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Mule Mushroomimg: Hunting “Aeyer Schweumli” from the Saddle

My mom used to point them out to us as kids. We’d be walking through the forest in western North Carolina and she’d point down at an orange mushroom and say, “Lueg. As Aeyer Schweumli”. “Lueg” means “look” in Swiss German, her native language. Aeyer Schweumli is what she used to call chanterelles. *

Aeyer Schweumli: aka chanterelle. It’s also called “Pfifferling” in German. Pfeffer means “pepper” in German. The mushroom has a peppery taste.

My brother Christian recalls a… Continue reading

Lassen County Animal Abuse Rescue: Dogs Forced to Eat Dogs, No-one Charged

“The people abusing those animals were starving their dogs and making them eat other dead dogs,” says Donna Phillips with the Lassen County Animal Shelter. “They had a pit full of the animals they’d killed and even kept some stored in a freezer. It’s the most horrific animal abuse I’ve seen in forty years.”

The carcass pit (Lassen County Sheriff’s Office photo)

Julia and I visited the animals this week and learned of their incredible rescue. We also learned how… Continue reading

Lassen County Sherrif’s Office Press Release on Massive Animals Abuse Case

Press Release: Animal Neglect

On Sunday, October 2nd, 2022, Deputy Michael “Chance” Loflin from the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office responded to 667-290 Highway 299 in Adin, California in regards to a dog bite.

While investigating the dog bite, Deputy Loflin noticed several animals on the property that were lacking proper care. In addition to the animals that were lacking care, Deputy Loflin noticed some dead animals in various stages of decomposition. 

Based on his observations, Deputy Loflin sought and obtained… Continue reading

Public Service Announcement to Birds Nesting in Our Trailer

Attention Mr. and Mrs. Wren: Please don’t build any more nests in the spare tire of our horse trailer. That’s why your young’uns went missing today from 10:30 am until 5:30 pm.

Attention anyone hauling a trailer: check your trailer for bird nests and chicks before you use it this spring.

You don’t see anything unusual with this spare tire, do you? More on this in a second.

Stowaways

My wife Julia and I hooked up our trailer today… Continue reading

The Best Day of Your Life

Happy Saturday morning from Diggity and me. Diggity says today is going to be the best day of your life!

Diggity is Lucky, our border collie’s puppy. Lucky came out of a horrific animal abuse case out West, but she’s started a wonderful new life with us here in western North Carolina. We didn’t know she was preggers when we adopted her last November, so Diggity came as a bonus. You can read lots more about life with Diggity and… Continue reading

How Hoof Boots Work in the Snow

This week we had our first snow of the season. It wasn’t a blizzard. We only got about five inches of snow. Still, it was fun taking Cracker and Pie for a spin in the white stuff. If you’ve ever wondered how hoof boots work in the snow, this post will interest you.

Heading out with Pie and Cracker.

About Hoof Boots and Me

None of my wife Julia’s or my horses or mules wear steel shoes. We ride… Continue reading

Why My 1992 First Generation Cummins Dodge is for Sale After 18 Years

For anyone who knows me, you know how hard this day is. I have decided to sell my beloved 1992 D250 first generation Cummins Dodge after owning it for 18 years.

Note: June 21, 2023

June 21, 2023: Sold. Congrats to Jason and Jaimee of Franklin, NC on their new truck!

My 1992 D250 Dodge. It has the Cummins 5.9 liter, 12-valve diesel engine known as the “Million Mile” engine because it’s so tough.
Click on the video above for… Continue reading

Letter From the Saddle Bag

A while back, I received a letter with one of the all-time great opening lines of any letter I’ve ever gotten. The letter began, “Dear Bernie, Yes, you may call me Scout.”

I enjoyed the letter so much I thought I’d share it with you. Aside from the great opening line, Scout’s letter reminds us that we all need to slow down, if for no other reason than to save a toad’s life. I wrote Scout a letter reply and… Continue reading

Sailing Back to Horses

I have not always traveled by mule. When I was thirty, I decided that sailing around the world would be more interesting than sticking with my office job. I bought an old boat named Sea Bird and notified my employer that I was going sailing. I had just enough money saved to get going but not enough to make the whole trip without working along the way. I went anyway.

Sea Bird when I bought her. She was designed by… Continue reading
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