Really, Girls? Do I have to referee ALL the time?

This morning, I went to feed my girls, check their water levels, give them a quick brush, feed the chickens, and Dean-O - like I always do. And, as usual, my sweet girls were waiting for me ever so patiently. Looking like they hadn't really seen me in days rather than the hours since their last feeding/brushing, etc.
I walked into the barn, and headed towards the hay as usual, but when I looked towards their section of the barn that serves as a run in shed .... I was irritated.
They kicked the access gate to the run in. Which, broke the post that holds the hinges of the access gate. And, they cracked the post on the latch side too. One of them did, anyhow. No way to tell for sure who the guilty party is, though I think I know who it is.

This is not the actual post, but it pretty much illustrates what the little booger did. To top it off, because of their confinement to the paddock (I can't let them loose in the pasture. Not without being there 24/7 to watch them. They always seem to break the wire fence this time of year, and they could be 2 counties over before I figured it out right now) they are chewing wood making me think that they are not really the purebred quarter horses, and paint horse they appear to be. They must be some twisted Dr.Mephesto crossbreed of horses and beavers. Oh, sure they look equine enough, but they could fell a tree they way they've been going lately.
Flat wood is not safe either. It's not just fenceposts & 2x4's. Oh no. Wood walls are getting it too.

They chew away at the boards, the posts .... I have the paddock wired for sound just to keep them from totally destroying the barn around their ears.
*****************not my pic, or horse here.
For some reason, even treated wood is tasty to them. Though, they are quite smart enough to do it when I am NOT there. They know they're not supposed to. Even when I am there for several hours, and their food is long gone, they don't chew when I am there. They just wait for me to leave.
******************not my pics, nor my horses
So, while they squabble .... really, it's Dona & Rosie that are squabbling. They are fighting for the no. 2 position in the herd, and Velvet is uninvolved, strangely. It changes from day to day. One day it's Dona, the other it's Rose. Velv likes both of them, so it doesn't really matter much to her. Rose is feeling her oats, Dona doesn't want to be stepped on. I think eventually Dona will win just from sheer size though. She will be nearly as big as her mom, and Rose, well ..... rose is just around 14.2. But, a scrapper. They both have bite marks, and I know they've both been kicking.
So, long story short .... I kicked them out of the run in until I can make the repairs and cover all the walls in sheet metal. Should take me a couple days. The entries are now hot wired to the fence. They will be fine. They won't be too happy with me, but I'm not too pleased with their Royal Beavernesses at the moment either.

****none of the pictures in this post are mine. I have had no time to photograph lately. I skivved these off the web *****

End of Year Catch Up Post

So, here we are. End of 2010. A year that I am not sad at all to see pass by. I am so thankful that this year is finally over. It's been one of the worst on record for my family all around. The work front for my folks & myself has been beyond dreary. There has been little to nothing for us to do to keep our heads above water all this year. I know that there are a LOT of people in the same boat as we are, but it certainly doesn't make it hurt any less.
This year, we have lost so much. So much, that it hurts to look back at the things that are gone. The biggest and hardest loss was of course, the loss of the house that my Grampa Clyde built.
My father and my childhood home is gone. This has been breaking my heart & spirit for a long time. I am trying to move forward, but it is so terribly hard.
Grama's health has been slipping, more so the past few months.
A much less devistating blow - but one that was still quite hard to swallow - was my dog Tony's sudden passing. He was fine one minute, gone the next. Same deal with the goat, Chompy - he'd tied out all year long with no incidents, then somehow, he got tangled up and presumably choked himself to death - though, the rope wasn't tight. I don't get that one at all. Unless, I want to go conspiracy theory and think that someone did him in. (Dear God, please, don't let that be the case, I'll never sleep again)
Mom & I have prayed, burned candles, asked the spirits above for guidance, and very little has become apparent.
Larry & I are in a house that we aren't totally happy with, but we are fixing it to suit our sensibility a little more. It is incredibly hard for me to be here though when my horses are on what is left of Grampa's homestead (no, we didn't loose the whole farm, just the house. The barns, and a majority of the land, with an access easement is ours -- free and clear I might add). I am there with them 2 - 3 times a day. Sometimes, the middle of the night too. They have electric, water, and food aplenty, so they are not wanting for much. But, I am wanting for them outside my kitchen window.
Mom, Dad & Gramma are in the little house with the flowing well. They are cozy, but they too are ... unsatisfied, I think. I bring the boys to see Gramma as often as I can, but home improvements and horse & house duties make my afternoons both fly and drag.

I do not believe in New Year Resolutions. No one ever keeps them. It's just a chance to depress yourself further, so I try to avoid such nonsense. I have already started on what I plan to do with my life. Started it long ago, and though there have been some bumps, and some redirection on the HOW we will get there, I am more determined than ever that we WILL get there.
The place we are at .... we have it on a land contract. SO, if all goes as desired, Larry will finish school in a couple years, get himself a job in his desired profession, and we will sell this place. It is, in all honesty, a perfect place for a young family. There is room for kids or dogs to play - just not enough per township ordinaces for horses to frolic.
Once it is sold, we will be moving north. I want to go to the Upper Peninsula. But, my second choice is Northern Minnesota - near the border waters. If neither of those work, I am totally open to Alaska, North Dakota, or Montana. I just want to be out of this area. I feel like it just sucks the life out of the people that live here.
I will have my horse farm. Even if it's just for me & the family, I will have a horse farm with a training area. That is what is in my heart, and it will happen some how. The when is the problem.
So, I will keep chippin' away. And, playin' the lotto, cuz you never know when luck will finally turn your way. Lord knows, it's time for my luck to turn to good again, and when it does, I will be ready.

Happy New Years, friends, countrymen, noblemen, and interwebz pals. May the powers that be smile down on you with good fortune that you could never imagine, love that will bridge the gaps when luck fails, health to keep you on your feet running, and happiness regardless of the cards you are dealt. I only hope that my wish is returned to me as well.