It’s important to praise dog when it all goes well because dog deserves this. Also, all going well should never, ever, ever be taken for granted. All going well should bring us great joy.

It rained all day again today. I was okay with it because all the animals have shelters and the option to hang out in, or not hang out in them. Some animals have no choice. Animals don’t praise dog, so we have to do it for them.

Thelma and Louise

Today I took Mr. Tinni for a walk, and he did not cough at all. I am still ecstatic about this. It’s very damp out, and even the $30.00 a bale hay, while not molding, is taking up moisture, a precursor to mold. He was also quite a bit more chipper.

Early this evening I spent time with the horses, cleaning the pen thoroughly and taking out the chewed remains of the willow that Becky gave them. A fog had rolled in earlier in the day. It softened the edges of the landscape. Right now, it’s the peak of foliage season—it is not like the east coast where the leaves turn differing colors. Because the trees there are hardwood, they turn yellow, then orange. It’s a different kind of beauty. It’s dazzling when the sun shines.

The mares have reddish-orange coats, so they appear to be the same color as the trees. Their edges were, today, also softened. I wanted to go for a ride, but the lack of visibility on the part of the hunters made me nervous. Just a few more days, this is what I’m telling them, it will stop raining and the hunters will be gone, and we’ll make up for lost riding and agility time.

I was thinking as I was cleaning the pen, every day all the animals are well is a great day. We now have four older (not elderly) animals – Thelma, the hen, Ranger the goat, Ryder the dog, and Tinni the horse. It’s sort of a cyclical thing – we have in the past brought younger animals into the fold as the older animals have aged.

I don’t think that we’ll be doing this anymore. This is what I’m supposed to say, right? I paused for a moment after writing the above sentence – I really don’t know. The weather and the high cost of hay are going to figure into future animal acquisitions.

Animals are also a huge responsibility. And they require financial input. But, as I pointed out to Pete tonight, we are now in a good financial position because he has been a good financial manager. Our mortgage is paid off, we are now exempt from having to pay property taxes, and Pete’s no longer having to contribute to his mother’s care, financially.

And though inflation is high right now, we are primarily eating home grown food. Pete has also put a great deal of time into this end of things.

Praise dog, play bow to mecca, and wage your almighty tail.

Next: 259. 9/21/22: A Date to Remember