Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall

Christmas for Two

And we aren’t really traditional Christians. Still, I’ve always enjoyed the gatherings of family and friends each year. But it’s 2021. Not a year for fun, comfort and joy, or peace.

It’s okay to be sad this year. We’ve all lost a lot, one way or another. For me, I’ve been sitting with the sadness and allowing peace to replace it in my heart.

My husband loves me. My dogs, horses, and chickens love me in their animal ways. My family love me, from their respective holiday locations. My dear friends are full of love as well. I’m grateful for all the kind messages. Nothing cheers one up quite like newborn baby pictures, so I’m happy to have my unofficial grandchild.

So, since the damned COVID kept our intended guests from coming, I told them I’d send pictures of how I decorated for the meal and relaxing with snacks. I was making lasagna, and Anita was bringing the other stuff. Here’s my decorations:

Behind the flowers is my candle for Ted.

I also spent an hour or two getting the back porch ready for guests. Everything was dusty and dirty from pool construction. I swept everything, which is so futile, since the wind deposits Alfred hair in every corner as soon as I sweep. And I arranged the newly cleaned cheap patio furniture in a way that gives us a shady sitting area and a sunny one.

I’ve enjoyed butterflies today, so here’s a gift for Anita, Declan, and Rollie to say I miss them but am glad they are being responsible.

And Kynan. I miss you.

Downward Spiral of Confidence or Competency

I’ve been putting off writing about this for a day, hoping to get some insight into how my little brain works. One thing I know for sure, or think I know, as Lucy Barton in the books I’m reading would say, is that once I lose my confidence in one thing, I start screwing up other things. That’s how it’s been the last 24 hours or so. I’ve had lots of time to ruminate, however, so maybe I’ll find that I’ve had a good learning experience.

The source of my downward spiral. Who couldn’t love that face, though?

Yesterday was, for the most part, a pretty rough day for me and horses. The challenges just kept building and building all day. First, I went to get Apache ready to go to a training lesson. He just seemed to be in a very uncharacteristic bad mood. He didn’t seem to want me near, and kept coming at me with his teeth. He has only bitten me once, and that’s when I stuck my hand in his mouth quite foolishly. But, he acted like he didn’t want me around. Too bad, we had to do this stuff. Yep.

Mr Grumpy was all manners and goodness later, when he got a slight hoof adjustment.

He was all shifty and stompy when I groomed him. This is a horse who usually stands still and enjoys the grooming experience. He didn’t like being tied, no matter where I took him, either. At least he got into the trailer nicely and was not too hard to tie up, though the teeth came at me again. What the heck?

Once we got to the training place, he was fine, though, and other than truly not being interested in trotting, did well in the round pen. The trainer said she could see improvement in our relationship, which cheered me up some. She got on him to work on straightness and walk-trot transitions. Apache was not thrilled and was really not thrilled when he was asked to do shoulder-in walking, which makes sense, due to his internal issues, which I’d hoped to resolve a bit today, but that’s another part of the story.

Unhappy Apache not being allowed to curl in his neck.

I even got on him and practiced walking, trotting, then backing. I had some trouble at first, but in the end, I had an aha moment, and now that is really a nice thing to do, and we both seemed happy. This was the highlight of the day. The video below is what I was doing. Thanks to Sara for taking it.

I was being good at this!

Sara’s videos and photos really made me sad, though, because I can see what a little, old lump I look like in the saddle. Even when I’m doing well, I look pretty awful. No wonder I have to start over.

There’s a reason her arms are crossed. I look clueless.

Next, we took Apache back to the trailer to hang out while I did a lesson with Drew. This is where I did another thing that messed with my confidence. I tied Apache next to Aragorn with a hay bag between them. I guess my knot that Chris insists I use doesn’t tighten well enough, so Apache was too loose. It enabled him to show what a bad mood he was in by kicking poor Aragorn. We got a call from the trainer’s son saying the paint was kicking the white horse.

More lumpy Suna riding. Good news is his head is down and he looks more relaxed.

I was mortified and afraid the expensive horse had been hurt and I’d never be able to apologize enough. Sara went to move Apache and was upset about my knot, which she didn’t know how to untie it (it just unties itself once you undo the last pull, but I obviously suck at knots). I also feel awful about that.

Yesterday was already not a great day for me emotionally, since I was still pretty shaken up about Ted dying and the five or six other deaths I’d heard about that day (really, SO many people lost their mothers!). The Apache thing got me shaky.

Then, when I was asked to longe Drew over his hill, I just could not do it. Yes, I was unable to guide a horse going in a circle. I completely lost my ability to do this thing that I thought I knew how to do in my sleep. Well, I need to do it differently now, and hold the rope a certain way, move my feet a certain way, never nod my head, put my elbow into my stomach, and keep level with the horse’s rump. I did none of those things correctly.

I asked Drew to speed up too violently (I did it the way I’d been told to do with Apache) and was told I’d traumatized him. Then I went into a downward spiral of doubting everything I was doing, and being afraid to hold the rope. When Drew got out of control, I was told to draw him in, draw him in, and I blanked on what that meant I was supposed to do. It meant to shorten the rope and bring him closer. Makes sense NOW.

It was a total cluster of insecurity, loss of confidence, and incompetency. I have no idea how I will ever do anything with Drew other than pet him when I get home. He is so sensitive, yet so boisterous. It’s great, and he is wonderful, but I only have experience with a horse that is slow and ignores me. Versatility eludes me. I have lost my positive outlook. Where did it go?

I ended up pretty damned weepy and wondering what the heck happened to my carefully nurtured equanimity I’ve worked so hard on this year. I’m glad my step-mother called so I had to force myself to be cheerful for a few minutes. It’s always good to hear a few stories from Flo.

Of course, the trainer had kind words for me, and pointed out that all training is peaks and valleys rather than a straight incline, and that we all have our bad days, both people and horses. I know she’s gone through her own bouts of feeling incompetent and judged, so I appreciate her insight, even if it will take a while to set in.

I love this photo showing what all the horses are probably doing, at least mentally, while we analyze their behavior endlessly.

I did eventually get able to watch Sara’s lesson and see how she and Aragorn (who didn’t seem too badly injured and was happy to do his lesson) deal with straightness and transition issues, just at a higher level. Those folks who say the problems stay the same no matter what gait you’re working on are right about that.

Aragorn is making lots of progress and you can hardly see where he got kicked.

We decided that Apache will go in for some training next month when I go on my next condo sabbatical. He will get worked and I will get to stare at my favorite beach. It should do us both some good. The trips are truly helping to keep me on an even keel.

Whining Digression

What I suspect is actually bothering me is my regrets about my family and people who were once close to me. They really build up during the winter solstice period. Most of the year I am at peace with the fact that so many people I love and care deeply for do not reciprocate the feelings. This year I am down to ONE person biologically related to me for Christmas, now that my sister also no longer cares for me. Not all of this stuff is my fault. Or their fault. It’s all gray. I just miss them.

And I wondered why I was surrounded by circling vultures all day…

So, I will hug Lee, Anita, Declan, and Rollie on Christmas and thank the Universe for the larger community of caring folks who do surround me, even if I’m grumpy, sarcastic, negative, harbor unpopular opinions, and am just hard to live with. Most people are, to some extent. I’m smiling as I write this, so I’m not feeling too sorry for myself. What would that help, anyway?

Back on Topic

On the horse front, I’d expected to spend most of the day with them again, but Trixie forgot about our bodywork appointment. It’s all for the best, though, because I finished a secret Christmas gift, and Sara also got some work done. That’s the attitude we need. Sure, there are setbacks, but there are good things that can come from them.

Merry Christmas to all of you out there. You are a true gift to me! My gift to you is this pink evening primrose I found blooming in the pasture this afternoon. I took it as a sign of hope.

Pool Filling, Dog Feeling Better

Deepest thanks to all of you who read my tribute to my friend, Ted, yesterday. Keep his wife, family and friends in your thoughts. Your words comforted me. Wow, many folks in my circle are dealing with unexpected deaths this month.

This morning, we still had lots of water to add.

Today I tried to just do fun things. Lee and I spent a long time watching the pool fill up. That’s a slow process over here in northern Milam County. It’s actually still filling, but should be done by bedtime. It’s up to the beach area at last!

A nice young man named Austin came over and got all the equipment set up and ready to turn on tomorrow morning. The dogs loved him.

He installed the spa jets and skimmer baskets, then brushed down the pool, a thing we are supposed to do often until the plaster is cured.

He got the rather impressive robot pool cleaner ready to go, but since we can’t use it until the end of January, he didn’t show us how to use it. (The reason for that is that the wheels might mark the plaster until it is fully cured.)

Tomorrow, Austin will come back and bring the Pool of Dreams to life. That’s just in time for a much-needed Christmas light show! until then, enjoy more pool pix.

Dog Update

While watching the pool fill up, we also enjoyed the dogs. I’m happy to report that Harvey is acting much like his old self. He is playing with the other dogs, including Goldie. They act completely normal.

Harvey’s injuries are looking much better. Lots of scabs are gone, and where he was stapled seems healed.

He still has a couple of open sores that we put medication goop in, but even the horrible one looks better. I am very relieved to have the old pack again.

The pool fascinates Penney. She thinks it’s a giant water dish, which I guess it is right now! I think she is gonna love the beach area. I predict a lot of damp dog feet!

I’m exhausted, so I’ll tell you how our three horse lessons went today. Quite eventful!

Holding on to My Dang Memories of My Friend

Yesterday truly sucked. I had already heard that two members of my extended family had passed away when the phone rang, from a friend who usually doesn’t call. He was crying. Oh shit. Our friend, Ted, had died. He’d been in the hospital for cancer surgery, but it had gone well, and he’d been sent home in great spirits. But he collapsed and died yesterday morning. Life is so damned fragile.

I’ve done very little productive anything since then. I’ve just been watching the pool fill up and thinking about how much Ted’s friendship has meant to me. To be clear, Ted’s friendship has meant a lot to pretty much everyone he knew. He had a way of really being with his friends, listening to them, and sharing from his heart. I know so many people who treasure him. But, I don’t know their stories, just mine.

What’s this, you ask? It is the first photo I ever uploaded to Facebook, and it’s Ted.

So, indulge me for a bit and read about some of the highlights of my life with this amazing soul. I met Ted at work, my first time at Dell, when I met so many of our mutual friends, including my very own husband. We were a merry bunch of instructional designers and technical trainers, oh yes. It’s thanks to Ted that I got my final contract job of the long period of uncertainty I’d been going through at the time. I owe a lot to Ted.

Our time together at the little training company, Akibia, was both challenging and incredibly fun. I sat next to Ted (I had the desk with the view out the window, which featured deer, cats, dragonflies, and at one time, snow). When the other guys in the office were out doing training, we would work, chat, laugh, and tell stories. Ted insisted I get on Facebook so I could see what my kids were doing, but it backfired when I posted the photo above and his slightly off-kilter ex-wife found it and started pounding me with questions about Ted. After that, there weren’t many photos of our escapades that got tagged.

Ted loved watches, cameras, computers, and other gadgets. He was amazing at fixing things.

But oh yes, we had escapades. We had lunch together nearly every day for three years, so I really got to know the restaurants on Parmer Avenue near MoPac in Austin. We were often joined by our friends, who included Russell (my future real estate partner), Nathan (the one who called me yesterday), and a guy named Norman. We would cram into Ted’s tiny little car (he loved his Honda Fit, like, a LOT) and then we’d proceed to have politically incorrect conversations that would have me laughing so hard my cheeks hurt. We had inside jokes about so many things, but my favorite was the local chain Twin Liquors, where we made a lot of stops, considering we were on lunch break. You can imagine the shenanigans.

Ted taught me a lot about instructional design, e-learning, and technical editing (mainly me editing his stuff), so we did do work, as well. But mostly we talked about our families, our problems, and relationships. You see, Ted wanted to marry and have a family, but damn, he was picky. We would endlessly analyze potential dates on whatever site he used. He’d find someone who seemed great to me, but he’d reject her. I remember one woman was rejected because she didn’t want to get out of the car in the rain without an umbrella. She was not outdoorsy enough. Boom.

He was always trying to make me watch long videos to learn about things, like music, politics, and philosophy. I was always trying to get him to read articles. We ended up summarizing things for each other, because I just didn’t have the time to sit through long videos, and as Ted repeatedly reminded me, he was NOT a reader. And he’d tell people, “Sue Ann’s a reader.” It was funny at the time.

A favorite memory was the time our boss, Sharon, decided to host a team-building campout at the lake across the street from her house. We were all up for it, and showed up in our motley collection of tents, sleeping bags, and such. Lee and I set up in the back of his truck, which had a new camper shell. People brought their dogs, which included Ted’s beloved white German Shepherd Dog, Bella, and a sweet boxer our admin Charissa owned. We ate and drank (mostly drinking mojitos Sharon and I made). Some of us drank a lot.

I guess it’s good that I can’t find the photos of Russell looking like a beached whale after he’d swum across the lake to rescue Charissa and her boyfriend, who’d gotten stuck in the canoe. That was exciting. Ted, the experienced outdoorsman (he had a previous career as a wilderness guide in Alaska or something like that and had worked a long time with the outdoorsy folks at Whole Earth in Austin), wisely chose to stay on land.

It just got weirder and weirder, though, with me ending up smoking a cigar, which to this day remains the only thing I’ve ever smoked. I remember waking up to Ted pointing over at Russ’s tent, which had completely collapsed on him, and he hadn’t even noticed. That’s the kind of fun one ended up having with Ted and the Akibia gang.

After I left there and then Akibia closed down, we all stayed friends. Russell and Carol had a long series of wine tastings, so I got to see Ted often at those. Eventually those gatherings included the woman he finally did NOT reject, which was his wonderful wife, Lori. He also got great step kids out of the deal, and I can’t tell you how happy I was that they found each other. My heart is aching for Lori now; one of the last things he posted to Facebook before he went in for his surgery was how much he loved her.

Ted, Lori, and me at one of Russell’s parties.

I may have mentioned that Ted loved music. He, Lee, and I had so many great musical conversations. Once, back when I was singing with Funkatonic, the band at my old UU church, we needed someone to play keyboards. I nominated Ted, because he’d been wanting a chance to play somewhere.

Funkatonic, in this photo featureing Ted on keyboards, my kid on guitar, and Lee over there on bass.

We had so much fun rehearsing, and the songs came out pretty darned good! I’m very happy to have videos of those performances that I can share with you. It’s not great rock and roll, but it sure was a lot of fun. We had both wanted to be in a band together, so that little dream came true, at least. I wish we could have done that more, but time and personnel changed…and I inconveniently lost my ability to sing.

Rehearsing for the song we were playing above.

If you want to watch Ted in the band, and me dancing (a thing that, much like cigar smoking, happened once), click the photo!

Ted on keyboards, me being silly, September 26, 2010.

I guess that’s enough wandering through memory lane…there are a lot of memories, because we had a lot of fun. I didn’t see Ted much after he remarried, but he always was, and always will be, my friend. I think that’s a Star Trek reference, isn’t it?

I do feel a lot better now that I’ve gathered this all up in a nice story for me to read again when I miss Ted. And I’ll play this song, since I don’t cry anymore, myself.

Cry.

I wish we still had Ted in our lives. I’m not alone in being devastated.

I’m wearing the shirt that goes with this song today.

Not a lot of festive holiday spirit over here. But, I have a candle lit for Ted, along with the roses Lee bought me when he heard what happened. Treasure your friends. I’ve lost too many lately, and so many people have lost their dear friend, Ted.

We Have a Pool, Soon to Include Water

I feel a bit weird writing a cheerful post today, but maybe it’s a good example to f the ability to hold two emotions at once. Right now, talking about the swimming pool is a good distraction.

As I type, the hot tub is filling up. I can even see water reflecting on the tiles. It will take a long time to fill the pool, and then we will get instructions!

It was another interesting day for the Pool of Dreams, and I hope one of the last pre-swimming fun days. Two really nice guys came to do the acid washing, a nephew-uncle duo (who truly loved Goldie and now want a Great Dane). I decided it was a lot more fun to watch them than to try to re-learn the piece of software I was messing with, so I spent a lot of time observing the process. First, there was sanding. The nephew sanded all the potential rough spots quite carefully.

I was happy to see all the protective equipment he used.

While that was going on, the uncle took apart “Mandi’s swimming pool,” slowly and methodically. I was surprised to see he just let all the water out, until I realized all the excess concrete particles had settled to the bottom. I sort of wanted to keep it and make it into a little patio or something.

After the sanding came lots and lots of rinsing with a hose. That got rid of any grit that was hanging around.

He already had on his mask while he rinsed.

Then came the smelly part, which involved a lot of muriatic acid. He had a circulating pump that re-used the water/HCL mix. It was stinky, but sure left the pool surface shiny and clean. Of course they did it to the hot tub, too.

Between the power washer, the acid, and the hose, that was one clean pool.

It was impressive to watch, but probably my favorite part was when he pumped the diluted acid mixture out and it made smoke when it hit the dirt. We figured nothing would harm that Bermuda grass, so it was fine to send it that way.

I did stay upwind of the acid. Once that was all done and everything cleaned up, they installed all the covers, light bulbs and such, which made the entire hole in the ground suddenly look like an actual swimming pool. To say I was pleased would be an understatement! My pool of dreams is becoming real.

Oh, look, the hot tub is full. You can see all the drains down there.

The nephew was very impressed with the glow-in-the-dark tiles on the steps and seats and took pictures of those. I guess they are a new feature for the pool company. When everything was done, they were kind enough to power wash the patio, which had some staining from the plastering process. Now my whole setup is fantastic.

What’s left is to get the chemicals in the pool (it’s a salt-water system), get the cleaning system set up, and learn how to use the pool. That will happen on Thursday, we are told. I can’t wait to see it all full and with the lights going. I guess that’s my Christmas present.

Dogs like it, too. I’m glad I got a photo of how their shadows looked on the empty pool!

This made my solstice good. Like with everything in life, there are sad things to balance out the happy, but at least most of the time, I’m fine with that. Sigh. Okay, for whoever among you it is who goes through every picture in the galleries, here are a few more photos from today.

I tried to get a photo of the surface of the pool. It’s so natural!

Pool of Dreams! So Pretty

Finally and at last the plasterers showed up to put the finished surface on our pool of dreams. Doesn’t it look great?

It’s so lovely. Why is Penney running away?

I love the shiny surface, too. Isn’t it inviting?

And the red trim matches the trim on the house.

I’m such a kidder. That’s some sort of sludge pool of water sucked out of the plaster. The process was pretty complicated and took a lot of guys to accomplish. They also went through many bags of white cement and shiny stuff.

Guys fill a hopper with dry material and mix it with water. Then it goes through a hose to the pool.

It was fun to watch. They sprayed the goop out in globs. It sounded like gargling and was quite goopy looking.

As soon as they got it sprayed, someone would start smoothing. They did two coats of rough smoothing. The second coat had shiny stuff in it, which looked really cool.

The guys wore interesting shoe attachments that didn’t mess up the plaster much, as they skillfully smoothed the quick-drying glop.

On the final pass-through, they really smoothed and sprayed a textured coating (for safety). It’s quite subtle. They also cleared off the lights and the glow-in-the-dark tiles.

There are still some pipes sticking up, which I assume are the drains, but the did a bit of finishing.

Looking toward the deep end. Hey, no water!

Tomorrow more guys will come in and do an acid wash. I assume they’ll do final touches as well. Then, I do believe water will go in! I have no idea how long it will take. Lee says 2-3 days.

Looking the other way. From these photos it looks like there will be some shade all day. Maybe.

I can’t wait to see how they do the chemicals and lights and stuff. We will have to have “Pool School” soon! It sure has been a relief to see progress. It also turns out that if we had started later, those supply chain issues would have caused even more delays. Eek.

Enjoy a few more pictures! They are in chronological order.

Two Truths: We Need to Learn This

Last weekend, as I was driving home from my Drew lesson, I listened to an episode of Hidden Brain, by Shankar Vedantam. I’m so glad I did, because the story he shared, gently and neutrally, made the point that I’ve been slowly and painfully trying to articulate for the past few years:

More than one viewpoint about people and situations can be true at the same time.
Me

I’ve always been deeply aware that circumstances are rarely black and white. No one’s all good or all evil. No form of government is all bad or all good. No religion is perfect or all bad. You get my drift and may even agree.

But what this episode, “Both Things Can Be True,” clarified for me is that while it is much easier to see people only one way, it is entirely possible to hold two completely conflicting views of someone. The woman in the story comes to see an important person in her life as both someone who saved her life and betrayed her. She could be both grateful and angry. And that allowed her to reach peace.

I can understand that professional football is highly flawed and can lead to head injuries with lifelong consequences. I can also enjoy watching it and be a fan. Integrative complexity?

The ability to do this is called integrative complexity, which is not a new concept, but was new to me. That’s what has let me cope a little better with the complexities in my own life (sparing you the details).

Good news: studies have shown that people who grasp integrative complexity are more likely to succeed in life. That makes sense to me. You’re more open to connections and possibilities.

From what I observe, though, not many people are into the complexity thing. It’s easier to over generalize.

I see it so often where someone fucks up and the people around them switch from seeing them as good and label them as evil. It’s happened in my family, both to me and to someone I care deeply about. I see it, too, when people declare all Republicans or Democrats are evil, all Christians or Muslims are extremists, all police officers are corrupt…etc.

No wonder there’s so much divisiveness. Black and white thinking is just easier.

I am so tired of that bullshit.

It’s not easy to let go of ingrained patterns of belief. Don’t I know it! But integrative complexity is, I think, exactly what is needed to create a world where people can work together to solve the real problems of the world…once we accept that solutions, too, are not all black and white.

These are my opinions. Your mileage may vary.

Grateful for So Much

It was a really hard day in f so one ways. My friend’s memorial service wasn’t one of those uplifting ones that celebrated someone, but more of a sermon. I really hope it comforted her family and friends.

To console myself after we were dismissed by the preacher, I went and ate some toast and fried chicken at Dairy Queen. Then I checked on the progress at Anita’s house in Cameron. I’m grateful she’s coming here. And her house looks great with its new insulation, plumbing, and air conditioning. It’s like a new house.

I had a few minutes, so I got a cheerful red velvet shirt to wear over my funeral dress. at least the Bling Box cheered me up, since friends were there and we had fun joking around. And Jennifer, who happened to be there, helped me pick perky earrings.

Next, I headed over to the Master Naturalist holiday party, which the incoming President and VP did a fine job with. I feel good about organization going forward.

We gave the 2020 class their prizes, and that’s when I realized my festive red top, when combined with the dress I was wearing, made me look as if I were about to give birth. Hmm. Not my best look.

I drank wine to help me deal with the previous event, and did my best to enjoy seeing all our chapter members after so long. Our county has low COVID rates right now. I hope it keeps up.

Two good things made me more grateful. First, more than one person came by and told me I’d done a good job as President for the past two years. I was really grateful. It was a hard job and I was often overwhelmed with things. But, I got them through a slump after the previous leader died, and I handled the COVID changes. Whew.

The other thing I’m grateful for is that Catherine, who comments here often, told me she had a gift for me that was really from a blog reader who follows my stuff. Apparently, I’m inheriting this item from someone who passed away, and when the dreaded saw it, she insisted it was for me.

It was the biggest Dallas Cowboys flag I ever saw! Now I need to hang it up. What a kind gift! I was really touched and grateful to receive this well-loved flag. Thanks, blog reader! I’ll get a picture of it flying up soon.

Since I didn’t get a picture of the flag, here’s our chilly sunset.

So sure, even with floods, deaths, illnesses among my friends, and all that, there is still stuff to be grateful for. By the way, I’m also an honorary grandmother, as baby Ruby arrived yesterday. Life goes on.

Yule Flood of 2021

Oh year, you’ve always got something new for us. So many of my friends have been dealing with floods and bad weather. I knew our turn would come. We now have waterfront property at least for a while. I’m just glad we didn’t get damage like so many other parts of the US have.

It started to rain at 3 am and it’s still going. Some of it was that kind that sounds like a bathtub filling. We knew we’d have some fun views this morning.

Once again we are glad we put in the overflow culvert in the dam. So far it’s preventing the driveway from washing out like it did a couple of times early on.

Once it stopped raining so hard, I went out to check on things. Mainly I wanted to be sure the bridge wasn’t flooded, since I have events this afternoon. Yes, I will wear a mask.

Luckily there is space under the bridge, at least for now. Nothing looks too bad. I’ve seen much worse!

It did flood into our arroyo from the field across the road.

The cattle seem okay, and their owners are out walking to check on them, since they certainly could not drive.

And hey, the pool and hot tub are available for wading!

The horses have moved out from under the shelter, so it looks like the excitement is over. Onward to what should be a challenging day.

Computers, Cows, and Companionship

Today seemed to last way longer than your average day. It is always that way when I think I have something all planned out, only it actually isn’t. I thought the pool people were coming this morning, but nope, that got postponed again due to rain…somewhere.

While waiting, I perked up my office/den with some lights. Ho ho ho.

Then I thought a technician was coming to repair my dead laptop. They said it was scheduled (they being some disembodied text bot). But next, I got the message that the part was delayed, so I would have to wait until Monday. I got annoyed, to say the least. Then, boom, the technician drove up.

In a desperate attempt to cheer myself up, I put nail things on my stubby little nails.

Erica, the technician, was a fun woman, and we had a reasonably good time working on my system. She had about a five minute task to do (replacing the brains of the thing), but she could not get the cover off. Three of the screws would not completely unscrew. Now, Erica didn’t want to break my new computer, so she called tech support. That went about as well as when I called them earlier this week.

The woman she talked to seemed to have no clue what Erica was asking. I realize she was talking through a mask, but she kept saying that the screw would not unscrew. The call went through several levels of support until they finally said I’d have to send the laptop in for a replacement, which would take even more time than I’d already taken.

Nope, I said, let’s figure this out. So, Erica called a guy from where she worked. Sure enough, this random guy, knew what the Dell Technical Support team did not, which is that those three screws do not come undone. You have to pop the case open with them still partially in. ARGH.

Once we had that down, it did indeed take five minutes to fix the computer. Naturally, one of the teeny screws fell off the desk. We spend another twenty minutes looking for that. Even the magnet couldn’t find it. All I found were dead bugs and places where Carlton had peed. He is having an issue this week, probably due to the Harvey episode.

But the afternoon got so much better. As Erica was getting ready to go, she looked into the main room of the house. She asked if she could please look at it. She ran into the room, just beaming, twirling around and exclaiming that is was Christmas! She said my decorations were just so cheerful. I can hardly express how happy that made me. No one here cares at all about decorations, so I felt very happy to know I cheered someone else up. My smiling muscles were hurting.

The dogs were having “fun” today. I’m really glad Vlassic is neutered.

By the way, the laptop works and is almost set back up.

Cows

The other thing that got me all cheerful today was watching the dogs play with the mama cows and babies behind the house. The cattle are so curious and keep coming up as close as they can, until a dog moves and scares them into backing off.

I must have spent a half hour this morning just watching the calves and their antics and how hard Goldie tried to get them to play with her. Unfortunately, Carlton and Vlassic can’t help but bark at them.

I hope you enjoy these sweet bovine faces as much as I did!

Companionship

The companionship I’ve been experiencing over the past couple of days has been with two horses. One is not a surprise, and it’s Apache. Wow, has that boy settled down since his lesson last weekend. I’ve been trying to do at least something with him every day, and that has helped. He has paid so much attention to me in the round pen that it’s not like the same horse. And we have been doing the thing where he needs to walk straight along the edge of the round pen, and by golly, that head has not curved ONCE in two days. Today we even sped up a little! As well, he has been walking with me practically glued in the correct position. I can feel him breathing at my elbow almost all the time.

Last night the trainer said what she wants more than anything is for us to be able to enjoy our time with our horses. Success!

The other horse that’s been a wonderful companion is Kathleen’s horse, Miss T. After Trixie looked at her and said she was in pretty good shape, I thought, well, why not pay her some attention? She sure seems to want it. Yesterday I gave her a nice grooming, and she was pretty patient while I worked on the issue she has with her tail (a big scab is growing out). We went for a nice walk, and Mandi checked her soundness. She stumbles a bit, on occasion, but it may be because she needs her feet trimmed (which will happen next week).

Miss T is so happy to hang out with people

I put her in the round pen, just to see if she would trot for me. Did she ever. Everything I asked of her, she did, including turning, stopping, and showing a lovely balanced trot. I told Mandi it was sort of like driving a Jaguar car, so responsive and elegant.

Today I did that again, after going on a walk. She had never been in the front field before, but she followed me nicely, and the couple of times she got concerned, I just told her it was okay and we walked on. Hey, this is what I’ve been reading about horses doing. I guess it can actually happen! And when I put her in the round pen, she was so attentive that I decided to see what would happen if I took the lead rope off.

T demonstrating her confirmation. Those are some high haunches! She is all muscle.

Wow. She did everything I asked, walking and trotting, turning and stopping. I tell you what, if you tell T, “Whoa,” you’d better be prepared for that horse to stop. She stops on a dime, and looks ready for her next instruction. She’s like the horses in videos of fancy quarter horses.

I hope we can do more with her as time goes on. T is a darned good horse. Maybe I will ride her this weekend, if there is any time at all. I wonder if the things planned for the weekend will go as scheduled or be absolutely unpredictable like today’s events?

And one more thing. I had two flies die in my beverages today. Gee! This had been such a good cup of coffee! And my wine was so good that I just fished that one out. What a day.

I’m just glad we can sit on the porch and watch the happy lights on the fence turn on as the moon rises each evening. That brings a little bit of predictability.