Furniture scores

Just before 2 a.m., I heard some commotion from the cats on the deck. Last night, while in the hot tub, I mentioned to Sheldon that I might have seen Tony near the barn, but only Stella came dashing over when I checked. Indeed, at 2 a.m., Tony was there when I looked outside. I placed him in the cat carrier beneath the tree on the island. Shortly after, the howling of coyotes began, waking Sheldon, who went outside to fire a warning shot, but they had already stopped. Now, the challenge is to fall back asleep.

I woke up after 6:30 and sent a text to Mark & Brittany. Both are working but will stop by mid-morning. He had neutering surgery last week, and they hoped that would fix his wandering, but sadly seems it didn't. I browsed Instagram, then started the coffee. After two cups, I began working on marketing, uploading blog photos, and taking some staging pictures of the dresser. Today is a cool 17 out (but hit 20) with a wind. The chairs were touched up, and then I sprayed on a coat of clear finish.

Shel-dio (only Paetz's will get this LOL) vacuumed the floors, then dashed to Matt's to collect wood for building the chicken coop stairs. Mark picked up Tony before S headed out for the wood. Meanwhile, I was uploading videos to the blog and enjoyed a bowl of yogurt for brunch after my spray painting.

S returned quickly with the wood and unloaded it in the shop. After having leftovers for lunch, he went off to cut more wood while I sprayed another coat of clear varnish to the chairs. Britt was now out, and we decided to go for a ride. We didn't jog horses for Dave today due to the wild wind, which had the upside of keeping the bugs away. First, Britt threw hay and fed the mares and foals. Our ride lasted about half an hour.

In the city Renn continues to rough house with her pups, thank goodness they are both so patient with her. She is also trying out a new safety device for shopping.

But Kaylin said it backfired turning into a slingshot when she would run and hit the end ;) So she eventually shopped sans safety lead.

After releasing the horses to join the hay festival, B fed Bird. Meanwhile, Sheldon paused his woodcutting and hooked up the cargo trailer, and I watered the tomatoes and front planters. We then set off for town to collect furniture that had been offered to me. One location was just a few doors away from B's place, and the other belonged to a generous customer who was doing a fall cleanup.

After picking up some groceries at Walmart, we made stops at Rona and UFA for additional stair-building supplies. The skies loomed dark and ominous, releasing only a few drops of rain as we drove to Paetz's to deliver the forgotten items, her birthday plant, and the freshly dug potatoes. Following a brief visit, we headed home, taking a detour to replenish our beverage supply.

At the ranch, as the rain loomed and the wind blew, I unloaded groceries, harvested more potatoes, and gathered fresh herbs. I placed a roast in the instant pot and set potatoes to cook. Then, I chopped up the season's first batch of zucchini—hard to believe, isn't it? I still need more herbs and an onion. S had parked the cargo trailer and unloaded his items in the shop before we indulged in appetizers of pickled eggs (him), chips with salsa, and a refreshing cold beer. 

Finally, we unboxed the brand-new thermo cooler we bought last year, only to discover a dent in the metal. I guess we should have opened it to check at least once after purchasing.

After a hard day shopping a girl needs a glass of wine it seems :)

After dinner, I started posted the dresser for sale before working on today's blog while S read the one I just posted for Monday and then browsed the internet. Dave was out after 8 to do the feeding, and Britt returned not long thereafter. Of course, they both departed quickly, each in their own vehicle.

S and I went for a hot tub just before 9, it is getting darker sooner each day and hte air feels cool like fall. After a shower I went out and sprayed the chairs a final clear coat then cleaned up the sprayer. S had a shower and hit the bed perusing his laptop. Ice cream treats were delivered once I got back in bed reading.