You appear to be tired. It was another busy day. You got two horses out; then, right as you turned into the driveway, the farrier drove up behind you. The old black gelding skittered up the driveway and the middle-aged chestnut mare was on his heels.

A beautiful day, sunny though not breezy. As you once again told the farrier, the weather is always good when he visits. The ponies, they are so used to him and his ways that he completed the four trims in just a little over an hour.

You ate lunch, then took Hrimmi and Tyra and the dogs on an outing. It brings you great joy, watching the dogs run at top speed on the trails. You repeatedly told Pete that getting Ryder a companion was the best thing you could have done for her. She at first thought it was the worst thing you could have done for her, but the pair are now buddies. And Shadow was a good name for the puppy – in fact, you now call her Ryder’s Shadow. Ryder hasn’t said “get rid of her,” in some time.

The sun was low in the sky when you finally entered the Playground of Higher Learning and set up the January course. The December course took you three days to set

A great book

up. The January course took you 30 minutes. In fact, you had time enough to do this course with the three mares.

You are doing liberty courses, which means off lead. This, you quickly foresaw, is going to be challenging because, unlike other horses, your horses have minds of their own. They will do what they want to do, and if this includes running off and back down to the enclosure, as Tyra did, this is what they will do. Raudi did the best, so you quit after one go around.

Pete approached you as he was finishing up. It was time to go to town. You picked up your cell phone at the automotive shop – you left it in Bill S’s car, and he left it at the repair place. This was a week-and-a-half ago. As you said to Pete, it was good that neither of you missed having it around. For some, these handheld devices are a lifeline.

Pete went shopping and you went to the meeting house. You got the kid’s books ready to go for tomorrow. Earlier today you got a phone call from the Pioneer Home in town; the recreation director said that they are in need of “guy stuff.” You dove into boxes and put an assortment of the best guy stuff ever. You are as proud of this box as you were, a year ago, your dinosaur box, which you donated to a silent auction.

Lots of sorting. Once the bookshelves get built in town, you’ll be way down in terms of the inventory. Your next project is going to be to make room for the kids and young adult books in the kid’s room.

You keep saying you’ll give this project a year. Still, you are very much aware of the fact that, yes, you do need to pace yourself so that you don’t get burnt out.

Next: 12. 1/12/21: DGNPNY: The Vehicle