Holiday Decor

I used to go all out for Christmas (with decorating and gifts) because our kids loved it (and so did I).  But we are retired, and our son Dan has a kid of his own, so he and Vale can go big on the holiday decor.  It's okay if our house doesn't look like Santa's workshop during the holidays anymore.  I can go easy on the decorating if I choose.




← I have jokingly said that this will be the extent of my decorating this year, since we will be out of town (Costa Rica trip) the first ten days of December.  I could just put out the coaster (seen below) I got Joe for his Mancave, and call it quits there.  But what fun is that? 

When reading through the de-clutter list from '50 Things Retirees Should Throw Out,' Holiday Decor was one of them.  I know this is an area I need to work on.

Christmas decorating is my nemesis at the moment.  I know I should/could cut way back, and get rid of some decorations. 




I keep asking, 'How much, which ones, and where at, should I reduce my decorating?'  All these thoughts have kept me awake in the middle of the night recently.  I do not want to let the Grinch steal my Christmas fun and decorations.  But I think this elf on the shelf abduction is funny. 

I have this Christmas gnome I like to hide in various places, but Joe doesn't play along, and I won't let the cats climb on the shelves to get it, or run off with it when I put it down lower on the TV or hearth.
 

Saturday 11/25 - Brooke had called the night before to tell me Zorro came in quite lame on his left back leg.  I instructed her to give him a Previcox and then when I was there to do chores this morning, I massaged in the Epson salt poultice rub for horse sprains, strains, bruises, inflammation, and pain. 


After massaging it into his sore muscle and joint on his left stifle, I did the same for his right hip, which is the initial problem.  But when he decides to canter out in the field, he probably picks up the left lead, straining his left back stifle. 



Zorro seemed a little better when I turned him out in the paddock and he walked to the back gate and out into the field.  But then he took off at a canter to join his herd.  Dang it horse, you are going to make it worse.

I had warmed up while mucking the paddock, removed one jacket, and decided to work on the back side of the paddock fence line.  I raked leaves and old piles of manure out into the woods so water can better drain off the paddock in that direction. 







I was making great progress and feeling good about my accomplishment, so decided to skip the gym and let this job be my workout.  I ended up being at the ranch from 6:30am - 5pm.  These two photos were taken once I was all done.  I did take a break to get a water bottle and crackers from our feed room. 

And then early afternoon I took Amiga for a short one hour ride.  There was another tree down on Hathaway.  We could get around it, but the trucks and maybe 4-wheelers that regularly drive back there will have troubles.   








We also came across this trailer and truck at the corner of Marmaduke and Beachwood, actually parked on Stratford Dr.  It was riders from Wildwood. 



We did an out and back on the top part of the Holly Trail (video).  I really like this trail because I much prefer riding in the woods.

Amiga did very well again.  Once she was back out with the boys I got back to work behind the fence line.  Joe was at the ranch and helped me with a few big vines (using the chain saw) and also old partly buried barbwire, using the bolt cutters. 




When Patty came to feed, we could see that Zorro was walking fairly well.  She sent these photos, showing he had gotten grass stuck to the poultice rub when he laid down.  Silly boy.

I left just after Patty, as the horses munched on their own pile of hay and the moon was rising. 

I was completely exhausted and went to bed right after Joe and I watched Survivor from 7 to 8.

Sunday 11/26 - Rain forecasted to start around noon got Joe out working on leaf pickup early morning.  By the time I was dressed to go help him, he had quit. 

I swept leaves off the decks and stairs so they wouldn't stain the new paint. 


Next I applied the non-slip strips to our side deck steps we always use.  In fact, we both have slipped and fallen on them during icy conditions last winter.  My project supervisor was giving them a thorough inspection. 

Since the kids will drop in on Christmas, I decided to decorate more than I had been planning on doing.  When I put lights on the Blue Spruce by our side deck entrance, wouldn't ya know, two sets of lights were burnt out.  So this is all I had for it, for now.  It started sprinkling just before I got finished.  I took this photo much later in the day. 
 

Joe put together our artificial Christmas tree, his only decorating job.  I got the lights on it.  Thankfully none were burnt out!

I had started putting the decorations on it, but then it was time to go to the ranch to do chores.  It rained lightly or misted while I was feeding horses.  And more rain fell during the evening. 






Courtney sent this photo of she and Kent at the Titan's home football game in Nashville.

I was glad to be home and in my PJ's at dinner time, and decided I was done decorating for the day.  Poker Joe was out so I messed here at my computer and then read before lights out. 

Monday 11/27 - I had been up in the middle of the night from 1 to 4am, so didn't get up to really start my day until after 6:00.  Scotty was here by 8am and out installing the two new lights we bought to replace the old broken ones. 


I am not sure I like the new look.  I wish I had gotten black instead.  But hopefully they will 'grow on me.'  I am thankful to finally have working lights again. 








Once done outside, Scotty moved inside to work in our master bathroom. 




He replaced an old light switch with a new one that has an outlet on the bottom and the switch at the top.  Now I can plug a night light right into it instead of having an extension cord from our vanity to the back of the toilet where the night light has been sitting for over a year.  Stevie was keeping an eye on him. 

While Scotty had been working, I finished decorating the Christmas tree.  Stevie was also checking my work out. 

Two cats watching me as I was logging back into my computer late in the morning.  I bring up photos of how I decorated for Christmas in previous years, so it goes quicker, because I don't have to decide where to put what, unless I want to change it up from the past. 

When I got out to the ranch, Mary and Jack had their small horse trailer loaded and they were just leaving, to take the rest of their things up to Minnesota.  We hugged and said our 'good-byes.'  I’m really going to miss them and wish them well in MN.  I also hope their horses get the care they want for them up there.

Susan and Jon had arrived and got to work on installing our new automatic chicken door (that Jem gave us).  Jon had mounted it on a board, to be sure everything was lined up correctly and it was working well.  So all we had to do was mount the board (with large hole and sliding metal covers) over the existing door, that already had a hole in it with a cat door attached. 


Ta - da!  Nice work Jon!

When it was time to test the door, we had troubles getting it to close because the sun was so bright, we couldn't fool the photo sensor with the cardboard box covering it.  Opening the big chicken coop door so the sun wasn't right on the automatic door, it finally went down.  And when we removed the box, in about a minute it went back up (video).  We re-tested it just to be sure. 

Patty had come out to see how the new chicken door worked.  Then we went down to the barn.  Patty mucked and I had Joe help me remove one more bit of barbwire behind the paddock fence.  All the horses came in thinking it was feeding time.  


Back up at the ranch house, I dried and folded a load of towels that Mary said was in the washer.  I also did a little re-arranging of some things and a small amount of Christmas decorating.  When taking the trash out, I noticed the sun had set and the moon was rising.  

 

So I stayed out, walked around, and took a few photos.  

I took this last photo when I was out at the garage, collecting trash from there before I left. 

I had been keeping an eye on the chicken coop door, and it was not closing even though it had gotten quite dark.  Well, I walked back over to take one more look, and it had closed.  And it didn't open back up when the motion sensor light came on.  Yippee!

I hadn't gotten much exercise, but once home, I decided I was 'done for the day'.  I had popcorn and beer for dinner while watching the first two episodes of season two of Suits. 

Tuesday 11/28 - I didn't take any photos all day, but Susan sent this one of Gloria coming through the chicken door to get into the coop.

After Joe and I met with our Lawyer at 10:30, I put in a difficult two hour workout at the gym.  Home to eat and change, I was then off to town to do my major shopping. 

On the way home, I dropped by Patty's to leave a bag of trash and pick up a suitcase she is letting me borrow.

Sorting, stowing, organizing, refilling feeders, etc. ensued after I unloaded the car and ate dinner.  I went to bed early because I had only gotten six hours of sleep the night before.

Wednesday 11/29 - I was up way too early, working here on my blog and then something happened and the font changed.  It took me awhile to get it set back to the font I usually use.  And then my computer stopped displaying my photos in all my files making it very difficult to find and edit them.

I got to the ranch at 6:30am (it was 19° out) to throw hay to the horses.  They were hungry, but we were keeping them in the paddock for the farrier visit. 

I was staying warm in the ranch house, cleaning and organizing, mostly under the kitchen sink.  There was lots of various cleansers (which I moved out) and some mold from water dripping down the built in sink soap dispenser.  I tighten up the dispenser gasket, filled the dispenser, and then sprayed under the sink for mold. 

Susan arrived to move horses into the barn while I was still in the house working.  Patty pulled in as I was heading down to the barn shortly after the farrier arrived.  Patty got these photo of me holding Amiga while Chris worked on her.

Trimming the hoof after the shoe was pulled off.

After Zorro had his hoof trimmed, this photo was taken of Chris filing his hoof.  You can see Banner (and kind of Amiga) watching from their stalls. 

Joe had arrived and was working on leaf removal up at the ranch house so I started on sweeping out the hayloft.  


Joe came down to the barn so I put the hayloft on hold and we worked together to move a round bale into the barn.  This will ensure there is plenty of hay while we are gone.  Then we got to work making a 'wall' to keep the chickens out of the garden shed side of the coop. 


The frame was in the wood pile in the shop so we added the wire to cover the opening.  This second photo shows it from the back (garden side).

I had planned to go home, but still had much to do, so ate a late lunch, getting two eggs from the coop and kale from the garden.  I also started arranging furniture (the wicker set from our balcony that Joe had brought).  I had moved it out to make room for the Christmas tree (and will then need the space for Mom's love seat that is being refinished).  There was much cat hair on the cushions I spent time removing. 



While the sun was shinning and it was warm out, I stretched out the very long hose (three sections) up at the house, to fully drain it.  It was then re-wound and stored in the backside of the coop.

Finally I was headed back down to the barn at 2:30.  I finished cleaning out the hay loft (sweeping out a lot of dust and some hay). 

I had also set up Wanda's crate for winter weather, putting new straw in her beds and covering most of the large opening to the crate.

By the time I got to feeding horses, it was getting late, but Banner would not come in, so I had to walk out and haltered him, and walk him in. 



I dispersed some hay in the paddock and then started work on the mucking.  It was getting dark fast and I had troubles seeing all the manure.  It was also cooling off.

Finally finished and back to the house to lock up, I took these photos of the new furnishings in the sun room.  





Sitting at the card table (to work a puzzle) you can look out the window at the front pasture.

It was after 6pm by the time I got home.  I was thoroughly exhausted (mostly lack of sleep I think) so it was all I could do to feed pets, shower, clean litter boxes, and make myself a salad for dinner.  I went to bed at 7:30.
 

Thursday 11/30 - My phone wouldn't let me have access to my photos when I went to download them.  It had placed them into an 'Internal Storage' file that wouldn't open.  Joe tried to help, but didn't have time to fix it before needing to leave for golf.  Between fighting with blogger, trying to download photos, and sending out a long e-mail to all our boarders and 'ranch hands' about new and winter procedures, I was here at my computer until well after 10am, and that didn't include any gaming or much blogging.

Then I tackled my to do list: laundry, start packing (getting things organized and prepped), write pet care note, add new lights to outside pine tree, rake leaves out of drainage ditch, put straw in Rose's three beds (two seen in this photo), wrap a gift, etc.  I never made it to the gym or store, but did watch Survivor with Joe. 

Friday 12/1 - Wow, and now it's December, and for some the day to start decorating for Christmas.  It was a rainy, drizzly, gloomy day... ALL DAY!

This is Babe sleeping on the holiday festive cat tower shelf.

I spent much of the day packing for our trip to Costa Rica.  We hit the road for Nashville and arrived at Chili's just before 6pm. 

Dan, Vale, Ava, Courtney, and Kent all met us there.  Ava was having fun with the silverware. 

Back at Courtney's apartment we were better able to get to know Kent a little better. 

With a 6am flight, we will be hitting the hay soon because we need to be up in less than seven hours.