These Birds Aren't Angry

Not to be confused with Angry Birds, these birds are their lesser known cousins, the Chilly Birds.  Maybe if they had their own video game to star in, they'd have a reason to move around and warm up.  Poor things.  They didn't look very happy this morning when I snapped this picture from my kitchen window.

Birds Chillin' in the Pasture.

Today was cold and windy, but yesterday was sunny with temps in the mid-50sF and no wind.  A perfect day for a ride.  I couldn't pass it up, especially with today's snow storm in the forecast.  So I took a long lunch and ran home and rode Misty in circles around the house for 30 minutes.  I'm so glad I did that.  Chances to ride are rare this time of year. 

Colder temperatures are on the way.  I was planning to take Misty to a clinic this coming Saturday, but the clinician has rescheduled.  Our high on Saturday may not even make it to 20F.  Even an indoor arena won't compensate for temps that low and students don't learn well when they are shivering.  It's too bad we have to reschedule, but I'm relieved.  I really don't like being that cold.

I'm trying to seize any chance to ride in an indoor arena this winter.  A few weeks ago I summoned my inner cowgirl and took Misty to cattle sorting practice, just so I could pay to ride in the indoor arena where the event was held.  It was great to simply ride around in the arena with other horses and riders, but we actually did get to take a couple shots at sorting.  This was only our 2nd time in the presence of cattle.  My first sorting  attempt, I couldn't get the assigned cow separated at all. After 60 seconds, I deferred to my partner who didn't have any luck either.  It was like the heifer was attached to her herd mates with Velcro.  The 2nd time my partner and I each sorted 3 of the 7 and got those 6 in the other pen within the 2 minute time period.  I'm not interested in speed or whether we are successful at sorting.  Misty's not built like a quick-on-her-feet cow pony.  I just wanted to spend time with my mare and get some exposure and experience with cattle.

I was very pleased with Misty. During one of the cattle changes, I was expecting the cows to come down the center of the arena and out the door to their holding pens.  I placed Misty in one of the corners of the arena near the exit, facing the center of the arena so we could see the cows coming.  They decided to drive them down the side of the arena this time and it startled me when suddenly 7 cows went running right around Misty's butt.  But Misty didn't even flinch.  She continues to amaze me at how she has matured and gained confidence this year.  I love my mare.

What's Cookin' and Happy Thanksgiving

 Plan B: Cranberries, mashed potatoes, and....pizza?

November 23, 2011

I am grateful for two gray girls in our backyard, and pleased that they get along so well.  I feel honored to care for two of God's most magnificent creatures.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trust But Verify

If you are thinking of getting a tattoo of your favorite equine figure, verify the talent of your artist first.

 Photo Source Unknown

Shades of the Morning

When I stepped outside to feed the horses Friday morning, I was stopped in my tracks by the beautiful color of the sky.  I grabbed my camera so I could capture the sight before it disappeared; the light and colors change so quickly as the sun rises.

The first shades of morning.

Shades of pink emerge.

Misty: "Quit lookin' at the sky.  Can't you see I'm starvin' here?!"

 

My favorite shades of gray.

 (And you can see that Misty is far from starvin'.)

SaraJane LOVES her Progressive Diet Balancer pellets. After scarfing down her pellets in her stall next door, she visits Misty's stall to Hoover-up the few pellets Misty always leaves behind in her grain bin.

SaraJane: "As long as I'm here, I might as well help myself to Misty's hay too."

The girls get some loose hay in their troughs and a larger portion in their individual Porta-Grazers, to slow them down a bit. They go back and forth between the stalls, nibbling from both slow feeders and troughs.

Barn chores done; horses fed; manure scooped.

Shades of gold are joining the pinks.

Shades of gold chasing shades of pink.

The gold has consumed the pink.

It's time for me to go inside and get ready for work.

What a great way to start the day.

Attack of the Killer Kidney Beans

Ok, I've watched too many low-budget horror movies lately.

If the Halloween zombie horses didn't get you, please tune in for the following announcement.

Beware the Red Kidney Beans

Tis the season for warm soup, stew, and chili.  Prepare these comfort foods with caution if they call for red kidney beans.  Canned, processed kidney beans are relatively gentle, peace loving legumes.  But dried red kidney beans are armed and dangerous.  They must be frisked at the kitchen door and rendered harmless before you invite them to dinner.

I attended a Halloween party last weekend that included a popular Fall culinary event:  The Chili Cookoff.

The buffet table was lined with 20 or more crock-pots containing a variety of chili concoctions.  I sampled three of the chili dishes.  A few hours later I became ill - violently ill - like I've never experienced before.

I suspect I fell victim to kidney bean poisoning.

Dried red kidney beans contain a toxin called Phytohaemagglutinin.  This toxin is present in many types of beans, but the red kidney bean wins the prize for packing the highest concentration. It only takes a few unfit beans to make a person very sick.

One of the most sinister methods of cooking dried red kidney beans is to slow-cook them in a crock-pot (or slow-simmer on the stove).  The temperature may not get high enough to kill the toxic agent.  In fact, slow cooking may increase the potency of the toxin.

The raw beans must be boiled for at least 10 minutes. 

If you ingest toxic kidney beans, your tummy will expel the ghastly substance as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

The process is absolutely miserable!

But good for a rapid 2 pound weight loss.

Suggested steps to prepare raw beans before using them in a recipe or crock-pot:

1. Soak raw beans for at least 5 hours.
2. Discard the soaking water.
3. Place beans in clean water; bring to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I'm not a scientist, doctor, toxicologist; nor am I a professional chef.  So don't take my word for it.  Research multiple online sources (not all Internet cooking advice is valid) and be careful when cooking with raw beans.

Interesting resources:

Bad Bug Book: Phytohaemagglutinin (Kidney Bean Lectin)  from U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Beans! Beans! The Poisonous Fruit!  from davesgarden.com

Red Kidney Bean Poisoning  from foodreference.com

P.S.  Horse Owners:  Beware the White Kidney Beans too.

Abstract from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15086107
Thirty-four mixed breed horses from two separate farms showed signs of abdominal discomfort, pyrexia and dehydration after being exposed to a new batch of 14% complete horse feed. A new batch of cattle feed from the same manufacturer resulted in dairy cows showing depression, a drop in milk production and diarrhoea. Examination of both diets revealed the presence of white kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Inclusion of raw beans of this genus in animal feeds is to be avoided.

Beware the Zombie Horses

I have several Breyer horse models atop an armoire in by bedroom.  I may be sleeping with one eye open tonight.

Happy Halloween!

Misty's Monday Muse - Slicker Training

My Lady and I plan on enjoying lots of trail rides together.  The weather can change quickly in Colorado, so its a good idea for riders and horses to be prepared for rain.

While I was at school this summer my trainer, Andie Lee, taught me that rain slickers do not eat horses.  They flap around and make rustling noises, but they don't bite.  I kept my ear on that slicker, but I was very brave and did not get silly or overreact.

Don't I look good in yellow?

Ready to hit the trail,

Misty's Monday Muse - Cool Cows

Hello there!  It's been awhile.  I've been a busy mare; going to school and on trail rides and playing with cows.

You read that right.

I, Misty the Percheron, am now a cow horse.  Well, sort of.  I can confidently say that I'm not afraid of cows and I like moving them about and manipulating them.

My Lady and I were scheduled to attend a 2-day clinic this past weekend.  Saturday was "Ranch Riding and Patterns".  But we missed it.  Know why?  Because it snowed!

It snowed so much that the roads got dangerous and My Lady loves me too much to risk my life. So we stayed home.  That was fine with me, but My Lady was bummed. She stayed in bed and watched three movies and ate Fritos corn chips all day.

The snow finally stopped and the roads cleared, so we made it to the 2nd day of the clinic: "Introduction to Cattle".  But it was very cold.

It was 26F/-3C when we rolled out of our driveway.  36F/2C when we arrived at the clinic.

Do you know what a cold metal bit feels like in your mouth at 36F?

Me neither.

My Lady wouldn't do that to me.  There was a microwave in the rider's lounge, so she used this cute bit warmer that was hand made for us by Dreaming over at Living A Dream.

Thanks Dreaming.  It worked great!

 

My Lady says it's also a handy neck warmer for the kink in her neck that she got from scraping ice off the windshield of the truck.

We warmed up in the indoor arena and then all of us horses and our riders gathered at one end of the arena while they brought 8 cows through the gate at the far end.  My Lady wasn't sure how I would react, so she was going to dismount and stand on the ground with me.  But she found her cowgirl spirit and stayed in the saddle.  (She's learning that I've matured into a trustworthy mount.)  I was very curious and had my head and ears on high alert, staring intently at those creatures as they came into the arena.  But I wasn't scared at all.  The cows walked in slowly and huddled in a little-cow-clump-in-the-corner.

 

Then the whole group of us, 10 horses & riders, walked up to those cows and slowly drove them around the arena, each of us taking turns at the front so we could be close to the cows.  I like how they move away from me; it makes me feel empowered.  

   

Then we paired off with another horse & rider and picked 2 cows to separate from the little-cow-clump-in-the-corner and we drove them down the arena wall.

After lunch we broke into two teams and tried to play cow hockey.  The offensive team of horses & riders would try to drive the cows across the goal line, while the defensive team tried to block the cows and prevent the other team from scoring.  But that got a little crazy when the cows un-clumped and started running this way and that, and some of the riders with more cow experience got competitive and wanted to chase them, and some of the younger horses got a little too excited.  So our trainers switched us to a slower game. The cows re-clumped  into the corner and each team took turns separating 4 cows from the little-cow-clump-in-the-corner and driving them down the arena and into an imaginary pen that was marked by orange cones.  I did a good job of this because I can walk right up to those clumped cows, pick some out, and drive them calmly down the arena and not scare them into a trot.  Slow and steady is the polite way to move cows around.

Cows are Cool,