OUR LAST DAYS AT QUIET MEADOW FARM
November 16, 2008
A PRETTY PLACE
For nearly a year we have been cleaning stalls at Quiet Meadow Farms on weekend mornings. Over that period, we’ve gotten busier during the week and this month we gave our notice so we could spend our weekends at home. It was a tough decision because we enjoy the owners, the work and the horses. At right is the sawdust pile with riding arena in the background.
EASY WORK
The work is invigorating but not too physically demanding. Bob steps into his office (the big barn) with the bucket cart, Camille picks a stall in the smaller barn and Bob washes out water buckets in the sun.
THE KIOTI
This is the Kioti tractor and manure spreader we use to do our work. It is powerful beast. We use it to haul manure and and move sawdust from the pile beside the big barn to the smaller barn. On this day, Bob brings the little bit of sawdust we didn’t use back down to the big barn.
MOUSE
Mouse is the barn ‘mouser’ – a very personable Siamese.
We find Mouse irresistible when flops down in front of us for a belly rub.
HANDSOME HAMPTON
Hampton stands cross-tied in the wash rack while Bob cleans his stall, washes out his water buckets, fills them with water and brings in a few flakes of clean grass hay. Back in his stall, Hampton eyes his new hay, patiently waiting to eat it until Bob removes his halter.
IT’S ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE
Bob has nicknamed many of the horses. When he goes to put Martini’s halter on he pronounces her name “Martin-Eye.” He took this photo of her from nostril height. From up in the hayloft, he took a picture of Carl munching hay from the goat manger.
SAME AS IT EVER WAS
Camille always has to wrestle with the hose to get it coiled back in place correctly and Ellie nearly always carries her tongue to the side of her mouth.