When?

With all the work our Pioche house needs, 

when would be a good time to begin to purchase things for the house? 

I'm talking about a bed and other furniture. I did buy a cute lamp, a toaster and an oblong braided wool rug at a yard sale the other day, a few other things too, all for $18.  The girl just wanted to get rid of stuff, she wasn't worried about getting rich off her grandmas' things.

from a yard sale the other day. There was SO MUCH STUFF that I liked, including lots of horse things but I am trying to be in the mindset that I don't need all that crap.

I feel like I DID need this, a Bissell Little Green Carpet Cleaner that I bought new and today I used it to clean our recliners and dang, they were nasty. They are Lazy Boy recliners, so I'd like to keep them working and looking nice.

I really got it for the Subaru; the seats and floors are pretty icky from sitting for 3 years and having mice in them for who knows how long. 

I also got a new hen, I paid $30 for a Brown Orpington hen, she's just beginning to lay and last week at Melisa's house Coco was trying to be broody. Today she gave us an egg.

Shes been here for about 48 hours and already a coyote has tried to get her. Tomorrow I'll leave the coop run closed and hope she doesn't fly out.

Morning Tea

How do you like your tea? 

I like mine made with Yorkshire tea, from England, and what I've got now was brought to me FROM ENGLAND by my friend, Michelle.

It HAS to steep for 3-5 minutes and after that I add sugar and a dollop of milk.

I am drinking my cup of tea now.

I do not drink coffee, its icky.

 

AITA?

Within the last 2 weeks I've asked several people if they want to go in on this half a beef and everyone, EVERYONE, said NO.

So I forked out $1,155 to the farmer for the half beef. Then I forked over $300 for the cut & wrap, then I paid $200 for the fuel to get there & back.

After we got home last night & I put everything into the freezer and saw just how small that cow really was, I already knew I wouldn't be giving any to anyone. I discussed this with Lan and TOLD HIM that everyone had had the opportunity and EVERYONE said no.

So today he took T bone steak out of the freezer to feed his dad, after I had specifically said not to. I'd rather buy other meat for him, saving this meat that I PAID FOR, for us. Yes, his dad does a lot for us, yes, we/Lan might inherit everything his dad has but who knows? 

Know what he said to me? That I give away all the eggs.

The FUCKING EGGS.

We'd be swimming in eggs if I didn't give them away.

So I'm not giving any more away for a while and let him dispose of them in whatever way he chooses.

  

That Feeling

 You know that feeling you get when you have finished something that you have practiced for and looked forward to for a very long time and now its done? But, what do you do now?

That's how I've been feeling since I decided not to do the cross state ride. 

I know we're going to go to the Pioche house, I know we will get some awesome things done there and we'll have a great time in the desert on the sxs but I feel like something is missing, I feel a little despondent about it. I feel like this was my one & only chance to do this ride and the chance to do it won't happen again. I know Amble isn't ready and I simply couldn't do that to her but inside ME, I really needed this. 

I'm whining and shouldn't be.

Feeling Better

 I'm feeling better about my recent life decisions. I KNOW Ambleside won't be ready to go on a 2 week trek across the state, I'm not going to be ready and I don't feel like Lan is too excited about it. Even as I was planning on the ride, I was dreaming of being in Pioche and working on the house.

I've started watching a LOT of YouTube renovation channels, there and thousands to choose from. What to do in a bathroom, what not to do in a kitchen, how to change this for that, how to make this better or hide that. It's all available at the tips of our fingers. Most of the people are flippers and I'm really not interested in their cheap changes, I really like watching the people who are going to live in their homes once they are finished. 

Janna Phipps has been great, for a young girl she's fun to watch and her disposition is funny. She can take a down turn and make it UP. She can cry and then sees the bright side.

In other news...

I have paid for 1/2 a beef and we should be able to pick it up in a couple weeks I guess. I'm not asking for them to do anything extra, mostly steaks. I'll be glad to not have to go buy hamburger at the grocery store.

Amble and I will be having another driving lesson with Stephanie, she will be here in an hour. She texted that she wants to drive Amble in her halter and since I did that myself last week I know Amble will be OK with it. I might need to use a better halter, her regular one has squared metal side thingys and the long lines don't hold onto it well.   I just grabbed one of the leather halters thats been hanging on Bucking Brown and washed it up really quick, that might work.

I need to go open the gate for Stephanie, take some boxes out to the barn for her and sweep the barn aisle. I'm looking forward to this lesson.

Re-evaluating Life

 I've decided to not do the John Wayne Riders & Wagons ride across Washington state this year. Its been a Bucket List item for 30 years, I wanted to do it with Joey but never got around to it. Now, I have Amble and was planning on it with her this year but we're not ready; I don't have her saddle figured out, I don't have a cart that fits yet, I don't have money ($3,500) to buy the cart offered last week, I need to sell these ones that I do have that are way too small and I don't have the $2,000 to pay for the ride this year.

We DO need to go to Pioche and work on the house there and we do have cash for that but its a separate account and neither of us are getting into that money.

I also have a big too much personal debt and can certainly pay more of that off.

I'm sad today, having made all these life plan changes.

Friday the 13th, 2026

 I thought we could just sit at home & avoid any bullshit today but 

NOOOOO, 

bullshit came to our door, quite literally, via USPS.

On February 2nd, I complained to my boss about my back hurting so I got off work early and I went directly to a chiropractor. He doesn't do L&I claims and told me DO NOT tell them you saw me at all, so he is now out of the equation.

The next week my supervisor encouraged me to fill out a 'Green Packet', our departments on the job injury paperwork. You fill it out, turn it in and when you go to a doctor they give you a claim number. I found a chiropractor who does L&I and I've seen him about 4-5 times already. Meanwhile, I got a letter saying L&I WOULD cover my injury. Now, today, on FRIDAY THE 13TH, I get a shit-ton of letters from L&I saying they are reviewing my claim and might not cover it.

My boss told me LOTS of people in our business get this exact injury and that's why she wanted me to fill out the green packet. She thought I'd be out of work for a long time but I came back on my next scheduled day because I don't have an unlimited amount of PTO and I certainly wouldn't want to waste it on a work injury.

Heres a photo I took of one of the many xrays the doctor took, this shows how my hips are rotated, the left one looks smaller and my butt crack isn't in line with my tail bone. 

I didn't get a photo of the head so I borrowed one from the internet, this one has teeth missing, lol.

The head xray of me was awesome and next time I go see him I'll ask if I can get a photo of it.

And, in horsey news, I have received the neck strap retainer strap attachment that goes to the saddle on Amblesides harness and I have ordered the noseband hangers, the new crupper and a browband. I bet that fucker doesn't work or is too big or whatever. with the amount of money I have had to pay for all these new/missing parts & pieces to the harness, I could have ordered a brand new custom Comfy Fit harness made FOR AMBLE from Chimacum Tack.

I've also had to order about $300 of parts for the wooden cart.