SEPTEMBER 2022

ARK, how nice that you have really been there........you can picture everythintg in the castle. I hope you get to return.


Today was hot, muggy, and breezy.......cooler but you couldn't feel it. Ice cream is the cure.

Football stunk for AZ today........

Today is the warning that fall and colder weather are very near. It's only 57° degrees today. It's just for today, but it serves as a warning that summer is coming to an end. Since summer was late arriving, it seems too short this year.

Our weather is pretty nice here. It's 77 right now. We had a tiny bit of rain, but that will be over soon and the rest of the week is going to be in the 70s and sunny. We are in hay making mode. Donnie has been refurbishing the hay baler since the Carolina wrens finally flew the coop in it. We've had it for 9 years, so it has been a good machine. He is putting in some new hoses and parts. He'll mow the lower field tomorrow and we'll hopefully bale it on Thursday or Friday. If the weather holds, we'll do the upper field after that. Then it will be OVER for the year!!!! We will be doing it all ourselves, no hay moving victims in sight. Our neighbors are having their first baby this week, so we won't ask the husband to help. He helped last time.

I just watched the ceremony for the Queen in Edinburgh. They walked behind the Queen's hearse from Holyrood Palace to St. Giles Cathedral. One of the black horses in front jigged the entire mile. The rider had to be tired by the end of that. She kept the horse under control and where he needed to be, but the horse gave her trouble the entire way. The other black horse plodded along. Donnie and I visited St. Giles when we were there in 2002, so it was interesting to watch the event. It turns out that the queen will be buried in the same crypt as her parents at St. George's Chapel. Apparently the grave I saw was the surface of a crypt underneath. She and Prince Philip will both be placed there.The Brits certainly know how to throw ceremony.


Early in the summer a mother deer was killed in the road in front of our neighbors' house. VDOT never came to remove it despite being asked several times and Donnie ended up moving it after the smell was killing everyone around. The doe had a set of twins that were very young and were inside the fenced area of our neighbors' property. We didn't think they would survive and the wildlife rescue wouldn't do anything. Surprisingly, they have survived and have crossed the fence into our property. They have been eating grass not far from our horses and have been joining a group of 7 other deer in the evenings in our upper field. We've been putting out a bucket of water for them since the creek is not easily accessible from the upper field. Anyway, we are glad they have survived.

It's nice that the twin fawns survived.  

Ark, contact the local football coach and see if any of his players want to get some strength training hustling bales of hay.  A donation to the football program might increase the interest.

It's cloudy and "cold" here today with a high of 60° and trying to rain.  It will get better later in the week.  
I have been very content to be in the house watching the Keeneland yearling sales.  It's televised on YouTube and live stream from Keeneland.  There are three that have brought over a million. You can find the catalog online and it will show the hip numbers, the breeding, who is selling them, and how much they sell for.  
Friends in Lexington sold their filly for $320,000.  She is out of the mare, Red Ruby (who won the Black Eyed Susan) by Ghostzapper.  I think she will get better as she gets older.  Right now she's rather long bodied and rangy.
Justify babies sure show how he stamps the color.  They are all chestnuts with a bit of white on their faces and very little on their legs.
All I know for sure it that there is a LOT of money changing hands right now.  It will go on all week and into early next week.

Hullo, FOOPS! I wrote the following several weeks ago, slept on it before posting, then decided not to send it. But maybe something is better than nothing? I am still here, upright and taking nourishment...

Well, here I am surfacing again, like some shy old otter. .. And I suppose that image popped into my mind because I just reread Annie Dillard's Pilgrim At Tinker Creek -- a super-read and one of five books being discussed in a Maine Humanities Council four--month-long reading program being hosted at a local library. I signed on because I knew I needed to get out of the house and be out among people, but now I find myself cursing because the reading takes up so much time! In any case, that's some of what I've been up to (and it has actually been stimulating and rewarding). Meanwhile, I'm still pursuing woodworking and can report that the marshmallow-shooting crossbow was a huge success. I took it around to show several friends before shipping it off to my 93-year-old brother, and they all wanted one -- so much so that I've been thinking about making a few for sale. (Alas, other people are doing that already, making simpler, cheaper models available on line for less than $50. I figure I'd have to get something more like $125.) And my brother's response was super! I sent it as a total surprise, purposely hoping to poke a little hole in his still-active and intensely serious scientist's side, and it worked! "I have this new weapon!" he called to tell me, clearly delighted. "I can hit a glass of orange juice with it from the far side of the living room!" "Best present ever!" one of his daughters e-mailed me. In the end, the most rewarding complement for me was his reporting that people liked holding and fondling it because, he said, it was so well made.
Well, with my head all swollen with praise like that from my big brother, I then set out to make another as a wedding present for my next-door neighbors -- a couple in their fifties, both married before -- who didn't want presents but hosted a big informal party for the occasion under a tent in their yard last Saturday afternoon. I worked day and night on that crossbow ("Fire Extinguisher! Guaranteed to reduce any flames of disagreement to giggles!") finally rushing to put the finishing touches on it that morning, only to discover, when I went to test it, that it had a near-fatal flaw. Since it was to have been a surprise, there was no problem with my not delivering it -- and I've since kept it (and will keep it), and have been working away at fixing it.
And that, Horatio, is where my time away from you all has gone!
And to Red Sox games!
And to loads and loads of YouTube videos -- about woodworking, and mudlarking, and narrowboating and ...
And Sudoku. (Satisfies a craving for order in hugely disordered times)
Now I've got to get some clothes in off the line.
And feed my face.
And the dogs'...

A more up-to-date postscript!

ARK, I watched that long procession, too, and also couldn't take my eyes off that horse. His rider did well! Was that really a woman? I thought that was a man and that the other horse's rider was a woman. At least nobody was riding sidesaddle! I also kept watching the king. He seemed to be limping a little in what seemed to me a pretty tough long walk for an oldish gentleman, all uphill and especially toting a big sword and under all those medals and braid. I had a wicked thought: if he croaked then and there, could they just toss him in the casket with his mom, hold a two-for-the- price-of-one funeral, and get on with the business of crowning William?

Sounds like I don't approve of all that ceremony. Not true. I don't know how to justify its expense except as an enduring and comforting symbol of excellence and consistency and stability in roiling times. I'm so old, I knew the Queen when.

I'm still watching and have been wiping away more than a few tears.

Beech, the marshmallow crossbow sounds like a lot of fun. Any chance of posting some pictures of it?

I think Queen Elizabeth did a lot to show how their monarchy can bring stability and tradition to their people.  She was loyal and true.  Perfect?  Of course not.  But, she brought honor to the position of Queen.  
I remember seeing her coronation; now I will see her funeral.

BEECH:
I would love to see a photo of the marshmallow crossbow, too! What a wonderful gift for your brother! I bet he has had a lot of fun with it.

Okay, now you make me wonder if the rider was male or female. I thought it was a woman, but I suppose it could have been a slender man. He/she did a great job with the horse. Made me wonder if black horses were in short supply that they needed to use Mr. Jiggy. I also was wondering if the king was going to be okay, it was a long uphill walk. Princess Anne has been very interesting, it's nice she is recognized as so close to her mother.

I watched the procession this morning. I do love a good parade and it doesn't get much better than the British ones. At least this walk wasn't uphill like it was in Scotland. The family is sure getting their exercise in this week.


Donnie is down in the lower field 'fluffing' up the hay he cut yesterday. There is a dead deer down there that he has to move...ewwww....He thinks it may have been hit by a car since it had broken ribs. We were wondering why 50 buzzards were floating around the other day. Poor Donnie, it won't be fun to move.

How's the hay work going, Ark? Almost done?

Indy, do you like your new tractor?

I found some pictures of marshmallow crossbows and shooters online. They look like a lot of fun.

We had a tragedy in the neighborhood yesterday. One of the neighbors was adding onto his porch and had a friend (whom I do not know) from across the lake helping him. I don't know the exact chain of events, but the friend was on a ladder or scaffold. He fell off and the scaffold fell on top of him. He didn't survive. The local EMTs were on the scene within minutes, did what they could, and he was transported by helicopter.
It was very shocking to me. We've never had anything like that happen in this neighborhood. Yes, we've lost neighbors, but all were anticipated due to health issues.

Oh heavens ELLEN. One doesn't have words for an accident like that........I'm sure the entire neighborhood is
in shock and suffering. Prayers for all involved.

Today is 90 degrees so far and supposed to be 105. Heading into the cooler week end.

Today has been everything Queen............very sad indeed. I realize she was was 96 but all I knew
in my lifetime.

The news is still arguing over Covid and resistance to it and what to do for it.............and they have the intelligence
and education? Sad state of affairs.

ELLEN:
 We are baling on Sunday afternoon.  The weather has been sunny, but a bit cooler than good hay making would like, so Donnie let it go another day.  There was still a bit of green in the hay this morning.  He thinks there will be about 100 bales. We'll be busy tomorrow.  Then it is off to mow the upper field.

 I am so sorry about your neighborhood accident.  What a terrible shock for everyone.  


GRAYMARE:
 I have been hopping  in and out of the live view of the queen's coffin.  BBC has it live streamed.  So many people are spending up to 16 hours in line.  Wow.   It has been very interesting to see all the people.  


I rode Ivan briefly in the arena this evening.  He was good.  Donnie caught a photo of him with the sun between his ears.  It looked like a lightbulb moment!

Ark, I know it must be a huge relief to get all the hay in the barn for the winter.

The latest news about the guy who fell off the scaffold is that he had heart problems and was being treated for cancer. It is very likely that he had a heart attack that caused him to fall. He shouldn't have been on a ladder in the first place, but as a retired fireman I'm sure he thought he was experienced enough to be safe.

Yesterday, two of my cousins and their families came up for the Antique Outboard Motor Show that happens twice a year. Three of them stayed at a little motel across the street from the show. The rest came to my house, including a 2 year old. He is a really cute little boy, but like any normal 2 year old he's on the move all the time. He was tired enough last night that he slept through the night. Whew.
After a couple of boat rides and one riding the jet ski they headed for home this afternoon. I never mind when they come because when they leave there is nothing left to clean up. My big job tomorrow will be to wash a load of towels. Ohhh, I don't know if I can handle that. LOL

ELLEN
That is so sad about the accident.

We still haven't gotten the hay baled. There was something or other wrong with the hay baler, something to do with the transmission and oil on something. Anyway, we'll be baling tomorrow. Then the plan is to mow the upper field on Tuesday. We have to take Areion and Daisy for trims on Wednesday and then I get tortured at the dentist's office on Thursday replacing four fillings. It's going to be a busy week. Hopefully the upper field will dry faster than the lower one and we'll put it up on Friday.


Today was Ivan's 18th birthday! He got a new flymask and extra treats in his evening meal.

I haven't accomplished anything this morning. Watched the Queen's funeral instead. It was more important to me than laundry.
What a beautiful ceremony!

Why am I not surprised that gas prices have gone up 20 cents a gallon over night? I should have filled my tank yesterday instead of today.

ELLEN:
I got up at 5:30 am to watch the Queen's funeral. Spent all day watching it. Ran and did horse chores. The part I wanted to see the most was the last bit in St. George's Chapel. It was quite a send off.


We got the last hay bales of the lower field in the barn yesterday, then Donnie mowed the upper field. He is out fluffing it up today. The weather has been strangely cooperative. We should get this field done by Saturday. I have 200 square bales on order from the same guy as last year, then we will have enough stored until next June.


Daisy and Areion made the trip to Va Tech today and got their feet trimmed. Both behaved very well! Their feet seem to be doing just fine. Donnie is happy to let Va Tech do their feet. Travis, the farrier, is actually a master farrier with credentials from the farrier association in Britain. When he went over to take the test a few years ago, he was only the sixth American to pass it. He's pretty good.

Now time to do Ivan and Trinket's feet. Donnie will do them. Trinket's farrier is still out after hand surgery. Cactus Jack is nice, his feet grow so slow that he can go two cycles before needing a trim. Good donkey!

I just took the last ride on the jet ski for the year. It's 85° today, but the next week will only see 60s. Cousins are coming up on Sunday to take out the pier and jet ski lift, and therefore, the jet ski. I always hate to see the pier come out in the fall because it means the summer is truly over.
Some of the trees are starting to change colors.

Happy fall y'all!

ELLEN, so sorry to hear of the neighbors accident. Such a terrible tragedy.

Autumn is definitely coming. Temperatures are coming down. It's dark when the alarm goes off in the morning and it's dark before bedtime. I finally got my new tractor and haven't had any time to use it. It came with .4 hours on it. I was able to mow the pasture, but that's it so far. I think it has 3 hours on it now. Now I have to sell my old tractor. I don't think it will take long to sell it. It's an older tractor built late 1980's but only has 1,000 hours on it. It runs great, it's just too small for what I really want it to do.

ARK, love the picture of Ivan having a brilliant thought!

I've been having to help my brother a lot lately. He was in an accident with his pickup a couple of weeks ago. It was his fault. Thankfully nobody was hurt. His truck had to be towed away and is now sitting in my back yard. Lots of other stuff going on with him, none of it good. I don't know how much longer he will be able to live independently. This is going to be a huge issue that I am going to be forced to be the bad guy. His son won't help him even though his son and family is living in the same house. If it were just his son and wife I'd kick them out now. But the 2 grandkids are there too. Dan really loves his grandkids. It's going to be tough for the foreseeable future.

So if I'm not around, it's just because life is keeping me busy.

Indy, I'd suggest listing your old tractor on Facebook Marketplace. Things seem to sell fast there. Three years ago I listed my old jet ski on Friday. It was sold and delivered 24 hours later. I've heard of several other people who have had good luck with sales that way too.
I'm so sorry about your brother's problems. That isn't likely to get any better.

Yeah. After 85° yesterday, it is struggling to make 60° today. The wind is blowing making it seem even colder.

Marketplace is definitely the way to sell anything. I've sold a couple of little things on Marketplace before and I've bought a couple of things too. I listed the tractor on Marketplace yesterday and immediately had 3 responses. Set an appointment for the first responder to come see it last night. Had 4 more responses in a very short period of time and noted the ad as pending sale to stop any more responses. Of the remaining 6 responses one offered me cash, $1,000 less than I was asking sight unseen. One was an obvious scam, and the other 4 wanted me to contact them if my first appointment didn't take it. The guy showed up on time, looked it over and gave me $500 down payment. He said he wasn't even going to haggle for a lower price. I said "good, I think I'm asking a fair price." We made arrangements for him to come Sunday with the balance of the money and a trailer. I think I may not have asked enough for the tractor considering how many and how fast I got responses. But I'm happy with what I got and it's done and I can check it off my list of things I have to do. It will also help me pay off the loan a little more than a year sooner.

Congratulations, Indy! Isn't it nice when things work out well? Love it when that happens. Now, you can enjoy your new one even more.

INDYAPP:
Wow! That was fast! I may try that, I have a couple of things I wouldn't mind parting with. It would be nice to get rid of some clutter. Congrats!!

Sorry about your brother's problems. It is not good his son is so unhelpful. I hope you can work things out.


ELLEN:
Sad about the dock and jetski getting put away. It doesn't seem like fall should be here already.


Donnie continues to fluff the hayfield. It is so much cooler that it was last week, but the wind is blowing, so maybe it will dry. We hope to bale it tomorrow, but we'll see. It will be great to get it done. Finally.

INDY, hang in there.  I am glad your brother has you to help.  At least you can supervise his care.  His son
needs a good kick in the butt.  Also, congrats on your sale of the tractor!!!  

ELLEN, glad you had fun on your last ride.............the jet ski will miss you.

ARK, hope your weather holds so you can finish your hay. You guys will be whooped.

No news from here..............rain for the last couple of hours.

Everyone have a good evening.

https://youtu.be/3Ni2yLb2Lxo
This will keep you watching for a few minutes.

Summer is definitely over. The high temperature for today is 60°, there are gray clouds hanging around, and the dock and jet ski are out of the water. The jet ski is currently sitting in my garage waiting for me to get it cleaned up and ready to shrink wrap. Cousin and her husband came up yesterday and he got all the heavy lifting done in less than two hours.
In about two months there will be acres and acres of blue plastic covering hundreds of boats and pontoons for the winter.
Then we went to a really neat local restaurant for supper. They stayed overnight and will be leaving this afternoon.

ELLEN:
That guy is a talented trainer. I can't imagine getting so many horses coordinated like that! Good video...
Yep, summer is over. Seems to have looked at the calendar and jumped into the next season. It has been coolish here for several days and we'll have to bring our indoor plants back inside by Wednesday. I need to repot them, not my favorite thing.


GRAYMARE:
Yep, we are whooped. We put up 130 bales of hay. I moved over 100 by myself down to the barn, then we both loaded them into the hay building. Donnie finished up baling after dark, so we tarped the whole lot and then put it in the barn the next morning. A few minutes after we finished, it rained. Good timing. We were certainly blessed with good hay making weather for two weeks. Overall, we put up 231 bales. With the spring cutting, we made just over 500 bales for the year. Not bad. I have placed an order for an additional 200 square bales to put in our barn loft, just to be sure we have enough until after first cutting next year. We use about a bale a day in the summer to restrict grass time. So yep, we are whooped!


We were basically zombies Sunday afternoon after finishing up. Now we need to get ready for rain coming off that hurricane. If it gets to us, it will be coming up from the south and that's when rain gets into the barn. It's always something.
My sister, Vicki, just had her vacation cut short in Florida. She and hubby were in Treasure Island, which is next to St. Petersburg. The governor told tourists to get the hell outta Dodge and go home. So they left at 5:30 a.m. and are in the middle of Georgia somewhere right now. They will be home either late this evening or tomorrow. They were going to stay another week.