5 Projects that Aren't Happening

An example of a restored Herschell trojan jumper

FarmWife's Herschell trojan jumper

FarmWife has a handy little mental list of impending projects. Seeing as she can't even find time to ride her dear Fenway Bartholomule more than once per month, however, I think most of them fall more into the category of "dream" than "plan." Because dreams, however, are fun, and because you're a fun group to dream with, here are a few of her deferred projects* in no particular order:

1) Restore her carousel horse. The horse, a c. 1916 Allen Herschell outside row trojan jumper, is glorious in all his weathered beauty, but would look rather fine with new, repaired wood joinery, a nice seal brown paint job, and a smooth, shiny finish. Maybe someday! In the meantime, I am shiny enough for the both of us.

2) Pull stumps in the pasture. I am good at safely navigating the stumpish area, and I would rather live with stumps than be harnessed and forced to labor for their removal. I say they should stay.

3) Tend the maples. Is it a maple thing? All this dead wood? They look healthy enough, but for every living branch it seems there is another, dead one! We try not to stand under them too often. FarmWife would like to saw them down, but she is afraid of ladders and chainsaws, and especially the combination of ladders and chainsaws. That's something to work on.

4) De-rust the trailer. A paintjob would do my old Brawley good, but at the very least FarmWife should apply some of that handy rust-converter stuff. The trailer is soundly built and has a lovely new floor, but the rust on the roof is going to turn into a new skylight if we're not careful! I neither want nor need a skylight.

5) Clean the habitat. Someday.

In the meantime, FarmWife mucks my paddock daily. She feeds me morning and evening, and pops in with a carrot or an apple slice each afternoon. She updates my blog daily, manages to feed her children, and keeps the bunny litter fresh. I won't accuse her of being lazy if she doesn't master the arts of arboriculture and carousel carving in 2011, but she'd better not let my trailer rust through.

Ears to you,
FenBar



*I am excluding from this list those projects that are either dependent on large influxes of cash (barn building, paddock graveling, house painting, arena making) or on FarmHusband's skill (cathedral making, window reframing, roof replacing). Those are posts for another day.