Brown, yellow and gray travails

Brown and yellow and gray.  Everything in our pony world is brown and yellow and gray. It is pretty boring.  There is hardly any white stuff at all.  Sometimes there is a little at night, but then the next day it turns brown.  Where there used to be nice green grass, it is brown and yellow. There are some green trees in the magical forest, but we can't get in there any more.  Most of the ponies are brown as well.  Even the black and red and gray ones are brown.  A couple of days ago, we heard the lady coming in the little green truck thing with our morning hay so we all gathered around to wait for her.  But instead of coming across the field like it usually does, the little green truck thing started going sideways and then it went backwards right into some bushes.   Usually the little green truck thing has more sense than that, but maybe it was trying to hide from something scary.  But we didn't see anything scary.  We just saw our breakfast stopping in bushes really far away.  Then the lady walked off in the opposite direction which was really disheartening.  After a long while (like forever) the big orange machine came bouncing along on it's round feet and it went over and stood in front of the green truck thing.  The lady got out and talked to the truck thing and the orange machine and then she climbed on the orange machine's back and it started to back up and the green truck thing followed it out of the bushes.  When it was out about five pony lengths, she got off the orange machine and rode in the green truck thing to bring us our hay.  Then, that afternoon, she came a different way in the green truck thing and it got all obstinate and wouldn't climb out of some brown holes that were really wet and she had to go climb on the orange machine that was still sitting in the field from the morning and it came and talked the green truck thing into bringing us our hay AGAIN.  Like it wasn't bad enough that we had to be out in wind and water that fell all day and all night and filled up the creeks and made our pastures squishy.  But last night it got cold so the water in the pastures and the creeks turned hard and gray on top.  As you know, it is very dangerous to try to walk on the flat gray ground, so us ponies try to not do that. So this morning, the green truck came down to the field with the lady and our hay, but we couldn't get over to it because we were on the side of the creek with the sheds.  The lady came walking over to see if the bridge was washed out because there was a way lot of water and the big logs that used to be along the side of the trail where we walked to the bridge were now sideways and in the way.  She stepped over the logs and walked to where the gray ground was along the bridge and Toby went and stood on the bridge to watch to see if she fell down and disappeared.  But the gray ground just crunched and brown squishy ground came up through it and she walked right through it.  Hooray!  Toby stepped on the gray ground and it turned squishy too.!   So we knew that we were saved from starvation and we all came trotting across the bridge and said Hi! to the lady.  She went one way back toward the hay and we went the way we usually go on the trail, but that was flat shiny gray ground too, so rather than risk it, we had to turn around and follow the lady across the lumpy ground with the sticks.  We finally got our hay and it was delicious.

Negativity

Us ponies are dealing with a lot of negative stuff.  As in, we are just not getting stuff.   Like, for instance, apples.  For a while, there were lots of apples.  I mean LOTS of apples.  The trees along our fields had apples and ladies would show up and throw the apples in to us that fell outside of our reach. The ladies would bring apples in the big orange machine and in the little green truck thing.  Now, no apples.  None.  And the various ladies stopped coming to see us and tell us we were beautiful and brushing our manes and tails.  The grass got really short and even tho we can tell that it is green when we look out over the field, if you run over to eat it, there is hardly anything there.  So our lady brings us hay in the big orange machine.  The orange machine is noisy, so we can hear it coming and we run over to watch it's round feet disappear into the soft wet ground.  There is a lot of water splashing around too.  Sometimes the orange machine goes sideways and we worry that it isn't going to come over to our gate, but it usually does.  The orange machine decides whether we get the hay at our gate, in the nets or by the woods where there are no nets, but where the lady can put it on the tiny grass. Sometimes, the orange machine comes to the other side of our pasture.  That was where it showed up yesterday morning, but in the afternoon, the lady came with another lady in the little green truck thing.  The hay was in the back of the truck thing, but the ladies didn't give us the hay, even though I was standing right by the rope fence and chasing away the little gray ponies who think they can boss me around (but they can't.)  The ladies had their hard shiny hats on and they carried straps that they put on Harley and Haylie's heads.  Then they led Harley and Haylie back over to where the log ring and the sheds and other gates are.  Us ponies were pretty amazed at that.  So we followed to see what was going to happen.  Along the way, the ladies gave Harley and Haylie some carrots and good treats that they had in their pockets.  That was totally unfair. When we got to the other side of the bridge, we were pretty sure that they were planning to give secret hay to Harley and Haylie, because that is where we usually get hay.  So we galloped up and flew by them and milled around to see where the secret hay was.  The ladies stood up on pieces of big logs and said "Mount up" and Haylie and Harley stood right next to them so the ladies could sit on their backs, but we wanted to get carrots and treats, so we crowded around and some of the ponies were trying to bite Haylie  (Most of the ponies know better than to bite Harley.)  So the lady got back off Harley and they went to where the rope fence will come apart and took Haylie and Harley right across the rail that is usually hanging up there.  Right by where we sometimes get hay.  And they got more CARROTS!  It was insufferable behavior!  We thought about rushing through the rope and rail, but then we ran down the fence line and started calling for them to return immediately and to bring the secret hay or regret it forever.  Haylie didn't know what to think.  She was getting treats and was pretty happy about being away from the other ponies.  Harley thought he should come back to us and help us look for the secret hay, so he started jumping around.  That made the lady laugh a little.  She found a stump in the woods and got on Harley's back while the other lady climbed on Haylie.  Then they disappeared into the woods for a little while.  We ran around in the field and yelled for them to come back.  It was really horrible to think that they were out there getting stuff we couldn't have.  (Except for Toby, he laid on the ground and rolled and turned himself from a gray pony into a brown pony.)  Then they came back and came in through the hay gate.  We STILL didn't get any hay.  Our lady got off Harley and got on Toby, even though he was brown.  We told Haylie we were going to bite her as soon as that other lady was done giving her treats, but the other lady gave us some treats too.  Our lady told Toby he had to carry her back to the other side of the pasture and then we remembered that there was hay over there in the green truck thing.  HOORAY!  So we galloped back over there as fast as we could. (Our lady got off Toby and let him gallop with us, rather than getting thrown off in the mud.)  Then we finally got our hay.  It was a harrowing afternoon.                          

Safety Guide for deer season

This time of year, many ladies who sit on ponies are afraid to go out in the woods around here because they have concerns for their safety when the "deer hunters" are prowling about.  So I have decided to compile some safety tips for the deer hunters.
Tip #1:  Deer hunters should know what their quarry looks like.  Almost all White-tailed deer are grayish-brown.  They have four legs and some of them have antlers like trees growing on their heads.  So if you see something that is white or black or has spots on it, it is probably not a deer.  Even baby deer don't have spots on them this time of year.  Since you don't have an exotic animal-killing license, you shouldn't shoot at it.
Tip #2:  If it has clothing on it, it is not a deer.  Deer hardly ever wear coats, or hats or blankets.
Tip #3:  If you see it inside a fenced area, don't shoot at it.  This means that if you climbed over or cut through a fence, and now you see something that might be a deer, too bad, it is not your deer to shoot at. That just the way it is. 
Tip#4:  If you see something in the woods and you are not sure if it is a deer, you can yell out to it and ask it. If it says "Yes, I am a deer" -- Do NOT shoot it!"  That is called sarcasm, and deer are never sarcastic.  Only people are sarcastic.  Do not shoot people. If it runs away, it might have been a deer. Oh well, maybe now you will know for next time.  
Tip #5:  You can look up what deer look like on the internet, where there are lots of pictures and videos.  (Like this one  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khKrd1RNy2U ) You can also see them in movies about Santa Claus and Bambi.         

Apples

So every day, the lady comes back to see us and brings us good stuff to eat.  For a while she brought us hay.  But the nice grass was growing so she stopped that. Other ladies come to visit us too and the ladies sit on some of our backs and give us lots of treats.  I always want our lady to sit on my back, but sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't.  For awhile, it was Sienna every day.  Sienna didn't want the lady to get up high and be on top of her back.  So she would walk around and around the big stump that the lady stands on until I thought that lady was going to fall right over. Whenever the lady takes us over to the stump, she gets really tall, and then she leans over and puts her front feet on our backs. (Her front feet are wiggly and are always holding on to stuff, since the lady hardly ever uses her mouth to pick stuff up the right way.)  When you feel her foot on your back, you are supposed to stop and then the lady will make a sound with her mouth and you get something to eat!  It is great fun. As soon as you hear her say "Mount Up"  you should go stand next to a stump. Not all the ponies know this as well as some of us smarter ponies. Sienna didn't like when the lady got tall and she especially didn't want to stand there when the lady leaned on her. She took up a lot of time that the lady could have been giving us other ponies treats by walking in circles.  Finally the lady sat on her back, but it was still another week before the lady was able to sit on her back and Sienna figured out how to walk and stop.  I can do that really good now.  Me and my sister Gypsy have been practicing bunches of times and we try to teach the lady to give us treats.  The lady is confused much of the time and has us walking in the wrong direction (away from our friends) and sometimes we go over big logs instead of logically walking around them.  We put up with her because of the treats.  Another lady comes and sits on top of Haylie or my mom Tudi. Haylie gets apples because they walk over to the apple tree and then that lady reaches up and pulls apples right off the tree. So as soon as that lady gets on her back, Haylie wants to walk to the next field and get apples so we all follow to see if we can get some apples too.  Our regular lady sits on different ponies when she isn't messing around with Sienna, Billy or Harley or Tux or Toby or one of us shorter ponies.  If she sits on Harley, Harley gets very happy and jumps around.  Sometimes he jumps over logs, and sometimes he just jumps. He is exuberant. And sometimes Harley and Haylie and the ladies go through the gate and walk around in the woods.  When those ponies come back, they think they are way cooler than the rest of us, even tho they are really sweaty.   Then Harley paws with his foot and lays down and rolls and the lady gives him treats for doing that.  But usually, we just get apples for being here when the ladies show up.  They pull the little green truck thing up to the fence and yell "Ponies!"  And then it starts raining apples. The apples are bouncing every which direction, so we have to run after them and try to get them before Billy or Harley or Gypsy do.  We love apples!                   

Lucky ponies

Us ponies have been so busy, I hardly have time to blog.  It is hot or cool and there are lots of bugs.  The little flying bugs go in our ears and the big bugs with the green heads bite our bellies and our legs.  If we go in our fancy sheds, we can elude them sometimes.  But there is much nice grass, so we can't stay in the sheds all day.  It is good when wet stuff falls down because then the bugs are gone.  And when it is breezy and cool, that is the best time of all.  The lady comes to see us every morning and sometimes she brings other ladies along. The other ladies sat on Haylie and on Gypsy, but they didn't sit on me.  Usually, just the one lady comes back to see us and puts stuff in our ears to make the little bugs stay away.   It works for a while, but then the little bugs come back.  The lady always has treats in her pockets, so we try to get some of those treats.  She usually walks around and makes a clicking noise with her mouth and gives anyone a treat who comes over to her.  But then all bets are off, because some ponies get treats and some don't.  Harley thinks he should have all the treats, so he walks next to the lady and tries to put his nose under the pockets and flip the treats out on the ground.  That works good when the lady is cutting pieces off a pony's foot and is distracted, but it doesn't work good when she is keeping an eye on him.  He has to work for the treats by backing up or going sideways or going over to piles of logs and going across them when the lady points at them and says "JUMP!"  Harley hardly ever jumps, he just walks across the logs. He likes to pick things up with his mouth and then he gets treats when the lady takes the things out of his mouth. There are long green squishy things and Fusion's hat, that Harley has decided is HIS hat.  Harley hogs all the treats, so sometimes the lady makes him stay inside the ring of logs so she can give treats to the other ponies.  One day us other ponies were running around so Harley got tired of standing in the ring of logs and he jumped out.  He didn't get any treats for that tho.   The lady has been messing with that big fancy dark pony Tux who is very handsome and most of the little ponies are madly in love with him.  (The lady wishes I was in love with him sometimes.)  Tux is having some kind of digestive issue, so you definitely don't want to stand behind him.  The lady gives him medicine every day, so now he thinks he is special and comes running as soon as he sees her. She puts a big lumpy squeaky thing on his back and a strappy leather thing on his head and stands next to him up high and makes loud noises.  Tux thinks that is fine as long as some other boy pony doesn't come along.  There are four boy ponies and Tux is at the bottom of the boy pony list. The other boy ponies don't think Tux should get all that attention, so they barge right in and try to chase him away.
   Now that it is warm and there is nice grass, some of us ponies have gotten a bit rotund. We are way cute like that.  We are having a lot of fun back here with the nice grass and the stream and the hills and the logs.  We have deer and turkeys and sheds.  We are lucky ponies.                      

Treats

FINALLY us ponies are getting some action back here.  After all the snow and the cold and the biting string sometimes falling down and my dad Bob getting into our pasture and us getting hay every day and then Tux coming to live with us, even tho we all hate him except my mom, Tudi, -- finally, we are getting something interesting.  The lady came back with the big orange machine and drove it around outside and inside our pasture yesterday.  The dirt is wet and sucks our feet way down so the round things on the orange machine were sunk way down too and sometimes they just went around without making the orange machine even go anywhere.  The machine made super huge ruts in the wet dirt and the lady made it dig even bigger ruts and then she put a black tube in one of the ruts and then covered it up.  But then today, things got really exciting.  The lady showed up and she slogged through the really really wet dirt and came out to where we were laying down in our pasture.  It is almost dry out here where we have a little bit of nice grass.  The lady had crunchy treats in her pockets so we were really happy to see her.  Of course, only special (read "bossy") ponies got to eat any of the crunchy treats.  The lady had some funny-looking leather strap things that she tried to put on Toby's head.  But the first one was too big and the second one was too small.  So she put the smaller one on Billy's head.  Then she and Billy went over to the log ring and Billy got brushed a little and then they practiced Billy standing at certain places.  Billy is the boss of all of us, but he is sensitive and worries about stuff.  The lady sat on his back and they just walked around a little bit.  Billy thought it was kind of fun because the lady would make a click noise and then he would get one of those crunchy treats. When they were done walking around, the lady called us ponies and Harley came running over.  Harley knew that she had treats in her pockets.  He went in the log ring and they practiced standing at certain places too.  Then the lady sat on Harley's back.  But since none of the leather strap things fit on Harley too good, she didn't put one on his head.  Then she asked Harley to "Wok" and stuff.  Harley LOVES that he gets treats when the lady is on his back.  Back when he learned to have the lady sit on his back, there were no treats and NOW there are TREATS!  Harley gets really beside himself over the clicking and the treating. He didn't want to Wok and Ho. He wanted to jump and run in jubilation.  The lady could see that this was not going to go as planned. ( I quite frankly can't figure out what she was planning when she got on that pony without any tack...)  She asked Harley to "Ho", but Harley started to spin and jump.  The lady fell off onto the wet soft ground.  Then Harley really ran and bucked.  But he didn't get a click or a treat for that. So then the lady got the bigger leather strap thing and kind of made it fit on Harley's head.  Then they walked around a little bit with the lady sitting on his back and Harley got some treats for turning and stopping.  Then the lady got Haylie and put the stappy thing on her head because it fits on her.   They walked around in the log ring too.  Haylie was suspicious of the treating and the stuff in the log ring.  She thought it was too easy.
   So I don't know when it will be my turn in the log ring.  But I hope it will be soon, because I am one of the special-est ponies in the whole field. 

A break in the weather?

So us ponies are starting to think maybe the white stuff will go away.   You  know, when we look around, there is still white stuff everywhere.  Just like there has been for a really really really long time.  Us ponies made trails where we always walk, so the white stuff is tromped down along there and by the nets where we get our hay, but other places, the white stuff is over our knees, so it is hard to walk there.  We run around over by the nets along the big logs fence when the lady brings our hay down, so from outside the fence, it looks like the logs are only about as high as our knees, but we can't actually get out there, (probably) because it is just an illusion.  If we go right up to the logs, they are not as high as when it is warm, but unless we can knock the logs off, they are still too high for us to want to jump over. But even tho there is white stuff and it is cold and fog comes out of our noses in the morning, the days are getting longer and when the sun is out, our backs get really nice and warm.  There are some non-tasty bushes that are starting to turn red, even tho they don't have any leaves on them or anything. This morning, the lady was throwing hay in to Krissy and her pony band and they have a little white and red bird house hanging on their fence, back behind their shed.  The lady hardly ever goes back there in the summer, but she has been throwing hay there so that the ponies can eat it out of the wind.  She flipped up the red lid of the bird house and said "Oops!  Sorry Mrs Bluebird!"  And most telling is that us ponies are getting itchy. My beautiful winter fur is not coming off, but it is starting to itch.  That means the lady is going to have to start coming back here every day with her combs and brushes and scratching on us and bringing us lots of carrots. Otherwise, why would we keep her around?