I am always interested in finding out who in relationships does what and why. It is always a good basis for comparison. Usually, I discover that couples tend to divvy up the workload, and do what needs to be done accordingly. I think that as time goes on, couples find it increasingly more difficult to work together. Those that divide up the tasks are the ones who end up in really long-term relationships.

I could be wrong. I need to do a study—it would not be hard.

The first thing Pete does in the morning is let Shadow (who sleeps by his bedside) out. He then comes back to bed. When he gets up, he feeds both dogs.

Pete does most of the breakfast and dinner. cooking. We are both generally on our own for lunch because one or the other of us is usually finishing up cleaning up after the other.

We both do the horse chores, divvying up the workload. I generally pick up the poop in the mornings and the afternoons. Pete generally cleans up in the evenings. Pete is now shoveling the manure into the compost station because I have a sore shoulder.

From April 20, 2020

From April 20, 2021

I feed the chickens and goats and horses. Pete waters them. The water is now running into the tanks, so he is not going to have to haul water down to the horses until next November.
It’s breakup, so I am spending more time than usual picking up poop and making spillways for the runoff. Pete did make sure that the spillway drainpipe is open, so the water is now flowing down into the road, taking bits and pieces of the driveway with it.

Pete had been going for bicycle rides on the trails, but now the trails are sloshy. So today he went to the end of Buffalo Mine Road. He’s been taking the dogs with him, so they are getting a workout. Me, I’ve been exercising all four of the horses, going for road rides. When the trails are again firm, we’ll ride together every so often and take the dogs with us.

Pete’s in charge of the bees. He wintered over a hive at our friend Karen’s house and brought home that hive yesterday. Pete’s also in charge of the garden. Together, most likely in the next few days, we’ll get our seedlings going.

In the late evenings, Pete goes out and gives Tinni his medication and all horses their late-night feeding. I then do the dishes. We have at times reversed this order.

Car stuff. Pete changes the oil and replaces the studded tires with non-studded tires and vice-versa.

I write the dispatches and Pete chooses photos and then puts them up. Once in a while I tell him my photo preference.

It’s beginning to appear as though I don’t do much around here. Ohh, if we didn’t have horses, things would be different. This is my excuse. Excuses are what keep me going.

Next: 108. 4/19/21: Living in the Banana Belt