The Lazy Days Of Retirement

     Like the lazy days of summer, (which are packed with adventure, vacations, trips to the pool, slumber parties, camping out, etc.) retirement is not near as lazy as one might envision.  For Britney, summer is her busiest time of year.  For me, retirement has been busy... just not real productive.

      Monday, like most days this week, I was up around 5am, opened gates and doors to let livestock out, and was home from my walk around 6:30am.  Tea and Bible reading on the front porch, checking e-mail, and then goofing off with Facebook.  Lonely Babe seeking shade from the already hot morning sun.  Angie dropped a hay wagon off at 8am so I went out to help  her with that. 

     Horses in afternoon shade of corn crib, with hay wagon waiting.  At 9am one of the Boward boys came to check on the alfalfa... it was dry on top.  Then I made three phone calls to school concerning my e-mail and retirement benefits.

     At 10:00, Luke or Levi (They are twins and I can't tell them apart) came to rake our alfalfa.  It looks much better (greener) now.  Angie came back at noon to drop off another hay wagon.  I spent a few hours neatening up around the yard... picking up lots of sticks, weeding, moving dirt to some holes and removing a bunch of big rocks from around a tree.  I mowed the front ditch by US 150, all the while thinking "Grandma Bullock would be proud of me".  She loved neatly trimmed road sides right up to the well weeded fields of corn and beans.

     I ended up mowing up and down the hill instead of sideways, after it got a little too scary tipping with the tractor.  It stalled out once when I was really leaning.  Wonder if that is a built in safety device like when your butt comes off the seat, the mower blades stop. 



     At 4:00 Levi came to rake the hay again. Dan came out and mowed the yard, and once I was done with the tractor, Joe mowed the fence lines.

     By 5:30 both Boward boys were here baling hay, along with the man who helps them. 






 




     And at 6:00 we headed off to growth group.


     By dawns' early light Tuesday, our total harvest was revealed.  Not much, only 117 bales. 






     The dog and I headed on our walk while the "grazers" were glad to get some better grass.  Our round pen is a mess.  The weeds are not getting "mowed", only the grass.

     Drinking my second cup of tea on the road, I took Dan to an eye Dr. apt. leaving here at 7:30am.  (He had to have his eyes dilated so needed a driver.) I ran to the Unit 5 Board office to deliver a retirement paper they needed to fill out. Back to get Dan, I ended up waiting 90 min.  I didn't realize this was a two hour appointment.


     I planted some flowers that were extras from Shelly, she had given me at Growth Group.  And watering chores continue to be lengthy. 


     I discovered Roni really scratching his rear on his stall gate.  He rubbed it quite sore, majorly bending the gate in the process.


     So I gave his tail end a good washing and put a medicated ointment on it.








     Angie came to get one hay wagon.



     It was a tight fit getting under the trees in the driveway.











     Joe and Dan loaded the other wagon with 60 more bales, getting them from the hay loft first cutting storage. 

     Angie came later to get this wagon as well.

      I rode Roni after dinner when it was a little cooler.  He was so revved up.  It took most the ride to get him to settle down and slow down.  I did canter him quite a bit over at Becks, hoping he would run off some steam.  It helped some.

     Wednesday Dan and I hit the road early again. This time to drop my car off to get the window fixed (for a second time). We did a little shopping and were home by 10am.  I spent over an hour with watering chores, pulled more weeds, worked in the garden, etc.  Well after lunch, I took a two hour nap, Joe waking me when he got home.  I was groggy until we went to Marj's to do our weekly stall cleaning.  It went quickly with the four of us working.  Courtney came home with us and we had carry-out Chinese for dinner.  Then I took Roni for a little spin around here and at Becks.  I had my hands full the whole time just about.
                                                              Meet (meat) Stew (Stuart Little)
     Thursday was a busy morning

but a lazy rainy afternoon.  After my walk and breakfast, I headed to Morain View.  I took Roni on a new and longer route and rode for a little over two hours.  He did much better than the night before.  I sponged him off and let him eat while he dryed as I sat at a picnic table and read my Bible. 



     Once home, we got a nice little rain shower just after I stepped inside the house.  I had to go back out and shut barn doors to keep the hay and stalls dry.  By the time I returned to the house, I was pretty wet, so I opted to take my shower early.

     I had a late lunch at my computer, worked on finishing my novel in bed... took a nap.  Then Joe and I were off to the neighboring dairy farmer to buy a calf.  We got this 5 day old Holstein bull (who we'll castrate later).  We named him Stew.

    



     He was easy to load and unload and calmly checked out his new living quarters.


     Babe was quick to come over and check Stew out.

















     Stew finally settled in to take a rest and then Zorro and Amiga came over to meet the new kid on the block.













     

      Little Stuart is so quiet, gentle and cute... we are all captivated by his presence.  I have spent many a minute out watching him each time I go to check to see how he is doing.

     Friday morning's walk was put on hold as Dan, Joe and I headed down the drive just after 7am.  We picked up my car which had a new window installed, Joe headed to work and Dan and I to the eye clinic.  Daniel had his Lasik ("laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis") surgery and I got to watch it all on a big screen TV.  It was rather bizarre how the Dr. cut the corena and pealed a clear flap of it back. He then zapped one eye for 19 seconds and the other for 13, to remove some corneal tissue underneath to reshape the corena.  The actual procedure only took about 15 minutes.  Dan did great through the whole process.  He said he could feel pushing and then tugging, and smelled burning flesh.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/lasik.htm
An ultra-thin flap is created on the eye's surface during LASIK corrective eye surgery. After laser energy is applied to reshape the eye, the flap is replaced to serve as a type of natural bandage.

     Once back home, Dan was instructed to take a nap.  Kaysha and I jumped back in the car and headed to Moraine View to walk the backpack trails. 














     We enjoyed the walk and exploration of the woods.  I was wishing I had brought a dish to fill with water because the dog did get kind of hot.  On the way home we went via LeRoy to pick up eye drops for Dan, water and ice cream.  The main essentials.

     Dan was still napping when we got home, so I busied myself around the house and farm.  Many terms describe busy.  (Occupied, employed, engaged, and engrossed... to name a few.)  I ate lunch, put twine on the gate because Stew could almost squeeze out, read, gazed out the windows as I sat on the porch, stood in the barn and watched horses, chickens, ducks and cows, etc.  Amiga and Zorro continue to be very curious.  After they left, Roni came by to look in on Stew also.








 






     Just as I was dozing off for my after lunch nap, I realized I needed to give Stew his 1:00 bottle.  I am feeding him 3 pints every 8 hours instead of 4 pints twice a day.  It is more time consuming, but more natural for him.  So up I go to do that.

     Joe got home early so we headed to the Fitness Center in LeRoy that we have a one year membership to.  This was my first visit there.  We sat by the pool, I reading and Joe napping.  I did swim six laps.  It put a different kind of pressure on my still sore wrist, but it was good for it, I think.  I discovered that I sure need to get back into aerobic shape as well.  Joe left to play cards, and I have no recollection of what I did, other than taking the dog for a walk in the cool of the evening.

     Saturday morning Joe took Dan in for his 24 hour post op. check-up.  I watered everything as usual.  Joe help Dan finalize the purchase of his new (used) car.  It is a 2007 Pontiac G6 GT Coupe, which Dan drove home. 


     After lunch I raked up scattered old yucky hay from the paddock and started the burn pile out back.  Watering the garden is a daily job and now, so is weeding.

     Late in the afternoon, Joe and I (with horse and dog in tow) headed to Comlara Park.  Here, Missy cruises by while Roni and Kaysha wait to be loaded.

     We were looking for a new and different trail (adventure).  It took some time to figure out the trail map and decide which to take and where to park.


     We selected a trail that went along Evergreen Lake.  Roni and I started out behind Joe, but because Roni was breathing down Joe's neck (literally) Roni and I took the lead.







     Roni has a fast walk so we got well ahead of Joe.  We kept in contact by phone, and ended up meeting back at the trailer at 7pm. 

     The slightly over-cooked beef (Sir Loin) stew was waiting for us when we got home. 

     Today I worked in the nursery, so went to second service.  A long (and over $200) grocery trip didn't get me home until after lunch time.  I had eaten some groceries in the car and snacked on some more goodies as I
was unpacking them.  After feeding
Stew, I watered everything well.  I had gotten rained on in town, but it missed us out here again.  I did a little more burning out back.  Joe had started on the barn door installation project, which first required removal of old rotten boards.  So I burnt those along with more old or moldy hay.  The door is going to be trickier to install because the over-head clearing is not high enough.  Joe will also have to build a frame for the opening. 

     We decided to let Stew out into the paddock with Babe.






     Babe used to seem so little next to Frankie and the horses.  She towers over Stew and looks so big now.

     We enjoyed watching the two bovine interact and Stew exploring his new surroundings.


                                          
     He tried nibbling on different things, and got bolder and bolder. 



Then he started running and jumping, kicking and bucking.






    
    



    

     He played "Catch me if you can" with Babe and she just kept walking around after him.  He really seemed to enjoy himself.

 
     Fatigue, heat and headache prevented me from working as long and hard as I wanted this afternoon.  I ended the day and the week on the front porch, with cat in lap, working on this Blog and playing Words With Friends on Facebook.  Being busy can involve any number of things.  I think lazy days just implies proceeding in a slow and relaxed pace at busyness, or being busy napping, reading, or lounging around.