Friday bullets - June 11, 2021

It has felt like a whirlwind of a week and I'm very glad it's Friday. Currently the rest of the month seems little more sane, which makes me happy.
  • We have finally ordered the rest of the things we need for Vienna... bit, bridle, fly boots, fly mask. I'm happy we already had a saddle, girth, and pads that work because a saddle is definitely a higher cost item. I'm excited for some of my riding students to be able to have lessons on her. So is Bristol, who is not a huge fan of lead line lessons.
  • Do you remember when we tried to have barn cats and it all ended tragically? I pretty much said never again because it was too emotionally taxing. It also meant that our barn has become a virtual rodent paradise. So imagine my utter delight when I opened the people door on the barn yesterday to discover a rather large garter snake there ready to greet me. I'm not being facetious, I was genuinely thrilled. Garter snakes are friendly, they eat rodents, I am unlikely to become emotionally attached to it, and it can pretty easily steer clear of coyotes. I am more than happy to share my barn with the snake. A little later when I returned to the barn I found it loitering behind some flower pots. 
Do you see it there next to the bright green extension cord pretending to be another extension cord? Can you see how long it is? The rest of it is curled around on the other side of the extension cord.
  • I realize it is only mid-June, but after a week of 90 degree weather, I am officially done with summer. I am also extremely thankful for air-conditioning.
  • Look at the chicken H. picked-out for me for my birthday. I love it and it makes me smile.

  • Aside from the chapter books we are reading at teatime, I haven't read any fiction for a couple of months. I have been deep into non-fiction, mainly about brains, emotions, and horses, probably due to being in this diploma program. I anticipate the pendulum will swing at some point and all I'll want to read is fiction... probably light, silly fiction at that.
  • G., L., and Y. continue to work on their Duo Lingo languages, though because I've been so busy and because I use my phone as a watch, they haven't had quite as much opportunity as usual.
  • I am about halfway through with my practice supervision client hours for my diploma program now.
  • One of the geese is broody. She will either be disappointed or we will be very surprised. There is no one here who wants to attempt to move a goose to collect eggs.
  • Not only do we have mice in the barn, we also occasionally get them inside the house. I have to say it is the very foolish mouse who shows itself here, though. Between the three cats... all of whom are pretty good mousers... and the husky, the mouse if pretty much doomed. And if a mouse does show itself, first hiding under the vacuum cleaner then running and hiding between the carpet and the first floor stair, the cats will lie in wait pretty much indefinitely until it comes out. After that, it's all over for the mouse I'm afraid. Now, though, we have several cats who have decided that both the vacuum cleaner and the first floor stair are mice vending machines. We have found cats just waiting in both places for the next mouse to appear and they (the cats) may be a bit disappointed that no one has restocked them yet.
  • And finally, the documentary about our family... Hayden and her Family... was selected to be featured on PBS' Reframed World Channel. I'm so happy for our friend the film maker. She has poured herself into this documentary and I'm glad she is going to receive some recognition for it.



Comments

Anonymous said…
I thought horses and snakes weren't a good mix. (Maybe your horses are mellow, though.)
6/12/2021 5:36 PM
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