What a beautiful day it was. I think we needed a reminder that Mother Nature is still doling out the beauty to at least briefly distract us from the things humans do to each other.
Glory, glory, peace on earth.
As a reward for doing my least favorite thing about work (Agile stuff, not vital to this story), I tidied up the pool area and gave my back some more hot water love. I heart the hot tub.
Day swimming. Wow.
Later, after feeding the precious horses, we checked out the trailer lights. Ooh. There’s even an interior light for night loading and unloading!
That’s cool.
I’m pretty excited to use the trailer. I was glad they checked out the lights and other safety features. So shiny.
Let there be lights.
It was a good evening to rest on our laurels and tell each other we appreciate our efforts. I think Lee even set up the auto-fill system on the pool! We’re really enjoying it. What else do we enjoy? Sunsets, of course. Tonight’s was cherry red at times. Thanks, Mother Nature.
Why not post a bunch?
All was well until I opened the monthly Bark Box. I handed out really cute chew toys, then opened a box of dog treats. I handed them out to each dog, which got them all excited. I realized Alfred hadn’t gotten one, so I reached over to give him one and Harvey jumped up to steal it. Unfortunately, he also got my thumb. Ow. It was an accident.
Got me right on the edge of my nail.
May the sun warm all our brothers and sisters who are afraid, worried, or suffering.
The weather turned very cold and windy. Sara and I canceled horse fun, so I told my son we could go get some stuff in Temple. First, I took the chance to play with the new phone camera and take artsy dog photos.
Diva Goldie
After that, we went off to the Western-wear store and I got belts to wear for horse shows. I think I’m supposed to wear a belt. It was hard to find ones that weren’t all sparkly. I found a nice brown one with tooled flowers and a black one with a sort of snakeskin background. It will go great with my snakeskin boots and Drew’s coloring.
Less bling more flowers.
I got the kids some ranch-appropriate shoes, too, and ones that will be good for my son to wear working on renovation projects (yes, we still do that, I just don’t write too much about it).
Current project: Anita’s new floors and old cabinets that will be recycled.
The weather improved, and we had lots of fun trying to buy groceries on one of the worst days of the year. The day before the Super Bowl is not a good one, crowd wise. There are no Fritos to be had. This is a tragedy for the menfolk at the ranch, who worship the Texas classic, Frito Pie. I’m a Dorito fan myself. Those were all gone, too. Oh well.
I’ll just watch the Olympics
Well, with a couple of household items obtained and a space heater borrowed, I think the cabin residents are in good shape. Yep. There are also no space heaters to be had anymore, thanks to the last cold snap. This was not a good week for their heater to die!
Snow Carlton
Tomorrow should be more interesting. But I’ve enjoyed my restful day and a chance to spend quality time alone with my kid. I remember how much I loved to be alone with my dad and talk freely. I hope my son enjoys our times together, as much as we do like the rest of the family. It was a nice opportunity opened up by some cruddy weather.
What a nice afternoon I’ve had. I finished a big project, so I spent some time baking a fruit crisp with such nasty peaches that I threw in the frozen berries I found in the freezer to rescue it.
It looks good, anyway.
Then I got to spend some relaxing time with the horses. Apache is still doing well, and we even made it out to the field for a bit. I need just a bit more refinement and then maybe we can move forward.
I’m not Apache, but I’m also full of love.
Other exciting stuff for today was the unexpected arrival of the solar company, who told us our panels weren’t giving any power. We had no idea. But it’s fixed now!
And what’s this?
The above is the innards of our gate, which has also decided not to work. Maybe it, too, will get fixed. So yeah, it ain’t all bad. Nope.
I’m also cute.
You know what? It’s really good to have normal days out in the fresh air, enjoying the simple things like sunshine and animal buddies. It may not bring blog hits rolling in, but it feels good.
That’s pretty much the highlight of the day, which had some challenges, but nothing insurmountable. Things started out cold, which made me move kind of slow.
My role models.
The heater was having the same problem it had last year when it got really cold, not enough pressure to turn on. So it was a brisk 61 degrees as I tried to do my early meeting.
This is what it felt like. A giant ice cube.
The photo above is what was in each of the horses’ food buckets. We got 3” of rain over two days. It turned into sheets of ice. Brr.
Anyway, the menfolk got the heater going around noon, so I thawed out enough to record some voiceovers without vocal shivers. I’m relieved. Last year’s cold event was miserable with no heat.
I did my best to stop working around 2, since I worked such long hours this week, and I’m theoretically an hourly worker. But, of course I could not resist answering questions until we’ll after 5. It’s hard to not help!
Still, I got a bit of a nap in. When I awoke, Goldie was next to me, Harvey was draped over my lap, and Penney was on my chest and face. I must have been tired.
Lee gets the multi-dog nap thing, too.
It’s going to be a quiet weekend. I’m sure something will happen worth blogging.
Or you can knit and sit with me.
Oh! I did manage to brave the cold and see what was in the new trailer. It sure is shiny.
Fancy windows. Mysterious tubs of who knows what.
I was sorta glad to see that the trailer isn’t totally full. Maybe we will be able to fit it all in the new tack room.
I see a heater and some grooming stuff. A giant fan and translucent panels.
Well. Let’s see what happens. I’ve got nothing to complain about other than a bit of chill. It’s worse elsewhere. Love to all you readers.
I had it in my head that today I could mess with horses after work. Two things prevent that. One is that it’s rained all day. The other is that I’m feeling wiped out from the weekend. You wouldn’t think just watching a clinic would be so tiring!
It also thundered. Three dogs tried to get under my desk.
I think I breathed in a bit too much arena dust. I slept hard last night, except I kept dreaming of building project plans in the software I train. That’s exhausting, too. I did take a COVID test (thanks to the government) so Sara could be sure I hadn’t infected her yesterday. Nope. I’m just tired and a wee bit stressed out.
Nowadays a slight sniffle makes you worry!
So, other than running out to feed chickens, I’ve been sedentary today. At least I lived through my first early meeting of the next three weeks of those! They should be interesting, though, so I have no complaints, especially since we will be helping folks out.
No swimming today. And yes, those jet covers will not stay on.
A day like this is good, though. I got to think a lot about what to do next month, made plans for more horse stuff, and figured out some mental health issues I’ve been dealing with, nagging rumblings and grumblings leftover from past struggles. I’ll have to deal with that soon. Until then, it’s time to snuggle with my canine buddies and enjoy the much-needed rainfall.
A cushion per dog. Penney is on my lap.
Take care, all. We all have burdens right now. Few of us are at our best.
And we all have fears. But they will pass like the thunder.
One of the last Pool of Dreams things is to get the robot pool cleaner up and running. Thirty days have passed, so Austin the pool guy came by to hook it up.
Note the dog-shaped shadow.
Lee and I enjoyed watching the robot as it sucked up debris on the floor, then climbed up the walls , turning around when it got to the top. We love Mr. Robotto.
It’s so cool.
As we watched, so did Goldie. After it came up and made a noise, she decided it was her number one enemy.
She is actually growling here.
So, while we were marveling at the amazing prowess of our new friend…
Climbing up to the ledge
…Goldie was running around barking, staring, growling and pawing at this strange aquatic beast.
I hate youAbout to barkChasing
In good news, Austin was able to get the jet covers to stay in the spa. Now I’m really looking forward to some hot tubbing tonight after my evening training class!
Mmm.
A long day means I’ll really enjoy my spa. Time to put it on party colors!
Lee wanted me to share Mr. Robotto in action. Here he goes.
It’s been a rough week over at my house, with half the occupants down and out from the coronavirus, and the rest of us staying home, since we weren’t sure if we were asymptomatic but sick or not. It’s made me really glad we got some flowers last time I was at the grocery store, since I’ve needed the cheering up.
The peaceful tulips at full bloom
I’m glad there’s so much to see and do here, because it’s made things a little easier. We even have separate seating areas by the pool for the sick and the non sick. And to think I thought those areas were for basking in different angles of the sun.
Germs can’t go that far, I hope
I have some things I really want to do this weekend (outdoor things), so I went to get a COVID test yesterday at the Cameron Fire Station. So did most of the rest of the county. I’d say by the time I arrived, the line was half a mile long or more. It took about 2.75 hours to get through the line, which seems a lot longer when you have to pee, I assure you. Plus I got sunburn on my nose and arm! I had not planned ahead with sunscreen. If there is a next time, I will remember, but I hope my home tests arrive before the next time I need to test.
Lots of cars in front of me (and behind)I can see th e station! Yay!
But, I did get in, finally, and endured the nasal swab thing. Ugh, now I see what people were talking about. That’s right, I hadn’t had a test before this, since I just stayed home the couple times I was exposed. The best news is that they called me less than 24 hours later to tell me I’m negative. Woo hoo. That probably explains why I feel fine. I guess we’ve done a good job separating ourselves, or my vaccinations worked. I’m relieved, in any case.
I am NOT the Germ Police in this neighborhood. Just the Coyote Patrol.
The book I’m reading, which is called Phosphorescence, talks about the importance of being in nature for your physical and mental health. I’m so glad to have so much woods and water to spend time in here at the ranch. (I was also lucky at my Austin house, since it was surrounded by greenbelts and had a view of the pool.)
Mom and twins enjoying their dayVlassic is annoying these twoThis soothes the soul
Today the whole sitting around and looking at nature thing got a lot better, because we now have two lounge chairs with cushions on them, which makes sitting by the pool and blogging a heavenly experience. It helps that the temperature is perfect, in the low 70s. What could be better?
Even Lee likes it on the new chairsI have a new throne!
I’ll tell you what! It would be better if I had a hot tub to sit in (not while typing). And there’s good news on that front. I called the propane company myself and talked to the woman there (who was chatty and fun to talk to about heavy equipment we each own). That got us ON the schedule to get the hot tub all hooked up on MONDAY! It’s conceivable the pool will be completely finished by then.
Until then, I can just enjoy the animals. Vlassic and Gracie Lou look so cute together. Our small doggies deserve some time in the spotlight, or sunlight.
Lunch hour is over, so I have to drag myself back in and work on some training material. Then Drew gets to jump over jumps and have some fun. This is not a bad place to endure a pandemic at all, nope. Not at all.
It hasn’t been an ideal day for anyone in my house, and I’ll just say that this is not a great time to participate in the health care system. So, no one slept last night.
There, that’s cheerful
Of course I had a 7am meeting, which ended up being the highlight of my day. And it was so pleasant outside this morning that I had visions of doing a lot of horse stuff later.
Oh what a beautiful morning
It got darker and darker outside, and I got the idea that maybe I actually wouldn’t get my new horse obstacles set up.
Maybe later.
I was writing a training outlying my head so I got the last Christmas stuff put away and added lively linens to the tables.
Some color for our beige house.
I even set up a little tea party using Lee’s mom’s china with roses on it (I unpacked something!).
The blue stuff was found in a house we renovated.
Yeah. I’d planned to write all day but got stuck. Home decorating helped me get back on track, and I did get my outline done.
This is Lee’s Bruns grandparents’ 50th anniversary china. Two big plates broke, but they were not packed real well.
As I was finishing up and getting up the energy to go mess with horses, Mandi texted from down the road. It was sleeting at her house. Oh, poop. Yes, it was sleeting here, too.
Go ahead, people still digging out of blizzards. Laugh at my tiny ice cube. (That’s it on my shoe,)
No dogs enjoyed the weather, especially the artistic Harvey. By the way, he has no more open wounds, and is shaped more like a dog and less like a burrito.
I’m thinner and have shaved spots. Brr.
Nope, these two aren’t thrilled either, and I can’t even FIND Carlton.
Alfred is fine. He’s happy that shedding season is over so I just pet him instead of pulling clumps of hair out.
I like cold.
I’ll just be flexible and glad my family are taking care of themselves. Y’all do, too. There are lots of germs and allergens roaming around right now! Maybe tomorrow I will be interesting.
Another day of horse lessons has come and gone. And while my lesson with this innocent student was enlightening, I would have come away happy just having watched Sara.
I should have known friskiness was ahead when he galloped up to me this morning, mane and tail flying.
Apache was very frisky this morning, probably because a front came through.
I’m feeling kinda frisky here.
We started out sweaty at 9 am and ended up shivering by 1! I did round pen with him before we left, and ooh he was jumpy. And once we got to the training ranch, he was not interested in human agendas.
Ready for cheekiness.
He did ok until the trainer got on, at which point he decided he didn’t want to do anything. It was so fascinating to watch her work through his stubbornness. There was lots of backing and angry horse faces. I didn’t take pictures, because I was watching so hard. She did stuff I am not capable of yet. And eventually he did fine. I even rode him better than last time and dealt with his issues.
The dogs here would prefer you pay attention to them, please.
He’s not easy. He hurts and has been ridden poorly. By me. But we are progressing. I ended my essay with a smile on my face, happy with all my progress and the support I got.
This foal wants it to be their turn.
We were all glad for the lesson to end. But Apache was still antsy. I was glad to leave him to eat some hay and deal with calmer animals. That included Christmas the bull. Sure, he looks intimidating.
Yes, I AM immense.
I had no idea he was tame, but he came up to me and licked my hand clean, then requested that he get some pets on his forehead and between his horns. Then, his cow companion came up and wanted a turn. This love fest was just what I needed.
As always, I enjoyed Sara’s lesson as much as mine. She learned some really complicated bending stuff and I was proud of how well she did. And Aragorn, too.
I’ll ignore all the dogs.
Aragorn didn’t even notice the fake bull that had startled Apache earlier. He was concentrating and throwing in fancy dressage moves so he wouldn’t have to bend the opposite way from how he was turning.
Paying attention.
I was distracted by two things: a biting wind and cute animals. Between the dogs, the baby horses, and the donkey, I had a lot of entertainment! Who cares about the cold when you have ranch entertainment?
Mmm. Stick. This is MINEAm I pretty? Yes. All dogs are doing this right now. I just peed. Heading off to visit their dad. The kids Best friends. Ranches are fun
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!
Almost full!
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.
Whatcha doin’?
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.
Cleaning, from far away
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.)
This is the robotic cart.
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.
Spa jet things are inScary equipment It’s blue!We are fascinated Pool van
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.
We get along. At the moment.
Harvey’s injuries are looking much better. Lots of scabs are gone, and where he was stapled seems healed.
See. I look better
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.
Much better.
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!
