Rain, Zucchini Disappointment & Back to Reality

A drizzly, overcast morning greeted us when we woke, and before long the rain was actually coming down as we made our coffees and perused our socials. After how dry the ranch had gotten, it was a pretty welcome sight. It looks like we got almost 1½ inches of rain while we were gone—yahoo! 

I watered my indoor plants and then got busy tracking down the two missing photos for last Wednesday's blog. Once I found them, I finished up the post and published it.

Then it was on to marketing, accounting, and the never-ending household tasks that seem to patiently wait for us whenever we go away.

S continued his vacation relaxation routine, staying in bed until 10:30 before finally getting up to toss hay to the chubbies. Then it was off to Big Brown and his laptop.

Harley's raw food was ordered since she's back eating it for Britt. A big thank-you to B for taking such good care of her while we were away, and another big thank-you to the Paetz family for caring for her too. It takes a village when we leave our animals behind, and we're lucky to have such wonderful people helping keep everyone happy and looked after.

I let the chubbies out before 1 and wandered around the garden to see what the rain had done. Unfortunately, my zucchini plants are apparently staging a protest. More than 30 little zucchini had started, and not one has actually pollinated and grown. Not. One. I checked the rest of the garden too, but there wasn't much to report.

Boo.

I pulled a few of the late sunflower plants while I was out, and of course Jimmy immediately decided they were his. Apparently I wasn't actually throwing those away—I was serving them.

S made eggs and beans for his lunch since the pickings were a little slim. I had the Tim Hortons muffin I'd picked up yesterday morning and somehow still had hanging around. S has hockey today, so naturally, after his exhausting morning of scrolling, he needed a nap.

In the city, Renn skipped school to play in the rain <3

Next on my list was the dreaded credit card balancing. Dreaded mostly because there were far too many Amazon orders and returns to track. Sometimes I wonder if balancing the credit card is actually accounting or just an exercise in figuring out what on earth I bought.

The drizzle started up again as S headed to town after 3. I had the blog and laundry underway, although thankfully we had done our vacation laundry at the house before leaving, which was a very welcome bonus once we got home.

Then came the moment I'd been avoiding: getting back into my workout routine every two days.

Whew.

It felt good to get it done, even if my mind tried to get out of it.

Jenkins complained all day wanting company, eventually Harley and he snuggled up after she ate supper

S returned around 6:30 with groceries, including a rotisserie chicken and salad package that became a very easy supper. The new knee brace worked great for hockey he says. By the time B arrived to feed the horses, another couple of tenths had fallen from the sky and the drizzle was still hanging around bringing down 3/10ths.

below is a series of videos of how Britt feeds 7 horses every night

They come running when they see her coming

first she tosses hay and put Hank and roo's feed tubs in their night time paddock

then she calls them into their pen and they know. It only took Hank a day or two to figure out this routine :)

Then Jimmy and Mac, who took longer to figure out Britt's feed tub was yummy got theirs next then the 3 far ones got theirs even though Bird is the slowest eater.

Everyone is eating their feed tubs up as she tosses them all hay to warm them on this drizzly day. Such a great caretaker she is to all these ponies - rain or shine XOXO

Once B headed home, S hit the hot tub while I worked on the blogs from bed and watched a little more of The Five Star Weekend. When S eventually came in from his soak, we finished Season 1 of Little House on the Prairie.

And just like that, vacation is over and real life is back in full swing—rainy gardens, laundry, accounting, workouts, blogs, horses and all. At least the rain came, and after the heat and dryness of July, I'll happily take it.

Now, if someone could just explain to my zucchini plants how pollination works, we'd be set.