Barn Time

It is difficult to explain, but time passes differently when at the barn.  Usually time moves much too fast, and passes by in the blink of an eye.  But it can also seem to slow down as you relax in the tranquility of the barn.  In reality, time doesn't slow down, but you do, and so time 'gets away' from you.   We've all heard the meme about the barn.. "I'll only be 20 mins ..." and 4 hours later - we emerge and realize it's dark outside. 


There can also be a kind of time warp with barn time.  The barn can seem to be it's own entity and once you cross that threshold  - it OWNS you and it decides when you can leave.  Time does not exist in the barn, unless you are a horse and dinner is late.
 









I get distracted with  "ohhh I should just do this or that"... or I spend too much time just being with my horse... or I start chatting with my saddle sisters... and my time is up.

The barn (ranch) and horses often seem to  monopolize my time, but it is almost always time well spent.  I need time at the barn, and when there, the outside world fades away and my brain makes a turn into peace and the simplicity of life.  Time reality is different.

There is something about an old barn where you can find your mind going back in time, and time kind of stands still for a bit. 

Saturday 6/3 - Computer time can be like barn time, slipping away without you realizing it, but sometimes I am left anxious, frustrated, or annoyed sitting here at my computer for way too long and reading (watching) too much stuff (sometimes stupid) on Facebook. 

Also, it is time that could have been better spent at the barn, gardening here, or even going to the gym. 







I had wasted so much time here at my computer today, that I didn't have time to go to the gym, but I did have an hour to weed this bed and plant flowers in the pot. 

I got to the ranch 90 minutes before our planned riding time so I could give Amiga some exercise and see how she felt.  I saw improvement. 


I then added some big rocks over the drain pipe back by our new gate, so a horse wouldn't step on the pipe while turning (to yield its hind quarters) after going through the gate. 

Mary came down, leading Mesa and I brought Zorro into the barn.  Mesa was very antsy, and having Zorro there did not help her nerves any.

Mesa is very 'buddy sour' so to be able to calm her down, Jack brought Billy down and decided to ride with us. 

I had troubles getting Zorro to stand at the mounting block, so Patty came in to help and I took this photo.








Zorro was still not very cooperative, so eventually I just kind of hopped on from the mounting block, and Patty took this next photo. 

Jack, Mary, and I rode out on Billy, Mesa, and Zorro.  We had a great ride, and I went farther with Zorro than the time before.  We are getting him into shape. 

Mesa did great, as long as she could see Billy.  Mary says hi to the camera when Patty took this photo when we got back. 

Karen had arrived and decided she would give Mesa a try, so Mary got on Billy and Karen on Mesa. 

They did a little work in the round pen and then headed out on the trail. 

Zorro had done a great job.  I brushed him down and did some hoof care and then switched him out with Amiga. 

Jan arrived just as I was getting started on soaking Amiga's foot.  She got to meet Susan, Mary, and Jack. 

When Mary and Karen rode in, the barn was really busy.  This is what I miss about not being at Wildwood. 

Joe and I ended the day watching the movie The Usual Suspects, which had us both fooled.

Sunday 6/4 - Babe enjoying one of the dog toys Patty made for Maggie.  This was the second night in a row when I woke at 2am and couldn't get back to sleep. 









I did get an hour nap on the couch before sunrise. 

Church with Shirley was lovely because it has been moved back outside in the pavilion. 

I scooted out to the ranch as quick as possible after Church, and Joe was already working on the job of moving the chunks (giant blocks actually) of cement from inside the end of the old donkey shed.

Below photo, our 'project manager' was hard at work. 






In my haste to get to the ranch quickly, I had forgotten my phone, so Patty (who was there mowing) took these photos. 

The before photo was after one load of concrete slabs/chunks had already been removed.  The after shows more work still needs to be done. 

I had Joe dump the concrete behind the dam, and while he had the tractor there, he also finished leveling this section, pulling the dirt/manure mix forward and pushing the cinder block and concrete slabs over the back side.  I also pulled out about twenty blocks to use at the spillway. 

The before photo below was taken in March.  You can see that it has really greened up, but also the berm of dirt (and concrete rubble) has been flattened. 

Before Joe left for golf, he brought several loads of the big rock down to the front of the barn so we could make a 'parking pad' we need when it has rained and gets muddy here. 








Patty kept taking photos as Joe brought gravel down.  I raked it out while he went to get the next load. 

I had planned to stay at the ranch and work (and take Amiga for a ride) until it rained or was time for me to do evening chores. 

I stacked all the cinder block on top of the first row I had put in eight weeks ago forming the sides of the spillway that flows over and down the back side of the dam.  Most of the ones on the right were full of cement, and I'll keep here.  The ones on the left will be replaced with more like the ones on the right (solid and heavier) and theses will be used for a different project. 

I raked the ground a little more level, where Joe had moved it with the tractor.  Then I took Amiga for a 30 minute ride.  She felt good.

We never got the rain that had been predicted, which we really need because it is getting so dried out and the new grass and seed needs water. 

Monday 6/5 - My day started with a pretty morning out at the ranch.  As I approached the pond with the wheelbarrow of manure, I saw this mallard resting at the edge. 

When I got closer, he got up and his lady (who I hadn't seen) joined him.  She had been down in the water and can be seen (if you look closely) in the first photo. 

As I was finishing up mucking, the horses were already waiting for me to open the gate to the pasture.  Amiga and Zorro can be seen grooming each other. 

Scotty - Mr Fix It - arrived at the house shortly after I got back, and he fixed (replaced all the parts inside of the tanks of) all three of our toilets.  They were all leaking due to chemical build-up and the rubber parts were deteriorating from age.  

I went to elbow therapy (the ultrasound and massage felt great after over-working them the day before), gym workout, and shopping and still had time for a short nap before feeding the cats and dog and going to Mirror Lake Blast at 5pm. 








Joe, Patty, Shirley, Karen, Mary, and Jack were all part of the gang on the hillside.  There wasn't much music for dancing, so socializing occurred much of the night.  In this second photo, Mary shared her Fireball which I had a little shot of, using the cap from my water bottle. 

I was home in bed, turning the lights out shortly before 9pm. 

Tuesday 6/6 - For some reason my day at work left me feeling exhausted.  It had been hot, so was quite busy at the pool.  I was too tired to go to the ranch to ride, so first came home to rest. 


After a much needed shower, a protein snack and reading, followed by a short thirty minute nap, I felt much better.





I put on ranch work clothes and headed there to do evening chores. 

Once the horses were fed and the paddock and shed mucked, I brushed Amiga, checked her hooves and decided to try the trail boots I had stored away.  They fit pretty well, so off we went on a little ride (video). 

I was home by 7pm, so barn time did not eat up my whole evening.  Joe and I watched the movie 'One Day As A Lion,' which we enjoyed.   

Wednesday 6/7 - I hit the gym earlier than usual and made it out to the ranch by 11:30; after getting in my two hour workout, a quick change, and an early lunch.  Poker Joe had a limited amount of time to help me, so he arrived right behind me. 

  


We had been trying to get this big concrete slab moved using the bucket of the tractor.  Jack came down to help us, and suggested we use the fork.  Joe switched it out and it worked great.






The last block was just too big to lift even after we chipped away at it with the sledge hammer for a little bit.  I wanted it moved to the corner of the shed if possible, so Joe went up to swap the fork back out for the bucket.  At this point Jack had to leave.  Joe came back down from the shop with a bloody, dirty rag tied around his leg.  So we stopped for several minutes (there goes more barn time) to get it properly cleaned up and bandaged.




We were soon back at it, digging a spot to push the rock into, and then trying to pull it with a chain.

We then lifted the front end of the slab and removed dirt from under it.  Once lowered back down, it looked okay, but I still needed to do more earth moving.



Joe left for poker and I did a lot more shoveling and raking to fill in the big holes where concrete had been and to level out the ground.  It now looks much better.  And because I was working under the roof, the light rain didn't bother me. 


I found a before photo from a few weeks ago, so here is a better comparison. 

Early afternoon I went to bring the horses in to the paddock.  It was raining lightly so Cowboy was keeping dry under this shade tree, while the two Pasos were out chowing down in the rain. 

Once I was finished with the donkey shed, I got Amiga ready for a ride, including putting on the trail boots.  Amiga did great (video) and showed virtually no soreness on her hoof that had the abscess.  It had really cooled off because of the front that had moved in bringing the light rain. 


Thursday 6/8 - I didn't take a single photo all day long.  So here is a post on Facebook I really like and will share.  So many funny yet good points to ponder.

I worked at the pool till 2:00, got home with more energy today because it had really cooled off so the heat didn’t wear me out like it had on Tuesday.  I went to the gym and had a great workout.  After dinner, Joe and I watched a movie, Poker Face, and then I read in bed after a long phone conversation with a perspective boarder. 

I turned the lights out at 10:00 but really wasn't sleepy cause so much was circulating through my mind... thoughts about our Co-op (I had spent part of the day in the process of reorganizing to add Mary and Jack's three horses), lingering impressions from the movie we just saw, ponderings about the future of Wildwood and our ranch after talking with the lady looking for a barn for her horse, and mostly the horrible images from my mystery book readings of the description of a young boy getting beaten (nearly to death) by three bullies he had stopped from burning a cat to death that they had soaked in kerosene but couldn't keep the match lit to ignite the poor creature.    

Friday 6/9 - The house was cold (and so were the critters) when I got up.  I had slept until 6am, not knowing when I finally fell asleep last night, or how much I had gotten.  If I had known last night what I found out first thing this morning, I would have had even more problems falling asleep.

Below image from Facebook. 

One of our boarder friends fell from her second story loft when the ladder she was on came off its hanger and fell.  She broke her foot, ankle and leg, (really bad) and is now in the hospital in an orthopedic halo traction similar to what is pictured here.  It scares me how close we all are to one misstep to catastrophe.  And none of our older bodies can handle the impact or heal very well or quickly.  Dang it!

This morning it was garage time that made me lose track of time and almost late for my 1:00 therapy appointment.  I had decided to clean and reorganize this section of wall, using the large white shelf Jean had left at the ranch.  I had a bench here I had taken out to the laundry room in the ranch house and need somewhere to put all the stuff that had been on it.   






I moved the corner shelf over by Joe's camping stuff and will put his golf and scooter stuff on it.  I didn't quite finish cause I ran out of time, so more organizing will take place later.  But the below photo shows an improvement. 



I wonder if garage time for guys is kind of like barn time for us ladies?  They just get out in their little garage, or shop, or man cave and start farting around, working on something or doing this and that, and next thing you know a lot of time has past.

Having skipped lunch before therapy, I got a bite to eat before heading out to the ranch.  I also grabbed Maggie to go with me.

I met with Mary and Jack as soon as I got there and we discussed and made plans for our co-op to include their three horses.  Maggie and Tito played in the yard. 

We are in the process of moving Wanda's feeding station from the bench over to this wall because the bench is in the hot sun now; or wind, rain, and cold in the winter if the barn doors aren't closed.  She had no problem making the move. 





Mary and I had planned to ride together.  Amiga was a dirty mess, even her belly.  She must have splashed wet mud here and then it dried.  I love this silly mare.

It took awhile for us to get going, but we were finally out on a nice little ride. 

Mesa had calmed down once out on the trail, but Amiga who had been very good in the barn got all revved up.  She has not been out with Mesa before, so maybe that was it.  But all her high stepping and desire to canter in some spots made me think her lameness is not an issue anymore.  We kept our ride short and slow however. 










At one point, a large animal in the woods spooked our horses.  As we were settling them down, I took this photo.  We could not see what it was, but we could tell it was big by the sounds it made moving through the thick brush.

Susan was at the barn when we returned and mentioned spotting a large animal in the woods behind the paddock last week but could not positively identify it.  She said it was a very large tan animal, but did not look like a deer.  I remember Polly spotted a cougar while riding near here about five years ago, and then three weeks later, she spotted it again near the same area.  She was positive it was a cougar.

On the other hand, over a month ago a mama bear and three cubs were spotted at the corner of Marmaduke and Malvern (very near our ranch).  A photo similar to this was posted on Facebook about the sighting.  So we don't know what large animal is tromping around in the woods near us.

Barn time got the best of me again, and it was almost 8pm when I left the ranch.  Needless to say, Maggie and I both had a very late supper and it was a chore doing my evening household tasks.