Silvester

I'm trying to type despite a bandaid on my index finger because I grabbed my hoof rasp too quickly and bled a lot. I'm hoping I don't need a tetanus shot. Those hurt.

Today was hoof rasping day for Mag, and as ever, trailer training. Today, for the first time, he saw me opening up the trailer doors from his paddock a ways away, and whinnied to me, "BUCKET!" yes, there is a bucket in the trailer.
 
I was happy to see he had food in his trough, the third day in a row since I mentioned it. Hm, maybe speaking my mind has effect?

Soon I'll have to stop with the bucket but for now it's so rewarding to see him eager to go in. He wants in that trailer!

I worked on gradually leaving him in the trailer alone, and I realized he does not like that at all. He knows from experience when a person leaves, terror begins. So I just barely leave, talk to him, and then return.

Then I trimmed his hooves but there was so much going on it was difficult. Horses coming and going, and the tractor was scooping up the manure pile and dumping it into a trailer to take away, only 15 meters away, and although Mag had his beet pulp to occupy him, it was pretty exciting.

Gabi came to me, "Your horse needs to run. He starts running around his paddock like crazy as I take my horses away to free lunge them."

Well, hm, what can I do about  my horse acting his age in a tiny area?

She said I should take him to an arena and let him go play. The thing is, I doubt Mag would play on cue. He's too used to me expecting something from him. I can try, though, and I will.

As I fetched my hoof stand from  my car some people passed by and said Guten Rutsch (happy new year) and I said Danke. OK it's beginning.

Bettina said she will be closing my paddock door tonight because people will be shooting off fireworks directly  next to my horse's stall. *sigh* I told her that every year I must remove no less than 13 rockets from my pasture. The neighbors shoot them directly into my field, well, their goal is not specific......

I have no idea how Mag handles Silvester (New Years) but I'm not worried cuz Bettina said she'll be there at midnight, watching over her horses, Mag's neighbors, and it's easy for her, she lives in the house next to their barn.

I LOVE Silvester in Europe. They really go all out. In Seattle, there is a city-produced display, but here, it's like 4th of July, every single citizen lights up fireworks so it's extremely challenging to drive, better not even try. And the next day, you cannot imagine the mess on the streets. Every single street in the entire nation is covered in firework waste. The city gets right to work on that.

In Europe you stand around with your neighbors and pass around schnapps and champagne and watch. I experienced it first in Switzerland, and everyone had a bottle of champagne to share on the street.

But when I asked J what he wanted to do this year, he didn't feel like hooking up with neighbors, he suggested we have Raclette, a Silvester tradition, and that's it. OK, we're old now.

But Raclette is something special. I've got a row of veggies and meats marinating in various intensities of sauces , and cheeses already cut. Raclette yay!