Welcome Back...to Chores!

After over 2 weeks of cousins and play time galore, Shane returned home to chores. The mornings are cool out, too, so he had to wear a coat!

Scooping horse poop in the cool is a big change from Pop Tarts and TV time in the morning! 

Don't worry too much about Shane. We really don't work him that hard. If I get half an hour of effort out of him, it's fine. Chores are a good excuse to make Shane outside. He usually has to hang out for an hour, but he chases bugs, twirls in circles, or runs with the dog for a chunk of it. Shane likes to talk and be around people anyway.

Sometimes funny things happen if you're observant. We heard some odd noises while we were working. It was Maddy.

You have to be clever about scratching your butt when you have no hands! We got a good laugh out of it.

And then I sent Shane to run and collect the bucket before it got bent out of shape!

The cats were out while we worked. Aria kept Shane and I company from a hay feeder.

From there it became a normal school day. I went to work and Shane.....Shane's computer broke. 

A fan failed and there were all sorts of error bleeps. Thankfully, Shane doesn't do anything other than zoom and browse the internet, so it functioned for the day. We'll need to contact tech support and get a loaner at some point. It's a short week, so it won't happen until after break. 

Shane was in class until around 3 PM and took care of his Japanese practice. I got off work near 5 PM, we did evening chores, and then relaxed with electronics for the night. A much quieter day than he's probably used to, but normal for here.

Some of the cats may have gotten complacent while Shane was out of town. That's not a smart place to sleep, Moose.

I was talking in general, too. I gave in to temptation and his the start button on the walking machine...

It led to Loki showing off his treadmill skills. 

Loki learned, because of Shane! 

Shane ran with Loki some and it wasn't really all the quiet. You can definitely tell Shane's home!

Bringing the Boy Home!

Sunday was the Day of the Return. I didn't want to get caught by surprise again, so I came prepared.

I could defecate in there. Shane's kept it as a drum and it's been taking up space under the sink. At least this way it could have a use (but hopefully not!).

The drive down was uneventful, but pretty. I listened to a short Agatha Raisin mystery and a sermon to fill most of the time (It was Sunday!). I beat the SC crew to the rendezvous Zaxby's by 15 minutes or so. I hopped straight into their car in the drive-through.

Nana and Pop were gracious enough to buy lunch for everyone. They saw a homeless man and drove over to give him a mana bag before we parked to eat. We saw another van drive up first and hand out coats before we drove over! It was nice to see people trying to spread God's love!

We sat, talked, ate, and enjoyed each other's company before transferring the luggage. Shane had a goofy smile on for the picture, so Pop helped him make it more natural.

Pop didn't stop when Shane hit the natural smile, though! 

Darkness starts after 5 PM in the fall, so things were getting dim as Shane and I pulled up to the barn. Carrie was helping Ellie with the evening chores. She took a time out to catch Shane as he launched himself at her!

Shane's learned that things change whenever he's gone for long enough. He spotted the new trailer right away and met Eowyn at the barn Honestly, I was surprised he recognized the differences in the trailer to know it was a new one!

Shane noticed Carrie had moved around the couches after the pee incident, as well. He might have said something else, but Loki was ecstatic and barking! He missed his boy!

Shane did some pushups to earn some electronics after running around like a madman. Loki helped.

Carrie fell asleep on the couch while we all watched some TV to end the night.

Shane had his Happy cat.

I put Shane to bed later and locked everything up. That included taking Loki out for one last bathroom break in the cold.

Then it was time to grade! I got in a full day's work between driving and grading.

Next week is going to be a short one for school. There's only two days and then we'll have some holiday time together as a family. I'm looking forward to it! 

The Pets Update

The pets are all eager whenever someone disappears into the main bedroom. I've been forced to learn to open the door a crack to check if any cat is already heading for the gap at speed. Tuski wants to be a ninja like Max (and she's harder to shoo out of the room when she does break in! She hunkers down under the bed).

The cats beg in the morning to be let outside. Carrie gets the final call, but I'm happy to let the "barn cats" play at being barn cats.

And it's cute when they play with the dog. Loki was trying to keep an eye on Laura walking Ernie in this shot, while kitty-kitty was keeping an eye on him. For what?

Tag of course!

Meanwhile, Max has no interest in dogs. She's happy to explore and the first one out the door. She ranges the farthest of all the cats. 

Aria is "my" cat. She's clearly claimed me and hunts me down wherever I sit to Carrie's great delight.

"Look at her! I want to take a picture."

Apparently, I used an incorrect look.

Tsuki is Carrie's favorite. I try to send the occasional kitten pic to boost morale if I feel it's flagging.

Tsuki has decided Carrie is her mother. She attempts to nurse. Nurse. She will nest, nibble, and suck on whatever blanket is on Carrie. I've never seen anything like it before.

And that bond with Carrie is the only thing keeping the cats in the house after they've had multiple "accidents." Aria's the only one who's been caught, but we've thrown away pillows and cushion covers.

Carrie's theory is that the kittens have peed anywhere they can nest and that smells strongly of dog or other cats. Loki's been banned from the couches for the cat misbehavior! We've picked up blankets, blocked the cat door into the guest bedroom, and provided a new litter box.

So far, it's been popular. Which is great, because cat pee is the drip of death to fabric.

I didn't want Loki on the furniture originally, but it feels unfair to change things now that I got used to it. It's fun to watch him bounce around after the cats!

Happy still loves him, at least.

I caught her giving him a kiss right on his face.

We really should work on leash training with Loki, but I'm not in a hurry to take him anywhere.  I suppose he could come on a hike, but he'd also neeed to get a collar and/or microchipped. 

Our Paths Diverge - My Tale

Friday morning, Shane hopped into the truck with his clothes, school work, and birthday tablet from Nana and Pop. He was en route to Charlotte, NC where Pop and Bruce would pick him up for two weeks of virtual school in SC.

Carrie and Grandma wouldn't stop there. The trailer was hooked up to the truck and they were bound for Charleston, SC to pick up Nibs. From there, they'd transport Nibs to a farm near Orlando, FL before returning home.

I wasn't going anywhere. It was a work day for me and someone had to manage the barn and feed six hungry horses. 

There's usually at least two hours of work every morning provided that things are handled properly the last time chores were done. 

For example, Magic gets beet pulp at his meals. It starts as pellets, but when given time to soak expands tremendously.

The idea is to set the beet pulp soaking for the future feeding each time meals are made.

Little things like that can add time to the process if not handled. 

I'd say the main bulk of the chores are: Feeding, scooping, throwing hay, and picking up stems. Those usually take at least an hour and a half. Then there's usually odds and ends like running the spreader, picking up stalls, stuffing hay bags, or stall waters that pop up and fill the other half hour.

Ernie's off stall rest now, so the workload should lessen some. It's more work to clean a stall than it is scoop in the dry lot. 

I have to walk the stall mess and bedding to the woods and dump it by hand rather than use the spreader.

When all the horses are allowed back out into the pastures then the workload should lessen even further. The horses are all locked from the fields as they baby grass takes root. We were told to keep them off of it for two months and I'm looking forward to December.

Loki was my  happy companion, throughout. He disappears when I'm with a horse, but shows back up when called. He's taken an interest in the hose and washing the buckets lately.

Loki would prefer to stay right beside me as I teach virtually, but he has to hang out with the cats instead.

Friday was remarkable for Loki, because he got to sniff a new person. An appraiser came by to examine the house for a refinancing. 

And he came in the house, too. Socializing is a little more awkward these days. If the appraiser wanted to stop and chat I was happy to. But if he wanted to get his job done quick and get out of the house I was fine with that, too!

I took a picture or two of him taking pictures for my lunch break. He didn't stay for long and I had to get back to work and grab Shane's supply drop from the bus.

Laura came out later to walk Ernie and let him eat some clover. Loki's a big fan of Laura if not the horses.

Dumplings and rice have become my standard bachelor meal when the day ends. This time, I had beef mandu instead of gyoza and a ginger beer to wash it down.

I was either outside or locked up working all day, so I laid down on the couch for a little bit. The cats swarmed me. They like their space, but with Carrie and Shane gone it must've been too much space for them!

Saturday morning, I noticed Loki trying to eat shadows on the wall. He wasn't very successful.

He's got a much higher success rate with catching his tail!

I started to miss Shane when I went to scoop the cat poop myself. The kittens are potent!

They supervised, too (and nearly went for a swim).

Normally, Carrie would've let the cats outside to play, but I was taking no chances without her there. Loki was my only companion (and wheel-biting hindrance) as I wheeled down they hay for the day and did barn chores.

I don't know how it got there, but there was a log in the girls' dry lot. Other than that, it was business as usual.

Barbara and Heidi came out to ride later on.

I played host and checked in on them before going back to work and housework.

Which included dishes and cleaning up after the cats.

Thanks, kittens.

There's really not much exciting things I can write about doing laundry and taking care of business. Without my family around, I get bored and take care of things.

My only adventure of the weekend came Saturday night. I tried to do some chores ahead of time, because I knew I wouldn't get home until after 8 PM (Barbara was nice and scoop Maddy's dry lot before she left. Thanks, Barbara!).

In a typical case of "Opportunities happen simultaneously just to make it difficult," I made two social calls. The first was to meet my co-teacher, Marcell, in person. I showed up on his back porch while his kids napped. He's a little hard of hearing, so it was hard to talk at just the right level and not wake anyone up!

However, my book club decided to meet at the same time. I talked for a little bit before scooting along and arriving late to that...partly because Carrie had said, "Goodbye! I love you! Oh, and the rear driver's side tire on the Subaru is low and the fuel light came on if you're going to go anywhere." I made it to Costco on fumes.

Gas prices are low, at least.

When I got home, I had to finish the barn chores and make supplement cups for the morning. I made an oops, too. Carrie reorganized things since the last time I'd made the cups. Do you see a difference between these pellets? 

I certainly couldn't. They even smelled the same. On one side, the pellets were magnesium. On the other, they were a joint supplement. 

I sat down on the couch at the end of a long day and was immediately swarmed by cats again. Happy literally got in my face and started licking my nose.

I'd have been happy to go to the bedroom, but keeping the animals happy and healthy is part of watching the house.

Our cats seem to actually care about us, too. Aria waited for me to sit down Sunday morning for my morning routine.

Loki tried to catch her shadow on the wall! I thought it was funny enough to take a picture!

Laura and Amy arrived to do their round of barn chores. Loki and I went out to help. I was more useful, but he was more photogenic.

While I am not enamored with all the chores, I do like having a reason for people to visit our property. I like being part of a neighborhood/community. I stayed out, helped, and chatted most of the time Laura and Amy were around. I got to see Laura try to run around with Ernie in the arena after I told her Carrie had started letting him exercise some 'at liberty!'

I treated the rest of the afternoon as a sabbath. The work has been constant since school started and it's vital to be still sometimes. 

I did work on chores, transferred pictures to get ready to update the blog, and eventually hopped on the computer to do grading in the evening. 

Carrie got home in the evening, and our tales rejoined but that's another post.