Preparations

I wasn't sure how to spell 'preperations' so looked it up.  In practice, both spellings are used interchangeably.  But preparations tends to imply a bigger effort involving more people.  As I planned for our big gathering August 16th, I realized I wasn't just making a list; I was orchestrating an experience for the whole weekend people would be here from out of town.   

Saturday 7/26 - On my Saturday and Monday morning shifts at the pool, part of the preperations for it opening, is to scrub the tile.  This involves getting in the water, which today was delightful. 

It was a busy five hour shift in the hot sun, with occasional clouds and breeze for relief.  

Right after work I met Joe at the ranch to show him where to bush hog in the back pasture.


We need to knock out the creeping, thorny vines that we found a bunch of in some of last year's square hay bales.  They made the flakes difficult (and painful) to handle and the horses would not eat it, so a bunch was wasted and then needed to be cleaned up.  Joe could not see the low growing vines under the tall grass, from up on the tractor, so I pointed out where he should mow.  We did this in preparation for haying the field.  I believe it is Greenbrier - a thorny, woody vine that can climb or creep along the ground and is aggressive and difficult to control.  

Bonnie and Dave were in the lower paddock cleaning out the water tank and helped when needed with gate management.  

After turning out the Pasos, I helped Joe muck in the upper paddock.  

A much needed shower occurred as soon as I got home at 4:00.  Patty joined us for dinner and then we girls did some ordering on Amazon, for party supplies.  Many more preparations need to take place before Aug 16th.

Sunday 7/27 - Our new assistant minister preached a great first sermon for our church, but went 15 minutes overtime, so I had to scramble once service was over.  I ran to Food City and then off to the pool, 2½ hours before my shift was to start.  It was the Christmas in July pot-luck pool party.  If you look closely at Melisa and Berry's matching suits, you can see Santa hats on the flamingos and holly.  

I ate, swam, and lounged with the locals until I had to report for 'duty' at 1:45.

We had a record breaking crowd for the summer so I was very busy.  With more people comes more work, but I enjoy my customers and love my pool job.  Mopping the restrooms was a continuous task.  

It was 7:00 by the time I got home, having had food tables to clean up and stow away, and a lot more trash than usual to bag and cart to the parking lot.

Monday 7/28 - A chicken was on the outside of the chicken yard when I got to the ranch at 6:30am, so I had to corral it back in.  This is a poor quality photo because I got it from a video.  








After Amiga and Zorro ate, she proceeded to lay down for a bit, as Zorro sort of 'stood guard' while eating his hay.  I was mucking the sheds at the time.  




I had decided to move Rico down to the lower paddock with the three boys, full time for awhile, so moved his bucket, feed, halter, and fly mask down to the barn.  I took a few photos and sent them and the new instructions to all the boarders and others who help with chores.

Before going to my pool job, I spent 45 minutes watering all our young trees and shrub and had to chase the chicken back into the coop two more times.  

 
My 9-2 pool shift was much quieter/slower than it has been this month because it threatened to rain and we did have a few pop-up showers.  

Dan sent these cute photos of Ava playing on her tractor in their back yard.  





Karen had afternoon chores and sent this photo, saying that two chickens were on the wrong side of the fence.  











Soul Soup played at Mirror lake Blast (until 9:00), and were so much fun to dance to.  I got my aerobic exercise for the day.  This photo is from a video posted ob Facebook.  I was rounding up the ladies to join me on the dance floor.

Tuesday 7/29 - Neither Joe nor I had a good night of sleep, because he was coughing and hacking and I think actually sick/feverish.  He went to the doctor later in the day and was put on antibiotics, a steroid, and a before bed decongestant.   

I managed to stay in my loungers all morning.  After the usual scrolling, blogging and computer games; I made phone calls, texted ranch veterinary business to get necessary start up info for our new vet, and worked on possible ways to assemble table decorations for the party, since supplies had arrived in the mail.  This photo is all I'm going to reveal, a little sneak preview.  



A little bunny I nearly drowned and was then drying off in my shirt.

While at the gym, the window cleaning company I had left a voice mail with, had called and came to the house to do an estimate.  Once home, I slipped out of my exercise leggings and into jeans and went to the ranch.  




I met Patty, to wrangle the hens, to trim their wings so they couldn't fly out of the chicken yard anymore.  It was a hot, chaotic affair.  Six of the young hens kept evading capture no matter what technique we tried.  We did eventually get them all clipped except one that had actually flown over the cinder block wall (twice) into Jem's yard.  The second time I could not find her. 

I searched for the missing hen for quite awhile, and at one point thought I saw her at the pond (red arrow pointing to a bird), but it was one of Jem's ducks.

I decided to give her time to come out of hiding and hopefully find her way back to our flock, so I tended to other tasks, like filling A&Z's water tank and finish watering the plants around the house.  That's when I flushed the baby bunny.  

It was getting late (nearly 7pm) by the time I was finishing up and took these photos.  

All was well with the six horses.  It was the missing hen I was worried about.







I check one last time, and when I came around the house, she was running the fence line, back and forth, trying to figure out how to get back in.  The little devil (videos).

Wednesday 7/30 - Thankfully, Joe (and therefore I) had slept much better.  I was at the ranch at 6:30 to feed Amiga and Zorro.  (Now that Rico is with the three geldings in the lower paddock full time, he gets fed at night with them.)  It was quite foggy, so the moisture on this spider web made it very visible.  






Betty was not far behind me getting to the ranch, and soon we were tacked up and on the trail.  The fog had just lifted but the air was still dense with moisture.  We had an enjoyable 5½ mile ride, even with the deer fly being worse than usual.  Our horses were great (video).

I realized that today is the one year anniversary of my colon cancer surgery.  I am humbled and amazed by the ease and success at which that health battle went.  Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself where I am now, and with a married daughter, a second granddaughter and another horse. 
Early afternoon I lounged on the couch and finished my James Patterson book.  A little nap also occurred.  

I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the rowing machine and an hour on the elliptical.  That had me 'spent' energy wise.  I got gas on my way home and also bought more supplies for the table decorations in addition to hitting Food City for milk and salad fix-ens.  I also spoke with the dry cleaners who had a concern about the wedding dress, and I talked to the window cleaner to line him up.  

The cats joined me in bed as I started the next Patterson book in the 'Alex Cross' series.  I was just too tired to absorb much (it takes me more effort to start a book, with the development of a new plot and characters), so I called it a day.
 

Thursday 7/31 - And just like that, July is over, but still our hay has not been baled.    

I watched a whole rangale (herd) of deer during my morning tea and computerizing.  Notice the buck laying down to the far right, while the three doe and two fawn were nibbling corn and licking the salt block.

I worked in the yard for almost five hours, starting at 8:45.  I got all the rest of the piles of leaves picked up from the back beds with some weeding and then moved this rock and three piece concrete lantern.  I had swapped them around because the Lenten Rose were starting to conceal the rock.  

This before photo (with the deer) shows where the lantern and rock had been, and below, their new placement.  

The rock and two of the three pieces of concrete were all quite heavy, so I got a good leg and arm workout while trying not to use my back too much.  

I mowed a section (Joe doesn't want to mess with) of golf course property actually, to clean it up and make it look better plus improve the view of (and from) our backyard. 









I started in with the weed eater, but the battery, that I had just taken off the charger, didn't last long.

   

While transplanting some of the smaller volunteer Lenten Rose around the concrete lantern, it rained some, which was fine because everything needed watering.  But then as I was in the middle of transplanting two of the three variegated Euonymus in this photo (because the low growing juniper was crowding them out), it started raining harder.      My Amiga ↓  

I was quite wet and a bit muddy by the time I finished.  I got right in the shower, then had a late lunch and read for a bit.

On my way to the ranch, I stopped and moved a box turtle right in my lane on Chestnut Hill.  Then on the way home after chores, a bear crossed the road about 20 yards in front of me, near where the turtle had been crossing.  It just walked across, stopped and looked at me, and continued on it's way.  I wasn't driving very fast, but if I hadn't braked, I would have hit it.

Patty came over just as I was finishing up pet chores at home.  We made a Sam's Club shopping list and then using her glue gun and both our hands to hold stuff, we spent an hour making the twelve table 'center pieces.'  They aren't refined works of art, but a fun surprise we hope.

Friday 8/1 - Is this the mama of the baby I had accidentally hosed down while watering on Tuesday?  It remained frozen while I walked by, not more than 15 feet away.  

Amiga and Zorro sharing some hay after their morning breakfast.




I met Betty at the barn at 8am and we were soon off for an 8½ mile ride.  My riding app reads higher than Betty's so we kind of round to the middle of the two readings.  



The weather was much cooler and it was overcast most of the time, so we were able to go farther than usual without the horses getting too hot.  The photo of Betty was taken at the 13th Tee of Dorchester.  I'm not sure why the color is off.  

Rico has scratches on all four feet so I washed, dried, and medicated them once we got back.  




I worked at the ranch from 11 to 2:30.  First I mowed all of the lower paddock because the weeds were getting so high and so thick.  In this photo and (video) the horses were racing in for some reason, going straight into the shed.  

I mucked in the upper paddock and finished cleaning all the dirt out of the very rotten window boxes.  While outside at the ranch house, I heard the electric fence shorting out, a loud ticking sound, and went to see where the problem was.  Who'd have thought this (video) would do it?

Then I got word from Joe that he had won the local bad beat pot, bringing home 36K.  This was very exciting news, but I was in a funk about his boasting to others, although who am I to judge.    

  
Patty and Karen arrived at the house before I got home and dropped off this load of drinks they had gotten at Sam's club.  It's about half of what we plan to buy.  

Wedding party preparations continue as does work at the ranch and here at home as we get ready for all of the company coming. 

Before Joe left to play more poker with a different group, we started an on-going discussion of what to invest, share with the kids, and spend, of his most recent winnings.