Leaving Gaps

That's it!  I am done spending time trying to fill the gaps that occur between photos on my blog posts.  Blogger won't let me move them closer together, and then sometimes I try to fill in the blank space with additional writing.  Which brings me to another (actually older) decision I had made long ago...  I am going to start leaving gaps in my account of my days, when it is the same mundane stuff I am doing.  I may not even account for each day, but just detail the main events or projects I do during the week.  I'm sure I will still write some long random thoughts or ideas that do not seem connected, but they are things I want to share (it's kind of how our brains really work and how our lives flow anyway).

Sunday 9/30 - Courtney came for a visit.  Patty, sister Mary, and cousin Shirley came to check out our new sunroom and my cat shelves project.  Then we were all off to the barn.  Patty wanted help from Courtney on lunging and other round pen work.  In this (video), Zorro is learning to join up with Patty and follow her.








Courtney had brought her Orthoflex Saddle from home and we used the girth Jan gave her and tried it on Zorro for size.



It fit nicely and then Courtney took Zorro for a spin in the pony pen.  This is her first time riding in almost a year (video)!









Both Courtney and Zorro did a great job (video) although he wasn't perfect.






I wish I had gotten a video of when she had him collected and set up real nice during a lap around the pony pen.  We were all so excited for her.

Dorchester had it's End of the Season Pool Party that I had organized so felt I needed to attend.  Joe and Courtney accompanied me to this fun function.


It was the last day for the pool to be opened, and it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day.









The water was quite cold, but the sun very hot, so many people ended up getting in the pool.







Eating, however was probably the main event.  


And much fellowship, chatting, and laughter occurred around the various tables.












Larry and Marie provided and grilled the hot dogs, which were quite tasty.

Some of the girls, most of whom will join me on the dance floor, did do a little dancing.

Joe left early, but Courtney and I spent the afternoon at the pool, enjoying conversation, food, a dip in the cold water, and horse races (video).







We ended the day at Patty's house.  She and the two Iowa visitors had gone to a play in town, but once they were home, we joined them for a little more time to visit.  

A little after 8:00, Courtney headed for home in Nashville and Joe and I back to our house.




Monday 10/1 - It was hard to believe, and accept, that September was over and the outdoor swimming season had come to an end.  It was now time to decorate for Halloween (which hasn't yet gotten done).  I could just go straight to Christmas decorations like the stores have done.

I got to the pool a little after 8am and worked for an hour helping to clean and store all the tables and chairs.  Then I scurried off to Ballroom Aerobics because Patty and cousin Shirley were going to be there as were Rita and Michele  (I found out this is the correct spelling, not with two l's).  

Stevie on the ladder, checking out the new shelves and viewing the chipmunks, squirrels, and birds outside.








I ran errands, getting a gift card and chocolate lovers cheese cake sampler for Patty's birthday.  Then I had to hustle to be on time for the last minute pontoon boat ride.

Shirley was glad to relieve Joe of the captain duties part of the time.

Again, the day was just beautiful and perfect for pontooning (video).  We anchored by the golf course and watched some golfers while Joe swam, and Michele and I considered going into the water.

Patty (with Shirley and Mary's help) had cooked dinner for Joe, friend Shirley, and I.  So we all enjoyed a great meal and celebrating Patty's birthday.  

Joe spent much of the time watching football while we ladies chatted and played Scattergories.  Patty's three cats were quite attracted to Joe's lap.

Can you see all three cats with Joe?

What fun it is to socialize, gather for a meal, and just goof off.

Tuesday 10/2 - I got to the barn at 8:00 to check on Amiga. worm her, and pay board.  Amiga wasn’t too lame, except when doing a tight turn on her left front leg.  I gave her a pain pill. Then Judy helped me give her the wormer.  My silly horse was then pouting, wouldn’t eat a sugar cube, apple, alfalfa, or even the good tall green grass near the barn.  It was like she did not trust anything going into her mouth. She was so funny. 





Rain was predicted so I planned to work on making shelves most of the day.  I got the ladder set back up so I could hold boards up on the wall and finalize the plan I had envisioned.  Stevie was the project manager.

It took all day, but I got three shelves built.  Joe help with some sawing and all of the drilling and screw placement.  

After dinner we finished the last two episodes of Safe.  Now that we have started watching Survivor, I wanted to complete this other series.

I was sound asleep when Joe was taking Maggie on her before bed walk.  She got skunked and he pulled his calf muscle.  I had gotten a bruise on my thigh last week when the same thing happened.  Maggie bolted out the back door in hot pursuit of a critter, building up momentum until she got to end of the flexi leash, and then jerking us down the stairs.  I have been seeing the skunk out and about along the street after dark and before sunrise.  Once woken up by Joe's groaning and the smell of skunk, I did the best I could to clean Maggie off.  It was then difficult to get back to sleep.




Wednesday 10/3 - Maggie had spent the night in the garage and still stunk, so remained there much of the day.  Joe went to the walk-in clinic and was directed to go to Crossville for an ultra sound, which he did later, in conjunction with his poker night.  A few days later he got word that the scan showed no abnormalities.


After Lady's Club I gave Maggie a bath.  The speaker at Lady's Club went almost 30 minutes over time.  Not wanting to be rude, but like many others, I left before his spiel was over.  It was 2:00 by the time I was changed and ready to de-skunk the dog.  I had made the (most popular on-line) mix of peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish soap which I got the 'recipe' for.








While Maggie dried, I worked out in the garage caulking the three shelves to ready them for painting.  I also did some caulking of screw holes we had left in the sunroom.  The screen door frame on the porch also got caulked.

The caulk needed 24 hours to dry, so painting would have to wait.  

I took Maggie on an 80 minute walk.  At one point when I was passing these two people and their dog, I noticed a deer just off the path.  I pointed it out and the couple could not see it because it was holding so still and blended in so well.  

Can you spot the deer?

At the time I took this photo, these two could still not see the deer.  Evidently, they were looking beyond it, up the hill in the distance.








Finally when the deer started to slowly walk away, it caught their eye.  Can you see it in this last photo?

Thursday 10/4 - The caulk was still not dry, so there would be no painting (all day as it turned out).
  












It was tempting to join these two on the porch swing since I had woken up way too early.  

I bounced between several activities (watering, cleaning kitchen, on-line and then in-person exit interview for work, pick up sticks, cats' pan, etc.) checking on the caulk to see if I could paint yet.  It was a no go.

Then my next disappointment occurred when Joe and I met Patty and Mary at the CC for a movie preview of The Circus.  I thought we were going to see the whole movie.  Well it was a promo for a PBS show, with talking and some fund raising.  We only saw two 30 minute segments of the four hour show.  But Mary did win a door prize.

I felt like most of my day was a big waste, but when Courtney messaged me that she planed to come and do a trail ride over the weekend, I had new purpose.  


So I went to the barn, saddled up Zorro, and joined Karen and Jan on a little trail ride.

Zorro and I turned back early so I could see how he would do by himself.  He spooked once when Chester jumped out of the woods in front of us, otherwise, he was great.



After untacking Zorro, I brought Amiga out of her stall to see how she was doing.  She looked pretty good.  I hopped on bareback and rode across the street with Jan and Polly, who had now joined us.  Amiga feels fine at a straight walk, it's when I turn her (especially to the left) that she acts really stiff (seemingly in the shoulder).  Later, Joe and I watched Survivor since he plays poker on Wednesday nights.

Friday 10/5 - Stevie thinking about trying out the shelves before the new 'jungle gym' is open for business.  











I spent the day applying two coats of gray paint and one coat of white to the three shelves I had built.

I had mixed the remaining paint from the two one gallon buckets of paint in with the remaining paint in the five gallon bucket (as the paint store suggested but the workers had not done as I requested).  Then I poured the paint back in the two one gallon cans, filling them.  There was still more left.  So after painting along the edge of the screen door, I continued on some of the porch trim outside.


While paint dried, I did other various activities in the yard and around the house.  Courtney had texted that she planned to come visit, so it was a good excuse to neaten up the place.

Joe and I spent a few hours sunning and swimming at the CC pool.  It was 85 degrees and felt like another summer day.

Patty had Joe and I over to join she and Mary for steak dinner.  Maggie was invited to come too.  She enjoyed this chew toy cousin Shirley had made.

There was some TV and talk time after we ate.  Patty had said that her cats never used this cat tree she had gotten at a garage sale.  Well, two of them proved her wrong.  LOL

This is Bo, Patty's very friendly boy.  Thankfully, none of her cats mind the dog visiting because Maggie is going to spend next week there while Joe and I are in Texas.

Saturday 10/6 - The 70 degree early morning temperature, but 92% humidity had me debating between air-conditioning, or leaving the windows open.  I chose to hear and smell the outdoors that I could see from my seat here at my computer.  

At 5:30am I was out in the garage adding one more coat of white paint to the front of the shelves.  Once Joe got up (about 9am) we got the three new shelves hung on the wall.  

Joe left at 10am for Louisville, to play in a poker tournament.  I cleaned the sunroom.  I also re-did the hanger for the plant on the porch so I could move it into the sunroom.  In the process, I pinched a finger with the plyers, and then sprayed the kitchen floor when rinsing dirt off the leaves of the plant that I had flooded while watering.  I was not making good progress.  

By 11:30, I dropped everything and went to Mirror Lake where I met Patty and Mary for the Festival.  I picked up Joe and my t-shirts, and Maggie's bandana, we got for completing the hiking marathon.

We listened to music, walked around the booths, and I had a beer with my taco.

A quick trip home to walk the dog and change from shorts to jeans and I was off to Spikes in time to see the 2:30 Iowa kick off vs Minnesota.  I had a beer with my appetizers.






Iowa was well ahead by the end of third quarter, and it was time for us to leave.  Another quick stop at home to feed the critters and walk the dog, and then I was off to Legend's for dinner reservations and the Trivia contest.







I, seen with my team from left to right - Jean, Patty, Shirley, and Mary.  We were in second place at the end of three rounds but ended up middle of the pack after the last, five part, sports question.  We had really needed Joe on our team.  Friend Shirley would have been helpful with some of the history questions, but she was at work.

Sunday 10/7 - I got word from Courtney that she overdid it with Dan and Val the day before.  They had eaten at a hibachi place but it made Courtney feel really nauseated.  She felt like she just needed to lay around, and not come.  I was kind of disappointed, but had plenty to do before our Texas trip.

These photos show the plant now hanging from the corner shelf.  The ladder from the cat tree to this corner shelf still needs to be installed, but will have to wait.



Here is a closer look at the plant.

Church was inside, and not quite as up-beat as it usually is out in the pavilion.

Soon after Church, Patty picked me up and we went to the barn to do our trail ride, as planned, except without Courtney.





Notice Amiga 'pointing' her front left leg.  This is the one that has been bothering her.







Patty led the way out on Zorro.








They both did great as usual.  Patty had to encourage Zorro to keep going at a few spots, and he did.




At the point where the trail turned and went down towards the pond, Zorro lost all confidence, so I led on Amiga and took this (video).


We rode into the Holly trail, turned back at the top of the hill, and Zorro led, all the way back to the barn (video).

Next we rode out in the yard, doing some obstacle work.  Amiga had felt good except when going down one small hill, and turning sharp left around obstacles, so we always circled to the right.

I caught this (video) of Judy bringing in two horses who did not come in with the herd.  They must have wanted a vacation day.





Another dog walk once home, and the rest of my day was dedicated to yard work.  I moved rock that I have been collecting and rebuilt a small section of wall.  Then I worked on an area out front that has been washing away from this redbud tree.  I added a rock (and phlox I had trimmed) to hold the dirt in place.

 

Monday 10/8 - I decided to wait and post this blog after today and then next week's blog will be all of our Texas trip.






After Ballroom aerobics, Patty stopped by for plant and pet care instructions.










I had an early lunch, and the rest of my day was spent in the front yard cleaning up flower beds.








I cleaned up sticks and leaves and did lots of weeding to neaten up the two beds by the road.

I added mulch, but will need more, and more time.









I got word from Joe that he had been knocked out of the poker tournament, #27, but they only paid to 20th place.  So he was finally on his way home.  

Michelle dropped by with some stuff and we made plans for dinner.  

My azalea is blooming again because I trimmed it back and fertilized it three weeks ago.

 





Michelle and Rita picked me up and we went to Stonehenge for a nice dinner.

With Joe home, I now have my itinerary for travel and can start packing.