I have often said "The more the merrier." This saying means that more people are welcome or invited to an occasion or to do something, to make it more enjoyable. The larger the number of people involved, the better the experience.
But is this always the case? Do more people or things (horses, cats, dogs, drinks, chocolate, pairs of boots, stuff) make an experience, situation, party, or life better or more enjoyable?
My thinking is that "the more the merrier" does come at a cost. I love people and I love it when people are having fun and enjoying themselves and interacting with each other and having a good time. However, the more people, the more difficult the logistics, the longer it takes to get from point A to point B with the group, the harder it is to get a consensus, and the more you have to share and compromise.
Saturday 10/8 - Monita my paper weight, holding down the stack on my desk. Notice her tail curled around her feet. With the heat pump broken, the house was cold at pre-dawn hours! The new fan was to be installed Monday afternoon.
I had gotten word late the evening before that Mesa would be staying at our ranch through the winter. So of course when I woke at 3am, I couldn't get back to sleep. My brain was trying to work through all the logistics in how this was going to work. I felt we were already at our limit on number of horses, but what the heck, the more the merrier. I really enjoy Mary and Jack and with three ladies leasing Mesa, there will be even more folks and hopefully fun to be had. However, Jean and I had just gotten into a great routine with our three horses and Cowboy in sharing the front pasture and corral. Now that was all going to have to change.
Our horses are now off the front pasture and back on the pond side pasture. Jean sent this photo of Zorro standing guard over his sister who was napping. I am sure if I asked them if adding Robbie to our herd made life merrier, they would not respond positively. But really, the three are getting along fairly well.
I had a good workout at the gym and showered there because our house is too cold. Besides, it saves me on water, laundering towels, and cleaning the shower stall.
I had a protein snack when I got home at 11:30, and time to read and take a short (20 minute) nap. Shirley picked me up just after 1pm, we swung by Patty's and got her, and then we were off to Judy's 80th Birthday Party. This photo was taken from the small gathering for her real birthday three days earlier.
The party was at the Depot, a cute little place downtown. We helped with set up and then people started arriving about 2pm. 
This was the sweets table. And the food table was just as grand. I think we all can agree about deserts, the more the merrier. 
It was a wonderful crowd of mostly all horse people. And of course, lots of talking revolved around horses.
Shirley dropped me off back home at 5pm.
I did not need dinner and by 9:00 bedtime, had taken Maggie on a long walk, finished
the second load of laundry for the day, re-made our bed with the flannel
sheets and added a heavy winter blanket. 
Mama Styx eyeing the bed before coming to snuggle with me. Look at her cute little face. The more cats the merrier, although there is a limit. And I can also attest: the crazier, more messes (litter boxes, hair, throw-up), greater work, higher costs, etc. with more cats.
Sunday 10/9 - The temperature outside had dipped down to 29° overnight, and the house was 58° when I checked it at 8am. I had been up much earlier and sitting in my office/cattery with the space heater on. But I decided to try out the fireplace and warm up the main part of the house. Maggie was quick to move into the living room in front of it.
Jean reported that this morning, both Amiga and Zorro were taking a nap, while Robbie kept on eating.
Thankfully the sun was warming things up, but I was still too cold to think about changing my clothes. I set up a little space heater in our walk-in closet, which helped, and I had a big, hot, third breakfast.
Maggie hopped into the back of my car as usual, and we headed to the ranch. This is our fall/Halloween decorations of the ranch house fireplace.
I mucked our dry lot and sheds and then Patty, Mary and Jack arrived. We four 'girls' had planned an early afternoon ride. So we each fetched our horse and got saddled up. 
We had had frost this morning, but the sun was really warming things up nicely.
Jack took this photo of us (Jean on Robbie, I on Amiga, Mary on Mesa, and Patty on Zorro) once we were ready to hit the trail. 
Patty on Zorro led the way, Amiga and I were next, and Jean and then Mary followed. 
Patty took the photo below, which really depicts the beauty of the woods on another gorgeous fall day.
The trail as seen through Zorro's ears.
We kind of took turns leading and following, and our four horses got along great. 
When Jean was at the end of the line she took this photo. Then she hollered for us to turn around. 
Mary did as Jean expected, turning in her saddle to look back at Jean. Meanwhile, Patty and I turned our horses around. This is about par for the course while doing photos on horseback. LOL
It was a great ride and we ended up going 3.6 miles in 70 minutes. After the horses were cared for and turned back out to
pasture, we four ladies and Jack went up to the house to get a drink and
snack.
Jean with Maggie and Tito, Jack and Mary's dog. She has such a heart for all of God's creatures.
Then when Carol, Judy and John arrived, we had a little meeting. This was to be about boarding Mesa at the ranch, but soon it came out that doing the self care was going to be too much work for the ladies (two who were over the age of 80) to be able to do. So they decided to take Mesa to one of the full-board barns they looked at a few days earlier. I felt immediate relief knowing it was going to be a stretch to keep a 4th boarded horse here. But I could tell Mary was heart broken, so I felt really bad for her. I would also miss the camaraderie and fun these additional horse ladies would have brought to the ranch.
Mesa's crew went down to care for her and work out the details of moving her, and Jean and I went inside to re-group. Parm and Jean warming in the sun rays.
I still had other tasks to attend to before feeding our horses, so went down to the barn. There was a lot of activity at the corral where Mesa was, as they made plans for moving her. 
And there was plenty going on at the barn with Bonnie, Susan, Polly and Patty there. I love the friendship and affinity of a bunch of fun horse people.
By the time I fed our horses and packed up to go, it was almost past Maggie's 6pm suppertime.
The house was cold and dark when we arrived, but I got lights on, fireplace and space heaters going, and got going with my Sunday weekly chores after feeding all our fur babies.
Sitting here at my computer, shortly before my bedtime, to catch up on life beyond my little world, I was thrilled to get an Ava update and video. I felt bad about Courtney's water damage from a leaking water heater, and glad to see Britney made it to Guatemala. And Joe was happily playing poker out at sea.
Monday 10/10 - I took a break from the ranch, worked out and showered at the gym, and came home to meet the furnace man who had already been here and replaced the fan. The house was warm!
I cleaned house, including scrubbing bathrooms, and put out more decorations. I only took one photo today. The next two are ones Jean took of the full moon rising over the ranch.
Jan
came for a visit and we caught up on 'cowgirl' life. Always so good to talk with her. She left at
dinner time and I tended to evening pet chores and my dinner.
Once the kitchen
was cleaned up, I took Maggie for a walk in the moon light. It was a pretty night although a tad chilly.
I went to bed early, only reading a short time.
Jack and Mary were just getting back from taking Mesa to her new barn when I arrived at the ranch. I started in on some watering and then got distracted by horse juggling, helping Bonnie close ours out on the front pasture where she had put Cowboy.
Jack was busy cleaning the awning of their trailer, using his truck to get up and reach it. He took a break to say hello to Maggie and I.
Their living quarters horse trailer is the perfect set up for horse hauling and camping.
By noon, Jean, Mary and I were fetching our three horses. Here, Mary is walking Zorro to the barn.
Once groomed and tacked, we each climbed aboard our horse. Jack took all theses photos as we got ready to ride out from the ranch.
With cell phone in my front pocket, I was ready to hit the trail.
Getting our horses into position for the group photo.
And here we are, the three amigas, musketeers, or cowgirls.
Soon we were headed out the back gate.
It was a slow, easy ride with us only going three miles in just over an hour.
Zorro was a very good boy for Mary, and she did great with hm.
We each took turns leading, following, or being in the middle. 
Tito was glad to have us return. In this photo, Mary is leading Zorro back up to the corral where we turned all three horses loose to be back in with Cowboy. 
Cowboy was glad to have his friends return.
I went up to the house to top off water tanks in our paddock and front pasture, from where I took these two photos. 
Mary and Jack were camping at our ranch for four nights, since they had to leave the campground Sunday because it was fully reserved (no spots left) after that time. People like to come to these parts to see the fall colors. 
After a snack, I watered everything that had been planted around the yard since we bought the ranch.
Gloria drinking out of the bucket of water.
I drained some disgusting, gross water out of the pool and turned on a soaker hose out in the chicken yard.
I was home by 6pm for another quiet evening with the house to myself. Well, I was sharing it with several pets.
Wednesday 10/12 - The day started with light rain that came sooner than expected, which temporarily altered my plans to work in the yard. It was overcast, damp, and dreary, but people were still out on the golf course.
I got my Ava fix. She was watching work on the sink hole that had occurred at the border of Dan's backyard.
It did stop sprinkling for awhile so I went out to put up a temporary fence (deer netting) to keep leaves from blowing into our yard from next door. I also did a little trimming and picked up sticks.
It had started sprinkling on me as I was finishing up outside, so when I came in to clean house, this happened instead. I was cold and tired (a little short on sleep as usual) so warmed up, read and napped in front of the fire. Scheesh, any excuse to get out of cleaning house. 
Jean sent this photo of a huge rock (close to six feet long) she noticed in the lower pond. Neither of us had ever seen it before, but with the water level lower than usual, I guess it became visible.
When I was at Food City to do shopping for weekend guests, I ran into Mary and Jack who were stocking up for their 16+ hour drive back to Minnesota.
A loud thunderstorm made the evening dog walk uncomfortable (and short) for both Maggie and I. I did accomplish a few things on my 'do to' list before calling it a day and going to bed early.
Thursday 10/13 - The thunder subsided overnight, but the wind continued and we got more rain. Later in the morning, to answer my questions about water in the sheds, Jean sent several photos of the sheds and ditches I had dug. Most of the water had been diverted away from running into either shed, so they were dry. Yippee!
But because the rain was blowing in from the west, half the aisle way got wet.
Some rain had come in through this open window, so just this edge of the shed floor got wet.
Early to bed, early to rise. I was up, wide awake at 3:30, and by 4am, having tea and peanut butter on English muffin as usual.
I decided to skip my second cup of tea I always have with sweets, and instead go to the gym to get myself moving on my day. I was on the rowing machine, warming up for my weight workout just after 6am. My workout went better than expected, and since the gym was not at all crowded, I didn't have to wait for any machines. But I did miss the familiar faces and chatter with people I usually see.
After some protein when I got home, I then had a second cup of tea with sweets and more computer time. But I did not linger here at my computer long, and soon got going on cleaning house.
Stevie's not afraid of the vacuum when it isn't running and she was checking out the work I had done cleaning hair from around the roller bar.
As often the case, I was slowed down by various complications, like the vacuum not working, and then I got completely distracted with more decorating. I say, 'the more the merrier' when it comes to holiday decorations.
I was trying to make it look like this ghost was holding the pumpkins but soon gave up and settled for this. →
As I was backing out of the driveway, I got word from Jean that (twin sister) Carol had arrived at the ranch.
This was the start of our 'sister' weekend. 
Maggie was a little jealous of Carol's dog Rick, but Jean reassured Maggie that she was equally loved.
To stretch her legs after the long drive, and give Rick some exercise, we headed out back on a walk. 
Jean brought Robbie to get her used to being away from her bestie (Amiga). Robbie was not happy about leaving, and got so agitated,
at one point she reared up. But soon she settled in and was walking nicely.
And then Jean took an opportunity to work with Robbie at a water puddle. This horse absolutely hates crossing water. 
We all got warm enough we had to shed our outer jacket. Both dogs were having a good time and cooled off in various water sources. Carol worked on some re-calls with Rick, as did I with Maggie. Both dogs are very well behaved. 
Upon our return to the ranch, we went up to the house for a beer and a snack. Then it was feeding time. Jean fed our horses and I took Cowboy back to his paddock with Rio. I showed Carol around the shop and we fed the catfish while Jean mucked the paddock and shed where Rio had been all day. 
I went home to feed Maggie and the cats and continue with cleaning. And when the festive lights (on a timer) lit up, I took this photo. Once it got darker I took this second photo, including the lit-up ghost on the balcony.
Joe
arrived home from his poker cruise (a winner). He had a lot to catch up on
at his desk and I was busy puttering around the house, so we didn't take
time to communicate much.
Friday 10/14 - While finishing off my tea and pastry, I couldn't figure out what I was seeing on the big rock in my flower bed. With my binoculars I got a better look.
It looked like husband and wife chipmunks having a discussion, or maybe grooming each other. By the time I took these two photos, their interaction was over. 
After a lot more housecleaning, I headed to the ranch while eating lunch in the car. We girls had planned to go for a ride. Jean's photo of Parm, apparently wanting to see what Carol was doing and Rick wondering if he could herd this cat. .JPG)
Soon we went out to fetch our horses. Of course Zorro came right up to us. Carol took this photo of me climbing through the electric fence to get Amiga.
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Robbie followed Amiga and I into the paddock, and once Jean had her haltered, we three girls headed down the drive to the barn to saddle up our horses.
Jean and I got Carol situated on Zorro first and she rode in the round pen so they could get acquainted and a feel for each other.
While out on the trail, Jean and I took several photos. Jean tried this selfie of the three of us.
I could only get her in my selfie, but love the sun rays.
It was another perfect fall day and we were all comfortable in t-shirts. 
Robbie was acting quite anxious some of the time, so Jean had her hands full. 
Carol did great with Zorro. It helped that he was mostly a perfect gentleman. She liked his smooth rack. And look how pretty his head set is. 
We only did a short ride, (2½ miles) so as not to get Carol's unused riding muscles too sore.
Rio greeted us when we got back to the barnyard. 
Once un-tacked, Jean and Carol took Robbie and Zorro back up to their pasture. I hung out at least a half hour longer talking with Susan and 'manning' the gate as Joe came and went on the tractor, hauling manure. Amiga stood patiently, tied in the barn the whole time. She is such a good girl.
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I was the cook for the night, so headed home to shower and get dinner going. Starting at 4:30, people began to arrive (Carol and Jean, Cathy and Ralph, and Patty). We ate at 6ish.
The first group photo was taken by Carol's camera, set on a timer. And the second one is Jean's selfie.
This weekend was a sister's weekend, dedicated for the four of us to spend time together, but we decided 'what the heck, the more the merrier.'
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