Horses back in paddocks.

Yuck.. awake at 7:30 to an ugly windy overcast day. And I have a headache, achy and feel all over crappy ;( I had to do some work on my growth ruler posts to get all the i's dotted for the contract. I ran out to take hay to KD and Bandit (his pill too) at their shelter as the wind was awful and -10 biting cold. The freezing rain on the deck was super slippery, ask me how I know! A sore butt is now added to my ailments.

Pepper testing the electric fence, this time it worked

The jewelry box got painted; a layer of soft pink then some grey.

painting with Grandpa by my side XOXO

I was making lunch at 1 when Britt and Cooper arrived. She went and put a blanket on Bird and moved all the horses back to the paddock to contain in this cold slippery weather. She gave Pep his pill and fed all the horses hay near shelters. She took Bandit inside for his snacks and a check over. Lola was put in garage for all this which kept Cooper in his winter coat scampering around Britt while she did all these chores. They loaded up and headed home after 2:30. Thanks B! Your care and attention to the herd is appreciated.

Back to the jewelry box adding white, sanding then clear sealing it. Then it was time to make the designs pop with dark wax.

I am very thankful I have left over supper seeing I still feel crappy even with multiple migraine pills. As I was wrapping up checking in online I started to feel better finally. B came out just after 7, took hay to horses near their shelters, checked them, swapped Pepper and KD pens and was off before 7:30 never even darkening the door. I hit the tub with a protein smoothie as suggested by my trainer Shaina, for a soak while watching Ozark and caught 3 more before I shut off the lights.

Kaylin sent another cute photo of Lexi and Theo

Winter weather back

Finishing my oven was the first task of the day while the cappuccino machine heated up and enjoying one at an intermission. I lined the bottom with tin foil as a friend suggested once the ash was all wiped out.

I pulled out the lower oven and scrubbed it and the rack in it too. The bottom drawer has never been scrubbed I don't think but now all shiny again.

I slipped out to toss hay in the small pen and gave Bandit his pill, KD has been taken off this med as per the resident vet tech. Back inside I jumped in the shower and Lola came into the garage to lay down. It is an ugly overcast dreary -4 day so far.

The vanity tutorial was published on Hometalk. I have been thinking rats I only have 1 Hello Fresh meal left for another week and may have to go to town but then I received and email, your HF box is on its way today!!  Seems I had a plan all along or forgot to skip the week, either way I can stick to the ranch for another week :)

I wrote up an ad for the grey end table and got it posted on my FB, Kijiji and Varagesale pages. It seems there are many people still shopping for home décor and furniture. I posted the Boston fern last night and it was spoken for in less then an hour and this am and EMT sent for payment.

Lunch was a slice of banana bread, that covers a few food groups right? A bit later I followed it up with a can of oysters and a few crackers! I continued to tidy the house, doing laundry and general upkeep including shortening and redoing my nails. How is it I had the gel polish stay on perfectly this time, oh wait I know. They power filed the nail top which had them adhere well and I refrained from picking seeing they never lifted.

I was heading out to sand the rest of the dining table when the delivery man called with the Hello Fresh. I darted out and held the gate open then closed for him as he delivered, thank you! I tossed the items in the fridge then got back to the table finishing the top and lower edges but have the wee edge left to do by hand.

Supper was the last meal from last weeks HF box; glazed teriyaki chicken. This one is a MUST make again and easy with things you normally have other then bok choy and ginger which is easy to grab.

look at how much left over, this will come in handy

 

I headed out to feed the horses, everyone got a flake of hay in this crap weather. I had to run the bok choy stems back out to give Switch. Then it was on to accounting as it is month end. And seeing I have not gotten the mail since S was home I had to look up all bills online LOL.

A snow squall blew in a skiff along with some rain that was freezing to the window, yuck. Time to watch a couple Ozarks with some popcorn.

Busy Sunday at the ranch

David Spence is a liar, today is another cold windy overcast all round crappy weather. Def not he plus 12 he yattered on about!! I drank the first cap while getting the last of the pictures and video posted for yesterdays blog post and posted this weeks Sunday scroll stopper.

Just after 9:30 I headed out to toss hay to the very uninterested horses. KD still calls the herd hoping they will come release her. I hauled the table out on the deck and not long after the customers arrived to pick it up. I was the yard gateman as the rest of the herd were hanging out there. Jamie (the repeat customer) tried her best to get Lola to come see her armed with treats but no luck today. Then they were off. Thanks again guys!

I gave the horses their pills then Lola got a good brushing before coming in. Lunch was the last of the turkey bake then I got busy doing my next project gluing on the acrylic caulking moulds to the jewelry box.

Another task I had on my list was to make some clean eating banana muffins I saw while watching youtube the other night. While doing so I also made a banana bread loaf too.

My new glass pan was just a wee bit small and it ran over which in turn had me self cleaning the oven. I had the on my task list too so it all worked out. I packaged up the muffins to send home with Shaina and Jacob (and for Kaylin when she gets back home after isolation) and for Britt and Dave.

B and sir Cooper arrived after 2:30. She checked over the horses as I dressed up and met her and we set off on walking the dogs. Cooper was on a leash for most of it but got a bit of playtime, this is what happens then. No wonder Lola has a chunk of fur to the skin missing on her neck ;)

This snow bank is deep too

We had looped the perimeter and Lola was digging for gophers in the snow when Shaina and Jacob arrived. Jacob had asked to store some tires and tubs in the mezzanine after moving out of his place this w/e. He and the girls had been on the hunt for a new place and given their notice for April too but luckily their landlord let them stay on with a discounted rent for April too. I swept the area where we had used all the oldest bales while he unloaded then the 4 of us went for another loop of the ranch. However this time Cooper was not on a leash and he bolted at the far corner with Lola ambling behind. This had them on a 2 hour jaunt.

Jacob was determined to see just how deep one of our lakes was

Back at the house we social distanced around the firepit sans fire enjoying a cold drink then the Calgaryites were off at 5.

Britt hung around for a bit waiting for Cooper but eventually headed home to clean. I ate my second portion of the salmon and salad with banana bread for dessert. This way of eating is causing a bit of a calorie curve to the high end. However I have over 12,000 steps so far today and more to add as I headed out to check the cat food, toss hay to the diet pen and to distract the other horses gave them a flake too. It was some of the old hay which had alfalfa so they were on it with full attention. I had made a deal for a few furniture pieces from a fellow painter who was liquidating her stuff. They arrived at 6:30 just as I was rolling up the bale twine so again I opened the yard gate. It was like a tool gate today. They unloaded the pieces where I had made space and were on their way. I like this social distancing even better then my usual life. I had paid via EMT too so no money touching (OK I did this am but I like taking it better then handing it!)

golden hour with dark skies .. the horses prefer to drink out of yet another lake on the property :)

I had gotten Cooper in just before 6, covered in mud he was kennel bound while I ate. Poor Lola was back to 3 legged lame and stretched out under a tree. Britt came to pick up Cooper quick at 7 and closed the yard gate. That is the end of the toll gate today. I took Lola her supper with meds in it and had to take to sidewalk. Here are videos of the poor girl.

This was at 8 as a crazy wind blew in with cold snow like haze and got downright nasty. The temperature dropped from the high of 10 to 4 then 0 at 11 pm. The high did not feel warm with overcast wind either. I kept working on todays blog but decided some scrabble time was in order after 9 but eneded up starting season 3 of Ozark till midnight. I have over 14,000 steps today! It was a busy day at the ranch.

Kaylin sent this adorable photo of Lexi with her new buddy Theo, quarantine is not so bad if it is with a friend, right?

Not the plus 12 day they forecast

Sadly there was no sun upon waking but there was a large gaggle of geese eating the hay left in the far paddock for awhile. They had Bandit's attention. I only have to look where horses are looking ever to see what might be in the area.

Yesterday I did this fiddle leaf fig PSA to help my friends keep theirs thriving. Sorry in my nervousness of filming I forgot to add I water weekly or when the top 1" is dry to a poked finger, I mist every couple days and every few weeks I poke holes in the soil to aerate the roots. And now that spring is here I have started to add a bit of fertilizer to the water. Also be sure it is in a very bright spot. It is tropical after all.

I also forgot to share these funny videos of Cooper chasing snow balls last Friday. What a nut, cheap toys for this guy for sure.

I was tied up the whole morning with my cappuccinos throwing sheets in laundry, blogging, posting and sharing then dealing with Amazon and dog food being sent Canada post again. I did not even play a scrabble game LOL. I finally had a chance to go out just before noon to give KD & Bandit pills and hay only to find Lola in the garage. She had came in last night after I fed and wanted to stay. I totally forgot about her and wondered why she was so quiet all night but thought hunkered down in the wind. It was bitterly cold out there at zero, so much for the high of 12 they were calling for.

Next task was to haul in the white table and stage it. The customers will pick up tomorrow.

Finally at 1 I stopped for lunch (more Cajun turkey bake) and a few games of scrabble finally. Then it was back to blogging and tutorial writing. Stretching my legs I started sweeping in the garage but need the doors open for that chore so on to washing dog dishes. I decided I best get on with the jewelry box I was making all the moulds for and after doing another video and trying to decide what else to put on the top I went with embossing a stencil. I was just starting when Britt and Cooper stopped out just after 3. She took a pill to Pepper and check the rest of the herd.

I had finished my stencil when she was back so dressed up and headed out to take the dogs on a walk. This was torturous for Lola who found a gopher in one of the irrigation pipes. I helped her dislodge it and try and dump it out but no luck. She proceeded to use her snout and teeth and pull the metal pipe along and try to shake it. Finally I gave up and B and I headed for home but Cooper had other plans. Eventually she had to take her belt off and use as a leash.

if only the weed growth was grass growth

Lola finally came home as I was cleaning the horse trailer out and B was feeding Bandit and KD but it wasn't long till Cooper shot off and she followed. B jumped on the quad and followed to the fence then hiked across the next field after them. This took her on another near hour hike (with multiple texts and calls to me to come help) before I herd the quad and saw her herding them back. They were some dirty dogs. Cooper was given a bath on the deck and loaded up and they headed home after 5.

Lola did not get a bath but sure could use one :)

I had been putting another coat of clear wax on the table top and dealing on some furniture pieces. Tonight was a Hello Fresh meal, Italian salmon. It was good but the salad leaves quite a scented breath. Good thing it is just me here.

As the sun was setting there were rainbows on the table top sitting at the door. Must be a sign that tomorrow is going to be a beauty.

I decided not to toss any more hay seeing thee was some left from this am that they need to clean up and the uncovering piles and this evening KD had no interest in eating but was good at self exercising. Maybe she will lose weight after all :)

I worked on more blogging with a decaf cappuccino before heading to slumber scrabble time.

Snow is a melting

Another sunny day ahead. It was -1 when I awoke and was plus 1 when I fell asleep after 12:30. The usual cappuccinos and bran muffin and catching up on marketing for a bit and a few scrabble games. Then I headed out to feed the boys and give pills before getting started back on the tables. The dining table had one of the sides edge sanded down then I moved to the now white table. It was given another coat of white and sanded and distressed when dry.

tried painting my nails to hide the shellac growing out but def not seamless look

I dumped this new can of white paint into a glass jar as metal edges were rusting and getting in paint so to clean the now near empty can out I scrubbed up the wooden crate and dry brushed it. But before I painted the crate I needed to move the bags that go in the back of my car which led to vacuuming it all out to rid it of Lola hair. In short order, mission accomplished. Thanks to the lint roller for the final touches

The seats made a great dog gate but sure caught her white hair in alack interior! 

tadaa!!

I shared my stocked beer fridge and pizza freezer on my Instagram feed

Letting all dry I came in for a quick lunch of the last bran muffin and fresh pineapple of course with a few more games. Then it was back out to wax the table and do more edge work on the dining table.

While working on the blue coffee table tutorial I had a reply from Britt saying the boys could go out for a bit. Seeing it is GORGEOUS out with plus 9 and no wind and full on sun I headed out and set them free.

Clearly I did not need a halter as he was high stepping it straight to the gate ahead of me

Once back inside I saw that Daisy and Roo continued to chase Bandit from anywhere near the herd so out I went again. I caught him and put him back in the paddock but the poor fellow was quite distraught. Back in the field I caught KD and sequestered her to be his new roommate in hopes of losing some of her winter weight.

Finally a head to fit that halter :) and look at the green grass he found. There is loads of water collecting all over and mushy ground happening all around but things are green under the snow. The high hit 10 now.

Now back to the tutorial writing but after 4:30 I got a call from a friend who was dropping off some chairs and a table I had sold him years ago. It is a small round fold down edge table that they had painted black over and the chairs. The black paint was not wearing well and as I picked an edge a sheet of paint pulled off, yikes. This could be quite the project. But that will be in the future as it must now sit and wait for any germs to die. A quick socially distanced standing in the yard visit and they were off after 5.

A bite of the Cajun turkey bake and it was bake to finish the boho blue coffee table tutorial. Now to post it on pages and send to sponsors. I put another coat of wax on the table before heading out to toss hay to Bandit and KD. Now to soak in a tub and enjoy scrabble. I always have to do a chore before I get to play, just like kids ;) Then it was time to change the sheets for a fresh comfy bed with a few rounds of scrabble and YouTube shows to round out my Friday night. At 11:30 the wind picked up again and blew like crazy. It was warm plus 3 air so bet there will be even more water tomorrow especially since they say it and Sunday are around plus 12.