S rides Beibs

The day greeted me with bright sunshine as I woke up early, before 7:30. Dave and his assistant Randy were out to feed just after 8, while I began brewing the coffee and then quickly hopped into the shower.

S headed to town around 10 to have new tires installed on the trailer after vacuuming all the rain water of them. I spent the morning working on accounting. Shaina is taking care of Renn today; it's my third consecutive week missing my little buddy, and next week Shaina will look after her as well. That will be a whole month of not seeing them all but luckily they plan to come out Sunday. She invited me to join them, and I was getting ready to go when I remembered that there was custom painted furniture was being delivered today.

Beans and Renn

I dismantled the spray paint tent to create space. The McBains came from Oyen to deliver several pieces of furniture for refinishing, arriving at 1 PM. During their visit, we chatted, unloaded the furniture, chose colors, and of course, gave some attention to Harley and Jenkins. They departed at 2 PM.

S returned after 2, possibly passing them on the road to town. It took four hours to install four tires, and he was not pleased with that service. After we enjoyed a cold drink, I went to paint, having sanded the small project and filled the sides yesterday, while Sheldon vanished. Later, I went out to garden, thinning beets and weeding. I removed more broken sunflowers and cut some of the flowers to place in the dahlia vase.

The routine of scooping poop and emptying the barn bucket is indeed a glamorous life, not LOL. I had to stop by quickly to submit my pay sheets for the paint company. While I was burying used tissues in the garden, S returned from hockey he had ran to town for. He came out with a cold beer for us to enjoy on the deck. Given the beautiful weather, we decided to have a few more. We'll eat later when the sun sets. The only annoyance was the persistent flies everywhere.

proof Basil plays with both the stall balls in the pasture B

He even tosses the ball too, long legs Cash not so much

B was out early at 7:30. She invited me to join her for a ride on this beautiful evening. Naturally, I agreed and also invited Sheldon to come along and start riding on Beibs, with the hope of participating in a poker rally in September. It makes sense to use the horse that's been freeloading room and board for a few years, especially since I've had no luck finding one to purchase.

We got all tacked up and embarked on our first ride through the south paddocks. It was a brief 20-minute journey, as the days are noticeably shortening. After untacking, we let them graze on the grass while B fed Bird her special meal. I invited B for soup and a banana muffin as we made our way to the house, but she didn't hear me. After I sent a text when she left, she turned back to join us. Later, she and Cooper left for home before 10. Harley got her fall dewormer with some cheese. I penned today's blog, then settled down to read as S enjoyed a hot tub before we all turned in for the night.

I had just turned off the light at 11 when I heard a ruckus on the deck. S ventured out barefoot, almost certain Tony had come for a visit. He returned to bed, but instead of possible more noise later in the night, I decided to check. Indeed, Tony was up in the mez, so I placed him in the cat carrier beneath the tree on the island letting his owners know. Then, back to bed I went, reading by phone light for another hour and a half, now fully awake—thanks to Tony!

1" rain day

S was fumbling in the kitchen and on his phone at 5 a.m., sheesh. Then, the sound of rain woke me up again at 7:25 a.m. It poured heavily with a lot of wind for an hour, leaving only 1.5/10 of an inch, but the wind and the possibility of more rain persisted all day. S started brewing coffee as we observed Dave feeding the horses in the inclement weather. Thanks for feeding my horse Dave.

Kaylin and Renn took in a friends Indigenous Art exhibit this am, perfect day to be inside with lots of room for little miss to roam.

I worked on some blog posts and computer tasks. A couple more chairs pictures were taken along with the finished box. This gloomy day is ideal for organizing photos on the computer. I started soup bones for dinner and swiftly went out to pick a few fresh onions to add to it. We had leftovers and a salad for lunch, and then S left for town at 1:30 to have the new tires installed.

Shortly after his departure, the rain began to pour heavily again. I had just completed a tutorial for the condo mirror and was posting it online when S returned to the driveway, having altered his tire plans because of the rain. I arranged all my surplus paint supplies on a garage shelf. Meanwhile, S wrapped up his SLiK services invoice for Matt in his big brown chair. I also started a minor project, beginning with the initial step of filling in the embossed lettering on the side.

Shaina arrived back in Calgary today. No Matt this time. She shared these videos of Renn. New trick ... mad face!

Renn's dog walking services once again underway

Britt was out to feed around 4 p.m. and saw that Beibs' eye was swollen. She caught him and sought my assistance. Donning S's vivid yellow raincoat, I too went out in the driving rain. Despite the dismal weather, we succeeded in treating him in the barn, enticing him with apples I had gathered from the tree bases. Earlier in the day, I had salvaged a damaged dahlia plant and set it in a vase. Later, B and Coop headed home—marking another successful day of horse care.

Renn bathtime fun

I added more goodies to the soup while S diced the meat, making it the perfect meal for this dreary day. The new rain gauge alarm sounded at half an inch just after 6. Meanwhile, I worked on the blog as S watched the news and browsed on his laptop.

This sun was crazy thru the rain drizzle

We decided to watch a movie on this rainy day, so we started "Jackpot." It's a movie with a silly concept, but halfway through, Dave texted at 8 pm saying they were on their way with hot apple crisp and asked us to put the tea kettle on and grab the ice cream. They gave the horses extra hay in their respective shelters to keep warm in the chilly rain. The apple crisp was delicious—thank you! We enjoyed it immensely. They left around 9 pm, and we resumed the movie. The alert for 1 inch!!! of rain sounded at 10:30 pm, but I had S turn it off in case more alarms were to follow. I read for a while after he fell asleep.

Valley/Oyen run and a painted box

The wind's howl stirred me awake early while S prepared coffee and opened the blinds at 7:30. He got dressed, had his breakfast, and departed for Acadia Valley shortly after 8:30. I, on the other hand, savored my coffee in bed, working on the blog after a short reading stint. Subsequently, I switched to the larger computer to upload, edit, and ready photos for the blog. Dave was out around 9:30 to swiftly feed, let Cooper do his biz, and then he was gone once more. Nathan received devastating news today that he was diagnosed with a low-grade glioma in his right frontal lobe last week. Specifically a diffuse astrocytoma, which is a grade 2 lesion/tumor. He however has an amazing positive attitude towards beating it and is surrounded by so much support and love. XOXO

Amanda's birthday post went live, and then it was time to haul in the press-back chairs for some photos.

It's time to begin a new project - the square elephant covered box I've acquired. I sifted through the new transfers and selected a floral autumn design, then picked out three colors to paint the box. I opted for the darker green and applied two coats after taking off the hardware.

I found this girl relaxing on the couch when I came back in from my paint search

As the wind intensified, making conditions outside quite unpleasant, three batches of banana bread were prepared and placed in the oven. Decorative floral transfers were then applied to all sides of the box, followed by the reattachment of the hardware and the application of clear and bronze gilding wax.

The wind eased, allowing me to step outside to bury banana peels and activate the soakers in the gardens. Afterwards, I returned to the banana bread taking out the muffins. Once the loaves baked and cooled, I washed up the pans. Following a swift snack of leftovers, I applied brown wax to the box, which I believe is now finished.

Britt was out for her usual 8 pm feeding, and I stepped out to give Switch and Biebs a few apples while applying ointment to her healing back leg. B left shortly after, and I returned inside to list my chairs for sale on various sites. The wind began to howl again not long after her departure. She texted that there was a parcel at the gate, so I drove the ranger to retrieve it before it could be blown away. The parcel contained roofing sealant for the storage trailer.

I transitioned from watching "McLeod's Daughters" while painting and baking to crawling into bed to read. I had just turned off the lights when S returned from AV and Oyen after picking up the tires at 11:45 PM. He had something to eat and then went to sleep.

Apple delivery & sauce

Sleeping in the king-size bed again felt great, but S's shoulder pain caused him to toss and turn all night, leading to an early wake-up before 8 am. The morning coffee in bed was as usual, but the highlight was my second cup during an hour-long chat with my dear friend Lori. Meanwhile, S pursued his tire search from bed and eventually considered purchasing from Dale in Oyen.

Oh my, the sweetest good morning.. pretty sure she is saying Nana <3

The sunny day made it perfect for starting the laundry and tidying up the trailer. S headed out with the ranger to test the wood splitter at the pit. I organized the apples into four small boxes for Sharon and her parents. The indoor plants received their watering. Dave came by after 11:30 to feed and drop off Cooper. After lunch, S gathered his hockey equipment and the apples, then set off for town shortly after 1 pm.

I focused on completing and posting Thursday's tire chaos blog as I managed the ongoing laundry loads. Simultaneously, I cooked a pot of apples to make sauce. The herbs I had dried were removed from their stems and bottled. Additionally, I brought in a pair of chairs and took several photos to post them for sale later.

S was home after 4 with milk and coffee creamer. He parked the trailer and unhooked it then in to relax in his big brown chair. I wrote a Hometalk post for Nathan & Kaylin's dining table. Once the apples were simmered it was pressing time. This took allot of elbow work which next time I will cook longer I think. I did not add any sugar keeping it really pure. I had S brown the burger and chop in the cabbage and coleslaw as I worked on the applesauce. In the end I had quite a few containers for my efforts.

parsley - easy, oregano shown - bit more work, thyme - tiny leaves on woody stems

Looking for a few more jars this size friends

After finishing the additions to the lazy cabbage roll goulash supper pot and laundry, we ate. Once done, I stored the apple sauce in the freezer and focused on the blog while S vacuumed. I listed two chairs for sale and left at 8, just as Britt and Dave arrived. They tended to the horses and spent some time with the foals. Meanwhile, I watered the raised garden beds and harvested some vegetables as S observed the skid steer's return from its rental period. He had a brief conversation with Matt before taking the skid steer to the pit, while Britt and Dave departed for home. I settled into bed with a book, while S opted for a soak in the hot tub, followed by a shower, and then spent some time browsing on his laptop.