Good fences on a bad day…

Up until today, we have had a pretty bad run weather-wise in this area.  Yesterday, it was simply abysmal out.  I knew I wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance to get a good photo unless I went looking for it so I took a drive out in the country.  I wasn’t terribly satisfied with the crop I brought home, but I found some passable fences that I am going to post here today and link up with Theresa’s Good Fences on The Run*A*Round Ranch Report.  Here they are:

There's always a nosy one in the group.

I kind of like those Dr. Seuss trees.  Very jolly.

The Life and Times of Olive the Pug: Visiting our NEIGHbors…

Earlier this week we got a nice break in the late fall weather.  The temperatures were in the 60s and the sun was shining bright.  I asked Olive if she would like to take a walk to see if the horses were around.  She said yes, of course.  So off we went.

When we got down to where the horses hang out, they were nowhere in sight.  I told a disappointed Olive that maybe they were eating their lunch or something and we continued on to the turtle pond.  I was surprised to hear creatures plopping into the water but I couldn’t tell if they were turtles or frogs.  That prompted me to make a mental note to find out what happens to turtles and frogs around here when the cold weather hits.  I don’t think I’ve ever known.  Olive and I stood around and admired the still water and the bright sunshine for a while and then turned around to head back home.  It does get dark around here pretty early these days.

As we walked pass the horse field once again, I noticed that one of them noticed us and began to run down the hill to say hi.  Of course, if one comes to say hi, the others follow along pretty quickly being pretty nosy and curious beings.  We hung around for a little while and while I patted some equine noses, Olive scraped around in the dirt to let them know that that side of the fence was theirs and this side of the fence belonged to pugs and their adoring public.

Then we said good-by and they watched us walk away as we headed for home.

Until next time...

The Life and Times of Olive the Pug: Visiting the horses…

It was a perfect spring day here in Central Massachusetts yesterday.  Temperatures were hovering around 70 degrees and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  Seemed like just the day to take Olive to visit the horses.

When we got down to the pasture, the horses were grazing up on a hill pretty far away from us.  But we could tell that a couple of them knew we were there.  Now, I have it on good authority that horses tend to be nosey parkers so I expected them to come and greet us.  But yesterday, these particular horses were acting like we weren’t worth the time of day to them.  So we continued on to the turtle pond to see if the turtles were out sunbathing.  Sure enough, there they were.

We hung around to admire the turtles for a while and then turned to go back past the horses.  The minute one spied us, they all came galloping down the hill.

They probably wanted to see if we had anything for them to eat.  But I don’t feed these horses because there has been a sign out asking us not to.  Still, I am more than happy to rub their noses.  They seem to like that.  We had a nice conversation with the horses.  Olive kicked some dirt on them to show them who is boss in this neigh...borhood.  They paid no attention to her.  Then we said good bye and continued on home where a tired little pug could get some rest.

Here’s a fact about pugs that you may not be aware of.  A pug's tail only curls up tight when she is awake and alert.  If she gets tired out or is sleeping, her tail relaxes.

  Or maybe, in Olive's case, she just liked the way the horses' tails looked.

An unforgettable day in the Puszta…

Not being city folks, Evan and I thought a day in the countryside in Hungary might be a nice break.  So, we decided to take an excursion to the Puszta or the Hungarian countryside.

 

Our first stop was in the town of Kecskemét, where we heard the noon bells ringing from the town hall and got to wander through a market on the town square.

City Hall and its bells.  An outstanding example of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture.

One of the offerings at the market.  If I could have figured out how to get one of these jars home intact, I may have bought one.  They look delicious!
 

Then we took off for the countryside and a horse farm Varga Tanya, where we went to see a traditional Hungarian farm.

Then we went back to Varga Tanya to catch a Hungarian Equestrian Show.

The first demonstration was of three horses pulling a cart.

These are the two lead horses of a "four-in-hand," a vehicle traditionally used by nobles.

Horsemen were easy to see from a long distance in the Puszta so it was vital for the horseman to be able to make the horse lie down quickly.  This way they were able to hide.  This is a demonstration of the horse's ability to lie down and remain quiet.  The men are wearing a traditional Hungarian garment.

Here is the Puszta Ten.  In the 19th century there was an Austrian painter, Ludwigh Koch, who loved the Puszta and horses.  He painted an imaginary picture with a horseman standing on the back of the last two of five horses and driving them.  He said no horseman could do it in reality.  The Hungarian horsemen said they certainly could and did.  They did it so well that they even increased the number of horses to ten.

Our day ended with a feast of traditional Goulash, this fantastic platter of chicken and fried mushrooms, a pancake with apricot sauce and wine.  Great times!