Off to the races with Renn

It's a beautiful day ahead. Dave was out at 7 to feed, then he left for his final big-money race of the year at Century Downs. Wishing him good luck! I brewed a pot of coffee and waited for Tony to pick me up at 9, then I completed the blog post for yesterday. Stella received her dewormer with her breakfast, so now everyone is up to date.

Renn's reading kills me!!

I decoupaged the ends of the basket and left them to dry. Potatoes were harvested for Boysis' house, washed, and packed in boxes along with a zucchini and a bag of apples. Additionally, I dug up and repotted a spider plant that was dying a few months ago; I thought it might enjoy being outside, and indeed, it thrived.

With AJ's assistance via FaceTime, I secured Aislyn's car seat in the car all ready to go. A bologna sandwich was prepared for Britt, who was running late; it seemed she needed extra sleep today. She finally arrived at 12:30, Cooper took care of his business, joined Harley inside, and we set off. We dropped the garbage at the dump en route and reached Kaylin's by 1:30. Renn was all set to go; we grabbed her bag and were about to place her in the car seat when Kaylin said it should have been rear-facing for her age—a change since my days of parenting a toddler 26 years ago. Kaylin, Britt, and I managed to reposition and secure the seat while Sheldon kept Renn amused in the driver's seat.

beep beep - and let me check all your buttons and dials please

Then it was off to the races—quite literally. Britt kept Renn amused during the 25-minute drive. Upon arrival, she was eager to dash—"open please" her way of asking to be freed from her car seat. She bustled about energetically. She mingled with other children, engaged in sidewalk chalk activities, petted a pony named Marshmallow, and rang a cowbell to root for Dave's impressive 2 yr old filly victory.

Just making some new friends

the occasional snack or two and Auntie Britt got to show her off to some friends

let's go check out the paddock events

prize winning games - yep I won a coozie :)

fun photo props

and Marshmallow, one of the ponies giving rides

Kaylin asked how her shorts got color blended... hmmm

Here come Dave and Outlawguns N Roses AKA Axle getting ready to line up

and here is the video win

Renn and I photobombed the winners circle photo, see us top right??

Renn scratching out her betting plan, scooped up by Grandpa and sharing her 'mad"face below

Sheldon didn't fare well betting today, winning one and losing another, with the loss outweighing the win. It was a beautiful sunny day with a pleasant breeze, marking the season's final race day, which concluded around 4:30. He has a break now then at end of September, Dave will head north to Century Mile for the winter. We met Nathan and Kaylin at Cross Iron Mall, where they borrowed the car seat to take her home in Nathan's Audi. It was an enjoyable day, Renn! XOXO

We returned to the ranch around 5:30, fed the dogs, put chicken wings in the oven, and I prepared a beet leaf saute to go with the leftover potatoes and zucchini. Britt decided to eat in town instead. After she came back, we went and caught horses for a ride.  I groomed and saddled Switch and Roo while she attempted to lure Beibs with oats, following my unsuccessful attempt with apples, but it ended up as another lengthy pursuit across the pasture until Harley and I joined in to assist. S was just emerging, dressed in his cowboy gear ready to ride.

We circled the hay field and encountered a skunk, which altered our path. As we approached from the east fence, Dave arrived. Sheldon and Beibs were done with Dave taking Bird who was along once more for the outing. Britt and I embarked on a lively trot with Switch, who was particularly energetic tonight. Dave maneuvered the paddock blade around the southern paddocks and headed home after 9, with Britt leading by about ten minutes. S and I enjoyed a soak in the hot tub, followed by watching a portion of the Cirque Du Soleil show. However, S quickly fell asleep, so I spent some time reading.

Storage trailer roof sealed

Another beautiful day lies ahead. The routine starts with Dave feeding before 8, Cooper coming in to spend the day, and enjoying coffee in bed. It was shocking and almost unbelievable to hear that young Johnny Gaudreau and his brother were killed by a drunk driver while riding bikes last night. Once I got up for the day, I went to finish the blog post for a rainy day Wednesday. In the process, I accidentally deleted yesterday's post—ugh, the perils of writing on three computers when one is left open and overrides the others. ;(

I began moving in my furniture and decor collection that we acquired last week. Britt, the neighbor, had forgotten about Tony but came over around 10 to fetch him. The poor guy doesn't understand that being in a cat carrier for 11 hours means he shouldn't visit. I managed to move all the smaller items myself and enlisted S's help with the larger ones. We left the cabinet top outside to air out.

Shaina and her pals out for morning walk

S began work on the storage trailer roof, collaborating with a company that provided a case of clear sealer. Meanwhile, I cleaned and swept the barn, gathering loose hay from the stairs and floor to fill the feed tub for the evening. After working past 1 pm, we took a break for a late lunch of soup and salad. S relaxed with a nap in the big brown chair, while I attempted to update today's blog and finish yesterday's entries and add the pieces I photographed in my spread sheet.

I returned to the garage to begin decoupaging the basket, which turned out quite lovely, in my opinion. After completing both long sides, I left it to dry and stepped out to enjoy the sunshine. Before going out, I also cleaned up a small table that I had previously made for Kaylin, which she no longer wishes to keep. It was an ideal day for gardening in 24 sun. Once S woke up, he went outside to complete the trailer roof, hoping it would now last for a long time.

ewwww, put it down Renn LOL

trailer roof view

Seam before (L), after wire wheeled (R)

And the sealer on, this tube goes on white but dries clear, the new tubes went on clear so hard to see but right is the roof all done

I cut down more tipping sunflowers, removed the spent plants, and deadheaded numerous others. All the planters and three raised boxes were watered. The soaker hoses were set up in the other two large boxes. The large copper trellis, heavy with morning glories, suffered wind damage, so I dismantled it as well as the massive arched trellis. Potatoes, carrots, zucchini, an onion and my first pepper were picked as well. S saw that I had filled the wagon and large tub, so he brought the skid steer over and hauled everything to the pit. After that, he left to continue working on building his chicken coop stairs.

LOOK I grew 1 pepper!

finally my labyrinth dahlias are blooming

The dogs were fed at some point, and both received a trachea treat earlier in the day. They spent the remainder of the day resting indoors. Meanwhile, I scrubbed the vegetables and updated today's blog. Since S was still busy, I returned outside to continue plucking and pruning. After checking on the stair builder who had just finished, we came inside, only for Dave and the Mike Dicks (owner of Cash & Lindy) to arrive to visit their horses. He then went out to join them for a beer during the golden hour.

I sliced fresh potatoes, zucchini, and an onion, but quickly realized I needed another onion and grabbed one. S finished his beer and came in to prepare the steaks. It was yet another fantastic garden-to-plate meal, complemented by grass-fed beef. B arrived late, having worked until around 8:30. She fed the animals and assisted Dave in catching Cash to demonstrate her training. They spent some time visiting before the convoy departed after 9.

S and I enjoyed a hot tub session, a welcome respite after a hectic day. Afterwards, we began watching a Lord of the Rings series S has been eager to see. I found myself dozing off before 11, not fully engaged, just as commotion erupted on the deck. "Damn it, Tony," I muttered. Sure enough, there he was. Capturing him took longer this time, ending in the horse paddock, but he was secured in the cat kennel once more. Now fully awake, I relaxed S back to sleep with gentle tickles while delving into my library book. S was still talking about how good supper was when he fell asleep. Seems the work of the garden is worth it :)

 The girls went out for the evening in the city