Lifestyle Transitions

05/16/2026

Looking for a new hobby? Check this out

Herb stems, celery ends, coconut husks, and kitchen scraps you'd normally toss become birthday cards, envelopes, journals, and even plantable seed paper friends can grow into a garden.

05/16/2026

I love reading about the old ways where mankind’s ingenuity shines.

Thatching a Horse: An Old-Fashioned Method for Drying and Warming 🐴🌾

This historical photograph captures a traditional stable-management technique known as thatching. Long before modern synthetic coolers and moisture-wicking rugs became common, grooms used clean straw, heavy rugs, and practical experience to dry wet horses safely. 🧥🐎

What was thatching? 🌾

Thatching involved placing clean straw underneath a heavy rug, blanket, or burlap sack. The straw was worked gently over the horse’s back and sides, creating a loose insulating layer between the wet coat and the covering above.

The result was simple but effective. The straw trapped warm air close to the horse’s body while allowing moisture to move away from the skin. As the horse’s natural body heat rose, the straw helped draw dampness out of the coat without letting the animal become chilled. 🔥💧

Why was it used? ❄️

A wet horse, especially after hard exercise or a bath, could cool down too quickly if left exposed. This was particularly important in cold, damp, or windy weather. Thatching helped prevent chills by keeping the horse warm while it dried gradually.

For working horses, this kind of care was essential. Horses were valuable partners in transport, farming, delivery work, and military service. Keeping them healthy meant keeping them dry, warm, and comfortable after a day’s labour. 🐴🛠️

A practical stable skill 🧹

The groom in the photograph stands calmly beside the horse, showing the quiet routine of traditional horse care. There is nothing ornamental about the scene. It is a practical moment: a wet horse being looked after using the materials available at the time.

Clean straw was cheap, absorbent, insulating, and readily available in most stables. Combined with a thick rug or sack, it made an effective drying system before the arrival of modern fleece and synthetic coolers. 🌾🧺

Why this image still matters 📸

Although thatching is now rarely used, the principle behind it remains familiar to horse owners today. After exercise, washing, or exposure to rain, a horse still needs to be cooled down and dried carefully. Modern coolers may be lighter and more convenient, but they serve much the same purpose.

This photograph is a reminder that good horsemanship has always depended on observation, patience, and practical knowledge. The tools may change, but the aim remains the same: to keep the horse warm, dry, and well cared for. ❤️🐎

05/16/2026

I haven’t posted in quit a long while! Been staying very busy. After the ice storm, it’s been nonstop around here. I finally got a few transplants in the ground (beds cleaned out and soil amendments added). I usually plant by the moon but did not have that luxury this year. Hoping all those souls do well anyway!

I have Reiki & Aromatherapy services available. One of my current clients is a beautiful dog that suffers with seizures. Meds have made no difference in frequency so the owner is including Reiki and aromatherapy for her now. The frequency and intensity have improved. It warms my heart.

Message me for your opportunity to experience natural health support. I work with all species, including humans! 😍

Enjoy this poem. It, too, warms my heart.

Have a wonderful weekend 🙏🏻

05/16/2026

Win an incubator! 🤗

ENTRIES ARE CLOSED!! Drawing is tomorrow! 😍

🎉 TRYING TO HIT 500 FOLLOWERS! 🎉

UPDATE: We hit 500 in 7 hours!! I am mind blown at the love and support! ❤️ if we can reach 1000 followers by Saturday night, I’ll increase the #1 prize to a Matticoopx 30 incubator!
Drawing will be on Sunday 🥰

To celebrate and thank y’all for supporting our little farm, we’re doing a GIVEAWAY when we hit 500 followers! 🤍🐓🌿

✨ 3 WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN ✨

🥇 1st Winner:
• FREE Matticoopx 20 Egg Incubator 🥚🐣

🥈 2nd Winner:
• $25 Tractor Supply Gift Card

🥉 3rd Winner:
• $25 Tractor Supply Gift Card

HOW TO ENTER:
✔️ Follow White Ivy Acres
✔️ Like this post
✔️ Share this post
✔️ Tag your friends in the comments (each tag = extra entry!)

We appreciate every single like, comment, share, follow, and all the love you’ve shown our farm already. Let’s grow this amazing little community together! 🌿🤍

03/05/2026

Tea parties with Brooke Mann are back!

☕💐 LET'S TALK TEA PARTIES 💐☕
I am booking Private Tea Parties again in home
or at the lovely Squirky's Eatery & Market.

It is my joy to create the perfect setting for your upcoming birthday, shower, ladies event, or date night. Please message me and let's talk details!

02/28/2026

Good stuff

02/23/2026

01/23/2026

I’ve met and brushed Beauty.this is a wonderful horse, a loving soul.

Beauty interrupts the non-stop stream of to let everyone know she is still looking for her right match.

Beauty (USTA Strapping Beauty) is coming 23, limited to short rides unless she receives additional maintenance for her right stifle, and requires a handler with some experience. She fits perfectly a description we will borrow from Polo Pony Rescue: Beginner safe when handled by professionals. Anyone can groom her. She'll pony a kid around. She's been ridden by youth and beginner adults before coming to us. But she will test and try what she can get away with on the ground and has strong opinions, which TBH, a lady her age is entitled to, to a point. ;-)

Beauty would love a sponsor or 2 to assist with her basic care. She is an easy keeper on Tribute Kalm N EZ and is on a 6-week hoof trim schedule. If you'd like to help, our PayPal/Zelle is [email protected]

Mail: PO Box 22, Cottontown TN 37048

Or visit our website and click "ways to help" for all the options.

01/21/2026

Sharing a little horse sense for cold - make that freezing temperatures. Please take care of yourself and your herd.

With the predicted single-digit temperatures, we're going to take a minute to revisit some "cold weather horsekeeping" tips.

☃️ Do NOT make any sudden changes in feed. Bran mash is not a good, nutritional addition for your horse. Adding warm water to their regular grain ration is a much better option.

☃️ Room temperature water: Either with a tank heater, insulated buckets, or water from your house. An average horse should be drinking 10-12 gallons a day. Dehydration can lead to colic.

☃️ Hay, hay, hay. Digesting hay keeps your horse warm. Hay needs increase in colder temperatures.

☃️ Salt. Salt encourages water consumption. Provide a salt lick, free choice loose salt, or table salt on your horse's feed. *Talk with your veterinarian if you have any questions about feeding your specific horse.

☃️ Wind break. Even if they have the option to go into a barn, many horses will choose to be 'outdoors' in the cold - but they may want a break from the wind and seek out the leeward side of a building or stand of trees.

☃️ Blanketing. Sunday night is not the time to throw a blanket on a horse that's never seen one before. Plan ahead, desensitize, and make sure you have one that fits well to avoid injury. Blanketing takes away your horse's ability to "p**f" the hair coat and self-warm, so if you blanket, make sure the fill is appropriate for the air temperature. Adding a sheet or a 100 gram blanket when it is 8 degrees outside will potentially make your horse colder than he'd be if left alone.

📸 Paisley, who is unamused by the current bipolar weather.