Arena's are a drag

Carrie's been highly stressed about closing out everything with our contractor. She doesn't like the quality of the hay he provided and there are odds and ends that aren't done. It's like the farm is sitting at 97% and then got put on the backburner.

Example: The electric fence is almost done being wired up next to the neighbor's driveway. Almost.

There's only one gap in the line, but it's useless until the gap is addressed. Horses can see gaps and they like to wander (It's already happened once with an unlatched gate).

The arena isn't level either. That's a bigger thing. 

Carrie had me go out and talk to our guy while she was on some work calls. I told him we weren't interested in the hay anymore and asked him about the arena.

"Just drag it a few times and it'll be fine," he said.

"Okay, so I will do that tonight. If it works. Great. If it doesn't work, we need to talk to you," I replied.

We really didn't think it would work, but we went for it! Carrie and I unpacked the drag and hitched it up to the gator.

Carrie did the initial laps, but then I took over later. Shane hopped on and we spent half an hour raking the ground.

"How's it look?" Carrie asked.

"Like a polished turd."

It looked a lot better, but it was still a lumpy, un-level turd underneath the neat rake rows. 

Here's to hoping it gets sorted out within a week or two.

Sam and Shane Play Day

I finally got Shane and Sam together again for a play date! They haven't seen each other since the beginning of summer!

Things were stressful at the house, so drove the boys downtown. They started to haggle and bargain over Pokemon cards before the buckles clicked.

There's been a bit of construction since the last time I drove down 5th and Ridge.

I got to the park and...parked. The boys were still haggling.

Best line was from Sam. "I'm not going to give it for free. I'm nice, but I'm not that nice!"

Neither boy has much of a poker face.

We went to the park next. It was hot. There was only one other kid there.

Shane and Sam did their own thing. They tried to spin each other sick and called whatever they were spinning a time machine.

They play continued until they started throwing acorns onto the road below the park. Shane said they wanted a car to drive over and crush an acorn. I gave Shane a warning and when they kept trying to roll things onto the asphalt from uphill I called it.

So we walked to the library.

The boys wanted to look up The Last Kid on Earth series. I could have helped, but I let them do things on their own (Another kid had walked in with his mom mentioning the series. When I said, "Isn't that the series Sam likes?" it set the boys on the path....and I didn't want them to beat the other kid to the punch when the idea came from him!).

Originally, neither boy had wanted to visit the library, because "libraries are boring."

Now that we were there, they were both engrossed in books and comics. I'd brought Smash Up to play cards, but it was left unused.

The library was set to close, so we headed out with some Hank the Cowdog audiobooks (in poor condition, sadly).

I had the boys for close to three hours before we dropped off Sam and said our goodbyes. I'd love for the boys to get together more, but we'll see how often the schedules work out.

Loki's First Soccer Game

Shane had a soccer game today. Loki went as a mascot.

Shane was goalie today. I thought he'd only be goalie for half the game, but the coach left him in the whole game!

We lost 5-2, but it was a good showing from Shane. He blocked at least 9 shots and made a play on every goal except one. There was one goal where two strikers broke through and ran in unopposed. He blocked the first shot, the ball rebounded, and the second striker kicked it in. On another he dived to the side and I heard his glove tips hit the ball even though it went in.

The one that was his fault? It was from the far side and Shane didn't think it could go in, so he stood like a deer in headlights. By the time he realized he should be doing something, it was too late.

I thought he did a good job. He learned about running out to roll the ball and didn't throw any pity parties. He did get annoyed at a couple of his teammates who criticized him for letting a goal go through (and I agreed. Don't try to make your goalie feel bad. Help them out on the field, so that it's never totally on them instead!). 

My focus was split during the game. I ended up babysitting my dog and someone else's child.

Her name might have been Elizabeth, but it turned out she was the opposing coach's kid. She fell in love with Loki and told me all about her dogs and the horse she rides! She really wanted to run and hold Loki's leash. I told her no for a while until I finally shrugged and said, "Have at."

I found myself looking back and forth the whole game. I'd coach Shane when I could and answer questions about dogs when I couldn't.

Both boy and dog were tired by the end of it!

The dog more than the boy!

Fashion Faux Pas

Every morning: "Shane, you need to change clothes for school."

"Do I have to!?"

The kid would wear the same clothes all week if the fumes didn't choke out everyone around him.

It's a daily routine. Shane normally puts it off to a few minutes before the bus. That gives us some time to correct anything too outrageous, but today our timing was down to the wire.

I looked Shane's wardrobe over as we walked to the end of the driveway.

"That's what you're going to school in?" I asked.

I think Shane was insulted I asked.

"Your call, but those pants need to go away after today," I said.

Minecraft Trouble

Carrie got a message from Shane's teacher. He hasn't been honest about how much he's been on Minecraft at school and it's become a problem/distraction. 

The teacher asked us for suggestions and Carrie said to take away Minecraft for a week. I would have suggest "all laptop games," so Shane's lucky Mom answered that one!

I picked Shane up from school and we had a small talk, but I didn't pursue it much then. We had soccer.

It was a good day to have a physical and social outlet. I would rather have Shane feel more connected to a team and get some exercise than play Minecraft.

Today was special in that Shane had to run off into the woods to relieve himself.

Shane wanted another gas station burger (we grabbed emergency rations last week before Back-To-School-Night), but Carrie had something better waiting for us when we got home: Shepard's pie.

It almost felt like celebrating Shane getting in trouble.....almost. Shane did get a talking to and they removed Minecraft from his computer.

Drought (and Dog)

The drought continues. Our house is surrounded by dead crops. Our grass has put growing on hold, and the horses are chewing through a lot of hay.

You can see dust with every footstep in the dry lot. Carrie would like to work them in the arena, but all that would accomplish is a dust storm of a different color.

Loki got himself wrapped around the septic pipe here (Which is funny), but the main reason I added this picture was to show how cracked and dry the yard is. We're in the Fall but setting heat records.

I never cared about a lack of rain before owning a farm. Now, it makes me glad I'm not a farmer and reliant on something as fickle as the weather.

No, I just rely on students who don't want to do work. That's more predictable and some of them can even be reasoned with.

That's a lot of fur

More from life as Dr Doolittle Lite's husband. Max is still the alpha and she knows it.

Loki would love to play, but she doesn't approve of his type of jocularity.

I took the picture as Carrie furminated the pup. It's not loads and loads of hair, but it's enough.

On a random note: Loki has developed a taste for cardboard. I punched out some cardboard on a game I'd like to play one day and he enjoyed gnawing on the leftovers.

They're trash and they kept the dog busy. Hallelujah.

Loki's doubled in size since we got him, so he can actually do damage with his teeth now. I had to rotate and eventually take each piece before he swallowed any chunks.

Loki's developed a taste for shoes, too. We have to be careful about where we leave them or he'll run and fetch them for us. He can't do much damage yet, so sometimes he gets to chew for a little on the laces before I work up the energy to do something about it.

Yeah, that's not a good habit, but sometimes I'm just happy for that moment of peace. Maybe I'll regret it later. Maybe not.

The Rehearsal Dinner

Saturday night, Shane and I drove to meet everyone at Stablecraft Brewery. We were ready to party! I was trying to catch up with people when Shane heard the party van had arrived.

I would have stayed and chatted, but I'm not 100% confident Shane wouldn't run into traffic if it let him greet Nana and Pop a second or two quicker.

Which is why I told him to climb the fence for a "better view." It kept him out of the parking lot.

Jim, Shawn, and the cousins were all walking up, too, so that could have been too much temptation for my spawn's survival instinct to process!

I love it when family comes together. My generation of cousins were unable to attend, but all of Shane's generation made it out!

The rehearsal dinner was less of a rehearsal and more of a giant excuse for everyone to eat, talk, and celebrate!

I met some of Shelby's family (including a woman who found eyes to be a person's most discerning feature), but there was a ton of my own clan to catch up.

More than I really had time to talk to in the few hours of the party!

Which meant I largely let Shane roam free. He was surrounded by people I trusted and I didn't really want to know what he was up to so I wouldn't have to correct it (barring anything too dangerous).

Nana did make me intervene when the boys were climbing on a bunch of pallets. I wasn't worried, because they weren't that high and pallets have plenty of places to hold on to! I ended up following the kids into the trees, but only because Sammy followed after them.

Marcus and Lauren came to represent the Jeffers clan. Marcus recounted the story of how he accidentally hit Patrick in the head with a shovel while Patrick showed off the scar. Andrew and Andy disappeared inside to talk after a little bit (Perhaps the chaos/crowd was too much, but they claimed they just went for a beer and started to talk!).

It was a big party. I drank two beers and then called it quits to be safe to drive later on. The bbq and bread pudding was great, but the kids all wanted dinner rolls and more dinner rolls.

Most of my siblings were just happy their kids took a time out to eat. They were having a lot of fun!

Let's break down what was happening in this picture.

Here's Renee laughing as Matt suggested stopping at five or six children:

Here's Shane posing like he's about to pee. Really, he's digging and throwing sand (Megan did tell B he could pee as long as he got behind a tree).

Cole...well, Cole was still enjoying the sand!

B, Sammy, and a kid who looked like he could have been related (from a distance) were center stage. B ran up to me later to tell me the boys "were fighting," but it was okay because they were having fun and he "wasn't scared!"

Cole may not have appreciated the game as much as Shane and B at times....but either they were oblivious to his anger, or it fueled their fun. I couldn't really tell you which. Cole kept coming back to the pack, so I guess it was good 'forgiveness practice.'

Shane eventually checked in with me about more substantial food. He ended up eating BBQ off his plate sans fork. 

As in, like a dog.

Nana wasn't happy, but I was happy he got some protein in! He knocked it off when she said it bothered her.

Patrick seemed like he enjoyed the night. He didn't seem too nervous about the big day looming either, so that was a good sign!

Shelby and Patrick's Wedding

Sunday was wedding day! I can't tell you everything that was happening wedding-side, but I can recount some of our story. The family was all gathered in Staunton...including Shane. He had spent the night with Nana and Pop, so that he could be around the cousins.

That should have meant a quiet morning for Carrie and I, but the horses got up to mischief. Nibs has been running around presenting herself and Sam figured out something he might be able to do about it.

He was hopping up to go into action when Carrie opened the kitchen window. "KNOCK IT OFF!" 

He actually did! Here was a 1,600 lbs horse up on two legs, ready for action, and he turned and looked sheepish (Maybe it was from having an audience?).

Sam must have been feeling pent up, because he kicked his stall door while waiting for breakfast.

I don't know if it was a full on buck, but he knocked the screws in the hinges loose.

We had a busy morning, but after church and lunch I drove over to Staunton. Carrie would come later (She didn't trust the horny ponies and hyper puppy to stay out of trouble).

I expected to see Shane running around when I arrived, but he was an electronic zombie. "I just got it, Dad!"

I made Shane change and then I let him get back to it. Honestly? I wanted to talk to everyone and Shane being in one place made it easier.

Megan, her boys, and Shane were the first of my siblings on the scene. All of the cousins had visited the Frontier Museum beforehand. Kathleen, Stu, and crew went to the hotel to change, but Sammy was already wearing a t-shirt with a tie.

Nana, Pop, Jama, and Dot were the next arrivals.

Nana immediately called me out on my shoes.

I knew sneakers weren't overly formal, but in my defense, it was an outdoor wedding in 90+ degree weather at a barn at a frontier culture museum. Sneakers were practical. Shelby's family enjoys the formal, but I'm McRuari through and through.

A limo pulled up with the wedding party and the rest of the cousins arrived afterward.

Shelby rushed up the hill while Patrick worked to figure out where the limo was needed next.

Matt and Andy tried to figure out how to properly don a bow-tie with limited success.

The internet, fumbling around, and divine intervention let things fall into place......after a while!

The "kids' room" was air-conditioned, so everyone who didn't have to pose for photos retreated there after the bow-tie incident.

It was a party! More and more family sauntered in (I think Jim and Shawn were next. The rest of the clan followed soon after).

My love was amongst the arrivals! I caught her trying to walk into the museum and called her over to where we were (The GPS was acting screwy).

The ceremony started right on time (maybe even a shade early!). Shane yelled out to Patrick as everyone was quieting down. It was funny....and then he was shushed down. "Let the focus be on Patrick and Shelby right now. It's their wedding."

Patrick might have preferred some of the focus to shift off of him, but that's not the way weddings work around here. Standard procedure is the groom gets to stand in front of everyone awkwardly until the bride comes to the rescue. Everyone stands and all eyes shift her way. When she reaches the altar it becomes a team effort.

It was a team victory today!

Post-wedding was time for cocktails and socializing. I took some pictures, but I was mostly socializing. I looted a lot of the following pictures from Facebook.

But not this one. I caught Ann here, but never got Jack. The backs of the heads from left to right are Dennis, Shawn, and Jim!

I caught the young horde coming up the hill right after. The boys kept going and climbed another hill. where they went a little nutty wrestling. Shane has perfected his zombie walk.

I didn't talk to many people on Shelby's side of the family, but it wasn't on purpose. There were so many people on our side of things I don't normally see that I had to catch up with!

Aunt Beth was running around with stories of visiting Morocco to see her daughter who's serving in the Peace Corps.

Kevin got put to work pushing a stroller for part of the night. 

Jim and Shawn sadly did not bring any brownies (Don't tell Shelby, but I would have preferred that to wedding cake....and it was a good cake, so that's no slight!).

Dinner started almost an hour after the ceremony. Nana posted this picture of Jama and Dot.

And this one of herself and Pop.

Shane and I sat with Marcus and his girlfriend, Lauren. Carrie had left to check on the farm, so Marcus and I came to a gentleman's agreement to eat all her food. Lauren almost let slip to the waiter that Carrie wasn't around, but realized her folly before it was too late.

We ate well.

Shane had snacked on the kid food downstairs, so I got to help polish off his pasta, too.

It was a fun night. Marcus and I called Andrew over to sit with us after dinner. Patrick made Andy, the shyest yet functional guy he knows, give a toast. Andy recalled when he and Patrick were first seated together in school by a teacher hoping they'd balance each other out (Spoiler: It didn't work). I stood up to tap my glass and make the couple kiss......right as Shelby ran out to change into dancing attire.

I sat back down.

Patrick and Shelby's first dance was a fast, Irish jig that Patrick had been singing the night they'd met. Patty was nervous about it, because it was not an easy number. I thought they did rather well (certainly better than I would have). They made it to the first twirl, tangled, and then restarted with a laugh. They danced around a little more and then others stepped forth. I heard that Nana wanted to do the YMCA for the Mother-Son dance, but we left before I ever saw if that was a lark.

Unfortunately, Shane and I had school in the morning or we could have stayed around. We listened to the second book of the How to Train Your Dragon series and started the hour drive home a little after 8:30 PM (Shane, who didn't need to use the bathroom before we left, needed to use the bathroom minutes after leaving at a MacDonald's down the road).

It was a fun night! May God bless, strengthen, and protect the marriage of Shelby and Patrick!