The day started early, as most summer days seem to lately. Once awake, S headed straight for the hot tub while I tossed hay into the diet pen, hoping to fill a few bellies before they made their way to the grass. With chores underway, I settled in to finish and publish Saturday's blog post.
By mid-morning, I let the ponies out, raided the pea patch, and turned water on both the front and back beds. I also picked my very first zucchini of the season—a small but satisfying milestone in the garden.
It suddenly dawned on me that the barn paddock still needed cleaning before the new shelter arrived. S helped me, and we had most of the work done by the time the truck pulled in. I carried on with the cleanup while S helped the fellow unload and position the shelter.
I put a rotisserie chicken carcass on to simmer for soup before lunch, knowing a pot of homemade soup would be appreciated later. After we ate lunch, we headed back outside. I pulled weeds around the house paddock shelter before stopping to snap a photo of the new barn shelter in place.
Together, S and I removed the old pallets and replaced them with a built-in fence. The UFA driver had brought along two cement deck blocks that S figured might work to support a post. Somewhere along the way, the idea evolved into a rail that fit—although it needed a few shims since the post itself was too thick.
We also installed a new top rail where the horses had chewed up the old one, along with lower rails near the waterer to keep Hank from attempting to wedge himself through. Once everything was in place, we realized the top rail had quite the angle to it, so out came the tools again. Four bolts later, and after re-drilling, we had a much nicer, level finish.
By the end of it all, the old pallets, rails, and leftover pieces had been hauled away, leaving behind a tidy, renovated barn paddock.
"Get a pony," they said. "It'll be fun," they said. Funny how nobody mentions the endless projects that seem to come along with them—especially during the July heatwave of 2026.
After that, it was time for a cold drink on the breezy deck while watching the horses. I eventually came inside to finish my soup, chopping vegetables while S dumped the poop wagon, hooked up the travel trailer, and pulled it around front. He briefly considered installing the new trailer fender but decided it could wait for another day needing some butyl tape.
It turns out he's taking the trailer to the park tomorrow, so I hurriedly packed a few clothes for the rodeo before settling onto the bed with my book.
B stopped by later and enjoyed a bowl of soup before we headed out for evening chores. Hank happily tucked into his beet pulp, but Mac still wasn't interested. Catching the little rascal continues to be a challenge, but we managed to get him caught and tucked into the newly renovated barn paddock alongside Roo with some hay before B jetted off home.
The day ended quietly—me reading in bed while S watched TV in the main living area. It was one of those productive ranch days that leaves you equal parts tired and satisfied. The shelter is up, the paddock is safer, the garden is producing, and despite the heat, the animals are settled for another night. Sometimes that's more than enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment