Hello my friends, and welcome to another installment of the Gimli Gazette, your only source for the equine perspective of life here at Mercy Spring Ranch.
The big news of the week was the arrival of Noel, our new ranch lamb. Naturally the first order of business was her being introduced to yours truly. My first impression is that she will be a welcome addition to the ranch. The children will love her, and she will provide a useful distraction if I need to sneak away and do some mischief.
An example of this was when Miss Mo set down a bag of Noel’s pellets (food). She thought that it was out of my reach. As she attended to Noel, I reached out and grabbed the bag of munchies. Alas, I made too much noise. Before I could devour these treats, Miss Mo grabbed the pellets and hid them away. This will not be my last attempt to partake of forbidden fruit/food. I will just have to enter into ninja stealth mode before making the attempt.
I must say that Noel is rather noisy. She seems to have a lot to say, and rarely pauses to let other animals speak when in their presence. Perhaps this will change after she feels more comfortable with the horse herd. In the meantime, Miss Mo has no grounds to complain about my late-night music with Noel on the ranch.
Noel will not feel alone on a ranch filled with horses. A loaner goat (yearling Nigerian Dwarf doe) arrived on Saturday from Northern California to keep Noel company. Her name is Nutmeg. Alas, Noel was so exited to meet Nutmeg that she was overfriendly and scared poor Nutmeg. The goat ended up jumping on the roof of a doghouse to escape the constant attention of Noel. The plan is to find a permanent friend for Noel in a few months.
Last Friday was mani-pedi day at the ranch, when all the horses got their hooves trimmed. I could not decide if I wanted a basic treatment, an acrylic job, a gel (with Shellac), or a French and dip powder. I decided to let the Farrier do what he thought was best, and then customize it back in my paddock to my own personal specifications.
Last Saturday was another opportunity for volunteers to help out with projects around the ranch. To my great delight, two girls from the last session came by to serve. Naturally they wanted to visit with me, and I was thrilled with all the attention. It made me miss the children from all of the sessions even more. April cannot come soon enough!
Well that’s all for this week. Please continue to pray for Ladyhawke, as she continues to recover from Pigeon Fever. We are hoping that a new treatment recommended by the medical staff will be effective.
Happy Trails,
Gimli February 20, 2023