Only got about half the mowing done, finish tomorrow.
Did hit 300 hours on the LS
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Day got off to slow start (see below)
Late morning loaded up the pups and Soph to go to PO and leisure trip to Waimea for lunch and blizzard from DQ. About hour ride each way. Made for nice, relaxing together time. I had the burger and fries from local burger place, Soph had a chinese mixed plate at the Parker Ranch SC food court.
Gave the pups their chicken mcnuggets after we got home then out to mow a couple hours.
Duncan, the neighborhood horse passed away yesterday. Now, he wasn’t owned by the neighborhood. His owner was Kelvin, friend and neighbor who lives at end of the road down the hill. In his prime, Duncan was a working asset as Kelvin is a rancher, having several hundred head of cattle up and down the road, but Duncan hadn’t done a round up in a few years, retired, put out to pasture as they say. He was about 30 yo. Very doubtful Kelvin ever thought of him as a pet. That’s where Sophie and neighbors come in. Not to suggest he was neglected, but some felt he needed more attention. No idea how many bags of apples, those 10 lb bags of carrots and endless varieties of fruits and veggies Sophie has taken to him last 7+ years. Others brought alfalfa cubes, senior horse feed, watering containers, insect spray, and who knows what. Probably half our visitors adopted him during their stays with us. If the days were dry, we’d lug multiple milk jugs of water to fill his trough. I’d often joke that he knew the vehicles in the neighborhood, trotting toward the fence when he saw one that usually meant treats, ignoring those that ignored him. But other than these neighbors, his only friends were the cows in the pasture and Howard, the stray dog who lives outside the pasture fence (but another story).
Last year, we got a new set of neighbors, two 20 acre parcels up from us. Younger, newly retired, Ted and Marilyn hit the ground running. Marilyn even flew her horse, Linus, from the mainland. Not only rides, but drives him as well. She had him since a youngster, 18-19 years as I recall.
Being as they were hard working, traveling professionals, Linus was boarded most of his life. Marilyn was concerned he was alone here, not adapting quickly. So Sophie suggests, talk to Kelvin, surely you could bring Duncan up to your place, he’s lonely too. How could he refuse
. And toward the end of last year Duncan was walked up the road to join Linus. Marilyn had a 3 stall barn built, a first for Duncan. The vet was called to check him out, and regularly for periodic care. The farrier took care of both. Linus didn’t know about cows, wild pigs, eating Hawaiian grass, Duncan didn’t know about baths, grooming, food and water in a shelter. They became best buds, to the point that Marilyn had to watch how she treated one in the presence of the other. These past months may have been the best of his life.
We saw him just a couple days ago when we delivered tomatoes. Looked good, even came over and nuzzled me, and I’m not a horse person. Both were roaming free within the yard. Soph commented how good he looked but Marilyn said his seizures had been increasing. Don’t recall what from, but no treatment.
We got the call last night from another friend. Another neighbor told Sophie that Linus was vocal all night. I’m not knowledgable enough to say whinny or neigh.
When I talked to Marilyn this morning, she said Linus was really upset, then again she was still choked up herself.
A neighborhood fixture, Duncan will be missed by many.
. And toward the end of last year Duncan was walked up the road to join Linus. Marilyn had a 3 stall barn built, a first for Duncan. The vet was called to check him out, and regularly for periodic care. The farrier took care of both. Linus didn’t know about cows, wild pigs, eating Hawaiian grass, Duncan didn’t know about baths, grooming, food and water in a shelter. They became best buds, to the point that Marilyn had to watch how she treated one in the presence of the other. These past months may have been the best of his life.
