The Art of Melanie Eberhardt

Category: Aunt Mels Animals

Illustrated stories of the animals that live on Aunt Mel’s farm

  • Horse Fun with Round Bales

    Horses are designed to graze. They eat small bits of food all day long. Long ago, the horses ate all the grass in their day pasture so Aunt Mel makes certain they always have a supply of hay on which to munch.

    Hay can be bought in square bales. They weigh about 75 pounds. Depending on the density of each flake, a square bale may last two days. Aunt Mel stores a weeks supply of square bales in her garage. They take up a lot of room and make a mess.

    So usually Aunt Mel buys a big round bale of hay. A round bale is a spiral collection of loose hay that is bound together by string mesh. Round bales weigh about 600 pounds and will last almost 2 weeks. They are left out in the pasture for the horses to eat at will. Round bales are best because the horses can graze all day.

    Sounds like a win, win for everyone except for one factor. The horse’s day pasture is a slight hill. Aunt Mel totes the round bale in her red trailer, carefully driving through the pasture to the unloading area behind the well. The ground is just a little flattered and supported by large wooden poles on both sides, the round bale stays in place.

    Except when GiGi has an itchy butt. When GiGi needs to scratch her backside, she backs into the round bale, leans back and sways from side to side against the hay. The strands do a sufficient job of itching. But one day she leaned back a little too hard. In her itching zeal, she pushed the bale over the pole. It rolled down hill unraveling until there was no more round bale. Instead, there was a four foot wide, one foot thick layer of hay that went about 25 yards across the pasture. Aunt Mel was so mad!

    The horses only ate part of the unraveled hay. Instead they used the hay as a soft bed for napping and as a bathroom area. Most of the hay was wasted just because GiGi had an itchy backside. Next time Aunt Mel bought a round bale, it was supported by much larger wooden poles.

  • One Lucky, “LUCKY” Dog!

    One cold October morning, Aunt Mel heard a little dog barking while she was feeding the horses. She looked around and spied a little brown dog staring at her from the rental house next door. The dog barked for a while but no one came out of the house to check on it.

    During the next few days, the little dog barked when Aunt Mel was working in the yard. Aunt Mel started to wonder if anyone was still living in the house? Surely they wouldn’t move and leave their dog behind?

    A few more days passed, it was clear the house was empty. It had been over a week, cold and rainy. The little dog still barked at Aunt Mel. Aunt Mel got in her truck and drove over to the house.

    The people were long gone and had trashed the house; removing screens, breaking the porch rails, toys and household garbage was left strewn across the yard. Aunt Mel tiptoed to the back of the house and found the little dog.

    The people had constructed a 3 x 3’ cage out of chicken wire and broken bits of wood. It had no roof, and inside, no shelter. There was no bowl for water or food, just the little brown dog fearfully scrunched in the far corner. He was shaking and very thin.

    Aunt Mel broke the door and the little dog bolted into her arms. She drove straight to the vet’s office.

    The vet determined that the dog was about 6 months old. He was malnourished and only weighed 8 lbs. He should have weighed three times that. The puppy was carefully examined and found healthy except for the obvious neglect. He was given necessary shots and a bag of good puppy food. When paying the vet for their services, they asked “what’s the puppy’s name?”

    Aunt Mel answered without hesitation, “Lucky!”

    Lucky had a new home at Aunt Mel’s farm. In a few months, he had grown to a normal weight for his age. For a dog raised outside with little human contact or training, he immediately took to living inside and sleeping in bed with Aunt Mel.

    He is still fearful of children and strangers. But once he meets you, you are a friend for life. He never forgets someone he meets. It is remarkable that someone left him in a cage without food or water. Luck was certainly on Lucky’s side when Aunt Mel rescued him from the horrible, little cage.

  • Welcome to the World Baby Nettie!

    Aunt Mel was very excited when her first horse, GiGi, was bred to a beautiful Arabian stallion named Kantos. GiGi grew bigger and bigger as her due date drew near. At the time, GiGi and Kain were boarded at a private barn in Roswell. Aunt Mel was well prepared for the baby and planned to be at the barn to see the entire event.

    But GiGi had other plans. She gave birth to Nettie a month early in the middle of the night. Aunt Mel received a call from the barn manager at 6 a.m., “come to the barn, there’s a surprise waiting for you in GiGi’s stall.” Aunt Mel couldn’t get to the barn fast enough.

    GiGi was standing over a little red baby. The baby was sound asleep having already stood and nursed, she was ready for a nap. She was bright red with a white strip and pink nose. She was the size of a baby deer and mostly long legs. Aunt Mel petted GiGi and told her she was a good girl.

     When the baby woke from her nap, Aunt Mel petted and played with her. She was very sweet and loved the attention. But she loved to eat more. She nursed frequently and GiGi took very good care of her. They had an immediate strong bond.

    GiGi taught Nettie may things. She was taught to poop along the left side of  her stall, starting in the back corner and pooping in piles toward the front. She was taught horse language so she would get along in the herd. For instance, rolling your head means “move” to horses. GiGi and Nettie never hesitate to roll their heads at Kain or Joe, telling them to move away from the hay or else! Nettie is very bright and a pleasure to manage thanks to GiGi’s instructions.

    Nettie grew quickly and as she grew, she also changed color. By her third birthday she was grey like her mother. Unlike her dainty mother, she was much bigger – taller, wider, stronger.

    GiGi and Nettie spend their days in the pasture with Kain and Joe and sometimes other horses. They always stick together, like a team, eating side by side, snoozing side by side. When Nettie is really tired and lies down to sleep, GiGi stands guard over her.

    Nettie loves her mother and does as GiGi dictates. She doesn’t mind taking orders from her mother but she seems to enjoy breaks when she works with Aunt Mel in the other pastures.  GiGi yells at her over the fence and Nettie always nickers back to assure her mother that she’s ok with Aunt Mel.

    It is hard to imagine life without the two pasture bosses, GiGi and Nettie. It makes Aunt Mel happy that mother and daughter are able to spend their entire lives together. They rule the pasture and the farm. They are two very happy, beautiful Arabian mares.

  • Omlete Anyone?

    When Peep first arrived at Aunt Mel’s farm, she had no way of knowing if this beautiful cockatiel was a boy or girl. But Peep soon showed her gender. Miss Peep regularly lays eggs.

    Each egg is smooth and warm and white. They are the size of your thumbnail. She lays between 3 and 7. She clears a spot in a corner on the floor of her cage and arranges the eggs carefully beneath. She sits all day warming the eggs, moving they around with her beak, and serving her role as diligent mother. But they never hatch because they are unfertilized.

    Eggs usually take 21 days to hatch. When the first egg appears, Aunt Mel marks her calendar. On the 21st day, she removes the eggs so Miss Peep thinks her eggs have hatched. This seems to be a good arrangement. Miss Peep often seems relieved of this duty. She spends the next few days talking, preening and eating and enjoying a good head scratching.

    Miss Peep’s eggs are delicate examples of the strength of nature and motherhood.

  • The Pig Pool – How Lyndon Beats the Heat

    Georgia summers are hot but Lyndon has learned that his drinking hole is also a refreshing means to cool off overheated pigs.

    In July, the tree frog eggs have hatched and the babies live in Lyndon’s pool. He treads carefully to avoid squishing the little green frogs.

  • Nosey Horses Check Out the New Neighbors

    Aunt Mel’s horses are very nosey. They enjoy watching the neighborhood children jump on their trampoline. They spend summer evenings watching the neighborhood men play volleyball. If someone starts to drive down Aunt Mel’s long driveway, they run to the fence and stare. But lately they’ve been particularly glued to the fence, completely entranced by the latest goings on.

    Two goats moved in next door.

    And the goats seem mutually interested in Aunt Mel’s horses. They hang out at the fence nibbling honey suckle. They reach through the boards to touch noses with the horses. At night they curl up in the undergrowth and sleep near the horses.

    At least for a while, the goats hold a fascination for the horses. Apparently goats are to horses like TV to humans – something interesting to watch when there isn’t much else to do.

  • What is That Awful Smell? Oh Dear, It’s Orange Cat!

    One day Aunt Mel was enjoying a hot cup of coffee swinging in her hammock under the big Maple tree. The animals were still eating their breakfast. The sun was just starting to warm for the day. As Aunt Mel enjoyed the peace and quiet, she suddenly caught a whiff of a terrible smell.

    What the heck is that awful smell? It stunk so badly, Aunt Mel couldn’t finish her coffee. She got up and walked around the yard searching for the source of the nauseating stink.

    As she walked around the big blue hydrangea, she spotted a big orange cat that she had never before seen. The cat was watching Aunt Mel and was not frightened. Instead he stood and walked right up to Aunt Mel. He meowed and began to rub against her legs for a pet.

    He was a beautiful, long hair orange cat with green eyes. A very friendly cat but scruffy from neglect. Probably tossed along the road as an unwanted pet, the orange cat had naturally wandered to Aunt Mel’s farm. As Aunt Mel leaned over to welcome the cat, she was overwhelmed by that stink.

    Oh dear. The stink was the nice orange cat. What the heck is wrong that he smells so bad? Aunt Mel breathed through her mouth and she inspected the cat. Maybe he had a terrible infection that was rotten? But that wasn’t the problem, the stink source was simple.

    The orange cat had globs of poop stuck to the long hair on his back legs. His entire back end was caked with wretched smelling poop. Aunt Mel got a pair of scissors and cut the stink away. She took the cat into the house and gave him a bath. As she toweled the orange cat dry, he purred and meowed his appreciation.

    Aunt Mel wondered if the poop smell could be the reason someone tossed this nice cat aside? They were too lazy to help the longhaired cat clean himself? Well he was welcome at Aunt Mel’s Farm. She would help him stay clean and stink free.

    Orange Cat lived at Aunt Mel’s Farm for several years. She took him to the local dog groomer and kept him clipped like a poodle. His short hair prevented the poop from sticking to his legs so he was never again the source of a bad stink.

  • Permission to Board – Welcome Capt’n Crunch!

    Captain Crunch belonged to friends of Aunt Mel’s. Captain Crunch lived in their barn. His job was to control the mouse population. He was very good at his job despite a significant handicap.

    Captain Crunch only had one eye. When he was a kitten, he fought with a raccoon who scratched out his eye. But missing an eye had no effect whatsoever on Captain Crunch’s ability to hunt.

    Aunt Mel’s friends sold their farm and were moving to a new home that had no room for a barn cat. Aunt Mel was happy to offer a home to Captain Crunch. When you live in the country, a good mouse hunter is an asset on any farm.

    Captain Crunch moved to Aunt Mel’s house and lived in the barn with the horses. He was already an old cat, but for many years he did a great job of controlling the mice and rats. And every morning he followed Aunt Mel while she fed the horses. He was a big helper around the barn. He was always nearby keeping his one good eye on everything.

    The last time Aunt Mel was Captain Crunch was a summer morning. He ran to meet her in the morning and wanted to be picked up. Aunt Mel carried the purring cat to the barn and as usual, he followed her around supervising the morning chores. Aunt Mel scratched his back and told him he was a good kitty. She went back to the house to get ready to work.

    Life is hard in the country. Often pets disappear with no apparent reason. Sometimes they are sick and go off to be alone, sometimes the coyotes eat the cats. You do what you can to make a good life for the farm animals and hope that in the end, they do not suffer.

    Something happened that Captain Crunch disappeared that day and it mad Aunt Mel very sad. Captain Crunch was a very sweet cat who had a very happy life living in a barn and chasing mice. Missing an eye had no effect on his joyful outlook on life. He never felt sorry for himself. We could all learn a lesson from Captain Crunch’s example – one should be positive and enjoy life despite a physical limitation.

  • Timmy the Terminator Moves In

    Aunt Mel noticed that her neighbors had two new kittens. One was black, the other black and white. The black kitten was always chasing the black and white kitten around the neighbor’s yard.

    One night, Aunt Mel came home from work and noticed the black and white kitten hiding along the fence line in the honey suckle. She got out of the car and called “kitty, kitty”, the cat just looked at her.

    The next night when Aunt Mel came home from work, the black and white kitten was sitting under the front porch. Again, she called “kitty, kitty” but he just looked at her.
    The third night, Aunt Mel came home from work and was watching for the kitten but he was nowhere to be found. She guessed that he finally went home. Aunt Mel went in the house to change her clothes. She walked into her bedroom and there sleeping on her pillow was the black and white kitten. She softly called “kitty, kitty”. The cat opened his eyes, meowed, stretched and came over to rub on Aunt Mel’s legs.

    Aunt Mel thought the black and white kitten had finally gone home after three days of loitering in her yard. But she guessed wrong! The black and white kitten had changed his address and decided it was better to live at Aunt Mel’s farm than next door being chased by the black kitten.

    Aunt Mel named the kitten, Timmy. He was a small cat, much smaller than the other cats at Aunt Mel’s Farm. But his size was a contradiction to his personality. Timmy would soon earn the nickname “The Terminator”.

  • Aunt Mel’s First Horse – GiGi

    When Aunt Mel was a child, she begged for a horse but never got one of her own. So when she graduated from college and got her first job, the first thing she bought was a horse – GiGi.

    Aunt Mel’s friend, Lisa, grew up on a big horse farm. Her family bred and showed prize Arabian horses. One day, Lisa took Aunt Mel to one of the big pastures behind the riding ring. It was full of baby horses that had just been weaned from their mothers. They would live together for about a year, growing into mature horses until they were old enough to train for the shows. Lisa pointed out a delicate brown speckled baby and said she could be mine for a special “friend’s discount”. Aunt Mel fell in love.

    GiGi was the baby of Lisa’s National Park Horse Arabian mare. She was bred to a famous stallion with the hope of having a large baby. But GiGi was born small and delicate – not the type of horse that the show crowd really wanted. But her delicate features suited Aunt Mel just fine. And it turns out that being dainty in appearance would have absolutely no bearing on GiGi’s personality. From day one, GiGi claimed her status as “top mare”. She was the boss over every horse she encountered. GiGi had very clear rules about behavior and hierarchy and she would reign her opinion on everyone including, sometimes, Aunt Mel.

    GiGi lived at a few different farms until Aunt Mel purchased her own. GiGi was as happy as Aunt Mel to have a permanent home with a walk-in barn, grassy pastures and a big oak tree perfectly suited for afternoon naps in the shade.