Choose Happiness

There is an unreal amount of hate swirling around these days, and it is difficult for people to feel happy about life in general.  The anger, hate, and negativity upsets me.  I want people to be happy, including myself.
I am inspired by the blog post "How to Keep From 'Losing' Yourself in the Ugliness Around Us," by Joi Tania Sigers, which I recommend reading.  To recap, not necessarily word for word, she says...  The present emotional climate in the world is stormy with signs of getting worse before it gets better. If you look at your TV or computer, exposing yourself even slightly to social media or mainstream news, you will see the winds and waves of bad weather.  One of my mom’s favorite quotes was, 'This, too, shall pass.' (My Mama said that too.) Eventually, the anger, raging, fighting, and lashing out will die down. In the meantime, I want to encourage as many people as I possibly can, not to 'lose' yourself in the ugliness.  
If that means removing yourself from it – as in getting off of social media or cutting back on the news – do it. Do whatever it takes.  The emotional climate in the world isn’t what I’d call tragic. However, I’ll tell you what IS tragic – seeing people lose who they are and what they stand for. It’s tragic to see individuals become so consumed with hate and anger that they cannot even carry on civil conversations. People have lost the ability to civilly disagree with others. They’ve lost the ability to accept that others have opinions that may be different from their own.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Spend more time doing what brings you joy, like singing and dancing.  Watching Jay Lavery's video of him dancing to Sia’s hit “Cheap Thrills” while going about his barn chores and tending to the goats, just makes me happy.  This barn dance (posted on Facebook Dec. 30, 2016) went viral, amusing and bringing smiles to many.

It was 17 degrees at 5:30 Saturday morning during my first dog walk.  I was happy to be alive, walking, and breathing fresh (cold) air.  I turned the stinky fireplace back on when I came in.  We have just about hit the 16 hour suggested break in period, so shouldn't be smelling a burning or gas odor much longer.  I wanted to be certain that I could assure the fireplace guys, that there shouldn't be any more odor (if there still was), by the time they came back to finish the installation process.

I was going to ride with Jan and Jim, but the day was not warming up as expected so we all bailed out.  I stayed in my PJ's most of the day and read my Sue Grafton book.  I had the fire going, moved from recliner, up to balcony couch, and back down by the fire.  The cat and dog moved about as well.







Finally showering and dressing, Joe and I headed to Red's at 6:00.  Karaoke didn't start until 7 pm, so we took our time with drinks, appetizers, and then dinner.  Terry does a superb job singing and encouraging others, as he DJ's the Karaoke.  But the crowd was small, there were more mediocre singers than good ones, so we left by 8:30.

Stevie watching equipment being unloaded from the work van.

Sunday morning, I woke at 1:00, and again at 3:00.  The next time I opened my eyes it was 4:25, and I decided to call it quits.  My night of 'sleep' had come to an end, so I padded into the kitchen for my ritual brew of tea.  While my tea steeped, Maggie and I headed out into the darkness for her, to do her ritual things.  It was too early to put out the bird feeders, but I did have my usual breakfast of OJ, pills, and peanut butter on toast.

Troy and Randy had to pull the whole unit back out to
get to the gas leak.

I had been debating going to Church because we weren't sure if the Fireplace guys were really coming or not.  I really wanted to be home when they came, to clear up several questions and concerns I had.  They had said they would be back Sunday when they left last Monday, but Fran had not called to let us know of their arrival.  Long story short, Joe texted me that the guys had arrived, so I left Church a little before the sermon was to start.

Maggie watches Randy

There WAS a gas leak, which was the first order of business.  Then, since they had the unit pulled out, they decided to cut away more of the old fire box, to make it easier to get the new unit back into the tight hole.
 

Sparks flying as Troy cuts away more of the old metal box.

The new unit slid in easier than before, but it still needed to get pushed back in an extra half inch in order to get the front panel flush with the old louvers.  It still wouldn't fit. 
There is access to the back of the fire box from this trap door in our closet.  Randy had to use the board, seen in the left photo, to push on the metal gas pipe, to move it the little bit needed to get the new unit all the way in, while Troy was in the living room pushing on the unit from the front.  It was worse than trying to fit a large gal into a tight girdle.  But they did it!  And then they checked all over again, for gas leaks, in case a joint had been worked lose.  All was well.

Stevie had taken a likin' to Troy last time they were here, and she continued to impose herself on him.  Seen below, she rubbed all over his hoodie, marking it with her scent.

Tada!  The new fireplace is done... almost.  Randy got the coals and embers (glass, rock and fiber) all carefully placed to make it look quite real.  The frame (except one bottom panel yet to be made) is in place, along with the required (because glass front gets as hot as your stove top) protective screen cover.  The store will make a bottom panel and I am looking for something to cover the screw holes (2 inch square at top, center of the louvers) where the old flu handle was.  I also need to touch up where I had chipped away the mortar on one side.  But I was happy.

Zorro starts over to greet me, Amiga keeps grazing.

It was a beautiful day and I needed to get out to enjoy it.  After a quick lunch, I headed to the barn.  I wanted to ride the new trail to see where it still needed improvements.  But, Amiga was noticeably sore, and hesitated twice while I was walking her back to the barn.









Upon closer inspection, I saw, this time, it was Amiga's back right hip which had a kick mark and two big knots in the muscle.  Sometimes, a little exercise is the best thing for sore muscles, so I decided to take her out on a short ride and see how she did.  She improved, acting less stiff and sore, as we went down the trail.  So I headed to the new trail and rode it down to the creek.


We crossed the creek, turned around, crossed it again, and then headed back for the barn.  At this point, Amiga picked up the pace, but I could tell she was still hurting.  She did get a bunch of grazing time on the lush winter wheat, back at the bean field, on the way to the barn.







I like this photo of Chester in one of the water holes along the way.  He loves rolling in these big puddles.
After turning Amiga back out, I loaded my buckets and tubs with manure (I had driven the SUV).  Brooke arrived early to feed, so I decided to give Amiga Bute with her evening grain.

The night was spent near the fire, in the coziness of the living room.  I was trying to finish my Sue Grafton mystery while Joe was watching the Super Bowl.  I was distracted and caught bits and pieces of the game.  The cat and dog both got near the hearth, which was quite warm, and enjoyed soaking up the heat. 

Eventually the critters got too warm and moved to the dog bed, but then there was a little discussion as to who had first rights to it.  Usually they share the bed, which they did, until Maggie just flopped down right on top of the cat, with no regard to personal space, making Stevie scat.  I was falling asleep and went to bed after the entertaining half time show.

A rainy day and Monday was not going to get me down.  Right off the bat, at 6 am, I turned on the fire.


Again, the cat was challenging the dog.  This time it was over the chewed up dog toy, Skunkers.



Maggie did the best she could to stand her ground.  She is three times the cat's size, so it is no contest really.  Stevie just likes to antagonize the dog.  She does it to me also.




On the way home from Ballroom Aerobics I stopped in at the library to renewed my book that was due.  Once home, I settled in to read.  And I read for hours, so unlike me.  But the fire made the room cozy while the rain tapped against the windows much of the day.  I think I also took a nap.

Maggie guarding her ball while she sleeps.  Ain't no cat going to play with this.  I think she is so cute.  They both are actually, even though they can be a challenge at times.










After my morning exercise class, I didn't go anywhere the rest of the day, except for a few short dog walks in the rain and to the barn to check on and give Amiga another Bute.  She seemed a little less sore.  Oh, I also finished reading my book, so the day was not a total waste.  Joe and I watched the start of a new mini series, 24 Legacy.


Tuesday morning I went to the barn just before feeding time so I could give Amiga another Bute.  It was helping with the swelling as well as the pain.  In fact, she hardly seemed sore.  So I rode her, bare back, just to the bean field for some good eatin's.
 
I also volunteered to run to Terry's to bring Boz and Georgia back to our barn.  Glad I had the SUV.  I loaded up more manure and then brought it home and unloaded it down back.

Next, I decided to work on the creek, so I grabbed a quick, early lunch and switched out of my barn boots and into my rubber boots.

Leaves settled to the bottom, under water,
and covered with a dusting of silt.

  


First I raked a bunch of leaves out of the water, trying not to get any tadpoles in the mix, but had to throw a few back, who had gotten caught.  I hope I didn't miss any.







Then I worked at widening the creek in this area (seen below).  I spread the dirt out along the bank, especially in the low spots.  I got sprinkled on once and then had to quit an hour later when it started raining, hard, with some hail mixed in, pelting me as I grabbed all my tools. 


I had taken the lower photo to show my progress, just before the skies let loose.  Once out of my wet, muddy clothes, I had an hour to recuperate before heading to the gym for my usual exercise routine and stretch class.








After dinner, we watched the Clint Eastwood movie "Pale Rider."  In the movie, the reading from the Book of Revelations, ''Behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death,'' seemed to be referring to Clint Eastwood, the Pale Rider who rode a white horse.  It was not one of Clint's better movies, but we were entertained.

Wednesday, on the way home from Ballroom Aerobics class, I returned my Sue Grafton book and checked out a Janet Evanovich one.  With rain predicted, I was quick to get down to the back, to continue work.  It was nearly four hours before I was warned of the approaching storm, by the thunderous rumblings, way off in the distance.  I took the following photos, put away all my tools, and went inside before it hit.

Widening the creek at the turn.

I had removed sod along the edge of the creek and put it where I was done with the widening, which helped raise the ground level, and will also help hold the earth in place during flooding. I still need to finish the rest of the curve (left) where creek and pond merge.


 

This narrow area still needs work.

I can't wait for spring when everything starts to turn green and grow, flowers bloom, the woodland takes on a new look, and the yard becomes so pretty.

It was one of Joe's poker nights so there was no fanfare for dinner.  I had to quickly walk Maggie before a storm hit.  We had a big thunderstorm about 8 pm.  Maggie wasn't sure whether it was best to hide in the laundry room or cling to my side.  We got wet (but not dirty) when taking our last walk of the evening.

Thursday morning I woke before dawn, with snow covering our deck and areas of cold ground.  The rhododendron leaves tell it all.  It was 19 degrees with a dusting of snow.  I had to scrape ice off the SUV windshield before taking it to the barn where I was meeting the farrier.  I felt safer driving the 'tank' and also wanted to get more manure.

Zorro resting his head on Tom's shoulder
while he was trying to work.

I gave Amiga Bute with her morning grain so she wouldn't be so sore during farrier work.  Tom was running late, so I rode her around the barn for 15 minutes.  She felt pretty good.
Zorro got trimmed first, once we got started.  Both horses did great and their hooves looked good.

Amiga really had troubles standing while Tom worked on her right front leg, which made Tom believe it is her back left leg, probably hip, that is bothering her.




I unloaded the manure once home and came in to warm up by the fire with my new novel to read.  I had really gotten chilled, so, choosing happiness, added a cup of hot tea to the comforts of home I was enjoying.

It was a pretty, sunny day, but never even got into the 30's, so was just too cold out to do anything in the yard.  The cat and dog spent time by the fire and in the sun.  I did laundry, read, and napped.

Stevie just can't leave a sleeping dog lie.

The cat found a toy to play with so Maggie could continue her nap.

As for me, I did my three hour workout routine, getting home just after 6 pm.  I had a grill cheese (Joe made) along with my salad.  A little computer, TV, and reading ended my day.

Friday was to be a nice day.  It started out sunny, but cold, so I lingered here at my computer, working on this post.  Maggie kept an eye on me (left photo taken from my seat here) or watched life out the window.








It was a play day as far as Stevie was concerned, just like every other day (video).




I ate a 10:30 lunch and then went down back to continue widening and leaf removal of the creek and pond.  I flung many shovels full of dirt to the distant bank to fill in the low wet spots.  Below you can see the mini trenches I made for drainage.  This is partly a spring fed pond and water continually seeps out of the hillside, except during a severe drought.

I got thirsty, hungry, and tired, and needed to get cleaned up for an evening out, so had to call it quits before finishing.  It was 4:30 by the time I came inside.  Seen left, a little more ground yet to be removed.  Below you can see an earlier shot of this area, from a different angle, before and after I removed more sod and showing that the sun had receded in the sky.

Joe and I had an early dinner of leftover lasagna and then got gussied up for an evening out.  We drove the 1/4 mile up the hill to the library building where the Light and Lively Dance Club was hosting a Valentine Day dance.

We sat with two couples who are Dorchester Pool regulars.

This was an older group, but still a lot of fun.  I got my dancing bug satiated, and I think even Joe enjoyed getting out on the dance floor for a few dance numbers, mostly the slow ones.

Ben and crazy Jackie.
She is the dancing queen.

The party ended at ten but I was too wound up, and maybe a little inebriated to go to bed right away, so I computerized for over an hour.  Life is good, especially if you choose happiness.

I am grateful for the people who have touched my life.  I am blessed by my family and friends, who form the center of my life.  I am thankful for my pets, who bring peace and joy into my life, and for my home that provides me shelter, comfort, and safety.  I am excited about each new day and what it may bring.  I feel so happy to be alive and to witness all the good in this world.  I pray for a heart that feels compassion for others, for an attitude of giving to others, and for eyes that see where I can help when there is need.