Today – not such a bad day. It was actually what I call a non-rain day. All day, the sky remained overcast, the ground remained sodden, but it was generally non-rainy, just a bit of drizzle here and there.

After spending the morning working inside, I went outside. I decided to take the dogs for a walk on Buffalo Mine Road. It was an ideal day for this. It was not too cold. I could, as I approached the turnout, see the cloud cover above the distant mountains. The white snow on the distant peaks was dazzling.

I have now figured out how to pull off the distant dog walking routine. Grab leashes, wallet, stuff dogs in truck. Take deep breath when Ryder and Rainbow both make getting in and out of the car a game. Drive to the turnout area. Put leashes on Ryder and Rainbow. Let all three dogs out of the car. Give all three dogs treats for remaining still. Begin walk at a walk. Release dogs after passing smelly, stinky moose carcass. Run/walk/run/walk, at five minute intervals, up to the big round rock, and back to the car, a distance of about four miles each way. Catch dogs, load dogs back into car. Praise them for being cooperative.

Got home, tended to the horses, rode them. Pete, now home from a meeting, joined me. We first took Hrimmi, Signy, and Tinni out. Pete rode Signy and ponied Hrimmi, and I rode Tinni, bareback. We had a very good time, taking a drier side trail through the woods. And after, Pete and I rode Raudi and Signy to the Murphy Road turn and back. The horses were extremely cooperative, and they seemed glad to be out and about.

Later, we went to Sun Circle Farm and participated with the late fall harvesting. Pete and I picked all kinds of greens (I focused on the spinach) and were given potatoes, beets, carrots, and spaghetti squash, all this in exchange for my (last spring) having helped them acquire Skjoni, their Icelandic gelding.

Tomorrow we’ll blanch the vegetables and prepare them for freezing. Then we’ll take them over to a neighbor’s place where we have a freezer.

Things we worried about on our trip – getting hay, produce, wood, were things that we ought not have worried about at all. Worry, it’s counterproductive, takes time that ought to be spent thinking about other things. Our wood supply – well, we still don’t have enough to get us through winter. But we are working on this.

Back to the weather: we well know how to deal with sunshine. Head outside. And we well know how to deal with rain. Head inside. A bit trickier, our having to learn to live with non-rain. But we are doing it.

Next: October 15, 2013: Rain