Hot & smoky day

It's going to be another hot day, now with the addition of smoke to the weather mix. Cooper was let in quietly at 7:30. We enjoyed a leisurely coffee in bed before preparing for the day. The bales were scheduled for pickup at 9, so S had to abandon his porridge and maneuver the skid steer around Namaka road, taking the back route to avoid damaging the hay. After tending to the pets, I spent some time updating the blog. I also confirmed that the cat from last night's squabble was indeed the south neighbours. Since it was cooler on the west side, I picked dandelions to feed the mares. S needed a lift back to the house after the second load, so I took the ranger over, but he wasn't there. It turned out he had gone to assist Kent with his load by the road, and then walked back to finish his porridge and wait for the third load.

I removed Roo's mask as temps started to rise while I started the laundry. S trimmed his hair with the new cordless trimmers he bought yesterday, doing it on the deck before investigating the surge in power usage from the day before. It turned out that the trailer's refrigerator and a small fridge had nearly tripled our typical power consumption of one day. We switched the refrigerator to gas and cleaned and unplugged the small fridge. I cut some more dill flowers to collect pollen and crushed the now dried parsley and packaged.

Kent returned for his third and final load of the day. S walked out, loaded him up, and then brought a bale back via the highway to join me for bologna sandwiches on cheese buns. Following a break in the big brown chair to check his phone post-news, S went to evaluate a pivot issue for Matt. He returned shortly after and took the sprayer out to treat three trees where more worms were spotted. Meanwhile, I kept busy with blogging, laundry, and accounting tasks.

In the city, Kaylin took Renn to her first splash park

then a picnic in the park that even had a train ride.

S drove Johnny into town at 2:30. After completing my tasks, I went to pick him up from the mechanic's shop at 3. We dropped off the Amazon parcel and returned to the ranch, with the car thermometer showing a scorching 32 degrees Celsius. This heatwave is affecting most of Western Canada and is expected to persist for at least another week. With each passing hot day, the prospects for the second hay cutting grow dimmer.

The laundry was folded and stored away, the credit card statement reconciled, and the utilities and insurance for the rental condo have been cancelled effective Monday. I placed prime rib bones and fresh herbs into the instant pot, then proceeded to feed the dogs and clean all the pet dishes in the 31-degree garage. Meanwhile, S attached the dump trailer and loaded the skid steer. He's volunteering at the rodeo grounds tomorrow and, with any luck, will spend most of his time in the air-conditioned skid steer.

Salad, fresh vegetables, newly cooked beets, and leftover potatoes from steak night complemented the delicious ribs perfectly! Afterwards, we both ventured outside to tackle some tasks in the cooler weather. My plants kept me occupied, while S focused on equipment-related work. Britt was out before 8, and noticing it was now only 28 degrees with a smoky haze, asked if I wanted to go riding. I managed to persuade S to join us as well. As we were catching horses, Dave came out and tended to the young ones, while we set off for a lively loop. A breeze and a few bugs had everyone feeling a bit jittery, not to mention it was Bird's first ride of the year. It was also Sheldon's inaugural ride of the year, and he rode Roo, who was unusually spirited.

You have to look at the faces in the first photo!! Thanks Dave for napping these beauties.

On our way home, Dave was leaving to inspect the newly graded track at his future rental property. At the barn, S dismounted, while B switched saddles onto Roo. I gave Switch an extensive workout in the pen, and then B took Roo for a ride as S led Bird back to the paddock. I then hosed down Switch, playfully spraying water over the fence at Bird and Beibs, who seemed to relish it in the sticky heat. S and I savored our first hot tub soak in a long time; it was set to 99 degrees, which initially felt warm but soon turned into pure bliss. After finishing up with the horses, B, S, and Cooper left for home around 10 pm. My day ended with a refreshing shower and unwinding in bed with a bowl of yogurt.