Hello again, from the wonderful world of Gimli. I have much to share this week, so let’s get to it!
Saturday was our first Heirloom Tomato Tasting event at the new ranch. The turnout was amazing! Folks spent time tasting a variety of tomatoes, sampling hot sauces and soups, hearing a Garden Talk with Q&A, and posing for selfies with yours truly.
I was meticulously groomed by Miss A. before the event, so I looked marvelous (and she also looked after me during the day). I was so exhausted after the event (and from the heat!) that I stretched out in my paddock (after the last guest left) for a nice long nap.
I have two humble suggestions to make next year’s event even better. First of all, I would add a new sauce to the tasting table. It is my own personal recipe (patent pending), which I call Galloping Gimli. It has quite a kick (snicker, snicker), as any horse will tell you. When you think of natural hotness, you will automatically think of Gimli.
My second suggestion (with no ulterior motive) is to remove the sign that was placed on my Feeder. It said, Please Do Not Feed Us. I tried to explain to Miss Mo that allowing the children to feed me endless apples, carrots, and hay would go a long way towards encouraging guest participation in ranch activities. She did not buy it! Oh well, my waistline thanks her for being strong.
I received eight different question cards during the day (including one from a cat). I will answer all the questions over the next few weeks. I assure you — no letter will be left behind!
A young writer asks, “What was it like when you were a baby?” I admit that I do not remember much of life when I was a foal. When I turned one year old and became a yearling, I remember my parents saying that they had truly birthed a gifted child/haflinger. Time has proven them to be prophets.
The same writer also asked, “How do you digest your food?” Actually, a horse’s stomach works somewhat like a human’s stomach. Since horses are herbivores (only eating plant material), the digestive process is quite simple.
The difference between horses and human digestive systems is that we digest first in our foregut, and then the feed ferments in the hindgut. I could go into more detail, but some of my fans like to read this blog on their lunch breaks, and I do not want to spoil their appetites.
There is so much more to say, but I will save it for next week’s posting. Thanks again to all the volunteers who served so faithfully last Saturday. You are a big part of blessing the children at Mercy Spring Ranch.
Happy Trails,
Gimli August 22, 2022