There are so many aspects to our well being. 
I know it is difficult to focus on all of them.
Our doctors tell us we need to exercise, and watch what we eat and drink to keep our bodies healthy. We need to be equally vigilant in what we read and watch and the environment in which we place ourselves. All this affects our attitudes and our spirit. Our well-being is not just physical – it is emotional, psychological, and spiritual.
But, I do believe physical health is most important to our well being. I find that when I miss several days of exercise, it has an immediate impact on my sleep, mood, energy level, and overall sense of well being. 
It is especially important to stay healthy during this pandemic. Several family members and lots of friends are working from home. This visual from Tricare has a lot of helpful hints on how to maintain your well being while teleworking.
I also believe that the gym (for me at least) is the best way to exercise. It is where I can work on: strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, agility, endurance, and coordination. I benefit from these different forms of physical activities in many ways. It improves health and prevents disease, relieves stress and eliminates depression.
I need to exercise at the gym because I am not disciplined enough to do so alone at home. And I feed off the energy of others as I see how hard they are working. And who doesn't push it just a little harder if they think they are being watched?
I noticed down back that the creek water level had risen, so on our second morning walk, Maggie and I went to check things out.
I couldn't find a good before photo of the small (12 to 18 inch wide) creek that was all that was left down back. I enlarged this photo from two weeks ago to try to show the little creek. There was mostly sand and dirt. Right above the bucks back the creek did an S curve, but was really quite narrow.
When checking out the water level at the big rock and spillway, I would say the water is 3 to 4 inches higher.
It is now high enough to be flowing over the concrete barrier just in front of the spillway, seen in this photo.
However, I could still see water trickling out of the ground, in the dam, below the spillway, as seen in the lower half of this last photo.
One last set of comparison shots. The first one I posted in last week's blog the day they dug up the leaky spot in the dam by the bridge. So you can clearly see, the water level is now higher.
I had a full day of activities and errands to run.
Being short on time, and maybe a tad lazy, I decided to ride bareback (video). It also works my leg muscles and better communicates leg and butt cues to Amiga. We rode to the Holly Trail head and back, stopping to graze a few times on the way. Look how lush the grass still is.
I got these last two photos from a second video I took as we were headed back to the barn. I love how the light was seen in the woods and on Amiga's mane.
I made soup (lentil, black bean, cabbage, onion, and left over pork) for dinner. It hit the spot.
Sunday 10/4 - It ended up being kind of a day of rest. I finished Halloween decorating, cleaned and filled bird feeders that hang in my sun room windows, and neatened up around the house.
The chipmunks have been much more active, getting ready for winter. With the increased activity, the cats and dog spend quite a bit of time watching out the front window. When I am not in the sun room they usually aren't there looking out the back windows either.
We headed across the road into the bean fields they are preparing for winter pasture and then onto the long trail ride. Forgetting there was a ride out, we turned around when we met up with them at a narrow spot. It is safer than trying to pass because many livery riders aren't that experienced.
We got back to the trail that leads from the winter pasture, let the trail ride group pass, and then rode the long trail up on the ridge. We did a little cantering once back out in the harvested bean field.
Patty was horsing around with Zorro when we rode back into the barn. I take photos of him to send to Courtney.
Joe continued to stay busy with Sunday football. I made a big salad for dinner, computerized, and then read until bedtime.
Monday 10/5 - You can see fall colors starting to emerge outside the window, beyond the perch where Stevie was resting and watching.
I spent two hours at the gym continuing to work sore muscles and making a few of them sorer.
When I got home, I got word that my sister Jean had been in a horse mishap and had broken her collar bone. Not knowing the extent of her injury, it made me sick (gave me a belly ache) worrying about her. She lives with and cares for my 92 year old Mom, so caring for them both now, was a big concern.
Much later in the day I got this photo of Jean (waiting in the ER for an orthopedic doctor's opinion). Eventually she had been sent home in a special kind of sling, no surgery needed, which was good news.
I was later than planned getting to the barn. I got Amiga tacked and we headed across the street and into the bean field.
They were just finishing up harvesting the last of the beans when we emerged from the woods and I took this (video). Amiga does so well most of the time, even with all this scary, giant equipment.
Blogger has stopped letting me put photos side by side, thus the big spaces now in this post. This photo of us in the woods, up on the ridge of the long ride, again shows the change in leaf color and the sunlight filtering into the woods.
Jan later joined Amiga and I, and we rode the whole perimeter of all of the bean fields (six total). I did not get a very good photo of her and Cash, but you can see the field in the background.
This photo Jan took of Amiga and I, shows the treeline and edge of the field.
I was in the saddle for over two hours. Amiga was glad to get back to the barn and to her dinner.
It was nearly dark when I got home. Joe was happy in his mancave watching Monday night football. I had had a big lunch, so for dinner I had popcorn (without the beer, as usual lately).
Tuesday 10/6 - Cute Monita on the ladder shelf.
I got word early that Jean had survived the night. She said she had slept well due to the pain killers and that it actually felt really good to lay flat on her back.
It was to be another beautiful fall day here in the Glade.
I decided to give the cats a box, since it has been awhile. My new wheelbarrow tire came in this one.
In this second photo, Babe and Mama Styx are in the box, with Stevie on top and Monita looking in at them.
I made my way outside by 10:30. Since Shirley did not need concrete work done after all, and I had a bag and a half in the garage, I decided now was the time to use it up, before the onset of colder weather. I had a two day window of no rain, so got to work on the drainage ditch, as I have been planning to do all summer.
After clearing away leaves and other debris, I found three rocks to fit in the curve on the big rock where water collects. I washed them and the big rock so cement would stick to both. (finished photo later). Then I collected and cleaned some large rocks to go down at the bottom of the ditch along the edge where it is washing out.
I had to bail out standing water at the bottom of the ditch and then made cement and got to work. After putting in the three rocks further up the ditch, the remainder of the concrete went down here at the bottom. Some was used to hold more rocks along the edge and the rest was put in the big hole that has been forming from wash out.
The photo below shows where I had cemented in the three rocks. They have the wet (fresher, cleaner looking) concrete around them.
Carol taught me (over the phone later in the week) how to connect two photos using the Paint program) so below you can see the before and after photo side-by-side. Over the past year, the rocks I had only placed along the sides at the bottom of the ditch have been washing out and the sod falling into the ditch. In the after shot, you can see what has been cemented in, including the big hole the water makes when it hits the bottom of the ditch.
Not all the side rocks were cemented in along the ditch where it is fairy level, but the water will not be hitting them like the ones right at the bottom of the hill where the ditch turns. We'll see how it holds up.
I got the new cement covered (there is black plastic further up the hill) and all my tools cleaned up. I ate a great big salad for a very late (3:00) lunch. By the time I was finished eating, it was too late to go to the barn and I still needed to water plants that had gotten rather dried out (including new grass). So back out I went (until 6pm) watering everything.
Having had a late lunch, a popcorn snack was all I needed for a late dinner. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out Blogger, but with no luck, thus photos are still very spread out.
Wednesday 10/7 - I did some clean up work on my cement, moved a little sod into the bare spots, and watered everything, including the cement to help it set up better.
Two hours at the gym helped some stiffness and created more soreness. But I like the feeling of hard worked muscles.
After a late, large lunch and reading out on the back deck, I went to the barn. I was confused when I first went to get Amiga because Gov was in the mare pasture and I couldn't see her out there. For a minute I thought they had switched the mares to a different pasture. Soon enough; I, Judy, and Patty realized the slip up (Gov had been put in wrong pasture), which was no big deal.
Jan happened to be tacking up when I got there, so once I had Amiga ready to ride, we went across the street in search of Jan and Cash.
The sun goes down so much earlier these days, and was doing just that.
Once we joined up with Jan and Cash, we rode several of the bean fields, going around the perimeters. This photo of my (and Amiga's) riding companion shows the mountains in the background and you can see where the power lines run all the way up and over them.
I joined together these next two photos (second practice using Paint). Notice how long our shadows are.
On our way back to the trail through the woods towards the barn, Jan took this (video) of Amiga going at a nice slow gait.
Sister Carol called just after I got home to help me with the Paint photo joining. We hadn't figured in the time change, so she was wondering why I hadn't called her at the planned time. I had my struggles, and temporarily screwed up my computer settings, but it was all resolved once Joe got home to help.
Joe was playing poker with the local guys, second time since the Covid shut down, so I had the house to myself. Well, shared with a dog and four cats. He did get home just as I was about to go to bed, so I directed him to my computer ails, which he quickly fixed.
Here are my 'bed fellows' waiting for me to join them. Stevie is the one on the floor. No bedtime stories for this crew. I throw their toy mice while I read, until they either lose them, or get bored with the game, or I shut off the lights.
Thursday 10/8 - I went out to water cement and new grass down back and noticed this chipmunk hole, made right in the middle of my tulip bulbs. It looked like one bulb had been displaced and pushed up out of the hole. The little rascals.
We had a water leak inspector come and he was still working on his thorough inspection when I left for the barn at 10:00.
I collected Amiga from the field, got her tacked up, and was ready to hit the trail with a livery ride group that Ed's grandson and wife (Pierce and Brittany) were riding. I took a bunch of photos for them, and this (video).
It was a perfect fall day to ride and the woods were turning pretty colors. Pierce was on Cowgirl, right in front of Amiga, but Cowgirl was not liking Amiga behind her, so we had him pass Brittany who was on Levi.
Levi is used to riding with Amiga, when I go out with Karen, so this worked much better.
There was a family of five ahead of us, with Cat leading the ride. So we were a group of nine total, thus it was quite a long line of horses.
I knew that Brittany (who grew up with horses and riding) really wanted to go faster. Unless you own your own horse or have a friend's horse you can borrow, this really isn't possible. She was very understanding and thankful for the slow, scenic ride she and her husband were able to take.
It is difficult to get a group photo when the horses are antsy to get back in the barn and their stall to rest.
Ed and his guests headed home and I took my time un-tacking and caring for Amiga. She was quite sweaty.
This black barn cat kept wanting attention. He is such a lover boy, giving hugs and purring.
Again, I had a big salad for a late lunch. Then I went out to work in the yard. While raking and picking up sticks and leaves, I felt light headed, dizzy, and tired. (wonder if thyroid medication isn't balanced). So I called it quits in the yard.
Then for the next two hours I did what I really wanted to do, out on the back porch swing. Lots of reading and a short little nap.
I snacked (on popcorn and licorice) for dinner while working on photos here at my computer.
I stayed up later than usual, reading, because my book is getting really good.
Friday 10/9 - I watered the cement and new grass by the drainage ditch down back even though rain was in the forecast.
11:00 to 1:00 was gym time. I had to really push myself to work already sore muscles. A few joints are feeling the stress, so I also really have to watch my form to not hurt my joints.
I ate a half sandwich in the car as I drove to the barn. There was a hive of activity (or what John refereed to as a three ring circus) as several were getting ready for John and Michelle's wedding and rehearsal. I love this decoration she put together.
They had this big tent set up that I rode Amiga around. Just another 'trail obstacle' for her to experience. She gave it the usual cautious look and then went with my cues, not worrying about it.
Amiga did refuse to go through the field across the road to the trail that goes down across the creek to the winter pasture. I didn't have my crop for persuasion, because she has been going so willingly lately, so I got off and lead her down to the creek.
Once back on Amiga, going across the creek, I realized she was sore. I only noticed it on the hill, so took her for a short ride, thinking maybe a little exercise would get the kinks out. She went very slowly down the trail (video).
My day (and week) ended at Beef and Barrel with another fun night of karaoke and dancing. In the photo, left to right, is Pierce, Brittany, Joyce, Bob, Ed, Sherri, and Micki. Brian and Joann were at my end of the table.
Not in great focus, but here is a photo of Brian and Joann dancing.
Terri played several line dances for us and also sang some good dancing tunes. Some of the singers also obliged us with some good dance numbers. However, as usual, there were several sad love songs and ballads as well. But those gave us a chance to rest, chat, and enjoy our beverages.
It wasn't until the very end that Terri was able to talk Pierce and Brittany into singing. They surprised us with their voices, especially Brittany (videos).
Another not so well focused, but it gives you an idea of the fun we were having and how we were about the last folks left when Terry ended.
Oh, and here is a silly (video) of Sherri, Micki, and I doing a chorus line with Terry to a very slow ending of New York New York. LOL
I have made a good start at reclaiming my well-being and will keep this list in mind every day.
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