Some days I really miss the silliness of Mama E and her Pips.
(like nearly everyday)
(Cheech and Chong got nuttin’ on these mustaches!)
Archive of ‘Elizabeth’ category
HOLIDAY FARM ANIMALS (I sure hope they don’t hold a grudge)
I can’t help myself. A flashy holiday rolls around and I feel this need to dress up my farm tribe and make photographs. How silly is that?
(rhetorical question…don’t bother asking the animals)
I have to wonder…in my middle-aged life…am I just now getting in touch with the inner childhood I missed out on growing up as a tomboy climbing trees…when I could have been outfitting Barbie dolls?
(no regrets…and again…don’t ask the animals)
I learned recently, there was a scientific study that determined dogs have no self-awareness with regard to how they look. I could have spared the expense of that study and offered the same conclusions (from all my farm animals), backed up by Freeka’s Funny Farm research and documentation. Lily with spaghetti drools all over her snout, the pigster with a little poo stuck to his tail, Gypsy with more brown mud on her body than natural white, Pockets with a sticky molasses nose…and they each be like…
“WHO CARES?
WHY YOU LAUGHING AT ME?
I FEEL GOOD!”
(sung to James Brown tune)
However…when it comes to Christmas holiday photography, those same critters may just exhibit a little more self awareness. They’ve made it through Valentine’s Day, St Patty’s Day, Fourth of July, and Halloween, but the year is not quite complete without a few Christmas costumes and a little craziness.
I apologize to all the critters I have humiliated. Just know, in my eye you are all so fun, and yes, silly. So…what’s wrong with that? I promise never to turn y’all into Barbies.
This year I had the pleasure of humiliating someone else’s farm animals. “Whew!”… said the tribe. Took the pressure off the gang here. But as you will see, my gang did not go completely…undressed…shall I say?
Here are some favorites from here and beyond at Tucker Farm.
I’ll start with Toots and the decorating of the tree. Toots did not want to budge from the new dog bed that was taking up so much room right where I was trying to decorate our little Christmas tree. So what’s a girl to do? Yes! Decorate the dog. Well c’mon…I had to stretch out those new Christmas lights somewhere!
Toots…hoping she wouldn’t be gift-wrapped next…
I know how much Elizabeth loves having photos made with her Pips, especially to share with her family and fans at Christmas time. The Pips are such troopers as photo models, all I have to do is say…SMILE! …and look what I get…
…SMILES all around!
Never mind that Pockets was wearing a doggie outfit…that ponkey loves to dress up!
Even Grayson didn’t seem to mind the ‘faux mistletoe’…any reason to nibble…lick…kiss…
Nobody looks terribly humiliated here…right Elizabeth? (better pass out some treats real fast)
On we go to Tucker Farm. My favorite home away from home. The lady of the farm, my great friend Karen, has a good-sized tribe of rescued donkeys and goats at her barn and each year she’ll do a little Christmas slide show with her gang. I couldn’t wait to get involved. Three of my favorite horse pals live there as well, and almost living there, is another simpatico, ‘favorite-home-away-from-home’ girlfriend, Janice, who owns two of the horses.
My goat-to girlfriends…Karen on left, Janice on right…butt-heads in front…
None of the Tucker Farm critters are newbies at photo shoots. As soon as the costume container came out in the horse pasture, Dart was all into everything…
…hmmm…maybe red is really my color?
“Hey Dart…when you stick your nose in the goodies box…well who nose what will happen next…eh? Ha Ha Ha!”
(is this horse lacking a sense of humor?)
Here’s Dart’s stable mate, Louie. The twin brother of the same mother of costumes…
Might have a case of stink eye going on here..
Asante…the only mare on the farm…ready to dance… 
…and prance…
…and maybe a little french kiss? (such a huzzy!)
On to the donkeys and goats. It was such a highly organized Christmas shoot with a bunch of curious models just waiting their turn.
Like a Victoria’s Secret Christmas runway show, we told them.
Yup…you believe that?
It was more like…
(goats and donkeys)…”HAY…WHAT’S to EAT in that BOX?”
(girls)…”HEY! GIT OUTTA THERE YOU RASCALS!”
That…’You’ve Goat to be Kidding’ look….
Can’t wait to unwrap my presents!
Truly…Star Struck…
What Ernie was really thinking…
“Star Struck…my butt! I just wanna know if that thing on my head is…EDIBLE?”
Check out my favorite goat, Ethel. Too bad she got stuck with my middle name.
Poor dear.
I think because of that, (ruthless teasing…you gotta understand!), she likes the idea of having grown a set of balls…
…now what to do with those balls???
Stormy said…”After this? I am sooo breaking into the feed room. First chance I get.”
Thanks girls…I was seeing so much red and green…I didn’t know whether to stop…or go…
…or just grow a mustache…
Meanwhile…back at the Funny Farm…things were getting out of control.
D.O.G. had busted into his stocking and lookee what he found!!!
DANG!…D.O.G….gimme back my Recluse Man!!!!
The Pips had found the calendar that will surely make them overnight Hollywood sensations…
…ya think??
My New Year’s date turned out to be a real pig…
Toots spoke her first and final words of the year…
…and then passed out from overexertion…
I caught D.O.G. ransacking the Christmas goody bags…
…then squatting on my homemade holiday cards…and is that the sports section of the paper where I circled all my winning bets??? …
I will forgive that pigster…if the rest of all those wonderful creatures will forgive me…
Deal…D.O.G.?
HERE’S TO A STYLISH NEW YEAR!!!
2017 WITH THE PIPS … A CALENDAR TO MAKE YOU SMILE!
In my ‘what the heck…better late than never‘ approach to life, I decided to do a 2017 calendar. This decision came out of the blue and was inspired by a total stranger…not so long ago. I can count the days ago. OK…maybe weeks ago. Where does the time a…go?
This is the eighth calendar in my photo career. For my last calendar in 2014, I used 86 photos and such complex layouts, I nearly strangled myself with baling twine. Or was it hari-kari with a pitchfork? When it was all over and done with, after the calendars arrived and I ripped into the box from the printer…I was proud. It was the most unique calendar of mine…ever. It was funny. It was charming. I got great feedback. I was so proud and exhausted by it, I told myself I would never do another.
Yet here I am. Again.
Without further ado, let me introduce the pages of calendar-2017…The Pips.
It started off all over the map. Initially I pulled 60+ photos as prospects. It was going to be a farm calendar…then a Pips calendar…but mostly in the end… it is a Pockets calendar.
With over 240 photos in the working folder, 67 made the cut. That little ponkey rules! It’s no wonder. She is incredibly photogenic and the most willing model around. And she loves wearing hats and beads. My kinda girl.
Here’s a little synopsis of the calendar, month by month, starting with the cover….
It was Mardi Gras season and Elizabeth, (Pips owner and #1 mama), was in her hometown of New Orleans. I was jealous. It was soooo cold on the farm. No better way to warm up than have a silly shoot with The Pips and celebrate Mardi Gras right here.
The Pips were all over-and-into the costume and bead bags. Grayson was fascinated by his ponkey-girl’s accoutrements. Pockets did not want to give up her orange shades and in fact did some laps around the pasture wearing them. Let’s have a parade! Krewe of Pips. That ponkey. That pony. We had a blast. Way better than being in the French Quarter for Mardi Gras. Well almost.
COVER 2017
This is one of my all-time favorite photographs…
JANUARY
When we really get a good snow it’s a hoot to watch Pockets try to keep up with all the ‘biggers’. Those short little legs of hers! Sometimes the snow is up to her belly.
Run Pockets…RUN!
FEBRUARY
Romance abounds on the funny farm. OH MY GWAD!
MARCH
What an in-between month. I had a hard time choosing the right photos. Is it still winter? Or is it spring? Can I be Irish for a day? Let’s talk. Pockets always wants to talk. And I always like to listen in. Whether it’s with Mama G or whoever else she’s yakking up. No matter how silly.
That ponkey has important things to say!
APRIL
Daffodils are sprouting. Tulips too. But who cares if you are a ponkey? So long as the grass starts growing again. Then…just like the rest of us…Spring Fever sets in.
It’s time to frolic!
MAY
Back in the 90’s, I photographed the Kentucky Derby three years in a row, right down on the track on the home stretch. Although I have mixed feelings about horse racing in general, it was an incredibly exciting photography experience that had just as much to do with the hats and the crowds, as it did the horses. Every year on the first Saturday in May, you will find me watching the Kentucky Derby on TV. Then, this year (2016), it dawned on me. Why not have our own little derby? Pockets was thrilled. Any reason to dress up and wear a big, pink, floppy hat is fine by her.
But the socks? They didn’t last long.
JUNE
Both Grayson and Pockets were born in June 2014, at Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. Great reason to party down! What a big-sticky-fun-molasses-and-carrots-mess. The Pips would love having a birthday every month of the year.
Bring on the balloons!
JULY
Who would have thunk? A rainbow-loving ponkey!!!
AUGUST
Just about every time Elizabeth comes out to visit The Pips, there’s a walk involved. It’s so pretty around here, with the New River nearby and a nice big meadow for grazing. Heck yeah!
Let’s go for a walk!
SEPTEMBER
Can you tell we are Panthers fans around here? Well at least when they’re having a good year…we are. Even though Pockets dreams of being a quarterback, I think she makes a better punter. A backasswards punter.
Budweiser Horses…move over! Bring on The Pips!
OCTOBER
So much for the Great Pumpkin. Right Pockets? I don’t think she’s a believer. Otherwise, she would not be chomping Great Pumpkin offspring. Agreed?
All she wanted was to be a unicorn.
NOVEMBER
Aside from Thanksgiving, I’ve never been a big fan of November. The leaves have fallen, the days are shorter, and winter teases. Thank you Pockets, for sharing your good attitudes and bringing joy to November. Grayson too…you funny shag carpet…you.
Enjoying November Pips-style…yes!
DECEMBER
It’s seldom The Pips are naughty, and if they are, it’s usually my fault for leaving a gate unlatched somewhere. Mostly nice they are, and certainly full of spice. Just ask Santa. He’s stuffing their stockings with horse cookies and treats…
…and don’t forget the carrots-dunked-in-molasses…paleeze!
We have done a small run of calendars with only ‘backyard’ promotions. Heck we don’t even have an e-commerce site up. It’s a project for a few friends and fans to enjoy. If you’re interested, leave me a comment or shoot me an email (animalgardentribe@gmail.com) and I’ll see if I can reserve a calendar for you. They are $15, plus $5 shipping in the US.
Happy Holidays from the tribe at Freeka’s Funny Farm!
THE PIPS TURNED TWO…AND WHAT A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY PARTY IT WAS!
Several days before I left for my bum-thumb-fated trip to Pennsylvania, we celebrated the Pip’s second birthday. It was sooo much fun! We invited some neighborhood friends, and kids, and parents, and a very special grandma, to join us for the festivities.
I had every intention of posting some great photos when I returned from my Fourth of July trip. It’s just that my dumb-broken-thumb got in the way. But now? I see it as a way to relive a magical afternoon. Every time I think of that afternoon, it makes me smile.
There were so many delightful photos, I had a hard time choosing. What follows, reminds me of a family album. I gotta admit…I’ve gone dizzy looking at some family albums. To the point of asking where the bathroom is…then asking for a glass of water…then…”Oops…I’m out of time…gotta run.”
I can’t help but think this family album…our Freeka’s Funny Farm family album…ROCKS! After all, it’s only once in a lifetime our beloved Pips…Grayson and Pockets…turn two!
Party Down!!!
Elizabeth and I wanted to have fun. BIG FUN. BIG KIDS KINDA FUN.
I figured we needed entertainment. Somewhere out on one of my hiking trails…it hit me. (I love how my brain works on hiking trails.)
YES! We must do…Pin-the-Tail-on-the-PONKEY!
First I sought Recluse Michel-MAN-gelo’s talent. Yup. Got him outta bed early that day…
…took him down to the barn and gave him some chalk and introduced him to his model…
His creative juices started flowing…
Pockets loved her modeling job…
…and that Recluse Michel-MAN-gelo…such talent!
Of course…there is no tail. Just you wait.
Let the party begin!!
That’s Toots greeting Jessica on the left, Nate, and mama Suzy…and a huge bag of carrots!
Dakota and Sabrina!
Hittin’ up the treasure chest…
Dakota and granny Allie… she’s my riding partner from down the road…she’s sixty-nine and kicks my butt on the trails with her little Paso Fino! Allie grew up with her Chincoteague pony who lived to be thirty five!
I had a gut feeling the bunny ears wouldn’t last long on Pockets…
…whad I tell ya…
The pink and purple girls…Suzanne and Pockets…
I encouraged the kids to draw on the barn before we started Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Ponkey.
I’m not sure what kind of creature that is below. Yo…Sabrina!
I used to see monsters like that, hiding under my bed at night…
Dakota in dreads…with the sun shining over her head…
Let’s play Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Ponkey!!!
I braided ten tails from baling twine so peeps could keep their tails. This was not a big hit. I found tails everywhere after the party. Sigh. Pioneer Woman…I am not.
As everyone took turns, they were spun around once wearing a blindfold, then directed toward the barn door. Slap that tail on, remove the blindfold, have a good laugh (for me especially…and apparently Dakota), then initial with chalk.
Dakota went first…now that’s funny!
Next up…Jessica…
Check her out! I love her Lost Unicorn shirt…
Sabrina…
…you rock that tail girl!
Nate…he’s a stellar football player with a soft spot for the Pips…
Hmmm…that’s a tailback position!
And then it was my turn…I asked Jessica to turn me once…
…I was lucky to find the barn door!
You might say…I don’t know my ass from a barn door…
Then along comes smarty-pants Suzanne…
…who could barely find the barn…
…but was smart enough to locate the other tails…
THAT’S IT!
We took down the tails.
Nice try Mama E…are you pinning the tail on the patella?
Some of the adults were too grown-up to bother…in other words…they were drinking beer in the shade…
Did I say…Grown-Up?
We did get Allie…
Tim..
…and Suzy to pin that tail!
After the game, prizes were given to the kids. They were really special gifts Elizabeth had chosen from her horse collection…winner got first pick.
Sabrina and her mini-horse!
There were books and cards and fun horsey things…including Elizabeth’s booklet about the Grayson Highlands ponies…
See Elizabeth smiling her best ‘pony-girl’ grin…
Meanwhile…the artistry continued. I was blown away by how cool the barn was looking!
Pockets inspected. “OH MY GWAD…MY BUTT IS A MESS!”
Now THAT is a HAPPY barn door…
The party was rockin’…
…as the best carrot cake ever was served…
But what about the horsies?
I filled a trough with hay and had the troops sprinkle carrots on top…
Suddenly there was an audience…Gypsy and Star!
They were most attentive…especially when the molasses appeared…
That Star has a looong neck…
I mean really loooong…
We chased the barn gang out to the pasture and shut the gate. It was time for our great leaders to march in the birthday buffet!
Next came Pockets and Grayson…with Grayson charming the girls as always…
What a FEAST! (see the Elders patiently waiting in the pasture)
Elizabeth and I took turns making birthday photos…while Grayson and Pockets munched down with total birthday abandon!
…then finally the Elders were invited in…
Here you see a bit of horse-heaven on earth…
Did I mention it was hot? So very hot in the mountains?
It sure did seem like that fan followed Dave wherever he went……
I know you are wondering if Recluse Man ever got that beer open…
Well…he did…
After our guests left…I couldn’t find Elizabeth…
But Grayson found the beer…
It was a birthday party we will always remember…even the two-year-olds. Right Grayson?
OH MY GWAD. Such a poser that Pockets!
And that my friends…is the end of this chapter from our family album.
How I love a good Tale of Tails!
POCKETS AND THE KENTUCKY DERBY
When Pockets heard it was Kentucky Derby Day this past Saturday, she went ponkers. Only a ponkey can go ponkers.
You should have heard her.
“OH MY GWAD! I MUST GO! NOWNOWNOW! IT’S KENTUCKY DUHBY DAY!!!! I WANNA WEAH A HAT! I WANNA DWINK A MINT JOOWUP! I WANNA BE A WACEHOSS!!”
It was a gorgeous, breezy, spring Saturday on the funny farm. We were all laughing hard, trying to imagine ‘Pockets the racehorse’. Elizabeth was here at her home-away-from-home to work and play with her Pips. My neighbor Suzanne, had also come over for a weekend visit. She loves to walk the Pips and is now officially ‘Mama S’. She sure earned it on Saturday.
When Pockets expressed her great Derby destination desires, we tried to explain how long a trailer ride it would be to Louisville, Kentucky.
I said, “Remember that four hour round trip trailer ride to the vet the other day? Well sextuple that.”
Pockets said, “I HATE IT WHEN YOU TALK DUHTY!”
Oh never mind.
We agreed we’d have our own Kentucky Derby Day right here on the farm. That pawky ponkey knows how to cast a spell! I love this new word I learned…
pawk·y
(pô′kē) adj. pawk·i·er, pawk·i·est Chiefly British. Sly and cunning, often in a humorous manner (see the pawky ponkey make her mamas swoon)
I photographed the Kentucky Derby three years in a row, back in the 90’s. I was with a group of photographers shooting for the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs. Usually I was assigned a spot on the track near the starting gate, which meant I’d shoot the very start of the race and then the last turn before the final stretch to the finish line. It was a thrilling event to photograph, although you sure didn’t want to blow it.
The most fun of course, was spending the entire day at Churchill Downs with access to almost anywhere.
I entertained Pockets with stories from the Derby, as Elizabeth worked on ‘the look’….
Check out Pockets the Ponkey on Derby Day!!!
We tried the ‘ears under’ look…
…but Pockets much preferred the striking ‘one ear out’ look…
“I WANNA MINT JOOWUP!”
Elizabeth tried to get her mind on other things. “Howzabout a carrot?”
“NO CARROT! I WANNA MINT JOOWEP!!”
Things got on the verge of ugly when Mama E ‘borrowed’ her hat and shades…
After that, Pockets went off on her own in search of a mint julep…
I swear we did not give that ponkey a mint julep…although it may appear as such…
“WEAD MY EAW…ONE MINT JOOWUP PWEESE!!!!”
Well at least pull up your socks and put your bonnet on straight!
“MINT JOOWUP NOW!”
Straighten up you PAWKY PONKEY! Let’s go to the races!
‘IS DIS DA STAHTING GATE?” (BIG snort)
“OK OK…I’M WEADY TO BE A WACEHOSS!”
Elizabeth had been training Pockets to follow the carrot stick…
Sometimes the races get off to a slow start…
…and the trainer gets more of a workout…
Go Elizabeth! Git along Lil Ponkey!!!!
Pockets was curious. She was just warming up. “WAT WONG WIF YOU?”
Suzanne to the rescue…that girl is an athlete!!!
Hither and yon they ran…at least as ‘yon’ as you can get in a round pen…
Pockets had long since tossed the hat…then the socks…then the shades. Meanwhile Mama S put on her Derby hat. It’s a Run for the Carrots!
GO POCKETS!
GO!!!!
RACE OVER!!! POCKETS CAUGHT THE CARROT STICK! WOOT!
It had been a marvelous Derby Day. Everyone was exhausted. Or so we thought.
“PWEESE CAN I HAVE A MINT JOOWUP?”
BLOOD, SWEAT & GEARS (Pockets Takes A Trip To The Vet)
OH MY GWAD!
Speaking for Pockets-the-Ponkey, I am sure she would have begun this post with that very same expletive. It’s her favorite line, and what inevitably follows, is some sort of drama.
It was a BIG day for Pockets last week…her first VISIT TO a VET!
A two hour journey down the mountain!
Pockets has been dealing with a leg condition called stifle-lock and Elizabeth was beside herself with worry. If anything, it had gotten worse over the winter.
Stifle lock, or ‘Upward Fixation of the Patella’ (UFP), is fairly common in horses and ponies. The stifle is the upper part of a back leg on a horse and consists of 3 bones: the tibia, femur, and patella. The tibia is like a person’s shin bone, the femur is similar to our thigh bone, and the patella serves as a knee cap connecting them. Stifle lock causes the back legs to pop, or sometimes lock and drag.
Grayson had stifle lock but outgrew it, as is often the case in a young pony or horse. Stifle lock doesn’t hurt a pony but it sure hurts looking at a leg that pops or drags. Elizabeth was coming out nearly everyday to work with Pockets. Exercise is great. And the whole Freeka herd has 24/7 access to the pasture or barn. Which is good. Very good to be mobile.
Sheesh. Somehow I ended up watching The Who in Hyde Park, instead of the news this morning. Much better way to start the day! Their 50th anniversary concert. And this is stuck in my head…
Keep me movin’
Over 50
Keep me groovin’
Just a hippie gypsy
Come on move now
Movin’
Keep me movin’, yeah
Keep me movin’, groovin’, groovin’, yeah
Movin’, Yeah
Mobile, mobile, mobile, mobile
Let’s dedicate that to Pockets. WHEW! I have finally cooled down after watching Roger Daltrey strutting his stuff. That man has no stifle lock whatsoever!
Back to Pockets going mobile.
Mama E and her ponkey discussed the day ahead. Elizabeth told Pockets Dr Meeker is an expert…and I hinted he is a cutie to boot. She would be in good hands.
Here is the P-Pip trying to say Dwoctahh Meekaaahh….
We practiced trailer loading so many times, Pockets was a pro. So long was there was a little grain. (Check out Peak Mountain in this frame. That Mountain. Inspires Me. Every Day.)
I lifted that darn trailer gate so many times with Star-boy and P-pip…I made the excuse I needed to document. My aching back!!! Such heroes…Recluse Man and Karen…
I worship the ground they walk on…and the trailer doors they close!
Elizabeth was happy…Pockets…not so much…(read ear language)…
And check out the look! HEWP!!!! I AM BEING KWIDNAPPED!!!!
When we got to Davie County Large Animal Hospital, in Mocksville, NC, we had a little wait. No problem with that. The grounds and facilities make for a very comfortable visit…
But Holy Patooties!!! Pockets saw the EQUINE AMBULANCE and declared she would not travel home unless it was in that very same ambulance…
Such a Rebel! Such a Drama Queen!
Listen here you ponkey…you are NOT Mariah Carey or Beyonce, or any kind of Diva…demanding special transport!!! (Snort…)
I had to remind her…she didn’t exactly qualify as a ‘LARGE ANIMAL’…(Snorts Galore)…
Thank the Ponkey-Gwad…for Heidi…answering calls and greeting clients. Elizabeth had already declared her a great friend after spending loving-lingering-bragging moments on the phone making the appointment…
Then…the big moment came when Dwoctahh Meekaaahh examined Pockets.
He said…
‘This is the Texas-Ponkey-Two-Step-Syndrome. The way she dances in place!?! Turn up some George Jones!’
(totally fooling…forgive me Dr Meeker…totally-totally fooling)
Time for a serious walk to check out Pocket’s moves. After all…she has never stepped two feet in Texas…
Mama E showed the good doctor a video. Of course Dr Meeker recognized the problem immediately. But wadda-mama-she-is…showing off her ponkey-kid…
It had been eight weeks since Pocket’s last date with our farrier. I had suggested waiting until after our vet-visit to learn the best way to trim her. Too bad the farrier at the clinic was totally booked that day.
I figured Dr Meeker could draw some sharpie lines on her hooves…
But wait a minute…in a stroke of luck…Robert the farrier pulled up. Hay-lelujah!!!! Good to meet you dude! Just in time!!
But first Pockets needed sedation. She has no love for farriers and tends to rear up all high and mighty in defiance. At least as high as she can get. (maybe 4 more inches?)
Here comes the Blood…
The Sweat…(and dirt from rolling in thunderstorms)…
…and the Gears…churning in that ponkey head…
The cute-paleo farrier took over after that. He reminded me of a caveman…no business cards to share…no email…no FaceBook. He just said…”If you need me, they know how to find me here.” We were smitten. At least three out of four of us girls. Pockets not-so-much.
She was suspicious to say the least…the dude had scary tools and dangling ropes…and weird britches…
But in no time, Pockets was having sweet lil ponkey dreams…
Never mind the torture tools at her feet…
In her dreams…Pockets asked Karen….”HOW HIGH DOES A CARROT FLY?”
“Way higher than your chinny chin chin,” Karen replied. Karen is so good at bedtime stories. Pockets was in a trance…imagining flying carrots…
Later on…Mama E and I agreed we might have a crush on our new vet and farrier…but an even BIGGER CRUSH on KAREN!!! For years shce has offered her Tucker Farm as a sanctuary for donkeys and goats in need of rescue. Now she can add ‘ponkey’ to her resume. Without hesitation, she offered to transport Pockets to the vet. Talk about great friends.
Karen…the ponkey-donkey-goat angel!!!
Every angel needs a break. Plus angel-duty meant squatting in front of the fan…ahhh…felt so good. It was hot and sticky down down in the piedmont. My turn!!!
“It’s your second sedation you rascally ponkey…let me tell you a story about the ponkey who fell down and never got up…you listening?” (I admit…I am not so good at bedtime stories).
Elizabeth was enormously proud of her beloved Pockets…
Of course she documented the trim job for our local farrier to see. A half hour of action-packed drama. Soon to be released on Netflix. (not)
This is the final trim. How ’bout that!! Four on the floor…
However, the photo I couldn’t stop studying, shows the difference between her trimmed back hoof (on left), and eight weeks of growth (on right) The new trim gives her better balance and easier movement. Her stifle lock is not gone…but mo’ betta.
One last look after the trim, and a little trot-about. Here is Pockets singing…’The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Girls’. Actually it was more like…”OH MY GWAD…WE DONE???? I WANNA GO HOME NOW-NOW-NOW!!!!”
Well excuse me m’ dear…but we are not quite done. First, Elizabeth had to express her gratitude to the good doctor.
Lots of gratitude…
Back home, Pockets set a personal best for her quickest ‘unload’ time…
Her elders were excited to have their little mascot home…
Grayson not so much. He was still recovering from an AWOL adventure during a thunderstorm the night before…
Pockets doesn’t know this yet, but in five weeks she will have another day of Blood, Sweat, and Gears. Poor wonkey-ponkey!
Thanks to all for following this little Tale of Pockets!
STUBBORN AS A MULE
I wouldn’t dare call Pockets a mule to her face. But technically speaking, it is what she is.
Breed a male (jack) donkey, to a female (mare) horse, and you’ll get a mule.
But the way we see it around here…ya breed a donkey to a pony…ya got a ponkey.
Ponkeys are total cuteness. Ponkeys are endless entertainment. A good ponkey is short and stout, with big ears and will chase away homie-dogs and hyenas. A good ponkey always comes right over after chasing a hyena…in immediate need of a cuddle-rub-hug and a smile.
After all…fearlessness deserves reward.
A good ponkey has a smile that will make you laugh.
Yet..a couple of days ago I found myself laughing my ass off…over a naughty ponkey’s grimaces.
OH MY GWAD…here comes another episode of Trailer Loading Flunkies.
(move over Star)
That same-sinister-black Darth Vader horse trailer that created my personal ‘Star-Wars’ last year, is back. Sitting in my pasture. Waiting for a trip down the mountain to carry Pockets-the-Ponkey to a vet.
Too bad after the trailer arrived, we told Pockets she needed to be ‘vetted’ at the end of April. Big mistake.
Instantly she retorted; I WILL NOT BE VETTED…NOT EVER-NEVER…NOT TO GWAYSON OR ANYBODY…NO VETTINGS FOR ME…GWAYSON NEVER EVEN PWOPOSED!!!!
(What a Drama Queen…I told her she was too young to be wedded…and that’s not what I meant in the first place!)
Ever since, Elizabeth has been diligently teaching Pockets how to load in the monster-trailer. They were making big strides, those two.
Then a couple of days ago when Elizabeth couldn’t make it out, I promised her I would load Pockets. My friend Janice was coming over to collaborate on a round pen session with Star. Janice and I both have three year old geldings and we had agreed to do ‘co-op’ training sessions, sharing time with our boys. It was her turn here. Our goal that day was to put a girth around Star for the very first time.
Success!
I was so tickled to see my crazy boy wearing a fancy belt around his scrawny waist…
Loading Pockets afterward, sounded like a piece of carrot cake. I told Janice I would snap some photos for Elizabeth while she loaded Pockets. Easy-breezy. Nothing to it. The P-Pip had loaded already.
I must mention…Janice is light as a sparrow. Very horse savvy. And full of mischief.
She led Pockets to the trailer ramp and sat down inside.
What the hay?
Star watched from the sidelines with huge trepidation…
No doubt…Pockets was wondering about the new girl at the end of her ponkey leash…
Let the circus begin!
It was about here…
…that I was laughing so hard…I nearly peed my pants…
Meanwhile…Janice was flying by the seat of her pants!
Down the trailer ramp and through the pasture they go!
Star was…shall we say…Startled? Notice Grayson in the distance…chomping away…
Finally Pockets gave into curiosity and stopped pulling…
Pockets-the-Ponkey decided to investigate ‘The Girl Who Wouldn’t Let Go’…
The two of them talked it over…Janice said…YOU ARE STUBBORN AS A MULE!
Pockets said…I AM A PONKEY…NOT A MULE…I AM A FONKEY-WONKEY-PONKEY…YOU HONKEY!
…slowly they made up…
ROLL THE CAMERA!!…B Roll!
Thank Gwad…Elizabeth showed up the next day…
I was worried we had made a wreck of her training progress…
Carrot bribes sure help…
But in the end it was Grayson…
…who saved the day…
All lickety-split that stubborn mule…I mean PONKEY…loaded!
2015 … A YEAR IN PICTURES FROM THE FUNNY FARM
Sheesh…I am hiding in the barn…it’s taken me so freekin’ long to publish a post.
Yes.
It’s me. I’m back. The gone-forever girl.
Lotsa water under the bridge.
Lotsa poo shoveled.
Lotsa trying times.
Lotsa healing days.
Lotsa joy.
Lotsa horses.
Lotsa laughter and love with my tribe… and especially Recluse Man.
Dang. I could write a corny country song.
That was the end of 2015 in a nutshell. And now here it is already the second week of January.
While sweeping out the old and bringing in the new, I thought it might be a good thing to share some of my favorite funny farm photos from 2015. Little did I know how long it would take. In fact…I had to get a wrist brace to finish this post!
Holy Cow Patties…did I ever get carried away! I do believe I have Photoshop Tendonitis.
Before I begin with this indescribably hilarious and seemingly bottomless blog post…(OMG…how many photos and words did I include???)…let me announce our latest addition to the tribe…STAR!!!
That would be the very same Star-Trek-Wars-damn-horse I tried to load on the trailer for 24 days…then finally walked here…2.2 miles in 45 minutes..smooth and easy.
After a short trial period with Star and Gyps and the Pips…about one week before Christmas…my crazy boyfriend…that Recluse Man who I love…told me he wanted to buy Star as a Christmas gift for me.
HAPPY HEART POUNDING WITH GLEE!! INDESCRIBABLE JOY BEYOND WORDS!!! That’s what I was feeling when Recluse Man asked me what I thought about the idea. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS!!
Welcome to the farm…you hot-blooded-red-headed stranger..STAR!
You’re mine all mine!
Now for some favorite farm photos from 2015…
Let’s start with Freeka’s Funny Farm covered in snow…
Grayson and Pockets had arrived two days before Christmas 2014, when their Mama Elizabeth brought them to live on the farm. They were born into feral herds in June 2014, at Grayson Highlands State Park. Three months later, Elizabeth bought them at the annual pony auction. Six months after their birth…they joined my tribe.
OK…so one is a ponkey…(half pony – half donkey). Guess who?
(hint…the one hiding her ears…)
What the hay??? Gypsy had never seen such pip-squeaks before! Could it be???? Gyps & the Pips??? Move over Gladys Knight!!!
Such short legs running in the snow!
Gypsy wondered if she was ready to be a soccer mom…
Will they ever grow?
She thought…they were so funny looking…
But with such a sense of humor! Why Gypsy was a smash at motherhood!
Then one February day, a pot bellied pig named D.O.G. arrived…
His human, Tommy, had been looking for a good home for him…
A little peanut butter bribery on a stick, and D.O.G. discovered his new home in our abandoned chicken coop…
No doubt…D.O.G. wondered where he had landed…is this the moon?
I was so tickled to have a pig.
I mean he WAGGED HIS TAIL AT ME…the very FIRST MORNING!!!!
I GUSHED and SWOONED!!!! (while he chomped and smiled)
On the second morning, after the weather got very cold, D.O.G. figured out where Recluse-Banana Man lives…
Recluse-Banana Man is way more fun than those mean ponies and yapping dogs…
They were so up close and personal…
D.O.G. decided ‘Running with the Pips’ wasn’t for him…
After that…the pigster free-range grazed until I worried he’d become bigger than our house…
D.O.G. considered going on a diet…(very briefly)…in order to fit through the dog door…
Meanwhile…winter was still wagging around…
I’ve always loved that late-winter day when the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks finally arrive…
Elizabeth and I did silly things and made lots of photos…
We found out Grayson does not like to wear hats or jewelry…but will gladly nibble on any-damn-thing…don’t ask me about Mama E’s taste in hairdos…
Pockets? Why she just LUUUVS to dress-up!
Our Starlet!
It was the Pips first winter!
“Who cares?”…said the pig! I’m running away from home…
Sing it Toots!
No matter what season…Blue pursued his favorite pastime…
…while I found the secret to giving D.O.G. a successful pedicure…
When the warm weather returned, Recluse Man did some spring cleaning. Much to Lily’s disgust…he tossed the TrAshe county porch couches!!! WTCOUCH???
In between repairing fences, Recluse Man discussed the merits of having white hair…with his favorite hairy-white friend Pockets…
As a result…she felt uplifted!!!
After all…she’s a honkey-fonkey-furry-white-ponkey!!!
Pockets…”OH MY GWAD…It’s tough hangin’ wif a fwend like Gwayson…”
Hey let’s not forget how cute the pigster is…all posing in front of the rhododendron…he is…
By early spring, Elizabeth and I were walking Gyps and the Pips to the river and around the neighborhood. The Pips were learning about halters and lead ropes and voice commands…(theoretically)
Spring on the farm!!!
Spring is for the birds!! It was my first year putting suet out through the winter and beyond…
Such payoffs! (ok…so I’ve never had a grackle at a feeder before)
Jesse-Linguini was nearly fully recovered from her ACL surgery by spring, and was ready to run and play outside…ya think?
Jess…”gimme one more dang dog toy and Ima rip out yer persnal sqweeker…5 sekunds or less”)
Then…Pockets saw her first rainbow…
…and fainted…
…what a drama queen…
Elizabeth comes out every chance she gets…
…while Recluse Man and I try to find a little time to ourselves…
…but there’s always competition…and serenading in the background…HA!
Then when we finally GO somewhere…
… it FREEKIN’ rains!!!
Who cares??? We’ll make the most of it!
Back on the farm…while I was tending to daily chores… 
Recluse Man was singing in the shower…and that would be the Minny Whinny shower!
If I recall, he was singing…”Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain…” …oh go SPLISH SPLASH..will ya?!
What the heck you doin’ there Recluse Man???? Quite the psychedelic landscape…are you on the Magic Bus?
D.O.G. enjoyed hanging out on our porch and gave up on the chicken coop sometime during late spring. He was fine with going up three steps to get to the porch…but he made it perfectly clear he did not like going back down the steps. It required serious bribery.
As experts…we found tortilla Pringles worked the best…
Then we set up a ramp. It was an instant success with at least two of the d.o.g.s…
Dog Day Afternoon…but where’s the D.O.G.? Did he really go down the ramp????
Tommy showed up one hot summer day and shortly after we decided I would become D.O.G.’s permanent human. Hot diggity D.O.G.!!!
Nuttin’ like having a watermelon-eatin’ partner who doesn’t spit seeds…
I hope we don’t start looking like each other…like dog owners so often do…
The pigster loves it when spa day rolls around…
He gets a pedicure…a facial…a tusk cleaning…and…WATERMELON!!!…
It didn’t take long to realize…if the pigster’s nails aren’t polished…he develops a shoe fetish…
We love a reason to throw a good party around here…
When the Pips turned one…
…we made the most of it…
…until Pockets got schnockered on molasses and we had to cut her off…
Then Fourth of July…
I had one hat to share…
….well maybe two…
Go Toots!…the others skedaddled when they heard fireworks in the distance…something to be said about ‘hard of hearing’…how I know…right Toots?
RIGHT TOOTS?
SUMMER…my first, second, third…favorite season…
When I go to war with the watercress…
…and I think I’m winning…but not…
(Let’s check in with Blue again…ok…still the same.)
When summer rolls around, we buy new Koi from a local high school FFA program. That’s after the freekin’ great blue herons and raccoons and kingfishers have feasted to the point of heartbreak and tears through the previous seasons.
The release of a new generation brings joy and anticipation. Yet often, we don’t see them for up to a full year after their release in our pond. Fortunately, we picked out some exhibitionists this time around…
…good luck amigos…
…listen to your elders..
…and follow your bliss…(before the barracudas show up…)
Back to summer….
Did I mention Recluse Man’s summertime pizzas??? LOADED with love…and olives…and herbs and peppers and cheese…fresh from the garden and markets…
The pigster was caught stalking…like ….’every breath you take…every move you make…Ima watchin’ you’…PIZZA…REALLY????
Occasionally the pigster would go AWOL. I freaked when he did this the first two times…but then realized it was a simple search and rescue to bring him home.
I am…after all…D.O.G.’s…The Bounty Hunter…with CHEERIOS!!!!
Ah Ha!!! Got him!
Meanwhile…Lily greeted every visitor to the farm…
…and experimented with mud packs…
…while the other d.o.g.s laughed…or napped at the thought of such ambition…
“Hey Toots…those ain’t marshmallows …ok girl?”
Who Cares???? Look what Recluse Man got….
Lookin’ good biker dude…it’s a Honda Shadow for croooooosin’!!
Summer is wonderful. After weedwacking and sweating and mowing for hours…I pretend I’m livin’ the life. Coconut bras and pineapple drinks galore…(oops…did I order the wrong size coco’s?)
And then I started blogging…and life changed…
I found myself sharing thoughtful, retrospective, deep-delving glimpses and realizations…even while revisitng my boarding school of years past…
…I found myself sharing the kind of urban chick I used to be…when I had a studio and lived five minutes from town…
I found myself chomping on the reins to share every little ride…
ENOUGH!!! TIME OUT!!!
Does anyone need a TV or couch? ….
OK. Back to work…it’s hay season!! (wtf???…are those Pips loose?)
Is this Meals on Wheels?
Somehow I got talked into pullin’ and stackin’ bales…
It’s a primitive and itchy job…
…that requires some airing out…
…and a good farm hand on hand…
Meanwhile…during hay season…Pockets discovered she lives in a gated community!!!
…yet not far away is an authentic outhouse!!!!
(Oh My GWAD…people poop! lemme outta here!!!)
Blue continued to pursue his favorite pastime…
…as did his bgf…Moondust…
The hummers were a daily sideshow…I made hundreds of hummer photos…
…and braved the rain (from under the deck roof)… 
I was not alone in my fascination…
Moondust had arisen…
…while the Pips practiced their two-step…
…and the pigster turned rasta…
Then Halloween rolled around…
…or is that Elizabeth rolling around???
Pockets finally met ‘the Great Ponkin’…(dang…that hat gets around)…
…then chomped The Great Ponkin’s offspring…
…while D.O.G. dressed as Wilbur…
“Trick or Treat???”…the pigster asked…
“TRICK OR TREAT…LET ME IN OR I’LL BLOW THE DANG DOG DOOR IN!”
Waza matter pigster….been chompin’ too many treats…’eh???
Ahhh…the beauty of autumn…when the Pips run wild…(or just stand and chomp)…
…an occasional walk is good…
Next thing ya know it’s snowing…wait…that’s not snow…ah hem…Lily…oh LILY???
“It gets so cold outside….paleeze let us in????” (use the dang dog door dummies!)
Holiday season is on…
…and Elizabeth seemed to love her new Muck Boots…
…but I had to tell her to tuck in her pants…WTH girlie???
…she got it…finally…
…meanwhile the pigster had moved inside..and tried to disguise himself among the spotty furniture…
It was pointless to try and hide with a sock monkey…indeed..catastrophic…
…it became a funny farm…’cativity scene’…
Yet I was discouraged…trying to load Star to bring him to the farm…I knew…he knew…he wasn’t going to fit in my car…
After days and days of working with him…I got him to load…
…so long as no one was at the back gate…
Finally after 24 days of trying to transport Star in the trailer…I decided we’d trek 2.2 miles to my farm. What a Star-Trek…one mile of which was on a fast two lane highway…this part had me freeked….until we had a perfect practice walk…
I was never happier to get him on the farm in one piece…
….then we all fell to pieces over his dance steps…
…even Grayson…the little man…
Star had never met a critter so poised and confident…and wanting to smell his butt…as Pockets…
Let’s get on with Christmas!
Too bad Mama E had to leave for her hometown of New Orleans…
…but of course Santa would watch over her Pips…
…when he wasn’t posing…
…or caught in the act….(What the heck…Santa…that’s my barn door!!!)
I quickly forgave Santa when he gave me a horse of my own for Christmas…
…dats right you red-headed beauty…you are part of the tribe now!!!
…shall we belly-bump Santa?
Pockets was not amused…there was nothing in HER stocking…”WAAAAAH?”
…dang…even the rasta pigster who doesn’t celebrate holidays that feature ham on the table…
…got something!!!
…as Linguini says…”it’s all in your attitude…”
…and with that…I believe the year closed on a good note…let’s ask Grayson…
..better yet…lemme hug on Santa…
Stay tuned for more zaniness from the funny farm in 2016…
Be back soon…ya hear?
PHOTO OF THE DAY – STAR LIGHT, STAR FIGHT – November 15, 2015
There are plenty of documentary photos from the attempted trailer loading of my friend Star today. However…I would rather not edit them now and be reminded of the hours we spent futily trying to load that stubborn mule.
I had the very best of help with Team Trailer Star…thanks to Karen, Janice, Elizabeth, and Recluse Man. I thought Recluse Man might ride away on Buck while we weren’t watching. I mean…he had big feelings for that horse. But there was no breaking up Star-Buck today.
After more than two hours of rearing and balking and roping and walking…we chose to leave the trailer behind.
I will work with Star tomorrow…hopefully getting him adjusted and loading in the trailer with no big distractions.
Team Trailer Star and I would rather have it go peacefully and naturally…even if it takes a few days…rather than use force and fear tactics.
But keep in mind…YOU STUBBORN MULE…THE FORCE IS WITH US!!!!
So there’s your stubborn mule Photo of the Day.
PHOTO OF THE DAY – STAR LIGHT- November 14, 2015
For Photo of the Day…here is Star, (my wish), in the lead during this afternoon’s round-up. What is it about this horse?? He’s a scrawny-doofus-goofball…yet I am smitten…
Elizabeth helped me herd the horsies to a lower paddock at their farm a few miles away. The plan is to load Star on a trailer bound for my farm, first thing tomorrow morning.
Wishes be true!!! I will have the whole winter to work with him and love on him and train him.
The light this afternoon was striking. The sun was so low, even though only 3 pm. Such a blue sky and crisp shadows. It was a wacky-wonderful round-up shoot-and-visit.
Wish I had the energy to share more photos.
No…I take that back. I only have one wish for tonight.
See you tomorrow Mr. Star-light.