It suddenly

seems very weird not to be abiding by a busy schedule of visiting Home Health people and setting up meds for the day. 

Sleeping at night without interruptions was easier to get used to.

It is strange to be able to make a 'coffee' date with a friend without checking out my back up schedule.

However, Charlie is enjoying the morning walks again. There is something about being able to greet the day while walking down a quiet gravel road and looking out onto the ridge.

Monday was the day to go to the funeral home and make the rest of the arrangements final with my step daughter.

One of the more difficult things in life I think is...is to write an obituary. Apparently there are rules to follow for the genealogy folks with a long long list of who is who and who was who.

It is well known that I'm not one to follow the rules. I don't in photography, so why should I do it in other things? 

I did open his obit with the 36 years with Fred the mule and 30 years with his wife line. So many of the his friends from Missouri and Iowa wrote how they knew Fred and Rich and how awesome they were together. [Insert a huge laugh for that!]

The rest will be as Rich wanted it. Simple and very short.

We will be having a 3 hour mingle and visit with some flowers that Steph picked of yellow roses and wheat, barley, and oat sprigs with a nod to the huge influence of equine in her dad's life. Photos of his life will be on a big screen and there will be some 'finger' food. 

Somehow I made it through to this stage and am working on the next stage which is dealing with the VA and finding places for things like new hearing aid batteries, along with medical devices that I can donate to others.

My adjustments will be slow, but I will find my footing again. My grief and sorrow will stay with me forever I hope. I feel him with me every single moment in a good way.

Richard, my love

Richard Ewing

1949 to 2025

Richard Ewing. 

Rich was often referred to by friends as the Muleman. He loved mules. He got along with them so well because he was ~~~ just like them.

He had a 36 year relationship with his mule, Fred. He had a 30 year relationship with his wife Val.

Rich could be difficult to say the least. He was always open and honest about how he felt on any subject and you knew where you stood with him. His heart was big. He could be stern and loving in the same moment.

He knew during his last time in the hospital that he never wanted to spend another minute in one. He requested to enter Hospice because in his words, "I want to go home to my Silly Dog Charlie and my Grumpy Wife, Val.

What can I say about Rich? I met him on the Richland Center Wagon train. I learned his mule's name first. He had the best pickup lines in the world.

He rode up and introduced Fred and then told me I had a fine looking mare. His next comment was hilarious. He told me "that mare would make a fine looking mule momma". I was stunned and entranced by the gnarly cowboy on the little mule called Fred.

The first time I visited his house, he took me up through enchanted forest path to an open meadow that was glowing in the evening sun.

I turned to him and said: I've just found home.

Rich loved his animals. One could say he even collected them. 

When I moved in with him my future mother-in-law was so happy. She told me with a glint in her eye, "I'm so happy that I don't have to do Richard's laundry or clean his house any more. He's got you now!"

He bought me a young mule to train instead of an engagement ring. What a romantic he was. Even better was the profit he made when he sold the mule.

I don't know what he was like as a dad and husband before we met. But I do know that I was lucky to join the Ewing family. He made my life brighter in many ways as he did with others that he touched. His laugh could be heard a mile away.

When it came to his grandkids, he felt he perhaps could have second chance at doing things right. He felt he wasn't good enough the first time around. Maybe he could fix things with the next generation. He was deeply touched by all of his grandkids. He loved them all fiercely.

He loved mule riding, his hound dogs, fishing and hunting. He was the quintessential outdoor guy. 

He thought he'd teach me about coon hunting. One night and I was hooked. Though it came with a price. While selling the furs he would often tell a funny story.

He winked at me as he said, "Oh yup, I take Val with me quite often, she is a good dog handler. She really took to it. I do have a problem though."

He'd take a long dramatic pause as he sucked on his Old Gold. "You see, when the coon comes down outta the tree she gets right in there with the dogs and pretty soon she's got it in her mouth just a growlin' and a shakin' it like you wouldn't believe. I've had to get after her since I don't want her to wreck the hides!"

He suffered Moral Injury from his time in Vietnam which changed his whole life after he came home from overseas.

He struggled with severe and chronic PTSD along with incurable Major Depression Disorder. Through all that, he was an incredibly loving partner. We felt we were soulmates as we could finish each others thoughts.

His life took a major change when he found out he had throat cancer. The major medical issues just kept on coming at a rapid pace following his treatment. For the last 10 years of his life, he struggled because he was no longer able to do the things he loved the most. It was hard for him to depend on me for everything when he prided his independence.

Rich no longer suffers from his wounded soul and health ailments. His wish was to be reunited with his father Lonnie and that doggone mule, Fred.

I'm pretty sure the they are together catching up on things now. Exchanging stories and belly laughs.  

Rich can finally rest in peace. 

Thank you to all of our friends and family for all of your support, not just now, but all along.

A special thanks to Steve Davidson and his family who made sure that Rich got out once a week to go fishing or for a drive. I do believe that made the last summer for Rich one of the best in years. 

Thank you to Emplify Hospice for all of their hard work and compassion. A very big thank you to my friends and neighbors who provided much needed back up.

Thank you Tammy for all of your patience and kindness you gave Rich while providing much appreciated Respite.

I think I can definitely say that Rich and Fred are out there hunting and fishing. One day I will join you again, my best friend and my soulmate.

Yes! There and back.

 We made it safely!

Funny how this trip was much harder to plan for but also much nicer to do. 

The back seat driver never showed up. In fact he just spent time napping and pointing out how things had changed since the last time he could recall going into that area. Since his last trip to K-town, there have been some major road changes.

The bypass around two of the towns we used to drive through were major changes and hubby commented about them.

It had been about 20 years since Hubby has taken a trip to Kenosha. 

Charlie and I enjoyed early morning walks through the neighborhoods and even met up with other friendly dog folks. 

What a pleasant way to start a Saturday morning.

I also found a Road Runner car in someone's driveway and stopped to admire it. [Hubby used to have a Road Runner of the same vintage.]

The highlight and purpose of the trip was to see Rory [aka Aurora]. Of course she absolutely kidnapped Rich's heart. Let's just call him smitten with Rory.

Spending time with the Grands are always wonderful. But when a little one is around, something extra special happens. You know, hugs, snuggles, and more snuggles. 
As many snuggles as you can manage.

Poor Charlie, he felt like odd man out. However, he did get to steal a toy from Twila who is my son's dog.

Here he is acting as if he has no idea how the Sloth Toy ended up next to him.

The dogs played and Rory stole everyone's attention. And why not? Wasn't that the purpose of the visit?

I have to say that Megan is a master cook. Our evening meal was beyond delicious.

Thank you to the best host and hostess around [and let's not forget the cutest baby ever!]

So we did it. It was a trip that was hard to plan and execute, but it all came together nicely.

Rich's company on drive was a real bonus. 

We are tired but very content and Rich keeps talking about that Rory!

We did it!

The Fixer

So. 
Basically the doc said I should be okay unless something more happens. In simple terms my older eye had stuff that is pulling on the retina. It caused the flashes of light and the weird things. 
Take it easy, don't be lifting a lot of weight. I'm not sure he understood that 15 to 50 lbs is not much weight to me, but for now I'm going with it. I will behave myself and put myself on 'light duty' for now.
I was told it is okay to hike but be reasonable. Pfft.

The Fixer. Well, that's me. 

Hubby couldn't get the skid steer started after he charged up the battery.

The man is a whiz with a skid steer and we've had a few of them over the years. This last one is his pride and joy. He came in the house frustrated and out of breath. He dropped on the couch and proclaimed that he was good for nothing.

I made a couple of phone calls. One to the guy who was fixing the mower. It will be delivered tonight or tomorrow night.
I called St. Joseph Equipment Company and they had a guy in the area.

I swear, if IT has an engine, I cannot fix it. Give me a dog, a horse, a mule, or even a donkey and I can get them to do most anything for me. Anything that uses gas? They are mysteries.

The electronics wouldn't work because the battery had died and the switches all shut off and needed resetting and a relay went bad. It took the tech guy about an hour to figure it all out and he was super nice [I'm sure the bill will be nice also].

I gave Rich the news and he beamed, he can't wait to get out and grade the driveway. I worked out a plan with Stan the Tech to get Rich out at least every two weeks to keep the 'steer' running. Stan also laughed and offered to take our machine to his house and bring it back when we needed it. He could keep it busy!

These machines like to work. 

And before Rich got ill, our skid steer was always busy. 
Like clearing brush and going into places to get stuck.....

Or digging out an Oak stump that we were told couldn't be dug out. Um, yeah, he stuck it good and we used a truck and a tractor to get it out of the hole, but by golly he did move the stump out!

Back in the day, Rich would often get a supervisor to ride along for easy work. Morris loved riding in the skid steer with Rich.

One year we used it to transport a Dexter Cow into the shed when she was injured.

And this is the machine that has always done the chores around the place, the heavy lifting and moving of large bales of hay, plowing snow, digging a grave for a beloved equine, or pushing downed trees out of the way so they could be cut up.

This machine is where Rich feels joy. 

He is chomping at the bit to get out tomorrow and do some 'skid steerin'. 

The Fixer put a smile back on his face.

It was a good day.

And yes, I am following the doctor's advice and have a follow up in 3 weeks.

This turned out to be a good day. The other half is still smiling.

Veteran's Day

Not much to say today. 

There is a lot going on in the news and I need to sort that out yet today with some strong coffee.

It is Veteran's Day which my husband largely likes to ignore. He is of the Vietnam Era and believes all the nice things said to him now are a bit too late. That sounds so bitter, but this is his way.

He has been a good and sometimes difficult person to have as a husband, however, I am happy to have had these years with him.

These are some photos from the past.

The First Snow & Charlie

 

There is always some childlike excitement over the very first snowfall of the season. I can't wait to get out in it and explore.

Rich generally gets pretty grumpy about it.

Last year it was October 16th. The snow came down in beautiful big chunks!

There was still a lot of color left on the trees and in the woods. Here a sumac shows off its brilliant reds.

I gathered my gear and got ready to head out.

Charlie crept closer to the little camera bag and gave me huge soulful eyes.

I reached for his electric collar [he wears a collar I can buzz to call him off from chasing squirrels, chipmunks, and deer. He stands only 7" high and is too easy to lose in the woods. I did that because I did lose him once and it took me a long time to find the little bugger who was tracking goodness knows what!] The Daschund in him makes him a voracious hunter. The Pekingese side of him makes him a lazy couch King.

We headed out and Charlie's reaction was one of pure joy.

He was into instant mouse tracking mode. Or anything he could smell mode.

If you didn't know how tiny he was, you'd think he was a huge dog. He is watching and listening for something to chase.

At the creek he tried chasing a small trout that was flitting about in the water. I don't think he could figure out what was making the splashes. Eventually he went under the log to dig a bit.

I sometimes wonder what goes on inside a dog's head. His/her thoughts must be only in the moment. 

Maybe that is a good thing right now.

Charlie doesn't keep an eye on me like predecessor dogs have. Dixie the big hound dog would run off 20 or so yards and then bound back to be at my side and slobbering into my hand.

Morris would find a perch and watch over me. He'd glance back if he were leading on a trail to make sure I was coming.

Charlie.

He is his own dog.

My job is to keep an eye on the little wanderer. Though he has gotten so much better with recall. The buzzer helps distract him. 

And if I holler out the magic word: Cookie???

He comes on the run.

I let him run around and have his smell-fest in the creek for a while and then started back towards home. It was late and the light was fading. 

Charlie trotted through the open pasture nosing lumps of grass and weeds. I imagine he was looking for mice. Once he finds them, he will simply just sit and stare.

I had to take a photo of how much different the meadow looked from the day before.

By the time we arrived home, it was time to get on with the chores.

I had some elderly mules calling my name.

Fred and Mica, they eat separately from the others and get Senior Feed.

Fred is somewhere around 34 ish, he is the little bay. Mica is in her late 20's and has always been a hard keeper.

The red headed sisters.

Funny how they group themselves.

And the bays. One is a horse, the other is Siera.

For whatever reason, these two hang out together also.

Charlie ran to the door. I let him in where he greeted Rich and promptly laid down in front of the heater.

I shut the door behind me as I heard Rich asking Charlie, "So how was the snow? Did you have fun?"

I smiled.

I don't ever recall Rich conversing with one of our pets over the years. He likes dogs, but he never was a fan of a house dog.

Yes, Charlie was worth it. The funny little dog that wormed his way into Rich's heart.

Surprises

Good Morning on

the Ridge

Good Morning

from the

Creek!

I'm never exactly sure what each day will bring. But yesterday was full of one surprise after another.

There was a beautiful sunrise. 

I admit it. I can rarely sleep past sunrise in the summer. Then it is a struggle to stay up past dark in the evening!

It takes about an hour or so for the sun to shine into the valley. I'm always amazed at how I can watch the sun arrive on the ridge and then walk leisurely to the creek and watch it arrive in the valley.

After I settled Lil' Richard and Sven into their grazing areas for the day and moved the mules to their next rotation, I came in and called our hay guy. When the pastures get short and there isn't much browsing left, I feed some hay to supplement their diets. The mules will eat berry briars and do a fair job of cleaning the woods, but I don't want the two hard keepers to lose weight.

I texted the farrier to see if I could schedule a trimming then set out the clippers for doing manes and ears.

Rich surprised me while I was finishing up my work out.

I'd just finished up the WOD or work out of the day. Pictured are my pine cones that I use to mark off how many rounds I'd done. 

70 jump ropes and 10 Rt arm power snatches and 10 Lt arm power snatches.

I'm handicapped by not having those wonderful dumb bells to use like we do in the gym. So my coach has helped me figure out what items I can use around the farm as weights.

This was a 10 lb sledgehammer.

The reason I mention this is not because I want anyone to be impressed that I work out. 

I want to mention that Rich has taken an interest in finding items that I can substitute as weights.

[Working out has helped me regain strength in my shoulders and it actually makes me feel better. I think it is important for me to do this for my physical and mental health. Doing Virtual WOD's has been a bonus for me. If I don't have time to do the work out first thing in the morning, I do it later in the day. I've missed less workouts this way! But I DO miss the gym and the camaraderie.]

Yesterday he found a 12 lb anchor and a 15 lb anchor for me to use as 'Kettle Bells' for weighted squats.

Rich walked over to his skid steer and fired it up.

He decided to work on those old ruts between the busted up garage and the large shed. I did the shovel work and he gave me directions.

That may sound a bit lopsided, but with his lung issues, he gets out of breath quickly. We've always been fairly good at working together.

I shoveled and he directed. When I got the deep holes filled in he was able to drop the dirt and smooth it out.

I'll plant grass seed when he is finished and the 'lane' will be repaired.

For the afternoon I grabbed my kindergarten pad and Charlie's pillow. I sat on the porch with him while Rich slept. I decided to listen to the birds and read a book.

Charlie seems to be the 

King of Relaxation Techniques.

I don't know if I can attribute my home work outs to Rich's increase in activity, but since I ask him to help 'time' me or find items for me to use, it seems he has more interest in life. 

Last night when the hay man came, Rich walked out and talked with him a bit [distanced of course]. Rich hasn't walked out to talk to the hay guy in two years.

Daryl remarked how wonderful it was to see Rich engaged and even more impressive was that he just got in the skid steer and unloaded the hay with no apparent effort.

Since 2017 he has struggled with everything.

Life may suck out there beyond the borders of our farm but I get to see a different kind of hope.

I get to see my husband again. 

Possibilities

There is something about that first light as the sun comes over the trees on the ridge.

Everything seems possible in the break of a beautiful dawn. The fog is mysterious, the grasses seem brighter and the world feels like it is full of possibilities.

The day goes on business as the new unusual, or the new normal as they are now saying.

I work on the east flower garden that started out rather drab in April.

Some dirt from the Big Pile and some rocks from another old garden...

a bit of tender loving care...

and a lot of patience...

The possibilities are there!

Our vegetable garden had a very rough start along with frosts and heavy rains, cold weather suddenly turned hot.

But the carrots and corn seem to be thriving. The lettuce and beans are starting to come around!

By August I'll be busy freezing and dehydrating vegetables for this winter through to next August.

I tire of the sameness each day. So I have been bicycling and today I'm meeting a friend. We will bicycle KVR together. I haven't seen her since Good Friday. 

Our thoughts on this political environment are different. She believes the virus is not a big deal. She told me she refuses to wear a mask as it is against her rights as a free person. Yet for her work, she wears a mask.

I feel that bicycling and chatting on the side of a trail in 8,000 acres of wild lands is probably just fine. I'm not going to change her beliefs. She is a kind person and a thoughtful person and that is the person I knew first. 

We met in CrossFit [yes, that is another hot topic!] and I've genuinely enjoyed her friendship.

I have the opportunity to continue a good friendship so I will. 

After all, look at our situation. For the past 3 years Rich has been pretty much an inactive person. This year he has taken an interest in mowing again. 

His health has not suddenly improved and he is not as depressed as he has been for such a long time. 

Yesterday he even walked down to the garden to do an inspection.

See?

Possibilities!

I have a mission this summer. To get him on one of his mules and take a short ride.

This day is good, so I am going to grab onto it and hold it tight.

Thank goodness for the things that could be.

Goat, Pony, Fence, Dew, Mules

That about sums it up.

Sven got a new lot and I put Mr. Pony Baloney...Lil Richard in with him as an experiment. Lil Richard used to be an escape artist but I've found that putting him an electric fence with a third line keeps him from going under the fence.
Likewise, I had so much trouble keeping Sven in any mule fence. He would just duck under the hot wire.

I can't mow this section because it is a hill and it is littered with huge rocks. I needed to be cautious and not cause erosion so Lil Richard will make visits and Sven will have the run of the area in the summer.
He is a grazing animal and has suddenly become infatuated with the pony.

However, he is also respecting the fence. The only time Sven got out was when he and Lil Richard were playing 'tag'. Since then it has been very peaceful. I'm happy I can have Sven earn his keep!

I fenced in this section of the 'yard'. It is a pain to mow. And it was used for hay storage for round bales for years. It also is a place for Mystical Things that Hubby keeps that are stored and forgotten. Like the Tractor he had and parked next to the fence in 2015. I didn't fence in his mom's car, the old tractor or the manure spreader [that has become part of the landscape]. There is still room to use Lil Richard to keep down the grasses around them.

But now the mules can eat the good stuff out of this area and I can run the mower over the weeds to keep it tidy.

Yesterday morning was one of those incredible misty mornings we often get in the 'Driftless' Region of Wisconsin.
The early morning is absolutely incredible.

It is time to trim up these mules and get back to riding now that all the Spring Fence work is done.

The fog and the dew was rather incredible. I do love early mornings!

Today it is overcast but it is supposed to be warm. Rich mowed yard yesterday. The first time he has felt good enough in 3 years to actually mow!

Today I'm taking a break with my Hiking Buddy, Bill. I'm going to show him Black Hawk Rock.

So.
Even with the Covid-19 threat, our CrossFit Coach has come up with a plan that I can modify work outs and do them at home with items I have here.
I'll write about that later.
Right now I have to go work out and report back to my Coach.
Just call me happy!
I'm back at it.

The only draw back is I don't have the music they played in the gym.