A New Gizmo

I love gizmos ... those things that just make life easier. I have this avocado slicer in my kitchen drawer that I simply couldn't live without. Same thing for my apple slicer, mandolin slicer, and that thing that slices hard boiled eggs.

Gizmos for the barn are even cooler. I have lots of interesting little helpers from lid-lockers to the Blocker Tie Ring, but I am always searching for other tools to make barn life simpler.

For my birthday, I gave my husband a very short suggestion list, and fortunately for me, he liked the list. First up is a blanket bag from Riding Warehouse.

Don't you love the purple?!

This bag is much nicer than I expected it to be, especially given the price. They're regularly $29.99, but it's on sale for $21.49. I really want another one! It measures 26" by 20" by 16" which was plenty large enough for two large winter blankets.

I could fit a third one without having to squish too much.

It has dual zippers for the lid, which I love. It also has side handles for carrying, and the back panel has mesh to allow some air circulation. The interior of the bag is lined with nylon which protects the blankets from dust. The bag also comes with two ID tags. My husband pointed out that someone must lose a lot of bags. I told him it's because unmarked blankets have a tendency to walk off.

My husband tossed a second gizmo into the gift bag, something that I didn't know I needed.

Horeman's Knife by Cashel

This little knife is also available at the riding Warehouse for a modest $10.95. It includes a frog knife, bot fly knife (never had bot flies here in Bakersfield, but I did have them up north), a hole enlarger, a regular blade, and a hoof pick. This little baby is going into my barn tool box. 

Tool box might be a strong word. It's actually a plastic bin with a snap on lid that holds a hammer and a variety of screws, hooks, rings, and other connecting snaps. I actually needed a frog knife not long ago and tried to improvise with a pair of scissors. Again, the beauty of surprise gifts is that sometimes you get something you didn't know you needed. This gift is definitely a keeper!

Slightly off topic, but my new teal lead rope finally arrived, and it is lovely! If you'll remember, I am a bit of a lead rope snob and only use the yacht rope leads. The teal turned out to be very pretty and goes nicely with Izzy's brown halter. It'll be even better when I have a horse that gets to actually use the new lead rope and fancy nameplate halter!

I am loving all of my new colors!