It Takes Work

House keeping and gardening take work.  Ranching takes work.  Caring for horses, cats and a dog takes work.  Parenting and marriage take work.  Staying healthy takes work.  Reading and studying The Word takes work.  And this work isn't just physical; it's mental, spiritual, and emotional.  And it takes time, discipline, grit, endurance, persistence, and stamina.  However, everything worth having in life takes work, but is worth the effort.

Some of us have to work harder at some things, than others do.  When I don’t see the production or success that I want in my life, I ask myself, “am I putting in the hard work?”  We all have the same 24 hours in a day.  What we do with them is up to us (there are exceptions, of course).  Do the hard work… or don’t… it’s ultimately up to each of us.  No excuses.  But I am so good at procrastinating and rationalizing.  And like everybody, I need a break from the work.  Plus I don't have the physical, mental, and spiritual energy I used to.  I can, at least work at loving on and bonding with family, friends, my pets, and God.  And they all bring me renewed strength, stamina, and energy, so I can keep working at life. 

Saturday 9/2 - During my pre-dawn walking of the dog, Rose greeted us.  I was so excited to see her back because she'd been gone for longer than a week.  She had a new injury to the back of her ear, no doubt a fight of some sort.  She gets scratched or bit up occasionally. 

Later in the morning, Joe and Courtney left Nashville for various destinations in Illinois and sent this photo.  I love them. 

I had chores at the ranch and then we had planned to ride at 9:00.  This great blue heron watched me mucking the paddock, as it fished in the pond.

I had put Amiga in the round pen and opened the gate for the two 'boys' to go out on the back pasture.  They stayed within view of Amiga, and would whinny back and forth to each other occasionally. 

Brooke and I got all saddled up and had a nice chat while Mary and Jack got their three horses saddled.  Jennifer soon joined them and we hit the trail.

It was an absolutely perfect day for riding.  The temperature was wonderful.  There was a light breeze and hardly any flies.  All our horses did great, and Amiga did not seem lame. 





Mary and Jack usually led, with Jennifer on Mesa behind their two boys.  And Brooke and I brought up the rear.  We 'trotted' occasionally to catch up with the faster walking, larger horses.  





At one point, Brooke and I held back our horses, and then galloped up one hill. 

Here is the whole crew (except me) from left to right.  Brooke, Jack, Jennifer, and Mary.

The horses from left to right are Banner, Billy, Mesa, and Chipolte. 

 

Zorro and Cowboy came in from the pasture when we got back.  I  did some hoof and leg care on Amiga and then returned her to the paddock where she joined the boys in the shed.  

In no time at all, the three horses were taking a nap. 





Except for me bugging them, trying to take a good photo, they didn't seem to have a care in the world. 

Below, Dan with Ava.  It takes work to be a good dad, but if you make it fun, the work is enjoyable. 



Because we had gotten a later start hitting the trail than planned, I was later getting home and more tired than expected.  Also, I had lots of little things that needed doing around the house.  So I didn’t do the hard work of going to the gym.  At least I accomplish lots of things here at the house. 




Mary had put her three horses with Banner in the front field and sent some photos of their meeting.  I was glad to see that it was quite peaceful. 









Banner used to be in a herd with Zorro back at Wildwood.  They definitely recognized each other from the moment Banner stepped foot on the ranch.  And they would greet each other over the red gate. 




I had to return to the ranch to do feeding chores. But now it’s back to just three (our two horses and Cowboy) so it doesn’t take very long at all. 

I got home to feed our crew by 6:15.  I got last week's blog finished, but needed to proof it one more time before posting.

With it being late and I being tired, I read from my new little devotional book, that ties horses in while also reflecting on God. 

Sunday 9/3 - This photo was actually taken late in the afternoon.  When I went to put corn out for the deer, I startled this little family.  The doe was much less worried about me than her two older babies were.

It was a fun, busy day so I didn't have much time to think about it being the two year anniversary of my Mom's passing.  This Chris Janson - Bye Mom (Lyric Video) is very touching and so true.

I proof read and posted my blog and then played games and worked puzzles on my computer, which I haven't had time for in quite awhile. 

I was at the store by 10:00 to pick up a pasta salad to take to the pool by 11:00.  This is Ellie and Larry.  She makes wonderful pudding shots for all our parties. 

And here Ellie is with Bill.  All our pool peeps are so much fun.  Her shirt was perfect for our country theme.

One Country was our DJ, who played and sang mostly country songs.     

It was overcast most of the time, but the water felt good, the music was fun, and the pot luck quite enjoyable (video). 

The party lasted until 3pm.  Once  home, I took Maggie on a long, three mile walk.  I needed to walk off some of the food I had eaten. 

I saw this cool looking fungus of some sort.

Patty had evening chores and sent this photo of our horses getting a drink after coming in from the back pasture.  They sure are a happy little herd of three.  

Between the pool party and the long walk, I was worn out.  I love hitting the hay in a state of exhaustion and immediately falling asleep. 
 

Monday, 9/4 – Labor Day.  Life takes work.  And our jobs are work.  But they don't need to run our lives.  Thankfully we have weekends and holidays that we can take a break from paid work and and get caught up with house, yard, and other work.  We also need to spend time with family and friends. 

I had morning chores, but that was the extent of the work that had to be done today.  Then I went on a wonderful ride with Amiga, just the two of us, enjoying the cool morning and the peaceful woods.  I always like going out on Amiga by myself because we have a better bond, and she’s much more in tune with me (than with other horses when I go in a group).  The steady rhythm of her hooves on the path relax me.  This is when I feel closest to myself, my horse, to nature, and to God.

I rode for 90 minutes, and Amiga did great, not showing any signs of lameness.  She was a little tripsy, but she is due for a trim.  She is usually very willing and responsive to me (video).  At one point she did get a little nervous when a biker came up behind us and didn't even slow down while I tried to get her to the side of the gravel road while he passed by.  





It was lunchtime when I got home.  Seeing Stevie and Babe relaxing on the porch gave me the idea to eat lunch out on the deck.  It was too hot to sit out in the sun very long, so the rest of the afternoon I read on the porch and did some self-care.  I made a good dent in my new paperback, finally getting into the story line.  Reading about a murder will grab your attention. 

Joe sent photos up-dating me on their weekend trip.  They were now in Iowa.  This is in front of Bootleggers, Therese Schebler's antique shop.  Joe had delivered a table she had bought at the 127 yard sale.   

Below was the 'family meal' at Ox Yoke Inn.  In the first photo, seen starting with the back of Ron's head, is Alan, Mary, Joe, Teresa, Mikayla, Nathan, Ryan, Charlotte, Hanna, DeLaney, Courtney, and Tracy. 

Seeing photos of family gatherings always makes me wish I could have been there.

It was the last night of Mirror Lake Blast, with "Soul Soup" playing.  I arrived just before the band started at 5:15, 30 minutes earlier than usual, which threw many of us off.  








The 'dance floor' was immediately occupied by several of us, and by later in the evening, too crowded to fit us all on it.  As always, the band was great (video) and we all had a wonderful time.   

Tuesday, 9/5 - I woke up with a sore throat, no doubt from singing at the top of my lungs last night.  I also had sore hips and legs, most likely from dancing and gyrating to the music for over two hours.  LOL.

I took a photo of this doe, who looks like all the other deer I have seen lately.  Their coat is starting to change color in preparation for fall/winter.  It's a reminder I don't really like, that cold weather is coming. 

I put in a shift of work at the pool.  The only reason I am looking forward to colder weather is because I will be glad to be done with the summer pool season (but it is going through the end of this month).  Oh, I do like these cooler fall days where we can have our AC off and windows open.  It's also much nicer for riding and doing any outside work.  

I came home from the pool and took a short (20 minute) nap.  Then it took work to make myself go to the gym.  (It usually always does.)  In this photo I am wearing the ten pound weighted vest while speed walking/jogging on the elliptical. 

 
Wednesday 9/6 - Jack sent this photo of a rat snake in the chicken coop, in a nest.  If you look closely you can see a large object in it's digestive tract.  They will eat chicken eggs, but we think this might be a golf ball.  The balls in the nest encourage the hens to lay their eggs there, but a few balls have gone missing this summer.  We may now know the culprit.  But what happens to the snake when it does this?  I read that snakes will regurgitate anything they have eaten but couldn't digest. 

I had a really good workout at the gym, pushing through on many of the weights, and working a lot harder than usual. So I felt quite accomplished. 

Joe had arrived home from Iowa by the time I returned from the gym.  I had a high-protein lunch and was going to go ride but it started raining.  I didn’t even realize rain was in the forecast.  Rather than let myself get too worked up about the wrong forecast and messing up my riding plans, I decided just to go out anyways and get in a little ride before the ferrier came. 


I chose to go bareback because it was drizzling off and on and Amiga was a little bit wet.  I wasn’t gonna ride long or hard.  Amiga was rather full of herself, and I had my hands full at times because she was getting a little cow-hoppy and spinning.  The problem with riding bareback, when your horse is coming out from under you, you’ve got to tighten your legs on them, which kind of cues them to speed up.  Amiga and I worked things out and came to an understanding, and she eventually settled down.  

I rode up the drive to the front gate and took these photos of the six hens in the tree in the chicken yard.  I also went out the back gate on Hathaway for a little bit.  It turned out to be a nice little ride on Amiga.

Patty and Susan were both at the barn to help with the farrier and since I hadn't taken anymore photos, I got these two of Zorro off some videos Patty shared with me. 

He is a handsome boy.

Poker Joe was gone as usual on a Wednesday night, so I had yet another quiet evening, home alone. 
 

Thursday 9/7 - I was at the ranch by 6:30 and moved quickly through morning chores.  Then I drove straight to town, getting to Tractor Supply two minutes before they opened at 8 AM.  I bought a lot of needed horse supplies and some more cracked corn for my deer at home.  I got some plants at Lowe’s (these two little asters) that I later planted by the side of the garage.  I ended my shopping trip at Walmart and was home about 10:30. 

I spent a few hours at the Druid pool, where I had a hotdog for lunch, followed by ice cream.  I got some sun on areas that don’t get tan wearing my pool uniform and several dips in the water helped me to cool off.

I started in on weeding and planting out front with my project supervisor sleeping on the job. 


It takes work for me to take a selfie, and they still never turn out great.
 

I intended to work at trimming some trees. Needing Joe to help with the ladder, I never got anything done because our timing didn’t match up.  But I did completely weed the flower bed right at the front entrance so it looks much nicer. 


By day's end, I had fed the house cats and did my daily chores and also took care of Rose.


She is always on the lookout, with great survival instincts, so rarely has her eyes on me. 



Believe it or not, it takes work for Joe and I to coordinate our schedules.  We both have different places to go and things to do.  We rarely sit down for dinner at the same time, and even agreeing on a time to watch a movie together is tricky.  But, we managed to end the evening watching the movie Mr Church.  It was kind of a tearjerker. 

Friday 9/8 - Joe did morning chores and got the burn pile by the barn started.  I was a little slow getting to the gym so had to hustle once there to get through in two hours.  I have been doing the elliptical each time (needing the aerobic work) but it usually takes almost an hour of my time.  







We girls had planned a ride at 2:00, so I scurried home from the gym, had a quick lunch, and went to the ranch. 
Mary trying boots on Mesa. 

I tended the burn pile fire, rotated horse feed, filled fly spray bottles, and got Amiga tacked up.  Here I am mounting up in the round pen. 
  

And off we four ladies headed, out the back gate, under the tower, and down the trail to the road.  


Patty lead the way on Zorro, followed by Mary on Chipolte, then Karen on Mesa, and lastly, I on Amiga brought up the rear.  




We knew Polly was out on the trail on Rio, so we were looking to meet up with them.  Well, we had unknowingly gone by them when they were up a cul-de-sac, so they ended up riding up behind us.  I turned Amiga around and snapped this photo as Polly and Rio were approaching. 




We all stopped and chatted a few minutes before continuing down the trail.  I took some photos while Amiga stood nicely, waiting for the word to start going again. 


I thought Patty knew I was taking this photo, but I guess I kind of caught her off guard. 





Zorro was standing patiently and looks good here (in the above photo).  You can't see very well, but he had a nice (soft) eye while watching and waiting for action. 


Soon we were off, with Amiga and I leading.  I attempted this selfie, not an easy thing to do.  Then I decided to just turn around and get a regular photo, which is in better focus, but you can't see Patty.

For quite awhile, Polly and I rode beside each other and chatted the whole time, catching up on life at Wildwood.  It was so good to see Polly and ride with her and Rio. 


Later on, Polly had peeled off on a different route to head back to her trailer. 

At this point, Mary and Karen lead the way (on the bigger, faster walking horses) and Patty and I followed on our Pasos.  We had to gait (Zorro racks) up the hill you see ahead of us in this photo, to catch up with them. 





The ladies helped me with my chores once we got back and then we went up to the house for pizza and beer and a time to relax around the bonfire. 

I didn't get home to feed Maggie and the cats until after 7pm.  Poker Joe was gone and I was tired, so I hit the hay a little earlier than my already early 9pm.  And I couldn't even stay awake to read.  Sometimes the things I do don't seem to take work, but other times, just getting up and away from my computer or reading a book, takes a great deal of effort.