Well it has been a while since I've put pen to paper...or fingertips to keyboard, I suppose.

We survived the first storm. I was afraid that the strong winds (60+ mph) would blow the front doors open. Colin went to the hardware store to get a bolt to put in the doorjamb, only to realize when he got home that there was one there, it just wasn't bolted! Oops.

Colin dealt with my stress and panic very well, and didn't send me to the looney bin! I have had dreams about a few farm-related things. In the first dream, I dreamt that there were teenage boys trespassing on the farm and I told them to leave and if I saw them again I'd call the cops. In the same dream, the front pasture was a huge sinkhole and Colin was out there with a shovel trying to fix it. Then I had another dream that the slope in the front of the house pretty much disappeared so that we were precariously perched with almost nothing supporting the house. Scary. But each time it rains and nothing major happens, I feel better.

After a lovely week and weekend last week, we had more rain yesterday and today. I'll come back to that, but want to talk about the sun shining! Colin hired a guy with a backhoe to come in and dig a trench for irrigation. I must admit that I didn't have faith in Colin's plan, but it worked out quite well. The backhoe dude (b.d. for short) came last Friday and Saturday. As he was digging the trench, Colin was going along laying the pipes for irrigation, then I followed up with the tractor, pushing the dirt back from where it came. I am a tractor PRO! It is quite fun! That was Saturday. Then Sunday, we put up Horseguard fencing - electric tape fence. It was a PITA to get started, but we got it done in one afternoon! I had fun spraying dots on the pasture dirt to mark where I wanted the poles, then I used the special pole-bamming-device to put the poles (fiberglass) in the ground. Colin and I then went pole by pole attaching the chargers, then finished up by rolling out the tape. Colin gets special brownie-points because I only helped with half the job and he finished by himself (the neighbors came over to ride in the arena, and our rules are that one of us has to be there to supervise).

It made me sooo happy to get a project done over the weekend!!!

Since even before we moved here, the plan was for me to get a job once we got settled. I don't know if that's going to happen, though! I swear, I have no time to work...sigh... I can't believe how much time running the farm takes. I have to clean stalls and dump manure in the morning, the boys get fed 3x a day - actually 4x now that I consider "tucking them in" - and there are various other chores that need to be done. Let's see...in the past couple weeks I have worked on digging the ditch by the arena, digging the ditch by the driveway, and digging a small ditch behind the barn to divert water. I pruned the pine trees in the backyard yesterday using the bow saw. I put together jumps a couple days ago and then again today. We need to get some more gravel for a couple of places in the driveway and by the barn because the rain makes mud and depending on what kind, it can be quite slippery. I trim Miles's feet once a week, then every four weeks I take him and Monty to be professionally done (and that takes 1/2 day). I go to the chiropractor every other week, I have to clean the house, do the dishes, do laundry, and hopefully fit in time for a nap (although it has been a few weeks since I've had one of those). So do you think I have time to work? Do you?

On a very positive and fun note, Colin has taken a keen interest in learning how to ride. Miles is somewhat comfortable walking with his Boa boots on, so I've taken Colin out on trail rides a few times. Since we moved here, he learned how to feed the boys, groom the boys, and now he's learned how to tack up, too! He's a very quick study! Unfortunately, Miles isn't ready for very regular work, and certainly nothing more than walking right now, so I don't know how far I can take Colin at this point. He wants to take lessons with Sonja, the neighbor. Luckily we did an exchange of services with them, so we've got a credit for quite a few lessons. We ordered some goodies for him from the Dover's catalog - paddock boots, half chaps, and a helmet. He can't wait to get his stuff!

One of the young girls in the neighborhood, Jordan, keeps her pony at home. Her dad is in the process of building their arena, though, so she has nowhere to ride at the moment. We're letting her come over (with a parent) a couple times a week so that she can get some riding in. Since I have gotten my poles, cavaletti and jumps, I set up some exercises for her to do so she doesn't get bored by going around and around and around in circles. It is fun for me because I get to share information and ideas, and it gives me ideas for what I can do also.

So back to the rain. In the last storm (not yesterday's), the water broke through both sides of the berm. We have a lot of water that comes down the hill from the neighbors, that fills up the pond, then the outflow pipe couldn't keep up with the volume, so the water found its way through a weak spot in the berm. Thankfully, it is within a couple of feet of the outflow pipe, and the water ends up in the same place. Then yesterday when I was doing barn chores in the morning, I saw water seeping in at the ground-level planks of the back wall. I went out to investigate, and mud had filled up to a certain level and the water wasn't running off properly. So I had to spend some time scooping out mud and making a small, small ditch for the water to flow away from the barn. I need to clean out the barn gutters, too, but I'm going to wait until the ground dries out. I wouldn't want to slip and land in a pile of manure or a puddle of urine (even though urine IS sterile...)!

We're supposed to have at least a week's worth of sunshine coming up, so I hope Colin and I can finish the drain by the arena before the next rain. I'm sick of digging back there, but it will really help move the water to another spot. I must say, though (knock on wood), that the arena seems to hold up quite well in the rainy weather. So I'm very thankful for that - that we got it done in time, and that we were smart enough to hire professionals who knew what they were doing!

Colin made a yummy dinner last night - cheddar cheese soup, salad and bread and chocolate-chocolate-chip cookies for dessert. Yes, I am one LUCKY GIRL, indeed!!!

- posted by Susan @ 3:14 PM