Days Getting Shorter

The days are getting shorter and will continue doing so for another 7-8 weeks but we're getting as much outside work done as fast as we can. We've waited all summer for the fall so the leaves would fall off the maple tree in the front pasture and not be raining. Tonight was our chance!

 

You can't see it very well because my phone camera is shit but Lan took off a few big branches, setting it up for when he has another day like today.

 

The tractor is such a handy tool!

 

There will be some good firewood in that tree, as long as its not all rotten inside. There is another tree in the back pasture that needs to come down also and some branches on the neighbors tree that lean way over our pasture need to come down.

Less trees = less leaves.

 

Went to the tack store with Karen today, got a set of leather side reins to use in the down stairs bathroom for holding curtains. Can't wait to figure that out.

 

And in the closet where the laundry is I'll be moving the rail that hangers can't go on because its too close to the shelf and I'll put a curtain up that will go off to the side and totally out of the way when not in use.

Great Days

This fall has been great; beautiful weather, perfect job, happy horses and busy life.

 

Even though this October has had the 3rd highest amount of rain in recorded rain history, it hasn't been awful. We did spent 2 weeks in Hawaii and missed a lot of it.

 

 My job has moved to Southworth and that is different. My hours for the winter at 8pm-2am, there are only 4 boats and I only have to do 3.5 of them. The outgoing traffic attendant lands the first one and I load & send it out. Except Saturdays, Mark is pretty fucking lazy.
Usually the boats are a couple minutes late so they literally land, unload, reload and leave. I don't have to spent tons of time standing around waiting for cars that might get there in time to sail. Its a 2 destination dock so getting used to that has been fun but I've gotten it down. If I make a mistake its not hard to fix, its not rocket science.

Yes, there is mud but we've got most of it under control. The horses have a covered area to escape the nasty stuff and there is the arena for working them. Plus, if I need to haul in I can just call Karen and she's always up for more horsey time.

 

I took Sunshower and Wifi out to Amy's barn the other day and bathed both of them & now have their tails wrapped, hopefully those last a while. Today in the mail I got a new polar fleece cooler for Wifi, its pretty dang nice and was less than $30 for the blanket, 2 de-wormers and shipping. The blanket is a pretty raspberry color, has 2 heavy duty Velcro straps in front, one belly band and leg straps.

 

I'll be taking one of my mares over to Karens to be ridden this winter, probably haul over Tuesday, ride, leave her there and go back on Thursday, ride & bring her home. That way, Karen and I can play and ride too.

 

I always try to keep track of the 1st frost of the season so I can worm the horses 30 days later and while in Hawaii Julia said it was frosty but Karen said it was only a bit on the tops of gates and it hasn't been cold or below 40 since then so I'm not counting that as the 1st frost. I have to wormers, now just waiting. Last year the 30th day was December 11th.

 

I've been doing some house cleaning and getting rid of shit. Today the bi-fold doors in the bathroom were removed and given away. Yesterday the green folding chairs were given away along with a curtain rod. I have SO MUCH MORE junk to get rid of. Its not all junk, if it were then other people wouldn't be wanting it either. I have a lot more stuff to go through and a lot of its junk. I don't know why I feel like I need to save so much crap. I don't want Brandan and R2 to have to go through it all when  I die.

IMAZ 2017 Early Entry

Jim has FINISHED a few Ironmans and he has also DNFd 3, 2 of which were his last ones, IMCDA and IMLouisville. I think the heat got to him.  So hes talking lately about not signing up for another one but he is hinting around that he does want to ~ but resisting.

So I have this IMAZ 2017 early entry available to me and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to use it so I have offered it to him. He will get to do an awesome race and not have to volunteer or pay extra to do it.

 

I myself am still on the fence about it; if its November 19th then no way since it would be on Thanksgiving week and I'll be working. But I'm wondering if Ironman will move it ahead a week, putting it on November 12th. That seems like the logical thing to do, since so many people won't want to travel on the holiday week. But I'd rather ride horses all summer and do fun rides than train for a big ass race again.

 

Yesterday I rode with Karen and Kim and it was fun

 except Sunshower didn't think it was fun at all. Shes not the best trail horse and she HAD to stay right on Angels ass and Angel wasn't too thrilled about it.

 

And then there is THIS GIRL

 

Wifi

 

She needs attention and has been begging for it for months. I've been spending much more time with them lately and she is thriving on it.

 

Went to bank to see about a construction loan, keeping fingers crossed. Would really like to get the hardwood floors in the house, the barn completed and a few other things Lan wants around here.

 

Finally coordinated a bunch of small things to make some simple improvements in the barn. I've had all these things sitting around in various boxes in the house, tack room and barn, waiting for a drill, charged battery, screws and time to do them. It all came together this morning.

 

Added 2 bucket hooks to each stall plus feed bucket hooks in Joeys & Roses's stalls. Now I need to figure out where in the hell all my buckets have gone too. I had 14 buckets at the other farm, found 9 today.

 

 

Whip holder inside the barn for the good whips. These are my new lunge & dressage whips, not to be confused with the old arena whips seen below.

 

This is a Blocker Tie Ring, when a horse pulls back this lets him move but doesn't let him loose. I'll use it with Joey and the girls, mostly the girls just stand nicely for me but he has always been a puller.

 

Here are the arena whips, all dirty and old. Do they even make them like these any longer?

 

This mare

 Wifi

makes my heart happy.

Getting Back To Normal

After the busy summer and awesome vacation we just had, things are returning to normal for us. Farm work, rain, house hold repairs and chores, plus jobs and family issues.

 

Lan has been up on the roofs of the barns, garages and house for the last couple days cleaning out the gutters and making some repairs. I've been cleaning stalls since the horses are kept in nights due to inclement weather.

 

We are making progress on the barn with quotes for the cement for the floor (26' x 60' x 4") at about $2,100.00. That doesn't include rebar or wire mesh or forms but we can rent forms.

 

In the house I'm getting caught up on the cleaning that wasn't done while I was away, dusting and stuff. I don't know where all the junk comes from but it seems I constantly have a box of stuff to donate and if I had the gumption I'd be able to fill 4 more boxes today. Purging once in a while is great. 

 

I've also been working on a few rainy day projects that I held off during the warm summer months and I'm enjoying getting these finished. Pictures of Wifi mounted on old stable boards, Joey & Sunshower horse shoes hammered into strategic spots.  I have several more things to do in the next few months, more pictures of Wifi, painting more walls, possibly a mural to mount on one wall.

 

I've been back to work a few nights, love it there. I have all the time in the world to do my own things, like reading and cleaning tack. Lol, I have my bridles packed and ready to go tonight.

 

R2 is doing well. On the day we came home from Hawaii he posted on FB that he

ONLY fractured his neck.

WTF??

He was climbing a ladder to work on his roof and the ladder slipped out from under him. I guess there is video, which I haven't seen yet.

 

Brandan has been dealing with car issues, first the started has been going out for a month, luckily he can clutch-start it. But now the radiator is also leaking so Lan will be spending some time on his car tonight. He was all ready to take it to a shop but I stopped him in time. Lan can do the work for a fraction of the costs of a mechanic and Lan probably knows more than most of them anyway.

 

Lessons with Delicia resume soon. Working with Wifi again has been great. Shes loving the attention and remembers everything she was ever taught before. And shes SO LOVING, that girl loves to be hugged and get attention.

Another Great Vacation

So our vacation has come to an end. Kona and Ironman was just awesome, watching all those FIT athletes and what they were able to do just amazed me.

While on the big island we went out to see Kilauea erupting lava into the sea.

 

This is an open lava tube. Lan and I walked all around it, safely roped off about 100 feet away, of course. It was warm but not hot for us. But the air was warm, all over the island.

 

It was pretty hot in town too.

Cute bike
 

On Maui Lan and I drove up to Haleakalā and watched the sun rise above the clouds.

 

 

Followed that up with a trip out to Hana, a red sand beach and of course, the Seven Sacred Pools.

 

 

 

We hiked out the trail to Waimoku Falls

 

and this is what you see at the end. 400' of water cascading down the rock wall.

 

The next day we went to my favorite beach, Makena Landing.

 

As always, it was my best day, spent relaxing and enjoying life with Lan.