Be Joyful

Be joy-full.  Even when things go wrong, you can have joy.  I can't explain it, but the closer I am to God, in prayer and His word, the greater my peace, hope, and joy.  I'm  sure you’ve heard it many times before; happiness is a choice.  “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” said Abraham Lincoln.  Michal Spiegelman penned in Beacons of Change - Happiness has its own up and down cycle and it is a conditioned state. You can feel happy when you get good news, when you receive a gift, when you eat something delicious or when you love a new purchase. 
Happiness is when your life fulfills your needs. “Feeling good” hormones, such as dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin are being released when you are triggered by external circumstances, situations or people. Happiness is an emotion and it can pass through. One minute you’re happy and the next minute you’re not. While happiness can come and go, joy is permanent. Joy is a deep, spiritual-based attitude. Joy is a fundamental part of your true being. Joy can live together with anger, sadness, grief and fear."
 
(Philippians 4:4-7) "Always be joyful in the Lord! I’ll say it again: Be joyful! Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near. Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus."

Saturday 8/22 -  We had had many cool, gloomy days with plenty of rain, and this was predicted to be another such day.  We got a light rain before Maggie and I went to Patty's at 9am.  We started out with a long walk around part of Lake St. George.

I then sat out on Patty's deck reading for nearly two hours.


This is the new Wayfair shirt Dan gave me.




I came home for lunch and then went to work at the pool.  Thankfully the day turned out to be a lot nicer than predicted, and I had a decent crowd at the pool so my shift was not too boring.

I enjoyed popcorn and licorice while Joe and I finished the last two episodes of the first season of Virgin River.  And this is how so many of my nights go with food.

Sunday 8/23 - I got up at 2am, but napped from 5-6:30. I was then groggy all morning.  Patty arrived home from Iowa late the night before, so I no longer needed to go to her house.  Eventually I went to the barn.









I took Amiga across the little creek and up through the winter field to get to the long trail.  We rode the ridge and then went down to Daddy's Creek.  I rode down and back along the creek an extra time because it was so pretty and peaceful (video).  It gave me great joy.

Coming back to the barn along the long trail, we stopped to rest ¾'s the way up the hill by the waterfall (video).

Back at the barn I took extra time to care for Amiga.  In this photo, she was starting to act a little impatient.   








In this photo, the cats were jockeying for position while I brushed my teeth before bed.

Earlier when I had gotten home from the barn, I had a big snack, so then I lost all ambition and desire to cook a meal, as I had planned.

A late nap preceded a salad for dinner.  But then I had my habitual popcorn and licorice here at my computer.  No matter my intentions for good food and exercise, I digress to junk food and lazying around.

Monday 8/24 - It was my usual wake at 2am and take my thyroid medication, but like the night before, I couldn't get back to sleep, so got up and read.  I then napped from 5-7am to get my 'full night' of sleep.

Maggie and I went for a long walk mid-morning.  The new amphitheater now has the concrete floor poured and a wall added in back to create a little sound booth/dressing room.




I am waiting to see how large the concrete dance floor in front is going to be.

In this second photo, you can see the little rain cloud that ended up sprinkling on us for a few minutes.  These pop up showers have occurred all summer and seem to be the new norm.



Our walk continued up and over to Peavine where construction is still underway.  It looks like the road is going to be higher here at the west end of the Catholic church parking lot.














I couldn't tell if this area was getting filled in, or the shoulder was being graded lower. 




This last photo is looking west down Peavine with the east end of the Catholic church parking lot.  The truck is parked in the drive.

We had our group chat with family and it went as usual, with either everyone talking at once and not hearing each other, or no one talking and we just all kind of look at each other.  We work through these little snags and it is always good to see and hear everybody.

I read out in the sun just a bit, came inside to nap because I got too hot, and then went to the barn.  This is big John, one of the draft horses.  Henry, his pulling partner was not acting normal.

I rode Amiga long enough (5 minutes) to do the parade route just once.  Again she did it fairly well, so I quit on a positive note.  The barn was going to be power washed so I put her out in the pasture with the mares for the night.  




I hadn't planned to go to Mirror Lake Blast, but Joe said Soul Fish was playing, and he was going.  So I decided to go.  It felt so good to dance to live music, which always fills me with joy.  And I did much better at keeping my distance from everybody.

I took a sleep aid to help get me back into the routine of sleeping through the night.

Tuesday 8/25 - The sleep aid worked and I fell right back to sleep at 2am and 4am, not waking and getting up until 7am.  However, I was then kind of groggy, but my usual two cups of tea helped with that.

One of Babe's favorite places, on the arm of the porch glider.  She makes me envision a cougar reclining on a tree limb.  Stevie was catching some rays and had been watching life beyond the screen until she heard me.




I ate a big, early lunch before going to Bible study.  This is my version of an open face reuben sandwich. 

I arrived at the barn for Bible study and went in to check things out.  It had been power washed from 4pm to midnight, and all of the horse were kept out overnight.  Things were still quite wet.  This is Amiga's stall with lime down to help absorb moisture and control odor.

The decision to move Bible study to Dorchester club house was made because of a very prominent threat of rain.  It was quite noisy because of a group of men enjoying beer and talking way louder than necessary.  But we made it work.


After our study, I went right back to the barn to take Amiga on a short 90 minute ride.









 







I rode between the rows in the bean field, the ridge of the long trail, and then the perimeter of three of the four bean fields. 



Back at the barn, many were getting ready to practice for the Parade of Breeds. 










Emily and a volunteer were helping Jason get Henry and John hitched to the wagon.


I let Amiga have the rest of her evening grain and then put her bridle back on, adding two parts to her costume.










Then we went out into the front yard where many others were working with their horses.



Karen on Levi.








Sharon with Merlin.







Jan on Cash, carrying the flag.

Jason drove his team and wagon around while others also rode around or hand walked their horses (video).

We all had a lot of fun.  Amiga was revved up when we first went out, but after standing and watching the activities for awhile, she then did quite well.  I didn't get a photo of Patty on Zorro, but he was looking good and did great.

I was home by 6:30, and watched a movie with Joe while enjoying popcorn, my dinner.





Wednesday 8/26 - Three of the four cats enjoying the porch.  Mama Styx on the swing.














Stevie asleep in the corner, like a wild cat lounging up in a tree.  Monita was on the little table.

Not realizing how hot the day had gotten (mid 80s) and probably not having drank enough water after my morning tea, I overheated while mowing down back.


I went to the pool early for my 1:45 - 6:45 shift, and got in right away to cool off.  I actually took a quick dunk two more times while working.  I just kept feeling too hot.

The third swim section was full to capacity, partly because of the beautiful weather and because of a group of regulars who had planned to meet for a cocktail party.  They are such a fun group whom I consider friends.  And they kindly shared their hors d'oeuvres with me.

Joe was too tired from 18 holes of golf to watch a movie and went to bed early, so I watched two episodes of Outlander on my own. 

Thursday 8/27 - I was up in the middle of the night from 1:30-4:00, so got more reading done.  I didn't wake then until 7am.  This is Babe again in one of her favorite spots.  I love how she lounges with her legs stretched out on each side of the porch swing arm for balance.

I was back at work at 9:15.  We had more people than I would have expected due to the clouds, but most came knowing Friday would not be a good pool day with Hurricane Laura expected.

I went straight from the pool to the barn, with plans to continue working Amiga who needs to drop several pounds.

I was very disappointed with her on the Holly Trail because she refused to continue down the hill to the creek.  I finally had to get off and lead her down.  She really has gotten fearful of the steep hill right after the creek crossing, and like trailer loading, is refusing to move forward towards her fear.  Once we got to the creek, we didn't cross, but turned around and went back to the barn.  This photo shows the back pasture with the livery horses as seen from the Holly Trail head.

Next I tied a sheet around my waist (to simulate my costume) and rode Amiga on the parade route.  Jan read my write-up as I took Amiga through my planned 'routine.'  Amiga did great.  Jan also took some photos of us.

I got off Amiga in the yard while talking with Jan, and draped the sheet on the back of Amiga to walk her to the barn.  A breeze blew the sheet and she had a big spook, nearly running Jan over.  One can NEVER be too careful around these huge animals that have their own thoughts, reactions, and will.







I had corn on the cob for dinner and then watched two more hours of Outlander, deciding I am no longer interested in it.  The increase in sex and profanity has made me uncomfortable.  I'd rather watch something that gives me joy.

Friday 8/28 - Strong winds woke me at 4:30 and I was tempted to roll over and go back to sleep, but when I looked at the weather, decided I should get up and walk Maggie before the rain hit.  She was already hiding in our closet.  With the remnants of Hurricane Laura moving east, we were expecting heavy rain with the possibility of tornadoes.  By 7am I got a message from Nancy that the pool would be closed for the day.


After my usual computer tasks, I then played games for quite awhile.  I just can't get motivated these days.  I am turning into a cat who lays around 18 hours a day.  Sweet Monita doesn't cause trouble during 'down' time.












It ended up raining off and on all day.

I ran errands picking up my thyroid prescription, getting gas and groceries, and going to the hardware store for a stump removal chemical (it speeds up rotting).  Joe had drilled several holes in this stump but I needed to make them deeper. 








It started thundering while I was working but the rain didn't start until just as I was finishing putting the white powder into each hole.  The instructions said to add water after filling the holes, but the rain did that for me.



I went back to enjoying a lazy day.  This time out on the porch, eating lunch and listening to it rain.  Monita climbed in behind me on the chair.  Then it was onto the porch swing to read and eventually take a little nap.  Mama Styx climbed into my lap this time.








An evening tornado watch and then warning had things stirred up for awhile.  And then there was some chatter among boarders when horses were turned out into the storm, where they would be safer if the barn got hit by a tornado.  Eventually I decided Amiga would be fine either way (in or out) and I would not worry about her.

Do things to help you feel better (to be joyful) when negative thoughts start entering your brain. 
This (Podcast) of episode 193 of the Dr. Taz show with Janet McKee has great advice.  

Fuddy Duddy Homebody

In an attempt to be more careful about my social distancing, I feel like I have become a Fuddy Duddy Homebody, and am totally bored with life. 







Not only have I not been taking many photos, I haven't done much worth writing about.  The depression is becoming more and more real.


Saturday 8/15 - It was to be yet another rainy day, and didn't look like I would be going anywhere.  I was up at 4 am, walked the dog when there was a break in the rain, and hung out here at my computer well past sunrise. 

Much time was then spent on the screened porch, reading and working puzzles from the news paper.  This is Mama Styx, sleeping nearby on a lounge chair pad.


After a big salad for lunch, I napped for 90 minutes, sleeping quite hard.







We never did get all the rain predicted so I went on a lovely afternoon ride with Jan and Karen.  Thank goodness I can get out to do this.  In this photo, we are up at the rock quarry, which is part of the long trail ride.



We had taken our newly cleared trail through the woods to the winter pasture.  It was quite muddy, so we stuck to the perimeter where grass and weeds kept it drier.  Amiga did well, except she liked to tailgate Levi.







I declined going to dinner with Joann and Brian because it was an indoor venue.  Instead, I was a Fuddy Duddy Homebody, had popcorn, and watched Outlander for three hours.



Sunday 8/16 - I got to Patty's by 7:30 am to feed her two cats.  Then Maggie and I went on a long walk around part of St. George Lake. 










I sat out on Patty's deck so her cats could come out and enjoy the sun and fresh air.


Her black cat Gilly especially likes napping out there.  I read for over an hour, getting back into my crime mystery novel I hadn't picked up for over a week. 

Back home, I was woken from a 90 minute nap at noon, by Brian, and while talking to him (on my phone) I was looking for my phone to check on the weather.  Needless to say, I had woken in a fog.


The afternoon (12:30 - 5:00) was spent at the barn.

I was slow to saddle up, and then took Amiga for a 2½ hour ride into the Glade.  We went on some dirt roads we hadn't ridden for over a year.  There was a huge tree still down across the road so we went around it, with me leading Amiga through the woods. 

You can imagine how big the tree was that was blocking the road, by seeing the size of the root ball we went past.

Amiga did very well navigating around, over, and under branches in the woodland.

We had a wonderful ride in the Glade, although as we were heading home I could tell Amiga was tired.  She was rushing, yet getting a little tripsy. 

Unfortunately, when nearing the Holly Trail, we got to another downed tree in the road that I always walk her around.  But she decided to proceed forward as I was getting off her.  I got hung up in the overhead branches and she got hung up in the ground branches, and ended up injuring her front left leg.  Her right one had been the sore one a few weeks ago.  I walked her down the hill and up the other side of the Holly Trail to keep weight off her sore leg.  She wasn't bad lame, but I could tell she was hurting.

Once back at the barn, I gave Amiga Prevocox, hosed her down, and massaged liniment oil into her sore muscles.  I checked for ticks, treated her scratches on her back left leg, and put fly wipe on her belly and udder area.  She also got a good tail washing, working on the dock which was quite scaly.

Joe was sending photos of the fun he and Greg were having down in the Keys, snorkeling, kayaking, etc.  So I decided the heck with staying home, and I join Brian and Joan at Stonehenge, out on the deck (where they sat so I could stay outside).  We chatted for quite some time while enjoying a couple of beers.




Monday 8/17 - I was at Patty's by 7am, the dentist before 8:00, and shopping an hour after that.  My teeth got a clean bill of health.  👍  After five stores and several purchases, I was home with everything unloaded and stored away in time for a group chat at 1pm.









Late afternoon I went to the barn to check on Amiga.  I hopped on her bareback to see how she felt, and practiced the parade route.  If I didn’t know better, I would think Amiga was a different horse.  I did not see or feel any lameness issues, when I rode the parade route she did it picture perfect, and when I checked her tail and combed it all out there was no scaly skin in it anywhere.  She still has scratches kind of bad on her back left leg, which I treated again.  Otherwise I was just thrilled with how the afternoon went with her.

Three people  invited me to join them at Mirror Lake Blast, but I turned them each down.  I have been trying to do a better job of social distancing, not going into bars or restaurants and staying away from crowds, because family have been on my case.  The problem is, when the music starts playing, I forget myself and this STUPID COVID CRAP, start dancing, and get a little too close to people.  But when I got this photo from Joe and Greg, I felt a tad jealous and a little mad.  I plopped down on the couch and fell asleep.  Waking 90 minutes later, I crawled into bed, no teeth brushing or dog walking (screw it I thought).  I proceeded to sleep ten more hours.  Because of depression, I have become a Fuddy Duddy Homebody.

Tuesday 8/18 - I was at Patty's by 8am.  Ellie just loves Maggie.  I did cat chores and then took Maggie on a long walk, going around the other side of the lake.










I read, out on her deck again, with Gillie enjoying the time outside.  Both she and Maggie took a nap.



Bible study at the barn was sweet, with a few ladies sharing their difficult stories.  So many of us have been through tremendous trials.

Jan, Polly, and I had planned to ride after our study.  This is Scout, an old horse who gets to wander around the barnyard part of the day.  I was joking about him helping Emily with the white board 'to do' list.  2pm - feed Scout  3pm - feed Scout  4pm - feed Scout, etc.  LOL



We gave our horses part of their evening feed before tacking up.  Poly took these two photos of Scout looking in the grain room while she was getting Rio's feed. 





Meanwhile, I took this photo of him looking into the grain room from the barn isle way.








He is such a silly boy.

Once tacked up, we headed across the road, down the newly cleared trail and into the winter pasture that is full of beans right now.




In an effort to ride in the shade, we did have to ride between the rows of beans, but we did a pretty good job of keeping the horses off the plants (video).


Once across the field, we went into the woods and caught the long trail up on the ridge.






After we turned around to head back to the winter pastures, I was in the lead on Amiga, and could finally get a photo of Jan and Polly from the front.  I told them I had too many butt shots.  LOL







Once back to the bean fields (winter pastures) we rode around, or on the road, through all four of them.  The footing was perfect, not too hard, too soft, or too rocky.

Jan got a (video) and photo of Amiga and I.

Our two hour ride had been thoroughly enjoyable.  It wasn't too hot, there was a gentle breeze, and there were no flies.  Amiga did not feel 'off' at all and she only got a little wound up a couple of times.


Mama Styx's favorite spot.  I had planned on a quiet evening at home.  After pet care and a shower, I settled in on the couch with popcorn and a beer, and watched two episodes of Outlander.  I am starting to get hooked on this show.

Wednesday 8/19 - I was at Patty’s before 8 AM to get her trash out on the curb.  I didn’t take Maggie with me because I wasn’t ready for a long walk.  As it turns out my plans for some exercise and yard work were curtailed by rain coming earlier than predicted.  The weather was bad enough that Maggie hid in the closet, but it didn't last long.  However, it was iffy looking and forecasted for more rain all afternoon.





There were quite a few deer down back at one point during the morning.  This one is eating some watermelon from the half I set out there because it was starting to go bad.

The pool was kept open because people complain when there is a break in the weather and we are closed.  Nancy had only had three people the first shift and no one came the second shift, which I arrive during to replace Nancy.  I had on sweat pants because it was a tad cold.  I did get four swimmers right at the 4:00 start of the third shift, but that was it, because it was so cold and gloomy out.


I had gotten news from the barn that Zorro did not eat his grain.  This is very unusual, and was the first sign of illness Rocky presented before he got really sick.  Jan and Pat stayed in contact with me and I was waiting to hear from the vet who I had texted.

I was able to close the pool 30 minutes early, run home to feed cats and dog and walk Maggie.  I grabbed a sandwich and ate it on the way back to the barn, not knowing how late I might be there.  Jan was waiting there to help me when I arrived at almost 7pm.  I had no idea she was waiting for me, and felt guilty for taking time to make a sandwich and she hadn't even had dinner yet.

Zorro in his stall overnight, as seen the next morning. 

Jan took Zorro's temperature for me (100.2 - the high side of normal range), reminding me how to do it.  And then I checked Zorro for any other symptoms.  He had drank, urinated, had a good poop, good gut sounds, and was nibbling at hay.  He walked fine, although a little lazily, but was quite interested in grass.  He just would not touch his feed.  The vet suggested leaving him in overnight and checking vitals first thing in the morning.
I got home after 8pm but didn't get to bed until 10:00.  Joe arrived home from Florida around 11pm.

Thursday 8/20 - I was at Patty's at 6am, and the barn just after 6:30.  I drove the 'country' route from Patty's to the barn.  This is the view going down St. George Drive, heading east.

Zorro had his head out the stall window and was neighing when I got out of the car.




Zorro's temperature was now 99.3 and he was quite perky.  I emptied the un-eaten grain out of his bin, cleaned it well, and gave him a little fresh grain.  He ate it with gusto.  He also was very interested in grass when I took him out on the lawn.  Once the cowgirls arrived for their work day, we decided Zorro was fine and I turned him out with all the geldings.  I contacted the vet and then headed home. 




Satchsquatch - This is probably seven feet tall.  Some people have the strangest yard decorations.

I got to the pool at 9:15 and had a lovely work day.  I hadn't worn my suit because it was supposed to be rainy and gloomy, but it was actually quite nice.  It was hot enough I wanted to go into the pool to cool off.



I went back to Patty's at 2:30 because I had just run in and out earlier.  I like to walk her neighborhood (this is when I saw Satchsquatch) and give the cats deck time.  

Next, after feeding the dog and cats back home, I went back to the barn at the 5:30 feeding time to check on Zorro.  He ate all his grain and was acting like his usual self, so we deemed him okay.

Dead dog in the drive?

After riding Amiga around the parade route, and because she did it perfectly, I got off, did some skin treatment on her and put her back in her stall.








On the way out the drive from the barn, Boz was too lazy to move, so I just steered around him.

I had a big (not so healthy) snack at 5:00, so skipped dinner.  I am disgusted with the new COVID non-workout, snacking all the time body I have developed.

Joe and I watched Virgin River for a few hours.

Friday 8/21 - I took my time getting over to Patty's since I had had so many early mornings there this week.  I enjoyed being lazy and lingering here until 9am.  First we had some play time (video) and then I took Maggie for a long walk hitting a different section of Patty's neighborhood.







Then it was 'deck time' with her cats (and Maggie also).  I  tried accomplishing some of my Bible study homework, but Gillie was making it difficult. 








I had soup for lunch because it was cold out and I felt the need to warm up.  Then, because it looked like the rain was going to hold off, I started on some yard work, first doing a lot of trimming.

While trimming dead branches out of the Mountain Laurel by the bench on the rock, I got side tracked by the rock steps.  Mulch has been washing or getting knocked over the short step and onto the moss, so I have been wanting to put a large rock step in to contain the mulch.  It rained for several minutes at one point while I was working, making the dirt muddy.  But I couldn't stop because I didn't want to leave a mess.





I dug, wrangled a few large rocks, and kept trying different positions to get them to best fit together.  I only got the three largest rocks into position before running out of time.  I just haphazardly stacked the remaining rocks until I can continue work here. 




After a quick shower and pet care duties, Joe and I went out to dinner.  We tried The Cottage, a new restaurant on Peavine.  I had a delicious Shepherd's pie with very tender, tasty lamb.  Joe and I finished the evening watching two more episodes of Virgin River.

I realize as much as it feels like I am a homebody, I really do get out a lot more than many others are able.  I am very lucky and thankful for this.