Even though we have not reached the longest day of the year (summer solstice) which marks when summer officially begins, summer is well underway. Here in Tennessee, meteorological summer runs from June 1 to August 31. According to AccuWeather, "Meteorological summer" is the warmest quarter of the year based on daily normal temperatures. This exact period varies slightly from place to place; but, in general, meteorological summer starts the first week in June and ends the first week in September."
This week, the heavy spring rains were replaced by lighter, spotty summer showers. It makes the on-going (daily) decision to open or close the pool very tricky and controversial.
It was probably our warmest day thus far this year. It was a great pool day. I was subbing for MJ so was at the pool to open by 9:30. We had our largest crowd for the year so far. I love the people, being outside, keeping busy, and the sunshine.
I went straight to the barn (three minutes away) right after work and rode Amiga on the Holly Trail to go to our ranch. I had to get off of her to unlock the gate.
Seen in these two photos, we are at the corn crib in the back corner, where the gate is. Notice, Amiga had gotten kind of sweaty. I hadn't ridden her that hard, it was just that hot out. The flies were also thick, all part of summer.
I rode Amiga around the ranch and cantered her a few times on the grassy lane between the pastures (sideways video). It has been a few months since I have ridden her here because of new fencing (on new lot line) cutting off the old entrance (which is on the now other property) but had enabled us to ride to 'our' side (property). Now we have a trail and gate to get in and out through the back of our property.
Amiga and I made it safely back to Wildwood. I hosed her off (except her butt as you can see in this photo) because she was quite sweaty after our two hour ride.
My Ava 'fix' for the day.
I was home before dinnertime, did my usual evening chores, found two ticks on me when I showered, and had popcorn for a 6:00 dinner while watching TV with Joe. We finished Mare of Easttown and I went to bed early because I was short three hours of sleep from the night before.
Sunday 6/6 - I slept nine hours, catching up on some much needed sleep I had lost Friday night.
Valencia dresses Ava so cutely and takes the best photos of her. I got this photo mid-morning.
Joe had gotten the UTV back from the shop yesterday, and we wanted to ride it around on the new trail to help pack down the vegetation. Since rain was coming, we scurried off (I not even remembering to take my morning pills - mostly supplements) and headed to the ranch on the back roads of Fairfield Glade. 
We went slowly around the loop under the power-lines (in both directions) to help establish the 4x4 trail.
I moved the log and branch out of the way, and we drove from the power-lines, through the woods, to our back gate.
It was sprinkling lightly, but not enough to get us wet. It did blur our view out the front windshield a little bit (it has no wipers).
We had planned to clear more fence line since Joe got a new cap for the oil tank on the chainsaw. Well, they sent the wrong cap (one for the gas tank) which didn't fit, so we were not able to do any clearing.
While Joe puttered around in his garden, pulling weeds and picking salad crops, I went into the back woods to dig up this bush like growth. I had to dig up seven different little ones to get this (final planting back at our house, seen in this photo) whole 'bush' of them.
I wanted it (#1) to match the other two (#s 2&3) bushes already growing down back in this bed. Here is another view of all three of them.
I also planted this holly near my drainage ditch. I had dug it up from under the power-line while clearing the trail several days earlier. I didn't have the heart to chop it down, even though the electric company comes through every 3 or 4 years and sprays all the trees and shrubs, killing them.
The pool had been opened, in spite of the drizzly weather, and I was subbing for MJ, so scooted off to work at 1:00. Nancy had not had any customers all morning, but shortly after she left I had two resort guests come in. It had stopped drizzling but the sun never broke through the clouds, but I did end up with six people total, the last two leaving at 5:30, so I closed 30 minutes early.
This lone Tiger Lily is down back on the oasis, under the weeping willow. The deer ate the tops off of all the others.
I had popcorn for my 'dinner side dish' for the fifth night in a row. I need to break this cycle. I continued reading (once in bed) a new book I had started at the pool, Inside Delta Force.
Monday 6/7 - It was a rainy morning, and predicted to keep it up all day. After 2½ hours at the gym and a trip to Food City, I sat on the porch swing and read for a little bit. Monita was bathing beside me and Stevie was bird and chipmunk watching from her favorite corner out there.
At 2:30, Joe and I met Jan and Mike out at Stonehenge golf course. We played the front nine. I played my usual four shots per hole (a tee shot, fairway shot, chip, and putt). Jan and I rode in a golf cart together (with her driving) so we could catch up on life. Now that she is at a different barn, I rarely talk with her. It sprinkled on us before we went out, but was nice the remainder of the time. Our conversation was better than my golf, which was fine by me.
Not long after we got done, and seated in the clubhouse for dinner, it poured. We enjoyed the view (and saw a rainbow) while partaking of libations and very tasty dinner choices.
Just after getting home, we got word that Judy had fallen at the barn, tripping over a big root, and had been taken to the hospital for x-rays. This was very disconcerting news for us saddle sisters.
Tuesday 6/8 - I have a dirty, rotten, little chipmunk that keeps digging in my plants out front. I moved this geranium up onto the side table thinking it would be 'safe.' Well, now the mess the little bugger made was even worse. Doing my morning chores, which includes filling feeders and caring for my potted plants, I cleaned this up and moved the geranium to yet another spot.
I subbed for MJ again, working the 9:15 - 1:30 shift. We were busy because there had finally been a break in the rain, with sunshine much of the morning.
From the pool I went to the barn where I met Patty. We were moving Zorro back out to the large pasture with the geldings and wanted to see how he would do with Henry and Top Hat, who had been added to this group a few weeks ago.
Patty and I held the gate open out of Dave's way and chatted while watching Zorro. He did fine out with the two he had not met before, and made new friends.
I rode Amiga out the back trail, stopping her often to trim back some of the little branches that hit you in the face and arms. She did great for me.
Then to give Amiga more exercise, we went across the street to the outdoor arena. I noticed that Jeff (a trainer that John hired) had moved the panels to round out all the corners. It also made the arena larger. I gaited and canter Amiga in several patterns. She did fairly well, but always seems to get my leg cues better when I ride bareback. I had to cool her down before putting her in her stall for the night.
Courtney was having dinner at Dan and Val's and sent this Ava update photo. 😍
Joe was playing poker, so I (and the cats and dog) had a quiet evening at home. I read my book out on the porch swing, and fell asleep for a bit.
I got word that Judy was finally out of surgery. She ended up having surgery on both arms. She had two plates put in for her left humerus and elbow and one plate in for her right radius. We were all glad to hear she got through that. Now the healing begins! She still has a long road to recovery.
Wednesday 6/9 - It was a rainy morning and I thought possibly the pool would not be opening. But it did.
I struggled during my usual workout at the gym and felt exhausted when I got done. Then I changed into pool clothes, packed a lunch, and headed to work early to give Nancy a break from the monotony. No one had been there all morning.
Here is a series of photos of Ava that Courtney took. Ava is really starting to interact with others.
I 'worked' at the pool almost two hours until I got the call to close for the day. I did not have any customers, and other than cleaning cobwebs in and around the office and restrooms, I read my book.
Once home and in my loungers, I continued with reading, out on the porch swing, with cats and dog nearby, while sipping tea and listening to the gentle rain. 
The rest of the day did not amount to anything more than reading, except a late afternoon nap and some computer time.
As usual, when I slid into bed, Monita insisted on playing fetch with her fuzzy ball (video). She often out-lasts me, but will quit once I turn the lights out.
Thursday 6/10 - The day started cool and dreary, but at least it wasn't raining.
Sweet Tango with precious Ava.
I headed to work at the pool, wondering whether it was worth my trip out there. It was overcast but did not rain, so we had customers, although a small crowd.
As soon as I got off work, I went out to the ranch to help Joe who had arrived a little ahead of me. He had broken up two big concrete retaining walls (or whatever they were) and I helped load them to dump them on the 'back side' of the dam of the lower pond.
It took five loads like this to clear all the concrete debris off the existing concrete pad.
Joe dumped the big stuff behind the back side of the dam and we put the little stuff in the 'spill-way' (seen in this photo). He also discarded several loads of debris from the burn pile on top of the disposed of concrete.
Then Joe took the tractor and chain saw out to the farthest fence line of the back pasture to cut trees and all the brier that have grown into the field. In this photo, you see what happens when you clear the brier patch with shorts on.
I worked at removing old barbwire and two tires from around the east side of the machine shed. I clipped large growth, and raked up debris.
Exhaustion hit, so I called it a day.
I had time to shower and change before heading over to Shirley's house. She had invited us for dessert. I forgot to take a photo of all of us (Joe, Rick, Darla, Patty, Shirley, and her daughter and son-in-law). We had a great time chatting and catching up with each other after the long (Covid) quarantine.
Friday 6/11 - It had been late to bed the night before, so was late to rise in the morning. This rotten little squirrel has been raiding my window bird feeders.
Mama Styx came to see what Monita was all excited about. The squirrel paid them no attention and just kept on eating sunflower seeds.
Even when I got up and banged on the window, he ignored me.
We got hit by
a storm which dumped a lot of rain in a short amount of time. You can see the muddy, brown current of the creek as it had washed into the murky, green pond.
This was my daily Ava fix that Valencia sent. This little girl is growing up too fast. The first year of development is amazing really.
I was planning to ride Amiga to the farm and put her in the round pen while I worked, and then ride her back. But with all the rain, I decided the trail would be too slippery. Plus it looked like more rain was coming.
I had made the mistake to let my computer up-date (because it was moving so slowly). Well it took it almost two hours. I had wanted to get caught up on blogging, but it didn't happen, I only got more behind. I did get several little chores around the house done while waiting on my computer.
Joe left for the farm before I and sent this photo of a black snake that was by the machine shed. I told him to leave it be, it was a good snake.
Billy was out on the tractor, so Joe was unable to use it to haul the rest of the brush from the tree line to the burn pile.
So with the little wagon hooked to our riding mower, he hauled rock and broken cinder block from the hill on the west side of the machine shed to the back of the dam.
Joe was about out of time when I arrived, so I used the mower/wagon set up to move cinder block out by a little loafing shed to make a compost pile there. While collecting block, I noticed this medium size Eastern Water Snake hiding in the inside corner of the building. I decided to also let it be. (I was not in the mood for snake wrangling to try and re-locate it.)
It took five trips to get all the cinder block down to the area where I built a little retaining wall, after first clearing the fence line. Then I started hauling compost. This little wagon is so handy because it has a little dumping mechanism, making it easy to off load the soil. I had to lift out each cinder block though.
I was clearing old straw, garden debris, and lots of rich soil from off of the concrete pad, seen in this second photo.
This was my lunch spot today, on the riding mower, in the shade of the machine shed.
Here is how the new compost pile looked by quitting time.
And below is a look at the area to the east of the machine shed. There is still debris to remove to get down to the concrete pad, but this is a good start.
Notice the railroad track we had uncovered. Like the bovine skeleton, it makes me wonder the past history of this property.
I had a dinner date with some of my Saddle Sisters, so had to scurry to get home, cleaned up, and to Patty's in time to car-pool.
We went to the Hibachi Buffet. I sure enjoyed pigging out on the Chinese food.
Seen left to right, Sharon, Patty, Babs, Carol, Karen, and myself.
It was a poker night for Joe, so I took Maggie on a little longer walk, to help settle my very full stomach.
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