September 2023

Fall hasn't arrived here yet. The weather is great, around 75 to 80 degrees, with lots of sunshine. It's going to be warmer next week for a few days. I think I will hang the horsey blankets on the arena fence and wash them and let them dry in the sunshine. I'd like to beat the stinkbugs and get the blankets sealed up.

ewwww.....stinkbugs......

As always Ark, you choose such nice pictures.

It's going to hot here for the next few days, but not as bad as originally predicted. I'm not ready for summer to be over yet. Winter seems to last forever, and summer is gone in a flash.

HALLELUAH!!!! Graymare is fine! She had a heart cath procedure and the doctor wanted her to have physical therapy. So, she's been there with probably another couple of weeks to go. She sounded very good and says she feels good.
What a relief!

Oh, thank goodness! I am very relieved to hear Syd is doing okay. Whew!!



Thanks, ELLEN!

Quiet. Everything is quiet. Most of the summer people will only be here on weekends until next summer. The weather is cloudy, but quiet. Nuthin' goin' on at all.
I can go out on the jet ski and have the lake all to myself.

We've been getting a lot of rain the past couple of days...big thunder boomers. We needed the rain. Shadow, our dog, cannot hear anymore. He used to be terrified of thunderstorms, now he sleeps through them. He has aged a lot in the last year, he is 11.5 years old and a 70 pound collie. He has a glitch in one hip now and can't run like he could. I hate to see him get old so fast.

We are doing okay here, getting the place ready for the dreaded winter. We washed and stored the horse blankets last week, arranged for 300 bales of hay to be delivered soon, and are getting ready to mow our last hayfield this year. The rain will be good for that field.

Today has been a beautiful early fall day. Some of the trees are starting to change color. Football season has started. Unfortunately, I see my jet ski season coming to an end soon. Hate that.
My Colts started out doing well, but ultimately lost. Maybe next week...

Indy, how is the handicap van working out?

I wish Trudy would come back. And I hope that Graymare will post soon. And Beech. And Donna. And all the others.

Lots of rain lately. We needed it, now we need for it to stop. We hope to mow the last hayfield either tomorrow or Thursday. We are supposed to get a week or so of dry starting tomorrow. Here's hoping!


I donated blood yesterday and have been a limp slug since. I suspect I will put off any more donations for a few months. I did get a t-shirt for my efforts, that was nice. And dinner out....

Hello All!

I noticed this morning that the horses have started to put on their flannel jammies for fall. I love that fuzziness they get just before their winter coats come in.

The past couple of weeks have been hectic. I did get the van in to have the brakes looked at and when the time comes that I have to drive it to Chicago I think I will get there and back in one piece.

INDYAPP:
Congrats on the van working out!

My horses have been shedding their summer coats and starting to fuzz up, too. I kind of wish they'd stop right where they are right now and let winter be put off for awhile. I am not looking forward to cold weather.

Donnie is out hooking up the tractor and mower. I think he is going to mow the upper field tomorrow. Things are still a bit damp from all the rain we've had. Ivan and Areion look like mudballs. Give them a muddy spot and they will roll in it.

Thinking about your van..... I was reminded of one school year when I had a boy who had muscular dystrophy and was confined to a wheelchair. At the end of the school year, I always liked to take the kids to a forest. We would take a ranger-led nature hike and picnic next to the lake that was there. The boy would not be able to get on and off the school bus. So, his mother and I talked, and we traded "cars" for the day. I drove their van with the lift, and she took my car. The bus driver was wonderful. She stayed with him at a dock and helped him fish while the rest went on the hike.
I decided I wanted to "rent" that kid every year. I got to ride in a nice quiet smooth van instead of the bumpy LOUD bus.
The next time I traded cars I bought a van and LOVED it. I drove vans for the next 23 years. If they weren't so expensive now, I'd still like to have one.

ELLEN:
I remember your van at the Kansas City foopfest. You and DONNA, maybe Carol Woolston, and I rode to a western leather shop. I bought a leather Justin checkbook cover, which I still use. Your van was very nice! It was such a great visit.


I rode Ivan for a few minutes this evening. The days are getting shorter so fast, not my favorite thing. Ivan was very good. This was his 23rd ride in 2023. Areion has 71 rides this year. I should make the 100 rides in 2023 easily.

Ark, you're right. Kansas City was great fun. The best part of having a van was that everyone could go together.

I can't say my van is the best riding van, but it get's the job done. It most definitely is not quiet. The metal ramp rattles and clanks whenever a bump is hit. I had a rental van while my car was being fixed when I got hit last summer. I have to admit I really liked driving it and the ride. I might consider a van as my next vehicle. But that is going to be a long ways off as my Nissan Rogue is doing just fine.

Indy, custom vans are insulated and much quieter than a plain cargo van. The new ones are outrageously expensive now. Explorer Vans are done here in Warsaw and start at around $70,000. Waaaay out of my range. If you find a good used one, jump on it.

Beech still here, and thank you for thinking of me.! I lose heart and impetus when it rains, and we have had a lot of rain here, non-stop this week, and all through the summer. MWF I text a friend who's a mainstay of a group called The Grateful Undead, that works to help local elderly remain in their homes, and all I've felt like writing her  lately is SUATN, which stands for Still Upright and Taking Nourishment.
And maybe I've said all that before?? Memory is increasingly shot full of holes!
But today is SUNNY, so I'm springing back into action. Going to gird myself up, get out of the house  all cleaned up and fully clothed, and drive my car around the corner to PAY MY TAXES.  Wheeeeeee.....!!
And then refill my O2 bottles before the coming hurricane.
And  see if the generator will start.. 

Hi Beech! I know what you mean about the gloomy days. In the winter when we have lots of dark days, Indy coined the word "perma-gloom". It is so appropriate. I've used that and every single time, people think it's a great word.
If you don't have one of the daylight lamps, I'd suggest you get one. They sort of help on those long dark days. I won't go so far as to say they are miracles, but they do help. Ott Light is one of the companies. It would work well for your woodworking too. Good light.
I hope the hurricane doesn't hit too hard.

The weekend has come and gone. On Saturday some of the cousins came up for the Antique Outboard Motor Show. I enlisted one of them to come help me get the jet ski out for the winter. I didn't want to do that, but it's getting too cold to want to ride much. It's just an indicator of the end of summer and approaching winter.
Then another couple came up to take the dock out. My beach looks very bare without the dock being there.
Two from the Motor show came over for breakfast yesterday morning. Pancakes and bacon.

Today, I have the neighbors' little dog with me while he goes for a doctors checkup. He doesn't seem to think I should knit while he's here. LOL Other than taking him outside every couple of hours or so, he really isn't any problem.

Everybody have a great week as we start into the fall.

BEECH:
How did you do with the hurricane? Did you have to use your generator?? I heard it hit Nova Scotia where DONNA lives, but haven't heard how she did with it. I hope all are okay.


ELLEN:
It is sad when summer ends... I hate seeing the days get shorter and shorter...and so fast.


It rained all day on Sunday, on top of our mowed hay. When Donnie cut it, the weather forecast was for a 20% chance of rain. Well, it rained all day long on Sunday. Donnie had it up in windrows to help repel the rain, and today has fluffed it up quite a bit. We shall see if he can get it dried before mold sets in.

Today is Ivan's 19th birthday!

19?!? He can't be that old. You just got him, didn't you? Wow! That's hard to believe.

ELLEN:
 That's what Donnie said, too!      I wish I still had the energy I had when I got Ivan,  I worked with him nearly every day for months leading to years.  It has certainly paid off,  he is such a good horse now, although we sure had our issues.    He was born Sep.18, 2004,  on the day Hurricane Ivan went through this area.  

Ark, he IS a good horse. He's been healthy and sound and has become the horse you wanted.

Amazing how time goes by, but 19 YEARS? He is such a good citizen all due to your training. Congratulations.

Tiberius, on the other hand, is a Brat. At least that is what I call him. But then he's only 13. He still has time to grow into a good citizen.

One of my neighbors had a birthday today, so 8 of us went to a favorite restaurant for dinner. I am so grateful for my neighbors. We can get together and really enjoy one another. And a good meal.