Record Time

     Contrary to last week's blog on counting or not, to know if a time is a record, you have to count and record it.  Today's running of the Boston Marathon occurred in record time by a Kenyan.  Wish I could say the same for this blog post, which took longer than usual to finish.  Sometimes our perception of time leads us to believe it is moving faster or slower than usual.  We all know that time marches on at a steady, unchanging pace, but gosh does it seem to speed by usually.  Although sometimes it just drags.  I always hope my Biology class does not drag, but there are just some things that need to be taught or accomplished that aren't as exciting as others.

     I woke up last Monday feeling just as bad as I had Sunday when I last posted.  My throat was so sore and I really struggled to talk.  I quickly made a change in my lesson plans and showed a 20 min video, postponing a lecture until Tuesday. So class seemed to zip by today. When I got home from school, I took a nap in the hammock.  I was much too soon woken up
                                                     by Hercules who noticed me and
thought something was amiss.  He was all puffed up and yelling (gobbling) at me. In this photo he is doing his thing.  You can sorta of see the hammock behind the white benches.     
     Since I had gotten so much school work done over the weekend, I spent some time shopping for and buying a Side Pull Hackamore bridle (seen here)  and a Colombian Paso Fino rubber bar bit (seen on the right).  Marj was much help in advising me
on these.  This will give me two
options when riding Amiga and give Courtney something to use until she buys what she wants for Zorro.  I still need to buy a bridle and a saddle with pad.  I have seen several for sale on e-bay, advertised as lightly used, that had been bought but didn’t quite work out.  I do not want to become one of those “sellers” of a saddle that didn't work, so am really trying to get something I know is going to fit and do the job.  I can't believe I have had this horse for almost 6 months and still do not have tack.  Where has the time gone?

     Monday night my Bible study group prayed for me to get better, and my headache immediately went away.  My sinuses cleared and there was no longer all that pressure.  The sore throat and hoarse voice were much slower to heal.  But I felt so much better even before a good night's sleep.

     Tuesday morning I woke up feeling great, 
compared to how I had felt the day before.  I still struggled to talk but managed to get through my lecture in all 3 classes.  Once home I finally had some energy, so went out and worked in the yard.  I re-did the compost bin, making it secure from Chuck who keeps pushing it over.  I think he likes the smells coming from it, sticks his head through the fence and pushes it over.  I had to wire it back together because it was broken in several spots, and then with Joe's help, put up rope to keep Chuck out.  Then I wired the bin to the fence and side of the barn.  Time will tell if this is going to work.  In this photo you can see the dried up garden (little rain in 2 weeks) in front of the green compost bin.  There is onion I transplanted from the south side of the barn, and a tomato and a pepper plant.

     Courtney and I again brushed and then worked each of our horses.  After awhile we put them together in the round pen for some additional work.  They look so pretty, cute, happy and showy working together.

Moving at a faster gait.                                   Slowing it down.

       Wed. morning I experienced another relapse with this head cold.  I was all clogged up, my head and one ear really hurt, and the throat and voice were still in bad shape.  Once I got going, and blowing, and clearing my throat....and took cold medicine, I had relief from the sinus pressure.   I did a little weeding and yard work after school.  I think the fresh air, sunshine and exercise helped me.  I bought some flowers, but didn’t get them planted because the bed had too many weeds that I worked on weeding for what seemed like a long time.  Later, when I went out to the barn, I hooked Kaysha up near by.  She just can't be trusted to let roam because she wanders off.  She is also digging big holes out in our field.  This series of pictures shows Bro loving on the dog.  The barn kitties really do enjoy her.  The last picture was taken a different day with Sis napping with Kaysha on the back door step. I think Abbey, our indoor cat is a bit jealous...she really likes the dog also.

       I brushed and then worked with Amiga in the round pen.  I rode her bare back again.  She will do so much better once I have a bit.  On my way back from the barn just after dark Wed, I caught a wild animal off guard.  It ran from the side of the garage shed to the back of the corn crib.  It moved like a cat but was much larger.  I did not see a tail, but it might have been tucked between its legs.  It had to have been about a 30 lb animal, with its back about knee high.  In the darkness it looked quite light in color, maybe a tan.  I did not see its head….only the hind end fleeing.  I am thinking maybe it was a coyote…but really have no idea.

  






 
          We have been putting the horses out on the front pasture most days.  They really like this little section to the west of our house because it is shady and there is lots of clover in the grass.  After getting their fill, they will rest in the shade of this apple tree.  Once the leaves open up and grow more, it will provide nice shade.

     I had to be at school at 6:30 Thursday morning to present an award. I then had 3 extra hours to spend there, getting caught up on school work.  I came straight home after teaching my 3 classes, to do more gardening and then Courtney and I were off to our lesson.  We rode out in a corn field, along some ditches and up and down the road.  Both horses did very well.  Marj and her husband Richard rode with us, so it was like a trail ride.  I could tell Amiga and Zorro were watching their horses, and that really helped build their confidence.  It was so nice to finally “hit the trail” with these two.  Once back to the stables, Courtney and I worked Amiga and Zorro on our own in the outdoor arena.  We practiced gating, starting, stopping, turning, backing, etc. Once we had had enough ridding we tied the horses at the hitching post.  When Courtney removed, from Zorro, the saddle she bought, we discovered that it is sitting funny on him. That might explain why he has recently acted different under saddle. He keeps trying
                                                                                    or wanting to
Barn kitties take a morning nap.                                      go sideways. 
They are more like deck kitties lately.                              So, Courtney   
is going to need  to go through the hassle of returning it, and being without a saddle for awhile.      I planned to  do some much needed house cleaning when I got home from our lesson, but it was almost 9:00 by the time I got in from the barn and I was just too tired.  Where did the time go?  I decided Friday was another day.
                                                                                      
     Joe had “the guys” over for some Texas Hold em Friday just after noon.  They were going strong when I got home at 3pm.  I worked on neatening up Britney’s room, including vacuuming, dusting, and washing sheets, and then spent the majority of my time out in the barn.  Courtney came and worked Zorro. I brushed Amiga, did round pen work, and then rode her in the round pen and out in the field.  She does pretty good considering I only have a halter with reigns and no saddle.  I can definitely tell when she is gating well or not, cause she gets real bouncy when not in gait.  She still goes in and out of gait regularly cause she is still learning and it is hard to get her head to tuck without a bit.  She is listening to me and really trying to please me though, so I am quite happy with her. 

      First thing Saturday morning Joe and I finished loading junk into the truck, including five feed bags of poison ivy.  I guess the truck looked different to Hercules so he came over in record time to see if he needed to warn off this new intruder.  Joe headed for the dump and after doing some work at my computer, I did some much needed, but dreaded house cleaning.  It always looks so good and feels so good to get it done.  Don’t know why I wait so long between cleanings.  I guess the dirtier it is the more rewarding it is to get it cleaned up.  I am thinking no inside animals would really cut down on the hair.  As for dust, dirt, hay, and bugs….I guess that stuff is going to get in here regardless.  So, what’s a little more pet hair?  Joe's sisters arrived mid morning and as typically happens when we have company, I was still doing some last minute cleaning when they showed up.   Joe was busy selling

hay.  Seen here is our 2nd customer leaving and the third chatting with Joe.  By the time the third guy got 35 bales loaded into his truck, we girls had settled in and then were amused yet worried by the man's exit with the
                                                                                    over sized  load.
I guess he was trying to save time my hauling it in one trip.  I am sure he did not get back in record time, but it had to be a record on # of bales you can fit onto a pick up.  It was quite windy so that added to the challenge of keeping the bales on the truck.  He stopped at the end of the drive, just after this picture was taken to re-secure his load.  I really hope he got it home in 1 piece.  Notice our "Hay For Sale" sign at the end of our lane.  We will need to take it down soon, because we have about cleared out all our un-needed hay.

     We had an easy going day Sat....visiting, walking around the farm, and messing with the horses, barn kitties and chickens.  It was rather windy and cool so we didn't stay outside all day.  Courtney and Mike joined us for grilled chicken dinner and more chatting. 

     Sunday morning it was cold.  Extra tea and coffee helped warm and wake us up.  I decided to work Amiga and ride her before lunch for something different.  She continues to do well, except she keeps wanting to come in on me when I stop her after lunging.  She is supposed to turn and face me and stop.  I'll need to get more help from Marj on this problem.  For Joe's birthday today, I gave him two certificates, each for an hour riding lesson.  I'll make a horseman of him yet. LOL  The Villhauer ladies left around 1pm and then it was time to get some work done.  I set up my little fountain on our deck and then cleaned my pond and filter.  Got the pond filled and pump running and the chickens showed up for some fresh water.

A little later the barn cats also checked out the pond and had a drink.  With day after day of sunshine (and quite often wind) I watered all the recent transplanted flowers and shrubs and also the ones we had planted last fall.  The pine tree we moved in September really looked dried out.  The day, and weekend came to an end all too soon along with the realization that I would not get all my school work and this new Blog post completed.  Time flies when you are having fun or just keeping real busy.

     Today I had a doctors appointment to be sure I was good to go to Guatemala.   Since it was at 3pm, I decided to just stay at school and work to save on time and gas by not going home.  And then after leaving the Dr's office, since I had our Growth Group at 6pm, I chose to still stay in town.  I went to Schlotzky's Deli for a very late lunch/early dinner.  I sat at the quiet restaurant for almost two hours and got a bunch of papers graded.  It felt good to accomplish so much school work.  I can't believe how quickly this school year has been going.  It feels like record time.  Of course it isn't over yet, and we are at the stage where many students have already checked out....so it is more difficult to keep them motivated and working.  Time may slow down at this point in the school year....but I doubt it.