Northern lights at the ranch

 

I woke up early with a bonus of a beautiful sunrise. After making tea, I shared some pictures from our trail ride on Instagram. S woke up later and had his coffee. It was a super sunny day, perfect for starting laundry. I put Roo's mask on and let the horses out into the winter pasture for the day. I applied the second coat of black paint to the dresser base and did other touch-ups, as there are always spots that need attention. Three drawer fronts were repainted, and I attached the hardware to the ones that had dried after screwing the basket weave pieces back in. S went to unhook the horse trailer, hooked up the travel trailer we dropped off a few days ago, moved it to the island, and connected the power for the cleaning lady coming on Thursday.

Dave was not out until 11, he fed mares and babies, and then he and Cooper took off. I moved my car, swept the floor, and with S's help, shifted the dresser off the work table to the garage door. S also assisted me in holding the large, heavy mirror while I took some photos. The set is now complete!

We stopped for lunch and then set out to replace the trees that were dead or dying. Harley joined us to inspect the small evergreen trees encroaching on the neighbor's field. Afterward, we prepared three holes. We excavated another dying poplar and placed it in the dump trailer along with the soil from the other two holes. I drove the truck and trailer to the pit while S operated the skid steer. We emptied the contents and then loaded up black compost.

We made two trips, carrying two small trees each time. After planting them, we moved on to the next tree run. Brittany 2.0 was planted last, followed by spreading the remaining compost over the grassy patches that needed it. We raked everything smooth and then relaxed on the deck with a cold beer, basking in the glorious 21-degree sunshine at 5:30 pm. I prepared supper while S set up a sprinkler for the trees. We enjoyed another delicious meal, similar to last night's, but with the addition of buttered cabbage—yummy.

S transported the swather to Matt's place, who is renting it for haying, while I went to cut more dahlias and do some deadheading. Afterwards, I returned indoors to work on the blog. Britt and Dave came over to feed the animals. Later, S was brought back and spent some time visiting with Dave before coming inside.

2 paraglider right overhead

near full moon

The hot tub experience was elevated by the sight of the nearly full moon, and the northern lights began to shimmer before 9:30. Having never witnessed them before, I was astounded by their breathtaking beauty. WOW!

The night concluded with a refreshing shower and continued enjoyment of Luxe Listings.