All in a day

I often get sidetracked by so many things. Does that happen to you?

Yesterday, walked out back to check the mules. Siera and Sundance are now buddies and their fences were all okay.

The sunrise was gorgeous. Good thing I had thought to bring a camera.

And then the fog moved across the meadows.

I came back to the house and checked on the pups. Hannah was sound asleep.

Since it was cool out, I started weed whacking. 

I did it until I ran out of fuel for the thing. I didn't want to go to town and get more, so I decided I'd done enough and went on to hand pulling weeds and pulling out my big scissors. I use them to trim places around the porch.

It does a great job getting the grass super short around the edges of my crazy porch gardens.

While trimming, I noticed the hummingbird feeders were getting grungy so I grabbed them and soaked them. Ahhh, I needed to make more hummingbird 'juice'! To make the hummingbird food I had to put away last night's dishes. 

I dropped something and noticed that some little dogs had blessed my floor with dog hair and sand so I decided to shake some rugs and clean up the dog hair, clean my craft table, and the mini split filters.

When I went back out to hang the feeders I realized I still had trimming to do as well as sweeping the porch and getting the trash ready for the dump.

[I use a little leaf blower to 'sweep' the porch, it does such a quick job!]

I loaded the car, checked the time and realized that it was only 7am. 

Huh, I couldn't go take care of the trash until 8am.

I did weed pulling and garden work while I decided what the day should look like. I seem to be able to relax and think better when my hands are busy. 

I went inside and made a to do list. If I didn't, I would just wander about doing random things all day. 

Mow the yard
Wash the rugs
Dump the garden weeds
Trash to Dump
Little Richard water tub-clean
Mules water tub-clean

Side yard when seeded

Hark! The side yard can now be mowed! 

Off to the town dump to sort my trash, then on to the gas station for mower gas. While at the gas station, I noticed a little pop up farm stand. I picked up veggies for stir fry for $3. Kohlrabi, tomatoes, and zucchini. At least I think it was Kohlrabi. 

Back at some weeding until the grass was dry enough...oh, and talking to Hannah in a stern voice because she was rearranging my outdoor shoes on the porch and putting my gloves in various places.

Mow mow. I do a combination of the little mower and the rider. I didn't want to be cutting grass during the expected 'heat dome' affect this week. 

I was finished by early afternoon so the dogs and I took a small siesta. I actually sat down to read a book and crashed for a wee bit.

I'm no foodie but tossing the tomato, kohlrabi, zucchini, and some Kale in a pan and sautéing them in olive oil sounded like a good meal to me. Next time, I'll add an onion.

I was going to ride Siera to see if all this time off would cured her of her ailment but remembered that the moon would be 99% full. 

I took the pups out to the 'campground' or what I call, my quiet place.

We had a small fire just because I like little fires.

The dogs both wear beeper collars when we are way out back. They are both hunting/chasing dogs at heart and I would rather they not get in the habit of chasing deer. Hannah isn't supposed to be tearing about for another week anyway.

....and

...and...

I waited for the nearly full 'Strawberry' Moon. In the campground I was amazed at how cool it felt with the light breeze and even better. No Bugs.

I was going to stay up and see if I could catch some fireflies, but...my eyes grew heavy and off to slumber land I went.

--Not looking forward to the Heat Warning that was issued for Monday.
Heat index values for Monday. 108 F or 42 C.

Hannah Belle -- by Charlie

 Hannah is a pain. She still nibbles on my ears and tries to make me wrestle with her.

But I am the King of this Domain and above such childish puppy shenanigans.

Yesterday morning there was no breakfast. Hannah protested and went on the couch to give Val the 'look'. I didn't know why we had to miss breakfast.

Then Val took Hannah away in the car. I figured they were going for a walk.

Huh.

She came back without Hannah. No Hannah. No irritating, nagging, annoying, Hannah.

While Val was taking groceries out of the car, I jumped in looking for her. I smelled her.

Did she give her back to the Foster Family? 

I wandered around the house looking. No Hannah. No Hannah. Instead of sitting on the porch like usual, I started wandering the yard, I checked the big shed where Val always hollers 'NO, get out of the shed!' 

No Hannah. 

Finally, I stood in the middle of the kitchen and gave Val that look. She came and sat down on the floor and talked to me. She told me that Hannah went to the veterinarian's office to get fixed.

Huh.
I didn't know she was broken.

Val said that when I was a puppy I had to get 'fixed' too. I don't recall.

She said it was harder for girl puppies. 

Whatever.

Did she get her puppy nibbles biting of my ears fixed? Was she coming back? 

Communication with humans is so hard. 

I had a quiet afternoon. It was pretty darned peaceful.

She came back. But she was different. In fact Hannah was like an old dog and she smelled like the Vet's office. Hannah ignored me and looked so sad.

I kinda felt sorry for her. I don't think she was 'fixed' I think the Vet broke her.

Val made a bed for us on the living room floor so Hannah wouldn't jump up on the couch. She said something about stitches.

I like Hannah this way, she was so quiet that we could snuggle close.

By 3am the old Hannah came back.

Val feed her and put a shirt on her so she wouldn't lick the stitch stuff.

The Veterinarian totally messed up.

She isn't fixed at all.

Same irritating pup that went to the office.

 Oh, and that shirt. Just wrong in my mind.

And Val should get her money back. 
She is NOT fixed at all.

Foggy morning

Sometimes I wake up to heavy fog in our area. Our steep valleys often give us some incredible fog. I never liked driving to work in it at 4am or at 7am, but it is beautiful when one doesn't have to drive in it.

I took two cameras out Monday just as the sun broke the horizon. [Thank you Hannah for being the perfect alarm clock...on cue she wakes me up just as the world is getting light--> yawn!]

I headed out with the car so I could check out a few of my favorite places.

I started on the ridge and saw that the valley was full of fog.

This is one of my favorite places to stop and watch fog. All the elements are there. I've probably photographed this spot over many years in different weather. 

I decided to try and take some shots with both cameras for comparison:

Fog is one of my favorite things to go for walks in. Above is the road to the valley and below is a stream the locals call Black Bottom Creek but the maps call it Readscreek. 

It was about 6am and I stood on the bridge over the creek and took these shots. It is in the opposite direction from the shot with the tree in it.

I waited for about a half hour or so here hoping for the sun to come over the hill to the east. Impatience is my forte so I headed over to another bridge over the same creek.

I explored more shots but these are my examples. 

I find fog magical.

I love a good foggy morning in the Driftless.  I'm only moments from either the ridge or the valley.

The shot below is back on the ridge just after the sun broke through the fog.

Old place revisited

 

Above 👆

Photo of Rich on his beloved mule Fred.

21 years ago in the fall.

It has been a while since I visited the Wildcat Mountain State Park 'horse trails'. A person can hike those trails but I've never done that.

I've avoided taking hikes on the horse trails because of ... well, I thought the memories of us riding our mules there would be too painful.

Hannah and I set out on foot. It felt weird to navigate the trails on my own. Before I always had Rich as the navigator. He never seemed to need a map, he seemed to always know exactly where he was. 

I decided to explore the horse trails by foot since I have a trailer --but no truck to pull it. Nor do I have the skill to be confident in turning our large trailer around.

Even though I haven't been down these trails in a long time certain places just hit me with bittersweet memories. [Those are shown above]

We rarely had to chat when we rode. Rich was quiet, unless he was calling his chosen mule a name. Fred was sure his name was 'Goddamitfred'. We'd laugh about that all of the time. 

We packed a lunch of ring bologna, cheese, and Ritz crackers. We brought water along to wash it down. We often stopped at a spot called Johnny Cake to have our picnics.

Sunshine is the 'butt' on the right.

Today, it was just Hannah and I. 

We ran into a couple of lady riders that were trying to avoid Johnny Cake and get out to the Yellow Trail. I helped them navigate and gave them the second copy of the map I'd taken at the park entrance.

I spent a long time at Johnny Cake. 

I sat on that very same picnic table and let my mind wander into fond memories.

I thought that Memory Lane would make me sad. It didn't, it made me smile with remembering all the good times we had while mounted.

Life in the saddle was always so sweet. After all, that is how we met. 

Hannah and I enjoyed the trails and the deep forest trails we walked through. Everything was new to my 'feet' since I'd never walked any of these trails before. We just walked along and enjoyed everything we were seeing.

The memories were sweet and endearing.

Hannah and I got back to where I'd parked and sat down to have some water and snacks.

We will go back soon.

It is a place of fond memories and a place where we can create new ones.

Not only that...there are still 14 more miles of trails we can explore by foot.

Little Miss Sunshine

 

When this mule was born hubby thought we should sell her right away. She never got big but mom was only 14 hands. I wasn't impressed with her at first as she wasn't super striking to look at. I didn't feel that she had the best confirmation in the mule world. She inherited her mom's barrel body but did not inherit her mother's attitude.

At the time, I was working with her half brother who was 15 hands who was an incredibly handsome dark bay mule.

Rich put her up for sale and a guy came and looked at her. He wasn't impressed with her looks either so we decided to keep her and make her a grand kid mule. 

Thing is, she became our all around trail mule.

What I never realized in the years I worked with her is that she was absolutely beautiful, kind, sweet, and just like her half brother...she would do anything I asked her to do. I lost Badger when he was 16 years old due to an illness. It broke my heart and I couldn't bear to think of even loving another mule.

In the face of difficult situations in the forest, Sunshine will look at it, assess it, and then deal with it. She thinks, just like most of the mules I've worked with over the past 30 years. 

Sunshine's mother was reactionary. 

A deer would step out of the forest a quarter mile away and she'd generally spin and then stop. Sunshine points her hears, slows down, observes, then walks on. 

When I was working her as a 5 yr old I'd sing from her back, drop her reins, flop around in the saddle, and pull branches off trees and wave them around. I'd cry out, whine, complain, and carry on.

Rich laughed and said I was acting like a 4 yr old and I agreed. If a kid were to ride her, they'd probably do all of these things. 

But she did end up being an incredible mule to carry grandkids.

For whatever stupid reason, she still was not my 'favorite' heart throb mule. I was still lost over losing Badger so I rehabbed Opal the people hating mule. I fell for Siera with her good looks and her incredible gaits.

Time and time again, I returned to riding the Little Red Mule. Each time I discovered more reasons why she was so good.

My friend who has horses had invited me to bring a mule to her place so we could ride together. 

Kristi just wanted to ride and have someone to go with.

My first thought was to take Siera. She is 14.5 hands and a very striking bay mule. She is calm and easy going too. Siera developed that weird lameness so that left Sunshine.

I struggled with that decision because she is 28 but in great health and no issues. But I've never ever been apart from her for 28 years. I didn't know if I could wake up in the morning and NOT see her in the pasture.

This week we finally made a date to move her. My anxiety level went through the roof. How could I let my red head leave the farm?

Another thought struck me. I have raised this mule from birth. I have overlooked her time and time again but always knew in my heart that we have a special connection that normally doesn't occur between equine and humans.

When I took her photo in the pasture the other night I was again struck by her poise and beauty. Plus the fact that I could not step out on the porch without her spotting me from across the field. Always, always, she knickers and watches to see what I am up to.

Was I really that dumb to not appreciate the plain colored red beauty? With my heart in my throat, I took her to Olive's house where we transported her to Kristi's farm.

I put her in the paddock next to Johnny Cash [Kristi's new horse] and observed. Sunshine walked around the paddock while the horses checked her out. The horses bounced around and whinnied. Sunshine gave them the once over and then got down and rolled. Apparently she wasn't too impressed.

Kristi sent me a photo of Sunshine this morning so I wouldn't miss her too badly.

So Sunshine and Johnny Cash got along just fine.  She must like his songs.🎶

I went there last night and we rode for a bit in her indoor arena. 

Sunshine had never been in one and didn't care for it at first.

We then headed out and down her road which is a dead end. The wind was blowing pretty hard but the two equine didn't seem to mind. We traveled through a gate and rode through a large pasture. Sunshine was on a mission and did her best mule walk which is fast.

Johnny is a Western Pleasure horse and walks slow and easy. 

Eventually we went to the outdoor arena and practiced some figure 8's at a trot and just enjoyed the evening.

The kids went by in a UTV, the Amish neighbor was moving sheep and they were making a lot of noise. Tyler the handyman was using a skid steer just outside the outdoor to spread dirt and do landscaping.

Both equine took it all in without batting an ear. Though the crappy shot below shows my long ear watching the Amish Sheepdog.

So.

What does it feel like riding after such a long hiatus? 
Sweet.

I will commend my Little Miss Sunshine for taking it all in at a strange place and not being a butt head. She did everything I asked her to.

Saturday morning we are going to trail ride at Kristi's.

My decision was the right one. Serendipity chose Sunshine and Sunshine once again proved exactly why she was the one mule I've always wanted.

What can I say. Except that I haven't felt this stress free in years. Yes, riding is magical.