When it’s raining so hard and so much that I don’t get the ponies out, it’s raining too hard and too much. The only saving grace, if there is such a thing, is that the mist softened the outline of the landscape, making me feel as though I was in a fairy tale.

I was in good spirits today because I felt somewhat organized. I worked this morning on both books and made considerable headway. And I went through my horse training books and looked up information on how to get horses to turn on the forehand and hindquarters as well as sidepass. I am looking for consistency

in what I’m reading and attempting to figure out a methodology that complements my belief that both autonomy and positive reinforcement are key in doing these particular moves. I made notes and now have some ideas about how I might go about this.

I am making progress in getting the ponies to stay out of my space when I enter their pen to feed them. I am exclusively using positive reinforcement and the clicker. And they are backing off. This affirms what I have come to believe, that horses learn and retain more when positive reinforcement is used. This is because the amygdala, the pleasure center of the brain, is what’s activated.

Pete and I later went to the Fairgrounds – he wanted to exhibit his honey but didn’t have the right kind of jar – it has to be made of glass and shaped a certain way. We spent considerable time attempting to determine who might have such a container, no one came to mind. I then suggested that we go to the bee booth (where they were taking entries) and ask if they might have a jar on hand. Pete balked, saying that he’d feel foolish asking for a jar, for he thought he’d appear to the powers that be that he was disorganized. I insisted we go, and lo and behold, the woman at the booth who was taking entries said that she had a jar. Pete filled it with his pre-heated honey and turned it in. Fingers crossed after all this that he wins a blue ribbon.

I’d decided previously to bypass working at the Fair this year because I have been feeling so overwhelmed by what’s on my very full metaphorical plate. But today in hearing that the new recycling sorting area hire wasn’t working out, and that for this reason that they needed someone else, I had a change of heart. I called Michelle who is the current volunteer coordinator and she said that she’d talk with Pam about this. Pam is in charge of hiring and firing.

I do not know what the outcome of this is going to be. And my feelings won’t be hurt if I am not hired. So we’ll see what happens.

Lastly, Pete and I voted. I have never articulated this to anyone, but being an uninformed voter is just one step removed from not voting at all. So be it. I am going to do better in the future.

Next: 233. 8/22/18: Equal Pay for Equal Work