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June 15, 2015: It’s a Scorcher

This is what we used to say when I was a child, living on the east coast, when it was really, really hot. Now we’re saying this here in Alaska, partly in jest. Before it got hot we said it fully in jest. My goodness, the temperatures here are now in the 80s. Never before seen it here this hot. And today, at the same time, it was windy. Climate change – here it is, now we here in Alaska can no longer deny this.

It hasn’t been all that bad. It’s been breezy today – bordering on the verge of being excessively windy. Trips to town make the heat seem less intense because otherwise Pete and I continue to work nonstop, and attempt to punch our way through it.




Dr. Wellington and his daughter Shelby came over and first did an EIA on Raudi who immediately, when she saw the syringe in his hand, attempted to move forward, out of supposed harm’s way. Then he did a lameness check on Mr. Tinni, who he determined is still lame in his right front leg. The question was then should we have an EIA done on T man? I said yes because it seems like he is getting better and therefore might be healed by mid-July, when the competitive trail ride is going to take place. But Mr. T is not out of the woods completely.

So Tinni was left behind today, as Pete and I went up the bench, me riding Raudi, he leading Hrimmi, and all three dogs following close behind. It was by 2 p.m., at the conclusion of our ride, quite hot, so I did not do a second ride on Raudi. I instead gave her a sponge bath.

We arrived home in time to meet up with Anne who purchased four buckets of our sifted compost. I do believe that we have finally turned a corner in our manure management related endeavors in that this is our first sale. There will be others, there have to be. Gotta keep the shit flowing to the areas of least resistance. We do have a good product – and just for good measure I threw in some earthworms.

Anne left and I hauled four buckets of unsifted compost to the left hand side of the high tunnel, that is where our berry area is. Pete turned the soil next to the tunnel with a pitchfork and I busted up dirt clods. We then planted the last of our seedlings – broccoli, in this new garden bed. So all the seedlings that were in the kitchen window are now outdoors.

I will never profess to be a gardener. Rather, I tell people that I’m the livestock person. Proof positive – after working in the garden I walked down the road and scythed more of my pasture fence line. I now have most of this done. Next I’m going to go in there and cut down the cow parsnip. I will have this done in two weeks if I do this for an hour a day.

Working incrementally is, I think, the best way to make progress. The last item on my list was agility. Raudi and I have been working on individual obstacles – touching a cone with her nose for three seconds, trotting through the streamer curtain when I call her to me, and stepping over the pole. Tonight we did the entire course, and she did quite well.

Never a dull moment around here. Takes more than a scorcher to slow me down.


Next: 159. June 16, 2015: The Best Horse, Ever

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