Mid-July Weekend Update:

A lot was going on this weekend; some not related to farm work but contributed to my sleep deprivation, which contributes to farm work. Friday night we went to the Dream Theater concert downtown DC. I left work around 4:30, feeding everybody, playing with the dogs and going on a long walk around the whole place. April could not keep up, with Max and me coming behind her! She was glad to see us. The horses were surprised to see me so early, with food, but they are always up to eat. Hay for everyone, fresh water, dogs and cat in the house, rush to the METRO station for my trip downtown. A train arrived after only a minute of waiting, quick trip, meet him on the corner, dinner at DC Taco mid-block on F Street at 13th, NW. Highly recommend this place, it is not your typical Taco Bell fare, not TexMex. All you can drink Birch Beer, hand-made chips. YUM At this point we are seeping over the concert start time, but I couldn’t stop eating the chips, drinking the Birch Beer. We arrived at the venue at 13th and Pennsylvania Avenue, still eating chips from the bag. I also have an Orange Crush in my bag. He doesn’t think I’ll be able to get that past security, but these guys think it’s hilarious that I’m stuffing as many chips in my mouth as possible at the trash bin and never looked at my purse.

Show starts at 7:30 with Crimson Project, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin doing King Crimson stuff. Haven’t seen them in probably 30 years but neither has missed a beat and look fantastic. As usual with this concert there are more dudes than ladies. The ladies room was wide open, had the place to myself, a line for the men’s room wrapped around the stairs. When does that ever happen? Dream Theater was awesome, as they always are. Mike Mangini’s drum kit looks like a well-stocked kitchen: drums, cymbals, chimes hanging from a chrome overhead grid. When your drummer is a professor at the Berkley School of Music, you know it is going to be great! On the way out we stopped by his office to use the head and pick up a couple things, then on the train, in the car and finally home again. It was after midnight when we got back. Late night hay and water check, play with the dogs, hit the bed. Saturday is going to be busy, too. On Saturday Max was starting his 8-week obedience training. I wanted to get there early, which we managed to do. He was awful, but after an hour and a half he was most improved, really. And those lessons stayed with him all weekend. Can’t wait for the next lesson!!

Also promised on Saturday was a thunderstorm. We needed hay, but were holding off on getting that. The thunderstorm never materialized. I got a nice nap in while he swept the living room floor. Max had shredded fliers and newspapers, looked like a party had gotten out of hand. We got 40 bales from Tahill, using the Glick trailer instead of the flatbed. It continued to look like rain, off and on, but nary a drop all day.

This is the first hay we got from Tahill since the arson fire last fall. The new shed looks just like the old one, like nothing ever happened. Insurance is a wonderful invention. Because Max is much improved I’ve decided he can ‘help’ me with my barn chores in the morning. He’s learning not to go into the stalls and I’m not as militant about him eating manure. Our vet says it is ok for them, but I don’t like it. Pick your battles, right? It gives him an extra chance to run around and learn the ropes of living the farm-dog life.

Sunday we went riding with friends. We left the house at 9:30 and got back closer to 6 p.m. We ‘sat’ as many hours as we rode. We relaxed a lot in the Patapsco River, saw our veterinarian fishing and kids swimming, too. It was hot and humid. KC was a bad boy, early on, but I did not fall off. After that he kept his head up and his feet going in the right direction.

I got the new saddle pad that Martin had won at the auction. We stopped at the Woodstock Inn for lunch. They have pretty good food and the best Ginger Ale. On the way home we drove through a downpour, but could see blue sky to the East. When we got home it was obvious we never got a single drop of rain, a rainbow – fat and wide – was over the barn. A perfect ending to an exhausting weekend.