Ah. Today we got beautiful rain, over 2” but I won’t measure until the morning. It was another great day to read on the porch!
So cozy and dry
I was sorry to miss my horse lesson but we’ve rescheduled for tomorrow. Let’s hope tomorrow’s rain is not between 10-1 or at least not heavy. I can ride in light rain. The horses spent the day blissfully cool. Once it wasn’t raining hard, they were out enjoying the “low” temperatures.
I didn’t take horse pictures, so here’s another porch view.
I, too, appreciated having a day without drips of sweat in my eyes and sopping wet bras. I did try not wearing a bra, but the sweat running down to my wisdom belly was also unpleasant. I’m not gonna sit inside all day like a delicate creature, though. Knowing it will be more pleasant in a few weeks gives me hope.
Morning rain.
The other thing I liked about this respite from blazing hot sun is that sunsets are so pretty with clouds in the sky. I enjoyed today’s sunset by the pool while I watched nighthawks eliminating excess insects.
Spit the nighthawk.
I guess the best part about staying inside most of the day was that I got a lot of comforting reading done (Braiding Sweetgrass), got my August birds added up, crocheted almost all of the August section of the temperature blanket, and got my journal ready for September. What that really means is that I played with all my toys: books, colorful pens, paper, washi stickers, and oh yes, yarn! My indoor toys sometimes get neglected when I’m outside all the time.
Looking north at sunset. The bright light is just a reflection of the sun.
Not much has been going on in poultry land these days. Only Connie has been laying, so we have an ample supply of very large eggs for our cooking.
There were two today.
I also realized it’s her birthday, or close to it, since Heather’s son has picked up his tiny poults for this year. She’s come a long way from her start in such a fancy environment!
Connie Gobbler, Age 1
That was the good news. As I was feeding the fowl, I heard an odd noise, like a branch scraping against the coop. When I checked it out, I realized it was Bianca, my only chicken who survived the Great Chicken Massacre a couple of years ago. She was breathing funny. I planned to check on her when I came back.
Bianca had neck tufts and not much comb. Her eggs were true blue, which was the name of her breed.
Anyway, I went to feed the horses. When I came back to turn the water off and pick up eggs, Bianca had collapsed. Now I’m all worried she got something contagious, so I am VERY disinfected now. I’m sad to lose her. I will keep a close eye on the others, who all seem fine so far. Of course, Bianca was all perky until today. She even got out a couple of days ago and was spritely running around.
She had really long claws.
She’d never been a big layer, and hadn’t produced eggs since last winter, so it might just have been her time. But she was my oldest. Sniff.
I think I’ve had enough death this month.
I exercised both Apache and Drew to cheer myself up. I think Vicki’s work with Drew is paying off—he did well in his ground work.
My tiny flock is even tinier.
I’ll be doing a lot of coop cleaning in coming days. I hope Cindy and Cathy don’t get too pestered by Clint now that the rooster to hen ratio is 1:2.
I can handle it.
Circle of life. Etc. Plus another senseless school shooting.
I’m pretty wiped out from doing so much outside in the heat. I know Apache and I are both looking forward to the promised cold front. But today is National Dog Day in the US, so I’ll focus on the dogs for once.
No, not you, cute little fiery skipper, it’s the dogs’ turn.
Starting from small to large, Vlassic is doing very well, still staying in the garage apartment with Lee’s older brother. He’s a great companion and gives Jim purpose. Vlassic is no longer solid black. His head is quite salt-and-pepper, and the rest of his body has white hairs, but he has not slowed down one bit. He loves to sit in the sun and go visit the horses. At least he no longer tries to herd cattle.
This photo is a couple years old, but he has some gray. I didn’t get a chance to photograph him today.
Penney is next in size. She is still the most neurotic dog I’ve ever owned, and perhaps that I’ve ever met. It’s hard to be nice to her, because if you pet her, she starts whining and groveling and trying to lick you. She must have had a weird puppyhood. She hates loud noises, but can occasionally be brave and bark at perceived intruders.
Not groveling.
I notice, though, that she lets the resident rabbits graze peacefully in the yard quite close to her. They also graze close to me. I think they’re becoming domesticated.
What’s there to be afraid of?
Goldie wouldn’t have let those rabbits in HER yard! But Penney does. And she’s happy in her neurotic way. She enjoys sitting with Lee in his chair, and sleeping under my desk while I work.
She can really relax.
Carlton is Penney’s favorite playmate. Each evening they have to have their episode of running around and playing, either indoors or out.
Typical.
Carlton is still one great dog. We enjoy him so much. He’s friendly, funny, and beautiful. I love that he always sleeps with me in bed, like he’s the other person. He even uses a pillow. (Lee is in his recliner next to us.)
Photo taken as I’m writing this.
I just love watching him run around the yard and sniff out whatever it is he finds in the grass. He’s just a perfect buddy for me.
Thanks for liking me.
Harvey, who’s been a grumpy old man his entire life, is still hanging in there. His liver disease and interesting bumps and protrusions don’t seem to stop him from having a good life. After his stroke last year while we were dealing with Goldie’s cancer, he has improved enough to be able to climb the stairs again and get on his beloved couch for sleeping.
He looks pretty good from this side.
He gets whatever he wants at this point in his life. We’re just glad he is still with us, growls and all.
Here you can see the lump on his leg, which is not bone cancer.
And of course, there’s Alfred, the big guy. He is shedding an incredible amount of hair right now. I took enough off him today that I swear he looks smaller now.
Fluffy dog (and wine)
He is just about as sweet as he can be, though quite insistent when he believes it’s his turn to be petted. Suddenly there’s a huge head pressed against you. You must pet it. He seems to be doing very well on his joint medication. He runs, plays, and bounces around so joyfully sometimes that I get choked up. I’m so glad he’s happy here.
Pet me NOW.
Of course, there are some nights when he barks for hours at coyotes or something. That’s why we have a fan in the bedroom. White noise.
They can be loud, but we love them.
Yeah, the only thing about the dogs is the barking when they detect an intruder or arriving family member. It’s loud. But if I were a criminal I would think twice about crossing our valiant protectors. They do a good job, so I appreciate them all.
Just a quick note to say how much fun Vicki and I had with our horse lessons today.
I have finally gotten Apache back in shape enough to run like the wind, or that’s how his fast trot feels to me. That led to cantering in the round pen again. Neither of us liked going through the weeds in the pen, but we did it. I’m sore and I bet he is, too.
He got to wear his new accessory today. Snazzy.
And Drew showed big signs of improvement and glimpses of his old personality. Just working a bit more consistently with Vicki has helped lots. She’s really good with him and today let her see his potential. We were happy riders today.
No photo of Drew, but here’s a pretty late afternoon sky.
And we got to meet a new puppy. She’s a little bundle of curious Rottweiler energy! I look forward to getting to know her as lessons go on.
The older dog is thrilled to have a young playmate. (Picture from Tarrin)
I’ve been resting and thinking about many people I care about. I’m enjoying every pleasant moment.
Today was lots of fun in the bird department, as lots of songbirds decided to let me see them. At last I truly believe that Orchard Orioles and Yelliwthroats live in my trees. There was also a Kestrel around all day.
So, I was in a meeting with no agenda (open office hours) with my three fellow Subject Matter Experts, and we were collaborating on various issues when one of us mentioned going for nature walks. That got me and another woman all excited about this ghost plant (Monotropa uniflora) she had seen earlier in the week, and we got into fruits we can forage in Oregon and Texas.
About ten minutes into our rapturous discussion of things we see in the woods, our more urban counterpart told us that she gave in and we’d converted her into looking more closely wherever she walks. I think we felt like we’d accomplished much more that just solving work issues today.
Nature brings us all together!
I guess that’s enough cheerful talk for the day, but I must interject that, even though rain was close again today, none fell, so Apache and I had a nice practice session and great time on the trail. I think he’s used to it now!
I woke up this morning struggling with some of my “areas for improvement,” and I wasn’t feeling well at all. I’m grateful that I e trained myself to find the good around me, and after adding up all that fine energy, I ended the day with a smile on my face.
This heron caught something tasty in the middle of this pasture. That’s a good little thing.
I struggled a bit with what I was working on this morning, thinking it just wouldn’t do. But I went to lunch with my friends and ended up enjoying two new people, and chatting with them about their lives helped me out of a downward spiral. Another good little thing!
It was slightly cooler, so I enjoyed my morning bird walk without becoming soaked. Small win!
I went to a meeting after lunch and was able to brainstorm solutions to a problem and then got help on what I was working on. Just a little feedback and collaboration and I felt more confident. The collaboration and support we give each other in this job is gratifying!
The soapberry trees are blooming now and they smell great. Another small thing.
I sent my draft document to the person who’d requested it, and he liked it! I got quite happy about then. Plus I heard that (after much effort by me and my nurse-practitioner) my thyroid medication was approved by my health insurance, and I managed to figure out why I couldn’t enter my expenses from my trip and got that done! Win win win!
Green Heron preening. It was joined by ibises flying overhead today! Wow!
And to top off the list of small but good things, Vicki came over and we rode horses together. The weather was unbelievable for August, very pleasant with light cloud cover. Only the horses got all sweaty.
Ready to ride
Apache was in good form and practiced all his tasks very well. The best part for me was that because we went to the round pen so Vicki could ride Drew with some boundaries, Apache and I had lots of time to practice our walk-trot transitions. At some point I realized we were having a great time together. Drew was a challenge, but Vicki handled him very well. She is far more confident than I am on him.
I’m just in need of exercise. Yeah.
I could have ridden for hours in that lovely weather, but we ended at a successful point. I even practiced getting correct bends with Apache on the way back.
I’m kind of smart.
Oh, one more Apache story. Today I figured out why he was refusing to jump over the cavalettis. After he refused three times again today, I went over there and found a large Yellowjacket nest. He was trying to tell me! There was also a nest on the mounting block, and I eliminated both nests. Moral: listen to your horse.
I’m glad I paid attention today! Those were so many fine little things.
Then it got very hot, over 100°F. Suddenly a small but mighty storm blew in. It really blew.
Here it comes, blowing that tree around.
Winds came up and I watched dust and bits of harvest debris flying around. The horses were in a tizzy. I flew around in the heavy winds until the lightning got close and I sensibly went onto the porch.
The scary clouds
Luckily it was just a severe thunderstorm and not a tornado cell. Lee and I watched it blow through, with sideways rain and spectacular lightning. It turned out the people across the road were doing the same thing on their porch!
Cozy, since the rain was blowing away from the windows.
We only got .08” of rain, but that’s better than nothing.
Cows huddled against the trees.
Once the storm passed, the temperature went down 15° and it was lovely.
All good
I went for a nice walk and enjoyed watching swallows and nighthawks catching bugs around sunset. A wonderful surprise was seeing a nighthawk sitting on an electric wire in front of our house. You rarely get to see a perched nightjar.
Nighthawk on a wire
I ended up seeing or hearing 53 bird species today. Looks like some early migration is happening. We are getting some warblers and quite a few sandpipers. It’s good to have them to distract me from other sudden storms that blow in out of the blue!
This, too, will pass. Note overturned chair!
Tell the people you appreciate how much they mean to you.
You may remember that for the past couple of years we’ve had a problem with cockleburs in the horse pasture. I spent hours and hours removing them from manes and tails, and had a horrible time with Drew, given his dislike of being touched on his head.
Drew last winter with his bur-head
This year we Hermits’ Resters have decided to do our utmost to rid the pasture of these plants, which weren’t here before. Step One was me going around with loppers and getting rid of most of the plants around the horse pens. More came up, but I’ll get them this week.
You can see them by the gates. Made it hard to open gates.
Step Two got interrupted when a piece broke on our shredder (a mowing apparatus pulled behind a tractor—you may see them on roadsides and median strips. Part of the hill created when the pond got cleaned out hadn’t been de-burred when that happened.
Now it’s more of a scorched-earth look.
However, yesterday Chris braved the heat and made the repair (welding in a Texas summer is brutal) and he was able to finish shredding as much of the “tricky” parts of the pasture.
Looking much better
That left Lee with the job of finishing the job and shredding the rest of the pasture. Goodbye to burs, dove weed and ragweed. The horses eat giant ragweed, but not the small kind.
Horses still have stuff to eat.
This project takes a ranch family village to accomplish! The next step will come next month when broadleaf killer is applied. Carefully. I don’t want it on my wildflower areas.
What are they doing here? Grazing in the few areas the tractor couldn’t get to. Burs are still there. This calls for loppers.
Then a few weeks after that, seed and fertilizer will be applied to get the pasture back in shape. I’m hoping to get grasses that are more native, but the horses’ need to eat may mean some sacrifices. Luckily we still have all the yard and field in front of the house that still has good natives.
I assure you, I NEED to eat.
I’ve also been asked to do some horse moving, which will happen next week. Some lucky horses will have new grazing areas. Poor Apache and Fiona will stay in the area with worse grass, due to their metabolisms.
We get new grass?
That’s good with me, since I like going over and hanging out with Apache multiple times a day. I think we both enjoy each other’s company. Today we hung out a lot, because I was so happy with how well he’s doing with his ground work and trail walks. It’s so much fun.
I know I post lots of pictures of him, but he’s such a fine equine friend.
I repaired his new breast collar (Vicki helped) so tomorrow I may try to put it on with his saddle to see how it looks.
I’ll take a normal saddle, please.
Hmm, this was not my planned topic. Oh well, I hope you enjoy my horse pictures as much as I enjoy the idea of a bur-free winter.
Itch timeBird supervisor Drew had a good day todayMabel is having issues, but I have a plan. She eats only soup. Spice is doing just great. The welcoming partyTwo buddiesThey circled the hay bale while Lee shredded. Protecting it from the tractor!Tractor didn’t phase Apache
What did you do today? As you can guess from the title of this blog entry I did at least two things. Both were fun.
I also looked at some flowers. This is Sida ciliaris or bracted fanpetals.
First thing this morning, neighbor Vicki and I went to College Station to a fun Horseman’s Market Fay hosted by the Brazos Valley Driving and Riding Club. This is like a giant garage sale of horse stuff. I had no idea there were so many moldy saddles and bridles, not to mention very used halters, bits, and blankets. But I also saw some beautiful used tack and true treasures.
Each of us saw people we knew (yes, I know a couple horse people, too) and even found a woman who lives in Ben Arnold and knows where we live due to Vicki’s sheep and matching pony.
We did find treasures of our own. I got a baseball cap that says Cowboy Hat, a horse thermometer, a come-along string (green), a funny shirt, and a bunch of hoof picks with silver accents that I will donate to Tarrin for show prizes.
They list for $12 and I got them for $3.
The most fun thing I got was a really pretty leather breast collar with silver accents and black-and-white leather detail. I just loved how it was elegant but not gaudy. It will go with Apache’s saddle.
The whole thing. Pretty concho on the front. AccentUp closeIt cleaned up well.
If you don’t know what this is, it is decorative and also keeps the saddle from slipping when climbing steep hills. If I’m able to replace one hook on it, I’ll show it to you on Apache.
I couldn’t find a good photo so I had to AI one.
After we had each found our horse equipment treasures, Vicki took me to see border collies doing herding trials. This was in a nice arena with air conditioning and lots of large bags of wool. I think she said they also grade wool there.
Wool behind the dog handlers.
I met some of Vicki’s herding dog friends and had a great time watching the dogs staring at the sheep.
And moving them
The reason we glared at the sheep is that they were pretty weird. They spent most of their lives so far eating grass under solar farms. It’s a good gig. Lots of shade.
Sheep all facing the exit
The problem is that they didn’t know much about anything except eating grass. They didn’t realize they were supposed to be intimidated by dogs, so once they were let out, they just stared back at the gate they came out of, not paying attention to the dogs. Occasionally one would stomp its hooves.
This dog got the sheep to run
Many of the dog/human pairs just gave up, but a few of them got those sheep going in the right circles, separated one from the group, and got them all into a pen. That was really impressive.
This dog watched intently from the stands.
I hope I get to go to more of these in the future. I’m very impressed by the hard work both the dogs and humans have to do to move the sheep!
Nothing exciting like that at home! Just moving slowly
I relaxed most of the rest of the day, which featured suffocating heat. You can get overheated so easily!
In the last few months, Lee and I have been watching documentaries on musicians from our formative years. We have similar musical tastes, so it’s easy to choose. We’ve seen some “biopix” as well, like Freddy Mercury and Elton John. Of course we saw the Bob Dylan movie, which I e mentioned that I enjoyed. I prefer actual documentaries, though, with historical footage, music by the performers them, and insights from other musicians/friends/scholars.
The 2025 HBO two-part documentary on Billy Joel was meaningful to me in that it confirmed why I always liked him and his music. I like musicians who are willing to grow and change and who are true to themselves. I remember saying, “See, see, he really WAS funny, talented, and energetic!” when they played footage of when I saw him in my undergrad years. I remember we were pretty flabbergasted by his talent before he was super famous.
Find someone with HBO and watch this.
His honesty about himself as well as his admission of his mistakes made me unsurprised at how kindly his ex-wives and former associates talked about him.
He’s not someone you can put in a particular musical “box,” and is a real person, which the documentary makes clear. Listening to his music as an older person also let me see more nuances. I’m glad to have re-experienced it from a new perspective, both musically and emotionally.
Today we watched the 2020 HBO documentary on The Bee Gees. I was surprised at what I did not know about the Gibbs family and how hard the brothers worked on their songwriting and musicianship. I admit to having liked their early music but not paying all that much attention to it, because it seemed too “pop” to rock-n-roll Suna.
I also confess to actually liking the Saturday Night Fever music. It was good. I was simply tired of the thumpa-thumpa disco beats emanating from our gay roommate’s headphones 24/7 (it seemed, though Bobby really liked all music).
What impressed me most about the Gibbs brothers was that they were driven to write music even more than to perform it. There were songs I didn’t realize they’d written for others! Honestly, you can just watch this film for the soundtrack.
In the end, though, Barry Gibbs said he’d trade all the hits to have his brothers back. Yes, their close family (parents, wives, etc.) were also a hint about their character.
Both Joel and the Gibbs brothers come through as flawed, talented, and smart people. They are famous due to hard work. I like that.
Now I need to go find some more good music documentaries about artists who started when I was young. Some would be sooo long, if they hit all the highs and lows (the Who?). I will go look for more. I encourage you to find documentaries on musicians you enjoy. I guess you will end up depressed or impressed, considering the subject. But at least you’ll get to hear the music from a new perspective, which I do not get when I read biographies and just play music in my head as I remember it.
Anyway, tarot card of the day was 6 of wands. Ooh, fire. It means, in the Gaian deck, that I’m contributing to communal efforts with energy.
Welp, I sure hope to do this next week when I fly to Oregon to meet with coworkers in person. I have an early flight, so I’ll type to you later!
The Hermits' Rest 