September Has Arrived

Been incommunicado for a while. I always thought that was a clever term, incommunicado. Actually, I think it's just called l-a-z-y where I'm concerned.

Hubby has been trying to squeeze in vacation days before the company he works for transitions the workforce to another company at the end of September. We're still in twilight zone over that move, or at least that's how it feels. When he's on vacation, so am I. Just works that way. My daily routine gets all out of whack.

Most of the time we've spent working on projects around our little farm. Last week we picked up a supply of hay. We had to drive an hour, two counties away. I never realized hay could be such a deep dark secret in our county, but apparently that's the case. I made numerous inquiries. Ended up getting fed up and decided we'd just make the drive to a farm supply operation we knew had hay for sale. We also ordered in forty ton of sand mix, which was an easier proposition because it was delivered to us. The sand mix is for the horse corral area. I'm done with being patient about the mud and this year was the last straw. After asking a few horse owners, and reading online articles, I finally came to what I hope is an economical, and hopefully, good solution to my mud problem. A local horse breeder/trainer told me where he bought his sand mix for his arena and training areas. Turned out, the stuff was what I was looking for. It's not as fine as masons sand, but not as rocky as bank run or pea sized stone. So far we've put about 1/2 a ton down and I'm pleased to say, after the last rains from Tropical Storm Lee passed through this week, no mud. This stuff might just work out!

We did manage to get in one afternoon motorcycle ride last week, before it got way too hot and then rains came into our area from Lee. Can't really complain, it's been dreary, but nothing like what many other places had to face from Hurricane Irene and remnants of Lee. We were spared flooding this time around.

Neighbor dog has returned. Rufus, the black lab, stopped in Monday evening and has been here ever since. I don't know exactly what the problem is with his real home up the road. Obviously, he prefers to escape to our home instead of staying at his own. He doesn't act like he's abused. I can't very well feed our dogs and not feed him so he gets fed a bowl of dog food when we feed Maggie and Lucy. Hubby believes Rufus isn't fed enough. He thinks, even for an active a year old pup, the dog is too skinny. I think the neighbors just don't pay enough attention to Rufus and when he gets loose, he's off for freedom,which is our place because he's free. 

Around here Rufus seems happy just to be around people, lay near the house, on our back deck and tries to get our dogs to play. Hubby and I have tried to ignore Rufus, but I'm a sucker for an adorable face, so it's harder for me. Plus, Rufus has been fairly well mannered and hasn't bothered the horses. 

I called his people, yet one more time, today. Left a message. Told them I thought someone would have missed the dog by now and sent someone down to get him. They have to go by our house. We live on a dead end road. They know where Rufus hangs out. Makes me wonder if they really care about the dog. OH, looks like someone must have gotten my message. Rufus just took off running up the road following behind a blue pick-up truck that I know to belong to one of his people. Good! I'd rather Rufus be at his home, where he belongs. He has two kids there who hopefully adore him. He is an adorable pup, I have to admit. Maybe he'll outgrow his need to visit here, eventually. I don't mind if he drops by and then goes home, but he was here for two nights and had become like one of those guests who outstays their welcome, according to looks on our dogs' faces.

For now, I'm trying to get myself into some kind of routine. I've been really lax. I've learned something about myself this summer, I'm the kind of person who NEEDS routine and planning. When left to my own devices, I get NOTHING accomplished. If I have a plan, a routine, or lists, I'm much more productive. Some people can be productive without really knowing where they're going or where they'll end up. I'm not one of those and I finally realized that this summer when trying to be one of the other kinds of people. Hubby is kind of like the "others", but my reality is deadlines,lists and a plan to follow. Sometimes it takes a little while to figure things like that out. Looks like it took me the last 30 years!

Always trust those ears & eyes

My plan had been to keep up with my blogging at least on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Really got off that schedule this week, but with good reasons.
Tuesday, #2 son and I helped #1 son get his fiance moved from her apartment to the house they're renting. The big wedding day is only two weeks away from TODAY! Oh my! Considering #1 son and fiance sort of threw this wedding at both families with only 2 months notice, I think we're all doing great. The kids have been together forever,ok, officially "going together" since '01 (he was graduating high school, she was at the end of her freshman year) but he finished his college in '05, and then has waited on her to finish her college degree this year before they jumped into the marriage gig.
Oh, so Tuesday evening I was moving things.
Wednesday morning, we had a HUGE surprise. Around 7am, I was sitting on the couch, in my pjs, enjoying my morning coffee, zoned out with The Today Show, when I heard a commotion outside. My first thought was "What kind of stuff are those 2 horses into now!" Because, in the past, they have had their morning fun, waiting for me to feed, or possibly trying to get my attention, by turning over the water tank.
I look out the back door. All three dogs are carrying on, barking and looking toward the back field. I see the horses are standing alert in the corral, ears forward, still as statues. I really couldn't see anything. There's a stupid walnut tree with full leaf limbs hanging down . I DETEST walnut trees. I especially hate that one. I don't know who planted all these freaking walnut trees around here but.........I have to walk outside.
Then I see it. A huge tree down in the back field right over the fence. I knew there was damage to the fence. I ran out to make sure the horses were ok and it wasn't the stupid wild cherry tree growing along the creek. Don't like them either! Hubby told me if I didn't have horses I wouldn't hate walnt and cherry trees. The walnut trees I've never liked.....
So the horses are nervous but they must have been in the stall where they usually wait for me to feed in the mornings. Good thing because Chicken Little (I have been calling Spirit this lately for a variety of reasons) surely would have gone loco if he'd been out in the field when the tree fell. As it was, both horse felt fairly secure where they were.
The dogs quiet down because Alpha Mom is out there. After closing the back field gate and opening the gate to the front field I ran back inside to tell Hubby. He is getting ready for work and had no clue what had happened.
He walked out to the scene. Always a model of patience and low emotion. "Yeah, well, looks like maybe I'd better stay home and get this taken care of." But since it was sort of late already, he decided to go ahead and drive to work, then take half day vacation.
In the meantime I had to get #2 son awake for a day of work. Both of us were still tired from the night before helping #1 son move furniture. We hadn't gotten home from that job until 1am. That day we spent cutting up the tree,(it was a sugar maple) and mending the fence. Only three sections needed fixed and fortunately, the posts weren't broken. When Hubby builds something, he builds it to last forever.
Some people don't trust their animals to tell them things, I do, even my cats. I have learned though I may not see or hear what they do, for the most part they are not pulling anyone's leg. They hear or see something that feels like a threat to them. I always pay attention to my animals in that way.
Read a great article in the August issue of Horse and Rider magazine, page 44, about how your horse sees. Really opened MY eyes to some things like the things a horse sees. They see things as almost twice as big as they really are. I figure that felled tree definitley looked like a giant monster had fallen in their yard!
In the evening, after we were able to let the horses go back into that field I took an extra measure with Chicken Little. He was still acting like the monster was out there so I walked him out to the area, let him nose around for a few minutes and that's all he needed. Bo stayed in the stall. He could have cared less. He knew it was evening dinner time and he wasn't interested in whether the monster was still there or not.
I know one thing, I am lucky to have a handy Hubby and one who actually likes fixing things. If it weren't for him, I don't know that my life on the farm would be so enjoyable. He always encourages me and with his willingness in these kinds of situations, keeps me humble.