Finally my man is off work for the summer. Summer break in Germany is only 5 weeks, and we plan on relishing every day together. I LOVE having him home and also having the car whenever I wish to drive.I tried not to make the summer to-do list too long, but it seems to be getting longer every day! What is up with that? So far this weather has been as prohibitive to a to-do list as the snow was last winter. But we are doing as the Mexicans do - resting midday and kicking chore list butt in the evening, as late as 10 pm. (In this photo I believe the clouds had melted in the heat.)
The German Art of Transparency
Did you know that Germans are obsessive about having clean windows in their homes? It was one of the first things I noticed here: little old ladies washing their apartment windows in December. I am so ashamed, every time I try to clean my windows, it's like I'm just pushing the dirt around. I even have glass cleaner and a special glass towel. Well I finally just asked my neighbor (the terrier lady). She said use dish soap and a squeegee. Guess what - that's the secret! I feel like a professional now - and each window only took 1-2 minutes. That means I did my entire house in 30 minutes! OK but now the birds are flying into the glass....Baasha
I simply love Baasha's flecked summer coat. He is so much more huggable when he's sleek. It's starting to shed a bit. He's not bothered by 90 degree weather at all, preferring to stand in the blazing sun rather than under the trees.I got that prescription fly spray from our vet and it seems to work. It also seems to be a very expensive version of Farnam's Flysect Super C. HMPH! I'm just so glad he's not suffering from allergies this year, his eyes are totally clear. I'm thanking God for this, because last July, well, you all know that story.
I cannot believe how little water he drinks, and yet stays hydrated. I read differing numbers on how many gallons per day a horse drinks, but he's nowhere near it. I give him water in small buckets so I can count liters per day. He only drinks 3-4 gallons per day. Sometimes less. I suppose our grass has a lot of water in it because I don't know how he can survive on so little. He's eating about one flake of hay per week. There is still a lot of grass to eat.
Making Straw
While Geocaching we saw a tractor baling straw. It smelled so good, it was glowing golden in the sun. The straw fields went on and on in two directions, but his tractor was SO fast, spitting out these huge square bales that will be the beds and snacks of many horses this winter.
You can tell it's hot out cuz look, no scarf! (But he jokes with me and pretends to fall down dead when I turn the fan on....)
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17 comments:
I think the thing with Arabs is that they hardly sweat, being designed for the heat, so they don't drink as much as other horses. Our thoroughbred is the same. I am surprised it's only 5 weeks in Germany. Here we have 6 and the last day is Friday, although some schools broke up last week. I'm just popping off to clean my windows...
well i believe it's 6 week for the kids, and 5 for the teachers.
doesn't seem like much, but they get other longer breaks during the year, more than the americans anyway.
Only 5 weeks? Those Germans must have a really good education. Are your school days around six hours minus the breaks too? Did I tell you my daughter is in China this summer teaching English and being shuffled around from one home to the next? Seems Chinese parents want an English speaking guest to live with them to help educate their children. My daughter also speaks German. I had hoped she'd go to Germany instead. Maybe next summer.
Five weeks is not long enough! I hope the heat is breaking soon... especially without AC...it is so humid and warm here but we have the escape of AC. I remember last summer we had 8 fans in our house in Germany and when we moved I tried to give them to several of my German neighbors and they were oh no thanks! I bet they wish they had them now! Have fun with your man and hope you get your list done.
Yay for your man being home!
I think horses on grass get most of their water from the grass.
Tell me more about the soapy water! Do you spray it on or sponge it on?
Are Germans scared of fans like Koreans? Google Korean fan death if you don't know what I'm talking about!
NM, well they have much longer christmas and easter breaks. and a fall break too (huh?) sadly, the teachers have to work on vacation too, getting ready/having meetings. sometimes i feel like i married a doctor, with his working hours!
no i had no idea your daughter was an au pair. is that what they call it? they are popular here too, as you know, everyone wants their kids exposed to english because it ensures success in the business world. i'm almost tempted to tutor kids, but ...kids?! scary!
when/if your daughter ends up here, have her look us up. heck, you come visit, ok? we'll show you the good places: ) and some letterboxes too!
FormerlyFrau, you can attest to the fact that AC does not exist here except in automobiles. but i remember from our honeymoon in NYC, the hundreds of little AC units in apartment and even office building windows! i almost died in central park, it was so bloody suffocatingly hot. i sat on our hotel AC a lot: ) your neighbors would not accept the fans? crazy! germans are all about reusing stuff. we had guests today and strangely they did not complain about our fan. but then it was 32 out (92).
Funder, i found this great site about window washing:
http://tinyurl.com/38ono2u
it concurred with what the neighbor lady said: dishsoapy water in a bucket, sponge, and squeegee. like magic! you can do both inside and out the same way - no need to have it dripping wet so you don't get your windowsills wet/dirty). tip: stay out of the direct sun.
koreans are also scared of drafts? i'm looking that up right now. germans are notoriously convinced that a draft will bring on illness/death. i've had two neighbors tell me that my horse's eye problems are due to the draft in his stall (cuz he has both a door and a window open, and air moves thru). where i come from, a draft is called "fresh air" or "pleasant breeze": ) my man never lets moving air touch him in the car or home. it's conditioned here that it is dangerous. i asked the neighbor, "so why is a draft dangerous and wind is not?" and she said, "wind is not a draft!" ok....
http://tinyurl.com/lx2dz5
Not drinking so much might be an Arab thing (?). Hana AND her goats drink signficantly less water than Fiddle all by her own gigantic self.
Maybe he just does it to keep you interested.
aarene, i had no idea. they never say "horses drink 10 gallons per day, arabs 5." hehehehehe
missing ribs, fewer vertebrae, less water input.
and he's refractive white: )
can you tell me how much hana+goats drink in a day?
~lytha
Hana and goats, probably 5 gallons/day if you discount the amount of water thrown around by playful goats.
She isn't refractive white, either--but Fiddle IS significantly darker and, of course, Bigger.
oh Aarene, that makes me feel so much better. i was worried!
~lytha
I love Baasha's fleabites! Bo has a few, but he is mostly just getting whiter...if that is even possible...lol!
Enjoy your man's break!
In Georgia(USA) we get from May 25 - September 8, for Summer break along with a lot of breaks. We only go to school for 160 days a year, and since they extended the Summer our test scores and GPA's have skyrocketed.
We get 6 weeks of summer vacation in the netherlands. I love it though..only because the kids drive me nuts and getting them back in school is always a plus..lol however having my husband home that long would be great! he took a 3 week vacation that starts soon so thats a plus:)
They are obsessed with window washing here too..and it's done the same way. A buket filled with some dish soap and a spray or two of windex..lol then you wash the window with a cloth,clean with a squeegee and wipe the sides and bottom of the window if it drips over..I think I maybe clean my windows 3 times a year..LOL
Hiya there!
Summer is truly here NOW with having the man(and car) around...that made me chuckle.
Lovely silky coat on Baasha! Huggable totally. And by the sounds of things...looking clearly at him, and your world, through sparking clear-glass panes! That is a great secret... must try it out..we'd be condemned by German standards about now!
So glad that your beautiful grey is seemingly accustomed to the pollens and such this year~ whew! Wa mare drinks and drinks her water...it makes me happy to see it..Pantz is here and we were sitting in the field between them, for meals and Pantz kept leaving her food...to go drink!
And I think if the water is avail closer to them..they will, I have 2 waters for Wa...one nearer the gate and one near her feed place..they both get used.
HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!! Hug your man for me too!
Xo Kac
Sounds like you're enjoying your break.
Sounds like Basha is getting all the water he needs. Some drink more, others less, that's just the way it is. If he wasn't getting enough you'd know it.
Hey, how's it going, Lytha? Long time no post!
There must be a lot of geocachers in your area to have such an abundance of them to find. How fun! Have you been to a Geocacher meet in Germany yet?
I bet it would be fun to get to know some fellow Geocachers.
Apache doesn't drink much water either, but she has no rich wet grass to munch either. I feed her a mash mixed with minerals and extra water every morning hoping to add water to her diet and salts to encourage her to drink.
I'm glad you're enjoying your summer. It's ironic how we forget about the heat, humidity and bugs when we are wishing for winter to be over and summer to arrive. lol!
~Lisa
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