I think I've sprained my right thumb. Hurts like the devil, and I can't bend it very much. Don't know how I did that, maybe when I was lifting one of the hay bales into the wheelbarrow. Makes typing kind of hard too. owowowow.

It's started to rain really hard now. I just did the 9 p.m. check and feeding of the horses, so now I'm going to get into my jammies and watch more Olympics. When I watch what those athletes go through, my poor thumb isn't really that bad.

Quiet kind of day..we brought the horses in early because it was looking nasty, so of course it cleared up half an hour later. I decided not to turn them out again because then it would have started pouring. Murphy's Law. I'm feeling low in the energy department and tomorrow I have to do all the work as it is Rick's day off; also have the Vet coming to check Kismet, and Dale coming to ride Kandance. I am so ready for Sue to come back. I've enjoyed my stay here, but I'm feeling quite burned out now. It's the fact that I have been pretty much stuck here without much chance to get out that is the hardest. I'm not a big people person, but I find myself craving some human company that isn't on a TV screen. Sunday I get to pack up and go back to my little apartment in the city and get reacquainted with my cats.

That's about it. I can't type anymore. Must go rub some absorbine linement on my thumb.

OMG, that was totally awesome!! Simon Whitefield just won the silver medal in triathelon, overcoming a huge gap between the three frontrunners to almost take the gold. I was screaming so loudly I think I hurt myself. Way to go, Simon!!! What was almost as cool was seeing his team-mate Collin Jenkins dancing his way across the finish line in 50th place. His role in the race was to support Simon and help set the pace in the swim and bike part, and he did that really well. He's as thrilled with Simon's silver as if it were his own.
ETA: I heard today that Simon is splitting his bonus money from the win with Jenkins. That's what I call teamwork.

It's been a good day at the Olympics for Canada: silver in Equestrian Team Jumping; I was thrilled to see that, because Ian Millar has been to nine Olympics and this is the first Olympic medal for him. He is 61 years old, and is still at the top of his game. I got all teary when he talked about having an angel on his shoulder; his wife Lynne died last spring. Yay for you guys: Ian Millar, Eric Lamaze, Mac Cone and Jill Henslewood. Then we won a silver in women's trampoline. It's a much different feeling this week than last week, when the medals were seemingly beyond our reach. Go, Canada!

It's been nice having the Olympics on at the time I've been out here on the farm, because I have had entertainment every evening. It's a bit on the quiet side here, not exactly a hub of social activity. The only downside is the temptation to stay up much too late watching.

I have to get to bed early tonight; I'm totally exhausted. Kept nodding off in the big easy chair. Five more days until I can get back to my regularly scheduled life.

Got a message that my airplane tickets are ready to pick up. The trip to England is getting closer, and I'm getting very excited. My sister says she's like a little kid, counting the sleeps. LOL. I am so looking forward to this; my first real vacation in ages. I know, I'm retired, and every day is a vacation..but I'm still working my butt off here.

Time for bed. Goodnight, and sweet dreams.

Wow. It's a very weird day weather wise here. I'd been hearing thunder off and on, and finally decided to bring the horses in a bit early. Talk about good timing..I'd just got everyone in, and fed when the heavens opened up and there was thunder and lightning and wind. Of course it only lasted about ten minutes, but still wouldn't have wanted to be in the middle of bringing in baby Dusty and Kismet when it happened. So I am done a bit early, which is kind of nice. I'm trying to decide if I have the energy to drive into Vancouver to see my cats.

I had to email Sue to tell her that Kismet isn't pregnant anymore. Bad news, but it does happen, especially with older mares, the Vet said. Dr. Samper came this morning to check her, and she had lost the baby. Mares will sometimes absorb the fetus, for reasons unknown; perhaps there was something wrong with it, or perhaps she had a bit of an infection in the uterus. Juan gave her a shot to bring her into heat, and will come back to check her midweek. Then he can breed her again. So, not the best of luck in the breeding department this year, but there's still time. It's just very expensive and time consuming. I'm glad it's not my responsibility. Kismet has given Sue two beautiful girls the past two years, though. She's a beautiful mare, and a great mother, so hopefully this time it will stick.

One more week to go before Sue comes home. Not that I'm counting the days, but I am getting really tired. Of course it would help if I didn't stay up half the night watching the Olympics, LOL. I didn't go to sleep until about 3 a.m. because I was watching the Rowing. Yay, Canada!! The men's eights were totally awesome. I yelled and screamed as they crossed the finish line; poor Stanley Schnauzer woke up and started barking his silly head off. I think I startled him.

Well,if I'm going to go into town, I'd better make a move.

Canada finally has some medals!! I was awake around 2 a.m. and caught the gold medal match in womens' wrestling. It was very exciting, and Canada won!!! Yeah for Carol Hunyh, she was wonderful. I was all choked up when they played the national anthem. Then the Canadian men won silver in rowing doubles, and I cried again, and then another medal in wrestling, a bronze. I was happy to have insomnia believe me. Go, Canada!

Going to be hot again today. I plan to stay inside as much as possible. Rick is here, so I don't have to do anything until it's time to bring the horses in and feed them this afternoon. I cancelled Kandance's training session; Dale wanted to come at 3:30, but I just don't have the time or energy to get her tacked up and cooled down right at the time the horses are expecting dinner.

One week left before Sue comes back and I can relinquish responsibility. Tomorrow the Vet is coming to check Kismet again; he looked at her last week and was a little concerned that the fetus was a bit small. A small prayer and good thoughts for the pregnancy would be appreciated.

Time to go take out the laundry.

Have a great Saturday, everyone.

I napped in front of the TV this afternoon, keeping half an eye on the Olympics. Despite our lack of medals, Canadians are still out there busting their butts and a lot of Canadian records. A Canadian guy, Ryan Cochran from Victoria, briefly held the Olympic record in the 1500 metre freestyle swim, and Daryl Armstrong came within one centimetre of winning a bronze in shotput.

The Canadian showjumpers are in second place so far. They were brilliant, all four of them. Go, Captain Canada! I would so love to see Ian Millar come home with a medal. This is his ninth Olympic games. He's a Canadian icon, so we're all cheering for him and his team mates.

It's still very hot here. I am going to go sit in front of the fan in the living room and watch more Olympics. I've worked hard enough today.

ETA: Hurray! First medal for Canada!! Carol Huynh is guaranteed at least a silver in the 48kg. wrestling...the gold medal match is still to come. Yay!

Just barely hanging in there. It was so hot last night, I only slept about an hour. Kept turning on the TV to check on the Olympics, dozing off, waking up...that kind of night. Ugh. I feel like crap on a stick today.

It's even more hot and humid today. Since 7:30 I have fed and watered the horses, put them out, cleaned paddocks and stalls, helped unload and stack 50 bales of hay, fed lunch. I kept thinking I should come in and eat something, because one cup of coffee, however good, isn't really enough fuel, but I just wanted to get things done before the heat got too bad. Now it's all done, and I can rest until it's time to go out and bring them in for dinner. My two are out in the field, and it's obvious that they are enjoying themselves. Usually we share the field with all the horses so everyone gets a turn, but because Sue's away, she said to just leave everybody where they are. So Midnight and Kyra luck out. I have to go take a walk around the five acre field later and see if I can find a)Midnight's green flymask, and b)either of the two shoes he's lost. That boy is so hard to keep dressed! I had to dig out an old flymask for him, hopefully he won't lose that one too.

I went into Vancouver yesterday for a few hours to see my cats, and check my mail. Spent some time making up with the kitties, who actually came out to say hello, so I guess they've forgiven me for being away so much; paid some bills, got caught up on the newspapers, and ate some ripe tomatoes from the plants on the patio. The strawberries are coming back again too! Had one lovely ripe one.

The garden out here on the farm is doing quite well, and it was so neat to realize when I was grocery shopping that I didn't need a lot of veggies from the store. For dinner last night I did a stir-fry with some lean steak cut in strips and some just picked runner beans and bush beans, a yellow zucchini, a nice broccoli, and some lettuce. It was very, very tasty and satisfying. I was reading my gardening book, and the author says that you can cut a wedge from the cabbage, cover the cut area with tinfoil, and the cabbage will continue to grow and stay fresh. I'm going to try that with one of the cabbages tonight. Think I'll make some bangers and mash.

Ohh, now I'm hungry. Must go make some lunch. Haven't even eaten breakfast yet. Not good. Got to keep my strength up!

Heading into the last 10 days of my farm sitting marathon. I'm sure my flist is getting tired of hearing me moan about how hard I'm working, so I will refrain from doing so now.

Hot and muggy today. I was tempted to turn the hose on myself as I was giving Kandance her cooling down shower. Dale worked her really hard, and she was covered with sweat, so I had to hand walk her for about 20 minutes around the arena after the session. As I was doing so, I could see my two horses out in the field; they're having a great time, and don't seem to mind that I haven't had much time to play with them. I have cancelled 3 of my lessons this month, and I am really missing them, but I just can't manage all this, and lessons. It's the driving to the lesson that would be the problem, since it's about an hour or so from here.

I brought the horses in a bit early, and they were quite happy to get in out of the heat and the flies, so they were all angels coming in. Decided to take it easy tonight. Sit back and watch the Olympics...good grief, Canada hasn't won a medal yet. Too soon to start yelling Canada sucks! but still. We've broken a lot of Canadian records and the like, lots of almosts, but no cigar. :sigh: Hopefully we'll come up with a few soon. Gee, now even the Olympics is depressing me. I must be tired.

It's very peaceful here on the farm, but I didn't realize how detached from the world I've been feeling until my friend Jeannie called me tonight. We spent 2 hours on the phone, just catching up and chatting about this and that. It was really nice to hear a voice that wasn't mine. LJ is great for keeping in touch, but I do miss being around other people. Guess I'm not as much of a hermit as I thought! Jeannie and I talked and talked, and then I looked out the window and realized it had gotten dark at some point.

Went out to water the horses and give them their bedtime snack, and the sky was almost black, with a lovely pink strip along the horizon. Everything was quiet, and peaceful, and reminded me of the things I love about being here. The tranquility of the late evening, the scent of hay and horses, the unexpected deer grazing in the field, totally undesturbed by my presence, the sight of the little brown bunnies nibbling the grass on the lawn, and the pleasure of eating my dinner, knowing that the salad and the green beans were growing not more than an hour before I put my fork into them.

Oh, men's synchro diving is coming on...More Olympic watching for me!

As always happens, I'm caught up in the whole Olympic TV watching marathon...it only happens every couple of years, so I'm willing to indulge myself. This time I'm fitting it in around all the work I have to do, so I'm not being quite the couch potato I usually am during the Olympics.

Just watched the Chinese men win the Team Gymnastics; they were amazing. The atmosphere in the building was just electric; I can't imagine the pressure those guys were under, and they held up incredibly well.

I love watching the rowing, and the kayaking and canoeing, and the swimming, and the diving...all that stuff. I watched the womens' water polo game between China and the USA this afternoon; what an exciting game that was. I can't wait for the equestrian events, especially the Dressage, and the Show Jumping. Don't know if we'll get to see much of it, but at least the CBC website is planning to stream the video of those events so I can see it online. Still waiting for that first Canadian medal...come on guys! The men's eights in rowing has a great chance at gold, they looked very strong this morning. Go, Canada!

Gotta go watch some more; the computer is in a different room and I can't see the TV! Makes me appreciate my setup at home, where I can watch the TV while I'm online..I've gotten used to multi-tasking!

I'm losing track of the days. Is it Sunday? I thought it was Monday for awhile...every day is pretty much like the last here on the farm. Barn work gets done, horses go out and come in, eat hay, hang out. I kind of feel like I did once many years ago when my ex and I lived up the coast, and decided clocks and calendars were for all those boring city folks. We got up when it was light and went to sleep when it got dark, didn't read the papers or listen to the radio; we were outside the normal world. I do feel a little like that here, except for the fact that I'm still connected to the world outside the gates. But my sense of time seems to be altering to the rhythms of the country and this farm. I had to stop and look at the calendar today to figure out how many days I've been doing this (12) and how long I have left before Sue comes home (13). Halfway there. I will be very happy to hand over the reins to her by that time, I'm sure.

I had a little break yesterday. We brought everyone in before Rick left, and then I went into Vancouver for a few hours. I wondered if we'd been overly cautious about the weather, because it was pretty nice while I was in town, but just as I got back at 6 p.m. the heavens opened and it poured rain all night. I had to run out at around 9 to make sure the little ditches in front of the big barn were clear of debris. We've had some problems with flooding into the barn when the drains get blocked and there's a big dump of rain, so I didn't want to risk that. Got soaked just doing that. I'm sure all the horses were happy to be inside in the dry and warmth of their stalls.

I was so tired I was in bed at 11..watched the Olympics (gymnastics) for awhile. I'm sort of listening to the beach volleyball at the moment. Have to check online to see if I can get some of the Equestrian coverage. CBC is streaming video of most of it, I think.

I had a nice lunch, fresh salad from my garden, and leftover pizza. I have a couple of hours to myself now before I have to go out and bring the horses in and feed dinner. Maybe a nap in the comfy chair..

OMG. chickenfeet2003 posted a link to the video of that huge explosion in Toronto this morning. It looks like a huge bomb went off... propane is scarey stuff. :shudders:

Link thanks to wisteria. Oh, yeah, I'm definitely in fandom.

You might be a fan if

I was up until the wee hours watching the Olympics..it's like crack, I can't stop watching. Even the weird stuff. However, I finally turned off the lights at around 1:30. Sue has a TV in her bedroom, so I had the luxury of lying in bed and watching TV, something I can't do at home.

It's raining here today. Haven't had a rainy day in quite some time, and the horses are all a little bewildered, and just a bit feisty. We put them all out, but I think we're going to bring everyone in before Rick leaves at noon. It's supposed to get quite nasty this evening.

Oops, Anton is here with the hay. Gotta go.

ETA: I'm back. Got a load of hay in, which was a relief because we were down to a few bales. Anton said I have to treat it like gold, because it's going to be a bad year for hay; cold wet spring, then really hot and dry, so the hay isn't growing. Ah, the life of a farmer. Glad it's not my responsibility full time.

We decided to bring everyone in, even though the rain had let up; I'm happy we did, because the baby was really rather bad coming in, and she would have been a problem if it was just me with the two of them. I think the horses who live outside were quite happy to come in for a break. This way I can take off the fly sheets and check them all over for lumps and bumps and the like. Midnight is totally filthy; he looks more like a black and brown horse than a black and white one! They must have been rolling in the dirt all night long. Kyra kept calling for Midnight when we put her in her stall..I think they've bonded.

Now that all the horses are in, I can go into Vancouver without worrying about being back in time to bring them in for dinner. I'm going to give them all some more hay before I go so I can take my time in town. I need a break too!

Have a great day, everyone. To quote the great Arnie: "I'll be back." LOL.

Been up since 7:30, and felt guilty that I'd slept in! God, I really am turning into a morning person working out here. Glen came at 8 to help me put out Dusty and Kismet, and I've been working steadily since then. I stopped to watch the lighting of the Olympic flame and gulp a cup of coffee...that was quite the dramatic scene, wasn't it? (the flame, not the coffee gulping, lol). I would have missed it if Glen hadn't reminded me that the Olympics start today.

It's now 1:30, and I have finished all the stalls, including one that took me an hour to do..groan. Phaedra had knocked her water bucket all over the floor, for about the 20th time this week, and there was a squishing sound when I walked on the mats. So, I pulled up all the rubber mats to clean under them and let the cement floor dry out. Those suckers are heavy! Made out of recycled tires, they make a great floor for the horses so we don't have to use as much wood shavings for bedding, but they're hard to heave around, for sure. I'm pretty strong though, and it's amazing what one can do with the right motivation. I will admit my back is a little sore now. Time for some ibuprofen and a cuppa.

It's a good thing that we don't get much company here, because I look a mess. It's been so hot my hair is all stringy, even after I shampoo it. I haven't washed my face yet, and I had dirt all over my arms and hands when I came in for lunch. I certainly haven't bothered with makeup. My hair desperately needs cutting, but I couldn't get an appointment until the end of August! It's that awkward length now, not long enough to tie back, and too long to hold it's shape. Bah. The horses don't care, they love me anyway. :P

I was going to go into town last night, but was too tired. Called my neighbour Ken, who is looking after my cats, and he said everyone is fine, not to worry. Sure is great to have someone like Ken; I don't think I could do this if I had to drive back and forth to take care of my critters and this place! I don't like to moan too much, because I really do love being here, but I'm tired..and I'm losing weight like crazy. My jeans are hanging on me. I weighed myself yesterday, and I've lost 2 pounds since last week. I will soon be back to the skinny person I was before I gained all the post menopausal weight at this rate. Then I'll have to buy new clothes! I don't want to lose any more, because I feel good at this weight now. But you should see my biceps!

Going to go rest awhile now. It's cooler today, so the horses are much happier. I should take a wander around the field to see if I can find the other shoe that Midnight lost yesterday...the farrier was going to come put a new shoe on the left foot to replace the shoe Midnight lost last week, but when I called to tell him that the boy had lost the other shoe we decided to leave him barefoot until the next scheduled shoeing and trimming time at the end of the month. Midnight wears special shoes that Dan has to order, and they cost me $140 a pair. If he keeps losing them in the field, I'll be in the poor house! He seems sound, and Dan said to just watch him to make sure he's not getting sore. That horse is like a 12 year old boy, hard on his clothes, and leaving things strewn around for Mom to pick up! Hee. Luckily Kyra seems to be better at keeping her shoes on.

That's about all for now. I'm going to go relax for a bit now, see if they're showing any of the Olympics yet. Funny how I get glued to the TV set for the Olympics, watching things I normally never would go out of my way to see.

All the cats here on the farm join me in sending out this birthday greeting to a fine cat loving person:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!chickenfeet2003

Hope your day is filled with fun, and the year ahead brings all manner of good things.

And it's a good morning here, because YAY! Sue's computer fixed itself overnight. Tried to go online last evening, and I couldn't get signed in. There was a little message icon that said "network cable unplugged"...so I spent some very frustrating time jiggling and checking the plugs and cables at the back of the computer tower. A very awkward place to get at, the way Sue has it set up, let me tell you. I was swearing and sweating by the time I finally gave up, and turned everything off. Dug out the number of the mobile computer tech guy that fixed it last time there was a problem, and resolved to call in the morning. Decided this morning to check just in case, and voila! I haz working computer again! Must have had a visit from the magic computer fairy godmother during the night. I thought I heard something around 3 a.m., lol. Whatever it was, I am just thankful. I was feeling really quite upset that I was going to be computerless...just shows how much a part of my life this place is, eh? One day without LJ and email, and I'm freaking out.
*pats computer*

Had a busy day yesterday; it was Rick's day off. Glen (Sue's ex) came out to help me put Dusty and Kismet out..good thing, because Dusty was really quite rambunctious. She raced around the paddock for quite awhile once she was loose. Then I did all the work, gave water to everything in sight: the horses, the garden, the arena, the dog, the cats, me...it was supposedly the hottest day of the week but it wasn't too bad because there was a little breeze. But everyone is very thirsty; I can hardly keep up with the water buckets. A horse can drink a whole bucket without coming up for air.

Glen was good enough to come back at 4 o'clock to help me bring the horses in and feed dinner. He cleaned the paddocks, too. I cooked us some dinner; I had a nice piece of steak, some new potatoes, and I picked green beans and salad stuff from my garden. It was quite yummy, and it was nice to have some company. Glen's a good guy, and really tries to help out when he can.

I went into Vancouver on Tuesday afternoon to see my cats, and check on the mail etc. The cats are fine, just barely speaking to me at first. I had to bribe them with treats! I spent a couple of hours there, and it was nice to be home; I didn't realize how much I missed the cats until I saw them again. One week down, two to go. I imagine Sue and Jack are having a fine time on their Mediterranean cruise this week.

Time to go get some breakfast, and then get Kandance tacked up for the trainer. Dale comes three times a week to ride her, and we get her ready for him, so all he has to do is hop on and ride. I love watching, because I learn stuff from what he is doing with her. I missed my lesson this Saturday, and I don't think I'll be able to take one again until Sue comes home. It's just too difficult to get away, so I decided not to stress over it. But I do miss it.

On with the day.

Damn, I don't know how I ever thought I could have done all this on my own...a couple of weeks ago, before Sue hired Rick to do the barn work, I said, oh, hey, it's okay, I can do it, no problem... ah, the sin of over confidence!

It doesn't seem like it should be that hard, there are only 11 horses here, and 4 of them are living outside. Only 6 stalls to do, and 8 paddocks to clean, and water barrels and pails to scrub and fill, and horses to put out and in and feed 4 times a day. Sure, I could do all that with one hand tied behind my back! Oh, how the mighty have fallen, lol. All I can say is thank the gods for Rick. He does all the work in the morning, and all I have to do in the afternoon is bring in the horses that come in at night, and feed them all. Oh, and put the sprinkler on the arena so it's not dusty for the trainer when he comes three times a week to ride Kandance, who I have to tack up and then cool down after each session, and oh,yes, the farrier is here to do her shoes, so she needs to be brought in, then put out, then shit, I forgot Dale was coming, bring her back in.. Whew. It was stinking hot here today too, and looks to be hotter tomorrow. I don't mind it not raining, but the heat is so draining.

It was so hot, and the flies were so bad that we brought Dusty and Kismet in at 1 p.m. before Rick left. Their paddock doesn't have much shade, and I don't like the baby out in the hot hot sun. All the other horses were happy to come in at 4, they were pretty fed up with the flies, I think. The barn is lovely and cool for them.

I did manage to pop into Aldergrove this morning to buy more cat food, and some stuff for my supper. I was getting a little low on supplies here on the frontier, lol. Need orange juice! I stopped at the little farm stand and bought some fresh corn on the cob, and some peaches. The corn is local, and was very sweet and tasty. I went into the garden and picked some lettuce and some beans and one ripe tomato for my salad. Yesterday I picked my very first cucumber, and it's fabulous. What a difference there is between home grown and store bought. I'm actually very pleased with how well the garden has done. When I get a spare minute, I'm going to plant some spinach and chard and maybe more peas, for a fall harvest.

Sue's office is getting rather warm, so I'm going to go sit in the recliner chair and put the fan on. Hope the house cools down before I go to bed.

The sky is a very beautiful shade of mauve now, with a band of pink on the horizon. The day has wound itself down and so shall I.

Tough as old boots, they say.
I say, comfy as a cosy slipper,
Yet strong and reliable
As a good friend.
Your maker called you paddock boots;
I called you best damn boot ever.
We walked so many miles together
And you never let me down.
Through rain, and snow, and, yes,
we'll say it,
Horse shit.
Now, you sit, your leather cracked
And split.
My socks see daylight, just a bit.
And so, old friend, the best shoe
I've ever worn,
I say goodbye, adieu.
I put you on the shelf of memories,
where I will from time to time recall
that
You were the truest sole mate of them all.


author's note: my paddock boots finally bit the dust today. Time to break in a new pair...sigh.

Wow, I can't believe how efficient I was this morning! Got up at crack o'dawn (okay, 7a.m. - I'm a night owl, remember?) and had all the horses fed and suited up for the day, fly masks and sheets on, and everyone out by 8:15. Except for Dusty and Kismet, because I had to wait for Glen to get here to help. I can bring them in by myself in the afternoon, but in the morning Dusty is just too excited and feisty to manage if I have Kismet too. Don't want to risk anyone getting hurt. While I was waiting for Glen to get here I cleaned all the stalls except Kismet's. We got them out around 11, since Glen had to drive all the way from Vancouver just to help. I was totally finished by noon, so I've had lunch and I'm going to just sit for awhile.

It's a lovely day; a few clouds, and a breeze, just enough to keep all the pesky flies away. Not too hot, just comfy. I'm enjoying the day so far.

This afternoon I was going to just sit and relax..but it didn't last long. I didn't feel like being inside, so I took a cup of tea out to the porch and sat for awhile. Then I got to noticing the weeds in the flower garden...so I spent an hour weeding the flowers, deadheading the roses on the big rose bush, and pulling up an acre or two of buttercups. Pretty flowers in a big open field, but a pain in the neck in a little flower garden. That took care of the time until I had to bring in the horses and feed.

Got everyone in and fed the dinner hay. While I was tossing Albert his hay over the paddock fence, I noticed the electric fence wire was broken, so I got out the wire cutters and the new wire, and repaired it. While I was doing that, I looked at a pile of old boards and things next to the paddock, and decided that there might be some good poles to stake the tomatoes. So I started digging through the wood, and to my horror I found a bunch of scrap wood with big nails sticking up through them. I could just imagine one of the horses managing to pull one of the boards under the fence (they do stuff like that) and then stepping on one of those 4" nails. Got the hammer from the tool room, and spent the next hour pulling nails out and stacking all the wood more neatly. I'm glad I noticed it.

By the time I finished picking out the paddocks, it was almost 6:30. Poor Stanley was practically dancing in circles around me, eager for his dinner - dogs have meal schedules too! He sure enjoys his food, Stan does. Then I fed myself, watched a little TV, went out and filled up the waters, and gave everyone more hay. That's it, I'm calling it a day. :)

I'm starting to lose track, and it's not even a week yet! It's strange how time seems to flow differently here; there's just not the visual or aural cues to the passing of the hours that there are in the city. The sun comes up, the horses go out, the work gets done, and hey! it's only noon. I think it's very easy to forget about things like calendars and clocks when the routines of the day are pretty much the same every day. Today is cloudy too, so I don't even have the sense of the sun travelling across the sky..

It's very calm and peaceful, and I feel quite mellow. I do get a bit bored and feel a little isolated, since I don't see a lot of people around. Rick is here in the mornings, but he's a very quiet and reserved kind of guy, not exactly a chatter. Not that we want him to be, he has work to do. Still, when I'm at home in the city, even if I don't go out, I hear people around me all the time. Passersby on the street, my neighbours, the noises of the city. Plus I look out my windows and there are always folks passing by. Here it's not like that, of course. I do hear the neighbours working in the blueberry fields, but other than that not much human contact in the course of the day. It takes some adjusting. It certainly helps that I have all my friends here on LJ, because that keeps me feeling in touch. Lordy, it sounds like I'm living out in the deep dark wilderness, doesn't it? I think I'm just feeling a touch homesick for my own cosy apartment; I miss my kitties, and having all my own stuff around me. Living in someone else's house, no matter how comfortable, just feels a bit strange. Stuff isn't kept where I would necessarily keep it, and I have to resist the urge to change things, lol.

I spent a little while in the garden this morning, weeding and stuff. The beans are coming along, and the tomatoes are growing, and the zucchini is enormous. I have 4 cabbages that are getting really big, and the brussels sprouts are sprouting. The peas are almost done, but I planted more a couple of weeks ago, and they're getting bigger. This is a trial year for me as I haven't had a vegetable garden in a long time. So I'm sorting out what does well, what we like to eat, and what I won't bother with next time...like peppers. I bought a great book on organic gardening, and I'm getting all sorts of ideas. I'm going to do a lot of work in the fall, making things ready for spring next year so I can get an earlier start. Definitely have to expand the area a bit, so I can plant in raised beds. This year is just a little taste test for me.

Okay. I've filled in another hour here, so I guess I should go find something useful to do, like take a nap, or read one of the stack of books I brought with me. Can't start doing anything out in the barn until 3:30 when I go out to start the supper routine. Time on my hands, so I should take advantage and relax.