IT'S BACK....BIG TIME!

 

We were supposed to have several days of rain this week and were spared until last night, when we had a fair amount of thunder, lightning and water.  This morning it was not too bad.

 Grained the horses and put them in the back pasture.

 After chores I decided to do a little mowing.

 The pastures are much more like lawns, and have never been deep with grass.  When we moved here almost 30 years ago they were fields that had been planted with a variety of crops.  They were never turned over and properly seeded....I just top seeded them over the years.  The boards in those fences are mighty old!  Some of them are the originals!  The horses are never off the pastures.  When the snow is gone, they are out there...if it is wet I put them in the highest one and wait for the water to go down in the others.   I know....a lot of people worry about them getting punched up.  But as you can see....even after all the rain we have had...these two look pretty darn good.  So far, knock on wood, I have not had to worry about richness and foundering.

 This is how I keep down weeds and buttercups and the grass just gets better and better with each mowing. Within three days, they will be just right.  Two more pastures to go.

Gary spent a lot of time in our little orchard, getting rid of the weeds.  We need to replace a peach tree that did not make it.  2 cherry, 1 peach, 1 plum and 1 pear are doing well.  (There used to be an in ground pool in this space...which I really miss).

 His garlic is over 3 feet high now.  It is in excellent shape with very few weeds as it was well mulched with leaves and horse manure.  I'll bet the harvest is going to be early.

 At 11:30 we arrived at the Senior Center to help serve 80 people a Chicken BBQ put on by Flash, a very generous local restaurant owner.

 I was happy to see our friend Sally there. 

 Our chorus pianist (Jean) was there with friends.

We did not eat, as we had invited Al and Brenda out for lunch.  It was the least we could do after they gave us that gorgeous Oriental rug.  A proper thank you was in order.

 We went out to the Crooked Door in Albion.

 ...and all ordered something different

 ...it tasted great.

Al said it was the best Reuben he had ever eaten.

 Once again, we sat in a booth in the bar area...nice atmosphere.

 When we dropped them off, Gary checked out their new fence.

 What a beautiful setting.

 I can tell you that Tootsie Louise loves it!

 Home around 3:30.  The sun was still out and it was nice and warm.

 The kitties were lounging on the back porch.

 L'orange Marmalade wanted to say "Hello" to Terry.

 I was so sleepy, I took a nap.  Phoebe joined me.

 The weatherman was giving us all kinds of warnings by 6:30.  Tornado warnings to the south and severe storms all around us.  When I went out to do chores it looked like this.

 I opened the barn for the horses to go in their stalls and within five minutes it was like a monsoon.

Sheets of water!  Mustafa did not want to go in his stall until he saw the grain buckets.

 Does this look familiar or what?  All the crazy weather around the country is getting so scary.

Fires in Alaska and Colorado, tornadoes all over the place....heavy damage....loss of life.  What is happening?

 Earlier today I washed my Mattes pad and saddle pad as Berlin got them both all sweated up yesterday.  Put them out on the porch railing to dry...fortunately I set them in the house before evening chores or they would have been as soaked as I was getting back to the house from the barn.

Do you know what a Mattes pad is?  It works like magic on my horses long, dippy back..allowing the saddle (Albion...dressage) to fit perfectly.  I can't stress how important it is to have your saddle fit properly.  So many people don't have a clue, and their horses suffer for it.  It's like me saying, "you wear size 9 shoes?  Put on these sixes and walk, trot and canter.  It's painful?  Do what I say or you will be punished."  Think about it.

Well, it's really pouring again and I am signing off.  Hope you are safe with these outrageous weather patterns.

Night all.