T-Shirt Slogans

Slogans are short, catchy sentences that can be attention-getting or subliminal, and work on different levels.  Many of my blog titles are somewhat slogan oriented.  T-shirts often have slogans on them, and I like reading what people wear.  It’s fun to see where they’ve been, who their favorite band is, what their hobby or interests are, what their view of the world is, what opinion they have about different things, etc.
   
The other day at the gym a man had on an old beat up surfing shirt that said ‘Wipeout'.  He did not look like the surfing type, but who knows what he looked like 50 years ago or that he was capable of surfing.  (Or maybe at his age now, he just wipes out.  LOL)  For us old farts, our t-shirts can show who we used to be in our former, glory days.

Saturday 8/20 - I got home from the county fair at nearly midnight and was feeling very chilled and a little achy.  I took a Tylenol PM and put an extra blanket over me when I got in bed.  By the time I woke up this morning, I had a really bad headache, chills, muscle/joint aches, stomachache, fatigue, and dizziness.  I did not want to lose the whole day sitting around feeling sick, so I kept taking Tylenol when my symptoms would get bad again.  Instead of taking two every six hours I was taking one about every four hours.

I had been a little concerned about the height of the roof (at the low end) of our new add-on loafing shed, so wanted to be sure to be out at the ranch when Kevin and Dave got there to start work again.

Dave convinced me that the roof height was going to be all right, but I knew he really wasn’t a horse person, so I was leery.  But after talking with Dave, I realized it just would not have been feasible for them to raise the low end any higher because they already had it framed in and it would be too difficult to change it now. 

I did muster up the oomph to go for a ride with Jean.  But it was about all I could handle in terms of energy and stamina. 

We did have a nice little ride (3 miles in one hour) and Maggie really enjoyed going with us. 






I was fairly wiped out (maybe I need the surfing shirt) once back, so took another Tylenol and rested in a recliner while Jean made me a late lunch (soup and sandwich).  It was so good.  And then I resumed reclining, and took a nap.  Maggie and Parm chill-axing also. 

I helped Jean with the puzzle some of the time, but really was fairly 'out of it'. 

By late afternoon, Dave and Kevin were finished with the roof and packed up everything and left.

Jean and I went out to inspect the new roof, but also decided to clean the stock tank and roof of the feed room that the rain water runs off of to fill the tank. 

We also checked out the height of the roof and decided it would be adequate.  When under it, there is the added six inches of frame and support boards. 

I took these photos of the finished roof.  I was not happy with the color of the metal.  Joe had gone with the cheaper silver, rather than gray, but I think it looks more white and does not blend at all well with the existing roofs.  Oh well, too late to change it now.

A look at it from both angles. 

The rains came after I had left, and boy did it come down.  Jean sent this photo of Robbie and Zorro in the corral.  We had put Amiga in our stall in the barn because she had been out on grass the whole previous night.  We had kept all three of them on the pond side of the front pasture because of the 'construction' debris at their loafing shed.  A&R could handle the extra grass, so were left in the corral together for the night.  They had chosen the cover of the tree rather than the loafing shed during the downpour. 

Every time my Tylenol wore off, my headache came back, so I took the pm one before bed.  My stomach had been bothering me much of the day, but I was thinking it might have been from all the Tylenol.

Sunday 8/21 - I woke up before five with a headache, so I took a Tylenol and went right back to bed.  I was feeling a little better when I got up a second time at 6:30.  My morning caffeine seem to be additional help to the slight headache I still had. 

I am not sure when Jean took this photo of Amiga eating her hay outside the corral.
 

Early this morning, Jean turned Robbie out in the front pasture and put Amiga in the corral with Zorro.  Our two Pasos had some bonding time. 

They really enjoy grooming each other, or reciprocal scratching.

And this photo Jean sent, shows that two horses (friendly ones that like each other) can fit into this small loafing shed. 

I finally got last week’s blog finished and posted.

Since I was feeling a little better, and because rain was predicted in the late afternoon, I decided to take advantage of the rest of my morning and go for a ride with Jean.  Joe had asked me about trailering, so I decided that it was doable, although I did catch Jean off guard a little bit.

We loaded Robbie first and then Amiga went right on after her.  We drove to a new spot to offload but again Amiga came flying out of the trailer once I gave her the signal to step back. 

Today's t-shirt slogan was in regards to Amiga and Robbie's attitudes sometimes.

Jean has struggled with Robbie at water crossings.  This mare does not want to step in the water!  She doesn't seem to mind getting her feet wet (which is more Zorro's problem) but actually seems frightened by the reflective nature of water.

We came upon the perfect puddle to practice at.  It was big and the footing under water was gravel, so it wasn't slippery. 

Robbie did finally put her front feet in, but she was still not willing to walk through it.  Sometimes little steps in progress is all we can expect, and Jean settled for this accomplishment, and then we continued down the trail. 

This map shows our route home.  It took us almost an hour and a half to cover the 3.6 miles.  But we stopped to practice different things along the way.  And at one point we had to get off and walk our horses through dense woods to get around a fallen tree.

I had chores so once we took care of the horses and turned them back out into the front pasture, I got to work.  This (video) shows Robbie hustling to get out to Amiga and Zorro.  I cleaned up the corral where Zorro and Robbie had spent the night.  We hadn't put them in their paddock because the concrete around the last two poles of the new roof for the additional shed needed 24 hours to set up.

I decided to open the gate from the front pasture to the lot where the loafing shed is.  Soon the horses came in for a drink and to explore this new structure.  Robbie slipped back out on the front pasture before I thought to shut the gate, but it was about to start pouring.  The rain didn’t come until after I got into the house. But when it came, it came.  It was a torrential downpour for quite a while.  Amiga and Zorro stood under the tree and Robbie just kept eating grass out in the pasture.

Jean and I worked on a jigsaw puzzle.  The rain stopped almost as quickly as it had started so I went out to check water levels and drainage.  In this photo, if you look closely, you can see Zorro, who was scratching his butt on one of the support posts.  Also notice how white the roof looks.  At least it can't be seen when looking at it from the side (view from house). 

Lots of water had drained from the side roof of the shed and feed room, around the corner in front of the shed opening, and some had flowed under the wall and into the shed.  (The dark areas you see in this photo.)  So a drainage ditch has been put high up on my to do list.

After feeding the horses, I walked down to look at our pond and dam.  The water was quite high, really flowing through the spill-way, but also trickling over the dam in several other lower spots. 

And here is a view of the water in the spill way, flowing under our wood fence and towards Jim's pond. 

Then I got a message from Joe that we had overnight campers coming later tonight.  So I went back down to the corral to remove the water tub and extra hay I had left in the shed there.  I also closed the gate to the front pasture and picked up more branches that had blown out of the tree. 

When I got home, I went out back to put corn out for the deer and to look at the flood damage.  I noticed this juvenile snapping turtle in our drainage ditch.  It was only about six inches long. 

Farther upstream, Allen's bridge looked like it had nearly been washed away.  The water should normally only be going under it. 





Earlier, while the rain was subsiding, Joe had taken this photo and (video) of the flooding at our pond.

After dinner and pet chores, I started to work on this blog but didn’t get very far because it was getting late and I was tired.  Joe left to greet the campers and I went to bed.

Monday 8/22 - I woke with a bad headache again.  My first cup of tea didn't help it, so I took a Tylenol.  Later I also tried a nasal rinse, thinking it was a sinus headache, but still couldn't shake it.  I struggled all morning and ended up skipping the gym and taking a nap.  I hadn't intended to be a bum all day, but that's just what I did.  I just couldn't find the energy or get motivated, and was feeling achy and tired.  So I made it a rest day. 

Everyday is a day of rest for cats.  I like the card slogan behind Monita in this photo.  It was a Mother's Day card from Daniel, but is also fitting for us rescue Mom's.  I know our pets (cats, dogs, horses, etc.) appreciate 'being rescued' and kept alive. 





I was feeling chilled, so went outside and laid in the sun for a little bit.  It helped, but then I got too hot.

Jean sent this (video) from which I got this photo, of Amiga and Zorro enjoying the pond.  Amiga really gets into splashing.  Silly girl.  And I could see that Robbie was walking in the spillway.  I wondered how much water was still flowing through it. 

I was feeling a little better after my day of rest, so met Patty and Jean at Mirror Lake Blast.  And I even found the energy to dance several times.  I think the movement, socializing, and music did me good. 

To be on the 'safe side,' I took a Tylenol PM at bedtime.  I never heard Joe come in from poker and I slept through the night. 

Tuesday 8/23 - There are all sorts of slogans I could come up with for my gym t-shirt.  I usually find it difficult to get motivated to go.  I try to work hard when I am there.  It isn't always easy getting through a workout.  But I always feel much better when I am finished.  Today I made a point to get there early, so I could get on with my day, and before I might decide to put it off till later, and then never go.   Just Do It!

Joe and I were both out at the ranch just about the time Jean was getting off work at 11:00.  I cleaned our loafing shed and then we unloaded shavings there, and the rest of them in the barn. 

Joe took the trailer to get gravel for our drainage ditch project and Jean and I went for a ride.  The Glade had mowed all the undeveloped roads which made them so much nicer to ride on. 

Patty came out just as we arrived down at the barn.  She did some grooming and hoof care for Zorro, and then fed all three horses once we brought the two mares up to their paddock. 

Little Miss Amiga testing out the strength of the new support beams while scratching an itch.  Good thing we cemented them in, but wondering if they should have been 6x6's. 

I was tired but still needed to clean manure from the corral from our overnight (campers) two horses that were in there. 

Jean had fed Maggie since it was getting late.  And I made it home around 6:30.  Joe had eaten already, so I heated up soup and sandwich for dinner.  After my shower and pet chores, we watched two episodes of Only Murders in the Building.  It is getting a little too bizarre for my liking.


Wednesday 8/24 - I was up from 1 to 5am, unable to get back to sleep because I was thinking through our drainage ditch project and worrying about some aspects of it.  I did some internet research, blogged a bit, and started a new book.  I did finally get more sleep from 5-7:30, but then once up (and feeling so tired) I had to hustle to dress, pack pool work clothes, throw together a dinner, and get out the door by 8:15. 

Joe and I got right to work once at the ranch.  We marked the ditch with spray paint and then used the front end loader of the tractor to remove the sod.  We drilled a few holes with the auger and started digging out the dirt. 

Once we got a feel for how that was going to go, we continued the process for about 20 feet (ditch was going to be 40 feet total). 

You can see the drill holes here. 

 

Joe used the pick axe to loosen the dirt between holes and then we shoveled out the soil.




Joe drove up the trailer of rock and we started filling in the bottom of the ditch with it.  The biggest problem, is that the start of the ditch (along the feed room roof where most of the water comes from) was at the lowest point of the ground surface. 




Once the rock was down, we put in the drain pipe, and then added more rock on top of it. 

As soon as Jean got  off work, she brought us out some much needed water, and a level.  She also got a few photos of Joe and I at work.





And Jean was great help with digging and shoveling gravel.


We put the larger, rounder river rock in the ditch, and then put Crush-run gravel on top of it, up where there will be high horse traffic. 









We continued with the Crush-run in the 10x18 area that is going to be the isle way between the two sheds.  This photo only shows a small part of where that is.

Below photo, following the contour of the ground, the ditch ended going towards the pond. 

We ran out of drainage rock, time, and energy so put the project on hold.

Because there were still big holes and a mess, we decided to keep the horses out of this area (where they always spend the night) and put them in the corral.  So I left our tools 'parked' under the roof. 



I changed clothes, grabbed my lunch/dinner and scooted off to work at the pool at 1:30.    I showered off (in my swim suit) before clocking in.  And then I sat (resting) most of the time during my shift.

Jean sent this photo at feeding time.  Our two Pasos in the shed once again.

At the end of my shift, the bathrooms only got a quick going over.  I was out of energy.

I took a much better shower once home, did pet chores, downloaded photos, and took a Tylenol pm at 8:30 bedtime.

Thursday 8/25 - T-shirt slogans keep popping up in my Facebook feed.  Anytime I look up or research something, this happens.  When I saw this t-shirt, I thought of daughter Britney. 







I got this photo off a video Jean sent that she had taken while going down the driveway to care for our three horses before her 7am start of work.  They look glad to see her.

I was able to switch shifts with Mike, therefore I did not have to be at work until 1:45.  So, Joe and I were able to finish our ditch project before the predicted afternoon rains. 

Joe had gotten more rock on his way to poker the day before, and had parked the trailer at home overnight.  An early communication from Patty resulted in picking up a wheelbarrow at a garage sale, which fit easily in the back of the trailer.  Maggie, our project manager is waiting for us to get going. 








We finished digging the trench, which was mostly done.  Then we added a layer of smaller river rock. 

The last ten feet of drain pipe went in next.  And then we covered it with more river rock. 

Joe had also gotten another scoop of
Crush-run gravel, so he finished filling it in around the front of the old loafing shed, which will be the isle way. 

While Joe moved gravel, I worked at moving dirt.  The rock ditch was covered with a very light layer and I tried banking with some of it, in hopes of re-routing pasture run-off water away from the new loafing shed. 






The sod we had set aside had gotten somewhat buried.  I tried to recover most of it, and put it on top of the farthest end of our ditch.

Before Joe left for the day, he helped me hang this sign on the chicken coop. 










I know, it's silly, but cute and fun.

After re-fueling with a snack and more water, I went back out to finish around the ditch.  Once I got all the dirt where I wanted it, I drove over it with the tractor to pack it down into place.  The loose dirt will be moved as fill around the shed walls once they are built. 

I opened the gate to the front pasture and all three horses were quick to come in and take advantage of the shade in the shed. 

I bid these three characters (and Jean) goodbye, and went to work at the pool.  The day had really warmed up, and no rain ever came, so I went for a quick dip soon after I got there.  The water felt really good.  At the end of my shift, I made a point to go the extra mile on cleaning bathrooms, since I had skimped on them the night before.

Joe and I watched two more episodes of Only Murders in the Building.  I need to find out 'who did it' but will not continue with this dumb show another season. 

Friday 8/26 - And today's t-shirt slogan I have in mind for Joe.  In his defense, when his wife talks so much, it is necessary to filter the pertinent information out of all the 'filler' blabbing.  However, sometimes what I am really wanting him to 'get,' he seems to ignore, forget, or not even hear in the first place.  We really struggle when working on a project together, because we think so differently and approach things in a totally opposing manner. 






I was going to meet with Kevin and Dave in the afternoon, so made up some sketches of what I wanted the three walls to look like for our new shed.  I didn't have a ruler while doing these during a slow time at the pool yesterday, so they are not to scale.  But I hoped it would give them a good idea. 

It poured while I was at the gym having a good workout.  I ran to Food City, stashed the goods away, put the second load of laundry in the drier, and headed to the ranch (to meet with Kevin and Dave) while it was drizzling.  Joe had already left for Nashville, to fly to Iowa for the Villhauer reunion. 

While waiting for our construction guys, I walked the wood fence to inspect it after Jim had attached (per our permission) his welded wire fencing to it.  I noticed this one spot where the elecro-braid connector on top had been broken, so the 'rope' was not attached anymore, and sagging and touching the wood fence in several spots causing it to be shorting out.  I turned off the fence and fixed it. 

I am not sure why they have plowed their front yard/field, but it seemed an odd thing to do.  One often wonders what the neighbors are up to. 

 

It had stopped raining during my meeting with Kevin and Dave and I was able to get all my mucking chores done.  I also raked up the old hay piles and spread it out on top of the dirt which had become sticky, gooey clay.  There was then another little shower, so I went in to have a snack and beer and work the puzzle with Jean.  Maggie and Parm were confused and thought it was dinnertime.  But they had an hour to wait. 

By 5:00, the rain stopped, we had gotten the puzzle done, and we went out to do horse chores.  I fed ours while Jean went down to care for the boarders.  I joined her a little later to move hoses and remove a big poison ivy vine from a tree by the back gate. 



Patty came out to tweak her fix-it job on the tack room faucet just after Jean and I got up to the house and were having dinner.  We hope the leak is repaired now. 
I took this photo on the way home.  I had been at a higher elevation before grabbing my camera, and the fog/mist in the valley had been much more impressive.

This second photo is kind of what I saw.  It is of the Smokey Mountains however, and is much more spectacular.  But, being in the 'foot hills' of the Smokeys, we still get nice views similar to this.

I folded laundry, did pet chores, and could then barely stay up until my 9:00 bed time.