"I'm Ready for my Close-up, Mr. DeMille"

As promised, here is a short video of Irene on her box, giving her paw on command. The barn cats' daughter is very talented, I think we should have her tested.

Gorgeous Spring Day!

Too bad I'm at work...

The blooming tree in the parking lot circle is blooming, as is the Pear tree. So lovely. Soft, cool morning. Last night was mild, too. Everybody had stayed in yesterday; it rained, heavy at times, for most of the day.

Tom turned them out when we got home and KC trotted five strides then dropped his head. Skip followed, slowly, and did the same thing. The grass grew while it rained. At dark they came in to eat their grain, then turned out again to resume eating grass.

At 9:30 pm they wanted back in, though the evening was mild with a soft breeze. I didn't plan on keeping them out all night, not just yet.

The day dawned clear and beautiful and everybody is out today, catching up on mowing that growing grass down. The latest weather forecast for Saturday says rain. That is the day the brick pavers will be delivered, too. I do have water-proof boots and an excellent rain coat from Muddy Creek (highly recommended) that I can work in. I don't mind being 'wet' if it is not cold. Setting the bricks in the sand base will not be a muddy mess, so it's all good.

Tom is also trying to get a load or two of gravel and stone dust delivered. I honestly don't know what strategy we'll use to get the stone dust where we need it to be in the barn. I'm sure it will entail lots of hand work (shovel and wheel barrow). The guy we've used in the past is not a very good driver, and I don't want him tearing up more of the store-bought stone, like last time. He is reasonably priced, but undoing what damage he's done can take so much time and energy.

Hope the weather straightens out for Monday, when the roofer is scheduled to begin work. We'll keep the bucket in the living room until then.

Rain Today, Plans Tomorrow

Raining today, temps in the low 60s, everybody is out. Over the weekend, Tom ordered eight tons of brick pavers for the patio. As you might recall, the previous owners took the patio with them. We have what I like to call a 'sandy beach.' There is several inches of gravel topped by at least six inches of white sand. A perfect base already in place for any brickwork. We've debated and argued what we were going to do with it. Naturally, I didn't want to spend money on it.

Tom ordered the pavers and they will be delivered on Saturday. O boy. So, guess what we're doing this weekend! It will look nice when it is done, like normal people live here.

The new roof will be installed starting on Monday. O boy. We needed it like last year, the timing is really great. Easter is 13 days away, the house will be like new (HA) by then. At least we won't get our heads wet during dinner, right?

We're also in the process of meeting prospective tenants for our old house. We've met some nice people and unfortunately some are just going to be non-starters. We definitely are not holding the house for the next couple months for anybody, unless they want to start paying rent, now.

The house looks really good, too, with the blooming trees and flowers. It always looked better empty, in my opinion! But the house isn't as important as the yard and location/proximity to METRO and downtown amenities. The roof is good and all the appliances work! Couldn't say the same about the farm house.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Weekends are anticipated, and then gone in a blur. From Friday evening to Monday morning is like a blink of an eye.

On Friday, everybody was in. It rained, off and on, all day. Drove home in the driving rain. Everybody was glad to be in, too. There were seven 'ponds' in the dry paddock and the pasture had standing water. O boy.

The farrier was out on Thursday, but didn't get a minute to ride all weekend. One of these days I'll have my life back!

Saturday, got up early, turned everybody out. Three 'ponds' in the dry paddock, a drying trend! Drove to Gettysburg to pick up ten dining room chairs. Stopped off at Tractor Supply to get extra-strength weed killer, "Pramitol 25E." This herbicide is for the parking lot, which is really turning green. Stronger than Triox, worth the money (I hope). 'Safe' for farm animals, but not for well water heads. On to Southern States Cooperative to get feed for everybody with hooves.

Hurried back to the farm, but now it is almost noon. While I was gone, Tom set some of the loose tiles in the hallway and kitchen with grout. These tiles will eventually be sent to the dump, but in the meantime they clunk and rattle when you walk on them. Unfortunately the installation was done poorly, over existing tile or wood and never was set correctly. Most all are broken, chipped, cracked or in some way compromised.

Unloaded the feed and set off to our old house. Finally the craigslist listing is up; renting the house was on my short list of New Year's resolutions. We filled up the truck with 'stuff' that has been lying around the house. Tackled some of the yard work, bushes and ivy. Our neighbor was mowing his grass.

Back over on Sunday, repeat all of the above, painted the closet interiors, washed the deck, took out more trash, made a dump run with the car because trucks aren't allowed on Sundays. It is looking great and potential renters stopped in for a walk-thru.

I need some serious time to catch up on everything that I didn't get around to doing. Today the temps are in the high 80's.

First Thursday in April

Skip is finally shedding. I spent some time with him last night with the rubber curry comb. It was almost like I was shaving him! His legs, neck, everywhere. His hair is very short, so the hair is like dust. His hocks look like he has rain rot, but he doesn't. It is the way he is, it's what makes him so special!

Lil Fred continues to shed, too, and seeks me out to brush him. I wish the birds would clean up the hair for their nests.

The farrier is supposed to come out today to put the shoe back on KC. It has been two weeks. Friends are coming up from North Carolina, camping. Rain is slated for the weekend, naturally. Better than snow, right?

Warmer temperatures this week have made the blooming trees just pop. The peepers are so loud at night, too. The days are getting longer.

First Weekend in April

Had a nice weekend, I'm pooped! Need to get to the job to get some rest. Tom works like a dog, too, certainly much harder than I do. He finished the fence and built a beautiful gate into the patio from the front. Looks better than professional, as usual.

Family and friends descended on us, my aunt left late this morning. It was great seeing everybody and everybody enjoyed playing with the minis. It's like a petting zoo around here, and Sprite especially loves the attention.

Tom finished re-installing the crown moulding and replacing the section that was broken and missing, apparently for years. Base boards, too, in the kitchen. it's coming together, slowly. We are planning on eight for Easter dinner, so, o boy. We have to finish sanding the bathroom's mudded drywall and paint that, too.

Last night, after dinner, he installed a new toilet in the upstairs bathroom. We never use that bathroom, the room probably has to be gutted because of the condition of the tub, the walls and the ceiling damaged by the leaking roof. We'll be getting a roof in a couple, three weeks.

This afternoon I walked our road frontage, picked up a tall kitchen trash-bag full of trash (beer bottles, fast food wrappers, cans, plastic cups, plastic and cigarette boxes). What pigs drive past our house! Wasn't long since we last did that.

I also continue to haul bricks, pavers, cement pieces, logs and sticks, plus broken glass, nails, screws, nuts, washers, bolts, rusty metal, old tools, roofing nails and like that from the side of the parking lot where the old shed was located next to the landscaping bins.

Washed and changed the sheets, grocery shopped, mucked stalls, you know, the usual, right?

Everybody is 'in' and it is now lightning, was rain predicted? Supposed to be 75 degrees tomorrow? I welcome that, but would have liked to have been that warm this weekend instead of the 40 degrees and windy.

April Fool's Day

It was snowing when I walked out to feed the kids this morning. What a cruel joke this new month is sharing. By the time we left for work the sun was breaking out of the clouds.

There is standing water in the dry paddock and a mud pit around the gate and run-in shed. Everybody went out, even though it is a muddy mess out there.

Our farrier and me are trading calls back and forth, but the bottom line is that he is out of town and probably not available to put the shoe on KC. Darn it! And this weekend I am having a house full of visitors and family! Naturally.

And the breaking news is that Sprite is finally shedding! Lil Fred and KC continue to drop massive amounts of hair. Skip didn't have much to begin with, so his is more like dusty shavings.