I tend to live in my own world. I would not say own little world because it’s a very large world. And Pete lives in his own world. Our worlds are like subsets, there is a place where our two worlds intersect. If we did not sit down and eat meals together (this is Pete’s doing), there might not be any intersection. We’d go to bed, rise, go and do our own thing, ad infinitum. It would be like this. Pete and repeat are in a boat. Pete fell out and who was left? Repeat?

So today I ventured into Pete’s world. I would have been in and out of there in minutes, but he had a lot to show me. The dude, nearly but not quite unbeknownst to

me, has put in an orchard adjacent to the Playground of Higher Learning. It contains currents a grafted apple tree, several other apple trees, a cherry tree, and honey bushes and currents. Raspberries are everywhere.

And there is the hoop house project. He’s weeded, planted strawberries, squash, and some other plants. And outside the hoop house, he has plans to put in potatoes and cabbage and broccoli. There is also the lower greenhouse, where the tomato starts and basil are going. And there are the raised beds – I think that they will contain beets and carrots.

In writing this, I know I got some things wrong. This is because this is a world that I have not been inhabiting. And I don’t know where Pete has gotten the time to do all this. I have been spending my time working on Forks, reading about hoof anatomy, doing human body awareness work, and tending to and riding horses.

Pete has been a part of my world, he rides Hrimmi and has been helping me care for Tinni. And he always gives an assist when either the veterinarian or the farrier is here. It probably helps that they are male and personable, as is Pete.

I used to think that I wasn’t helping out more because I was adverse to gardening. I do not think this anymore. I think the problem is that is that the other things I mention are taking up all of my time. Heck, last night I got back into the house at 12:15 p.m. I would do some gardening if there were a few more hours in the day.

Gardening IS exacting work, and it does require one to remain in one place for a while. This would be a challenge for me. The one commonality this shares with doing horse work is that you do get dirt under your fingernails. And, yes, I do enjoy it when we sit down to eat and all our food is local. I then eat not just eat to eat but I enjoy the food. It has flavor. It is all good for you.

It’s probably fortuitous that Stormy didn’t have offspring because I do not know how Pete would have fit cheese making into his busy schedule. Now he is also teaching a summer class.

He makes me look like a slacker. And all I am expected to do is admire his handiwork.

Next: 144. 5/24/18: The Great Equine Weigh In