissfullydomestic.com/wp-content/gallery/photo-bliss/collage-heart.jpg (collage heart).
Bent Barrow Farm's Top Six Miracles of the Week
Bent Barrow Farm has been home to a riot of emotions this week, as we've seen the full recovery of one very sick goat and the revision of another's prognosis from "doomed" to "hopeful." Here, then, are a few of…
A delicious salad
I, Fenway Bartholomule, have just dined upon a most delicious salad of sliced apples, black oil sunflower seeds, and alfalfa-leaf with a delicate glucosamine and MSM dressing. The alfalfa, limited by FarmWife to a serving size of one tabl…
Jasper Jules has entered a contest!
Its not all bad news among my goats this week; JJ is recovered from his recent illness, and Missy continues to eat heartily despite having been very sick for a week now. Jasper, in a lucky turn, has been selected by Fetching Tags as one o…
Keep Calm
Update: It turns out that, in addition to the $8 for new medications, we were billed for a $250 addition to an earlier invoice; an invoice that we had thought to be paid in full. Additional, legitimate charges were added days later for ser…
I love your comments!
I always read and enjoy each and every comment here on Brays of Our Lives. FarmWife got a bit behind this weekend, but as she's catching up we thought we'd post a few recent comments (along with my newsy responses) for all to enjoy…
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