Delight In Life

Live, flourish, prosper, thrive; be happy, enjoy oneself, have fun; love life, make it exciting and fulfilling; and gain great pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness in life.  




To delight is a choice (that we make) to find joy.  It’s a choice to revel in moments of celebration, luxuriate in moments of relaxation, or to be captivated by something.  It is the lighthearted sense of pure, uncomplicated pleasure. 






When we take great pleasure in what we do, it shows.  It also shows when we’ve lost some of the joy in what we’re doing.  It’s normal to get lost in the grind of, say working out at the gym, mucking sheds and paddocks, and cleaning up after our pets... because we forget why we’re doing it.  Delight in your work, in a job well done, and in the outcome.

I ended last week's blog early, before company arrived and our three day weekend started.  So I'll start here where I left off...

Friday 9/20 -  Courtney, who had come down with Strep throat, took Britney to Walgreens to get her flu and Covid vaccines.  Courtney had planned to get vaccinated also, but because she was sick, would have to wait.  They got slushies afterwards. 

I was so bummed that Courtney was sick, but glad the steroids and antibiotics had her feeling well enough to come and not be contagious by Friday night. 

While I had been frantically cleaning house, I got an update from the girls.  They had made a rest stop (which actually gave me more time to get ready for them).  And then at noon, we met at Food City.  Courtney had dropped Britney off and went on to our house to rest. 







I had my list fairly well completed, with items for the night's dinner, and the two breakfasts and three lunches we would have.  Britney helped me grab some other things along with snacks and drinks.

Patty and the Iowans were already at the house when we got back from the store.  They were relaxing with Maggie, but the cats were nowhere in sight. 











We girls grabbed a bite of lunch and then hung out while we all 'caught up' with each other. 

We congregated here for over three hours.  No one was interested in going to Dorchester Pool for it's last day/party, except Joe who left later.  In this photo, going clockwise starting with me (who was standing), are Tracy, Courtney, Joe, Mary, Patty, and Teresa.  Britney took the photo from up on the balcony. 










We had planned dinner at the ranch, so went out early to see the animals and enjoy ranch life and the country.  All our chickens are molting and most have stopped egg production.  Arnie, up close with Britney taking the photo.

Several people went down to the barn with Patty while she did chores.  Britney with Zorro and Cowboy.

Teresa with Zorro while Cowboy was still eating. 
Zorro is a handsome boy.  

Joe with Cowboy and Zorro while Amiga and Banner were in the barn finishing their dinner. 







Britney enters the scene.






After chores, Patty grilled the meat and then we all squeezed in around the table and ate a hardy meal. 










Courtney is our designated selfie taker because she is so good at it.  Going clockwise from Courtney - Patty, Joe, Teresa, Britney, Mary, myself, and Tracy.

While dinner was cleaned up, Joe got the bonfire going, and we all began gathering around it.   










At this point we knew Dan and Vale were not going to get here in time to come to the ranch.

I tried to merge two photos to show us all around the fire.

It didn't work too well.

It was a beautiful evening, perfect for sitting around the fire.  The sun was setting and it was cooling off.

Joe and I went to spray the new big wasp nest but when I went into the feed room, there were dozens on the nest and they all started to stir, buzzing (vibrating their wings).  I ran out and away from there, but Joe was brave enough to stay and spray them while they were still on the nest.
 

What a perfect way to end the evening...







...chatting while staring into the dancing flames.
 

Courtney was not feeling great, so she and Britney went home to be there when Dan and Vale arrived.  

The kids had all settled in back at our Flossmoor house, but I still had things to do.  There was plenty of leftover food and drinks to unpack from the coolers.  In this photo, Ava was helping me wash the dishes. 

I didn't last long and was in bed way before the 'kids' or Joe.  I drifted off to sleep counting my blessings.

Saturday 9/21 - With Tango sleeping in our room, and kids 'milling' around after hours, I did not get a great night of sleep.  I walked the dogs at 4am and was at the ranch before sun-up. 

My first order of business was to check on the wasps.  These photos were taken with my headlamp on.  Joe had done a great job of killing them.  But then I noticed a second (new) nest with two live wasps on it.

 


Same type of wasp, different type of nest.  I sprayed it with the wasp/hornet spray and then went down to the barn to let horses out and muck.






They were glad to see me and waited patiently for me to put their fly masks on. 






Britney and Ava were up when I got home, having breakfast together. 


At one point we walked both the dogs, with Ava handling Maggie.

Ava was full of energy and roaring to go, so once we were all dressed, we headed up library trail. 

Time out for a posed photo, but Ava did not want to sit for long.  We had places to go. 













At one point we cut through the woods, going past mini golf, to get to the playground quicker.

I got Ava to pose for another photo in the 'Edith Ann' big chair. 



Finally, we got to the playground!  Ava hit the swings first.





Britney appeared to be struggling on the climbing wall after Ava had scaled it quite skillfully, so Ava helped Britney out.
 

I love these two 'girls' so much... what delights.

The climbing pole wasn't a bit scary because Ava remembered how to get up it, so had no problem. 















And even the slide was easy peasy. 



We had troubles getting Ava to leave, so had to phone for back up.  Papaw (Joe) drove the quarter mile up the hill and persuaded Ava to go, with the promise of a boat ride. 

I loaded coolers with drinks and lunch stuff and we headed to Dartmoor Marina.  In no time at all, we were on the boat, stripped down to our swim suits, makin' waves and catchin' rays... party in slow motion.

Vale stayed in back, keeping an eye on the 'boys.'

Ava bounced back and forth between both groups delighting in the experience and making us smile.


Cheers! 

Bottoms up! 

Once we got to our favorite 'parking' spot, we dropped anchor and many of us went in for a swim.  The water was a tad cold but felt good once you got used to it, and the sunshine helped also.
 















Ava was very comfortable swimming to each of us, as long as we were fairly close together. 

She mostly liked hangin' on to her silly dad.











Britney floated around for awhile...





...and then she and Daniel treated us to some water ballet once Ava came back on board with the rest of us. 







We all certainly had a good time, and were delighting in life (the day and our time with each other). 

Most of us showered and then napped when we got home.  I had asked Britney if she would try on my wedding dress, thinking someday she might want to have it, because she has been seriously dating a man (Juan Carlos, or Juanca for short) since early spring. 

She did not want me to take it out of its vacuum packed box, which has not been opened since I had it stored after our wedding, 44 years ago.  I told her I wanted to see how it looked after all these years.  I had it preserved in case I had a daughter that wanted to wear it for her wedding.  If she didn't want or need it, then why should I keep it any longer?  I was also curious to see if it even fit her.  I was delighted to see the dress in such good condition and how pretty Britney was in it.  
 

By 5:15 we were headed to The Grove for the Utopia band concert.  Courtney and Vale (needing to rest) stayed home.  Shirley (and later Micki) joined us though.  Most of us had had a bite to eat for an early dinner before leaving home, but others waited to hit the food trucks once they got to The Grove. 






We had gotten there quite early, giving people time to get food and eat.  And we sat and watched as people arrived and the crowd filled in.  Britney walked around and took many of these photos. 




It was quite the crowd because Utopia is a much loved band by us here in the Glade. 








As soon as the band started, so did the dancing. 



















And the dancing lasted all night... well, until the band quit at 8:45.  Here are four (videos) and lots more photos taken during the evening.

Nana and Papaw with Dan and Ava. 

Ava ended up dancing with or getting held by many. 

Even a few of my friends had Ava in their arms at one point or another. 




This is Cleet who danced with Ava right up in front of the stage. 

Ava liked being up close, near to the band. 

And she liked to bust some of her own moves, even during the slow dance songs.  Teresa (with Tracy) looks on. 





Joe even joined me on the dance floor.  

Meanwhile, Britney started dancing with Ava. 













During intermission, we sat and rested in our seats, and had a snack.  Ava shared with everybody. 

Then Ava decided to go bust some moves on the empty dance floor, with Britney's help.  There was recorded music playing. 








   Oh what a night! 





Courtney left for Nashville shortly after we all got home from the concert.  She just wasn't feeling that great and felt she would get more rest at home.  
In this photo, I am reading Ava one of my favorite kids book I have kept all these years. 
 

Sunday 9/22 - This photo was from the previous morning, but I forgot to include it.  Ava was helping Britney re-pack stuff she had bought, and was condensing so it would fit in her carry-on luggage. 


Ava and I on the porch swing, visiting Stevie and swinging. 

Ava also entertained herself and the rest of us, building block houses and knocking them down. 


Joe grilled a big breakfast for all of us, including bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns and pancakes. 

From left to right in this photo - Mary, Teresa, Britney, Tracy, Patty and Joe.


Joe and Britney had to be on the road before noon.  He was taking her to her week of work in Virginia.  Dan and his family packed up and left right behind Joe. 
 

I had planned to start this blog and begin cleaning up after guests (washing sheets and towels, picking up and putting things back in their usual spots after I had moved them out of Ava and Tango's reach).  But life is short and I don't get to see the Iowa clan very often, so I welcomed them to stay.  I wanted to continue to delight in life with them.  We ladies got this puzzle started while Tracy and Teresa watched football. 




Later we played Swipe, a new card came they taught me.  It was easy to learn and had enough strategy to make it interesting and fun.

Patty and I left to do chores while the Iowans continued with the Football game and puzzle working.  Mary had made a lot of progress by the time we got back. 

I had been up at the shop collecting trash when I took this photo of Patty putting hay out for the horses, in the rain.  We got hit by a pretty intense shower, but it didn't last long.  Back home, we piled into Patty's car and went to Dynasty Asian Cafe for dinner.  It was very good, but way too much food.






Once home to an empty house, it was getting too late to start the clean-up process, so that was not going to happen.  I was so full, I decided to take Maggie on a fairly decent walk.  Joe and Britney had made it to their hotel, Dan was safely home with his family, and Courtney was feeling better, so I fell asleep feeling content while counting my blessings.

Monday 9/23 -  I took Maggie with me during morning chores because I was going to stay out at the ranch and get a few other things done.  Cowboy in his fly mask was ready to go, waiting on me to take some photos. 








Part of delighting in life, is enjoying each other and loving the one you're with.  Wanda definitely delights in Maggie. 

This spider web was so pretty with the light on it, but I just couldn't capture it in a photo.

Because all the hens have been molting, there were feathers all over in the coop.  It looks like a fox got in the hen house, but the girls are all fine and new feathers are growing in.  The decline in egg production will hopefully turn around and start back up soon. 






While at the coop, I checked on this chicken, Gloria.  We weren't sure if this red spot was from getting picked (pecked) on or from her normal molting process.  She always looks a little ruffled. 




Next I took on the task of cleaning out the upper feed room.  In addition to lots of dead wasps, dirt and dust; there were stains on the shelf from bug juice, wasp spray, and horse supplements and medications. 






I made a few trips up and down the drive to get and return supplies.  I walked for the exercise and Maggie joined me each time.  I took delight in glancing at the horses as I passed by. 


I actually used a bucket of soapy water to scrub the shelf and a few spots on the floor. 



Here is another horse photo.  Banner, as usual was way off on his own, but our two Pasos weren't as close to each other as customary.  Joe had gotten back from Virginia and came straight to the ranch to help out. 

He had installed a solar light under the shed roof 'breezeway,' but he mounted the collector a little too low.






I always ask him to wait for my input so he doesn't have to re-do his work, but he is a 'get it done' kind of guy.




He had mounted the solar collector on the feed room roof so low, I could reach it, so we ladies were worried the horses could get into it and into the wire that went from it to the light.  So, Joe had to move it.  Ta-da, now it is much better. 
I had cleaned manure out of the upper sheds and then dug dirt out of the driveway ditch as I pushed the wheelbarrow down to the lower paddock.

It was 3:00 by the time I got home.  I just didn't have it in me to go to the gym, plus I needed lunch.  A nap, laundry, and cleaning up around the house, finished off my day.  Oh, and also I searched for Joe's wallet.  Sometimes the little things can make us very happy, but sometimes they can really get us down. 


Joe last remembered having his wallet at a gas stop in Virginia.  But he swore he had it in his hands while he was juggling a bunch of stuff getting into the house.  We searched everywhere... in the recycle bin, in the trash cans, in his backpack that he had taken as an overnight bag, through all his clothes he had with him at the time, and I even looked under his car.  We searched between the seats and doors,  under the seats, everywhere possible we could think of.  And we looked everywhere again.

No wallet, so Joe called the gas station, but they could not find it.  Then he spent the evening and the following morning canceling all our cards and making arrangements to get replacements.

Tuesday 9/24 - I got this blog started, but editing all the photos was taking forever.  I still had a list of things to do before Betty moved her horse to the ranch, so rather than blogging very long, going to the gym or cleaning house, I planned to go to the ranch; after first eating a very early lunch.  While eating lunch, I watched Mama Styx play, and then Babe joined in on the fun and games, whether her mom wanted her to, or not.





While backing out of the garage, we found Joe's wallet.  He was on his scooter just about to leave and saw it.  It had been under my car.  Yesterday I had gotten home from the ranch shortly after he had and apparently parked right over the top of his wallet.  How was I to know and why didn't we think to look under my car? 
 

Once at the ranch, I spent a great deal of time totally clearing off this parking pad for Betty to put her trailer on.  It was covered in weeds, some a few feet high.

Here is a look at one wheelbarrow load. 

It took two trips with the wheelbarrow, to dump them all back behind the dam. 

Up at the house, I drug the hose from the hydrant, out to the paddock where I could get it submerged into the full water tank and get a siphon going to drain the tank. It was quite scummy. I used a brush to scrub the scum off the walls and bottom.  In this photo, it is nearly drained. 

I used the hose to rinse the tank out, and then set it in place where rain from the shed and feed room roofs empty into it.  I hoped that the coming rain would fill it, saving me on 150 gallons of water. 


Joe had planned to come out to the ranch on his way home from poker, to pour gasoline down this ground wasp hole.  The wasp spray we had used Friday night had not worked. 






So I marked the hole with this rope in order for Joe to more easily find it in the dark.

It was late in the afternoon by the time I got home. I believe I did more laundry and house cleanup, but honestly don’t remember.

Wednesday 9/25 - I had been watching the weather with the coming Hurricane Helene nearing the coast of FL.

I removed the cat food container from the sun room/office/cattery to get the cats used to going to a different spot to eat because I was going to lock Stevie in this area with the coming of cold weather.  She would have just her food, and I would not let the other cats eat any of it because it's so expensive. 

Mama Styx and Babe were a bit perplexed. 

I did ranch chores early morning so Patty could get to the FFG board meeting in plenty of time.  Members would be given a chance to make comments and ask questions.
I was on time for the meeting, but they were way ahead of schedule.  Thankfully I (and a few others just arriving) got the chance to speak. 

I asked the board about where the money (approximately $200,000.00 or more) taken in from John's rent over the last 16 years, had gone.  They said it went into the general fund.  Hum... and not a dime of it was used to invest in the up-keep of the stables.  When the board went into executive session, many of us 'Saddle Sisters' congregated in the hallway outside and fraternized for awhile.  So many people were supportive of the stables, we felt very hopeful. 

I went to the gym for a good, long workout, and had a quiet night at home with Poker Joe gone. 
 

Thursday 9/26 - With the coming storms, many areas in TN, KY, the Carolinas, and Georgia had been evacuated.  Even Dollywood was going to be closed for the day.

We Saddle Sisters were hit by a different kind of storm today.  At the 9am BOD meeting, it was announced that Wildwood Stables is being closed forever.  We were all shocked, devastated, and upset by this decission.  Fairfield Glade took revenue from the stables and never reinvested to keep it up to date.  The Board had an opportunity to correct this and maintain this valuable asset but turned their backs to it.  It is a loss to all the members of FFG.

A large group of us stood out in the hallway trying to figure out why the board made this decision.  The stables could be a money making amenity in less than two years, and the initial investment would be paid off.  We vented, did more brain storming, and then tried to figure out what the nine boarders were going to do when 'kicked out' of the barn the end of December.     

I got home at almost 11am and sat here at my computer to blog.  The storm inside me was brewing, just as it was outside with the rain and wind picking up.  Do the deer and other wildlife know what was coming? 
I was surprised at how mad I was about the stables closing, since the impact on me wasn't too devastating.  Thank goodness I had a place for my horses already.  But my friends, fellow equestrians, and the  horses themselves were greatly affected.
Karen came over in the afternoon and we talked for quite a while.  I also had several phone calls, emails, and text messages to attend to.  I had contacted over 50 people to come to Wednesday's meeting to support the stables.  Word had gotten out fast, and people were both venting about the loss of the stables and also trying to help people and horses who would be dislodge.  And in the wake of this would come news of the horrible storms, floods, and accounts of homes and barns; people, pets, horses, and livestock getting swept and/or blown away.

On a FFG Facebook page I read this post and gave it a 👍. 
"It’s a sad day in Fairfield Glade for equestrians. The Fairfield Glade Community Club board has moved to shut down Wildwood Stables as of January 1st, 2025 and has moved for the land to be used for future development. This difficult decision was made after months of grueling research by the Wildwood committee, which is made up of members of our community who volunteered.  The board looked at the financial needs to bring the barns up to serviceable conditions, to make the pastures usable, to fix parts of the facility that are long out of disrepair and make this facility up to good standards again. This facility has long been neglected, and it’s a shame that the neglect led to the permanent shutting of this facility.  Representatives of Wyndham also stated that it didn’t concern them if Wildwood closed because they send people to Fall Creek Falls for a better, longer trail ride.  This decision frustrates me as a local equestrian."

Just before dinner and nightfall, I decided to move Stevie into my office/sun room/cattery because the wind and rain was making the screened in porch a miserable place for her, and it was going to get worse overnight.  She delighted in being near me and in my lap.

I was going to blog, but Joe and I decided to finish the first episode of this season's Survivor.  I was falling asleep the night we started it, and could barely stay awake to finish it tonight.  

Friday 9/27 - The eye of the storm had passed, but the backside of it moved in with torrential rain and winds just as strong as before.  Thankfully it affected us minimally.  We got 5½ inches of rain and wind gusts up to 40pmh.  Some trees came down and a few areas lost their power.   

I was still seething about the board decision to close the stables, so vented on Facebook.  This post was taken down off the site five hours later. 

Stevie was so happy to be near me and in the comfort of indoor space. 

I spent too many hours at my computer, bouncing between Facebook comments and working on this blog.  It took a long time to get all the family fun weekend activities documented in photos and text on my blog.  

I let other cats and Maggie into the cattery, but Mama Styx was the only one willing to get close to Stevie.  They are not used to her, and I think with her meds. and sickness, she smells odd to them. 





Our pond out back, that was reduced to just a puddle, is now filled back up.

Joe knows how to delight in life.  He had left (before lunch time) for Cincinnati to go to a concert and football game and other weekend activities while visiting with family. 



I got up from my desk to dry and fold one load of laundry and do another complete wash and dry of a second load.  I was now done with all guest laundry.  I also walked the dog in the rain, which was steady and light most of the day, although it was still quite windy.

I was distracted by videos of horrible storm damage or posts of pretty horses for sale.  I kept trying to stay focus on blogging. 

Mid afternoon I went out to the ranch to check on things.  The water tank in the upper paddock was now full. 



The water level in the side pasture pond had risen. 

And so had the pond in the lower paddock, but it wasn't yet up to the spillway.

I sprinkled the fly predatory babies and cocoons over the manure piled along the back of the dam and by the donkey shed.  I hoped it wasn't too wet for them. 




I was delighted to see that the floor in the barn was wet, but it hadn't flooded.  Awh, the little things.

It can be difficult to delight in life when we are oppressed, sick, hurt or in any other way struggling. But if we keep in mind and look forward to the good times and try to have some fun during our struggles or busyness, that helps.