Melted Snow, Butler Duties, and a Burning Tree

It seems I am Harley's personal butler to let her out during the night for the last week or so. This is usually the case when she gets bison and deer added to her meal options. Duties started shortly after 7 this morning, so I simply stayed awake. So much snow melted yesterday that roughly 70 percent of the ground is now bare, with frozen puddles everywhere. Despite waking to -4, it had climbed to +7 overnight.

After my motivating coffees, I launched into a deep clean of the master bedroom. Everything came off the furniture and was washed down, including walls and doors slimed by Harley, and I fully cleaned out my nightstand drawers. S slept in, then had his coffee, loaded recyclables into his truck, and returned to his laptop for a news perusal.

staged up the old blue glass bottles

After lunch, I took Harley for a walk. The sun was out and it was above zero. Looping through the far paddock, I opened the gate to give the horses more sheltered space among the trees. That is when I remembered the massive treetop that had fallen after being struck by lightning. I walked back to the house and texted S to ask for help moving it. He had other plans and decided to use the skid steer to haul it to the pit.

I noticed Beibs eyeing it curiously as I pulled up to the gate. Knowing this fallen tree had been a concern for B, I texted S again, suggesting for safety that we move it out or burn it. His answer was predictable.

I dropped off my library book along with the Alex Cross series Debby had left for S, who has decided that reading is not his interest. Cooper was picked up next, and then I stopped to collect the photos I had ordered online. Unfortunately, the store had a sign stating “closed for lunch until 3:30,” despite customers being inside. Once they left, the clerk confirmed she was closed and made no offer to let me grab the photos. Good grief—that was the entire reason for the trip to town.

When I pulled back into the yard, I found the resident pyro igniting the tree with fuel. The burning process took about an hour, with smoke still drifting around 5. I did a poop-scoop loop, then swept and washed a rug for the garage and left it to dry. Back inside, I continued cleaning in the bedroom, tackling the tall shelving cabinet and S’s nightstand top while another “Home” episode played and S scrolled on his phone.

Supper was a team effort: I pan-fried bacon, onions, and perogies with sautéed cabbage from the last head of my garden harvest, while S barbecued sausage. He watched the Oilers while eating; I did my Spanish lesson. Afterward, he headed to the TV room for hockey and I returned to the bedroom to continue Your Friends and Neighbors. S did brave a hot tub run, though the wind was biting.

A buyer confirmed they’d be picking up the wooden shelf in the morning.  This was a one-day sale! B was out later for her usual night feed and to take Cooper home, closing out another full and varied day.