Yesterday I returned to work in the Political Science department, this did not prevent me from attending my new evening gig: barn building. Jimenez and I bundled up and headed out into the frigid temps (figures that the forecast for this week includes record cold temperatures) and decided to take care of the first thing first: feeding the flock. Karma made a Bee-Line for her bucket and I had to slowly coerce the goat into going into the correct pasture to eat her supper. Of course all of the hard work to get said goat into said pasture paid off for about 20minutes. Goat managed to get back into the wrong pasture in no time flat. Next we cranked up the tractor (that thing is a god send! I never thought I would develop such an admiration if not infatuation with a tractor). Our mission for the night? Yes my friends, you guessed it: dig dirt! We buckled down and began augering (is that a verb?) the remaining holes for the last two corner posts of the shelter. This took about 8 years as we discovered, among other assorted things, a terracotta clay pipe buried inches beneath the top layer of soil. SuperJim asked me to go get a iron bar for him so he could attempt to break up the pipe. He failed to mention said bar weighed about 3million pounds and I struggled the whole way back to the soon-to-be hole in the ground. Of course he wielded that bar like it was a pipe cleaner, but my jealousy of his strength is another blog in itself. Finally the auger was able to do its job and dig the hole for the last post of our shelter. I went to put one of those 'longer' posts in the hole and soon realized that the post was um probably 12 feet long. I got the damn thing stuck in a tree as I tried to move it even inches closer to the hole. I failed miserably and despite my ego whimpered for help. Jimenez saved the day (notice the theme here?) and got the big ass post in the ground. I am still in shock that the thing stays up when being supported only by a two foot hole in the ground, but barn building is a science of which I am not a student, I simply follow directions here... You think the hard part would be over, don't you? You, like I was, would be wrong. We have more holes to dig for the posts that will hold the corners of the new fence line. The ground is harder than cement and although the mission was less eventful then the hole with the clay pipe in it, it still took forever. If Monday's tree cutting was an aerobic workout, last night was more strength training. Holding the auger in place and helping it dig, isn't easy stuff! I think that if I keep this up, my arms will be defined and sexy! Finally we called it a night and I scuttled home to drink some hot tea then pass out. I am pretty sure I was in a coma throughout the entire night as my alarm scared the daylights out of me at 6:30am!
This morning I got a welcomed announcement. My scholarship and student loan money had arrived into my checking account. WAHOOOOOO. I then took the opportunity while being bored in the office, to order my books for the semester looming oh-so-close in the future (next week). My next mission for the day is to investigate supplements for my ponies. I want the baby to get any and all vitamins and minerals he may need to grow up healthy and strong. Right now I am considering a hoof (biotin) supplement and the strongid C 2x with the possible addition of Vita Plus. In my research for the perfect baby supplement, I stumbled across a supplement for easy keepers who get little to no grass (ring bells? yes...Karma!). This Smartvite:EZ Keeper is supposed to fill in the gaps left by feeding little to no fortified grain. It is fairly inexpensive and I think it couldn't hurt Karma to have the dietary supplement. I made an appointment to speak with a SmartPak supplement specialist today between 3-5. Hopefully they will help to answer my questions about the best choices for baby Granite. I am feeling much more confident in his arrival as I feel that the pasture is getting better and better and he will soon have a little stall in which I can feed him hay and make sure he has his mineral block. This baby will be so spoiled, but you can't take chances on your dream horses, can you? I will be attending yoga class tonight, so Jimenez is on his own as far as barn building goes ;)
PS: I hear that Granite's photo will be making a cameo appearance on the Behind the Bit Blog... check it out!
No comments:
Post a Comment