We confess to being the drop off point for unwanted animals.  Hence the arrival of 3 hens last summer.  All went well until 2 of the 3 grew combs and lustily exercised their voices each morning.  The hens were barely keeping their lead with 5 hens to 4 roosters, but harmony was maintained until...
I turned around to turn off the light and WHAM!  The rooster made a running leap and spurred my upper thigh.  From that point on, backs were never turned and guard dogs were brought in to escort this unpaid worker to gather eggs each night.  The stress was too much and the husband stepped up to the plate, scooped up 2 roosters in a fishing net, threw them in a 'garbage bag' and threw them in daughter's car trunk.  Now it's her problem!  Good riddance!

It is still a mystery how we got married (there was no marriage proposal involved) and now I don't know how I ended up with a new mini.  Just a mystery.

I absolutely was not planning on adding to our menegarie anytime soon.  But mini's...

I was doomed the moment I saw an ad on Keloland and asked for more information...we made a trip down to Pukwana to "look".  There was a little muttering going on that sounded like "The things I do..." when the last 70 miles was a sheet of ice.  Sorry, dear.  So for Valentine's Day, Jay bought me a new miniature horse.  What a wonderful present!  And he was quite proud of himself too! 

The mini arrived tonight.  She's a beautiful filly and I love her mane.  It's a beautiful crimpy cream colored mane, but not the BIG mane that Molly has.  I have my work cut out for me as she is not halter broke or broke to lead.  That's ok, working a little harder at it will create an even stronger bond.  We had the same thing with our - Molly.  Now she wants people attention at all times.

So the next couple of days will be spent on getting her willing to accept touch and catch her easily before letting her out to play in the corral.  By then I should figure out what to call her too!

Here's the beauty:

Here are some cheap and fun to make toys you can do yourself....

I have taken the gallon sized milk jugs and tied 3 together and hung on the fence-they make noise and they like to bob them around.

Take a carrot or apple and thread them onto some baling twine and hang from rafters so they swing freely not against a wall. They will play and keep occupied trying to eat it.

A good HEAVY DUTY laundry detergent bottle rinsed out. Fill with some gravel or rocks. They will like to pick it up and push it around to make the noise.

Make sure whatever toy you offer your horse won't injure him. Take caution there are no little pieces to break off or be chewed off and swallowed. Be sure the toy isn't something the horse can get its foot, leg or even head stuck in, whether loose on the ground or suspended overhead. Horses have a knack for getting themselves in trouble so imagine the worse case scenario before providing any kind of toy.

I treated myself to two magazines -- Grit and Mary Jane's Farm.  I didn't know what a treat it would be.
In GRIT was a recipe for Old Fashioned Sandwich bread.  I love making bread and this recipe was a little intriguing as it was a mix it one day, put it in the fridge for 24 hours, and then finally do the kneading, rising, and baking the next day type recipe.  UMMMM...it came out wonderfully!!!  2 big SOFT loaves.  I'm quite sure that bread does not constitute a well balanced meal, but nothing else looks appealing.  Jay's hard at work this weekend so will try to save him some.
Mary Jane's Farm magazine surprised me.  I just didn't know that there was a magazine like that out there.  There website was a treat, too.  I think I'm going to have to join up with the group in Desmet this summer when they do the Laura Ingalls Wilder thing.  Have a look!  http://www.farmgirlsontheloose.blogspot.com/

My third treat this weekend came from a squirrel.  Jay has a platform feeder that he fills with sunflower seeds for the birds -- not the squirrels.  Lately, he hung a bird feeder from a shepherd's hook that is right next to the platform feeder.  As I was washing dishes, I noticed the squirrel in the platform birdfeeder and the other birdfeeder just a swingin.  Hmmm...maybe I better watch a moment.  Sure enough, a moment later that squirrel had stretched way out to reach the other birdfeeder.  And when he reached out, the hanging birdfeeder moved away from the platform feeder to the point that he was sprawled in air completely parallel to the ground.  Cute as can be.  (All in the eyes of the beholder!)