This is one of my favorite songs. I learned it when I was in kindergarten. We may have sung it on the bus ride to school, but I might be apocryphal here. I do remember singing the song in class, must have been kindergarten – and there was the line, “Dinah won’t you blow your horn.” We all thought this was very funny because one of the students in the class had a St. Bernard named Dinah.

I also sang the song with my father, most likely in the car. The notes were neither too high nor too low, so I was able to belt out a fairly reasonable rendition.

I have a lot of time on my hands when horseback riding, which is why over time I came up with my own words. My version of the song goes like this:
I’ve Been Working in the Barnyard
I’ve been working in the barnyard
All the livelong day.
I’ve been working in the barnyard
Just to watch the mares all play.

Can’t you hear the mares all snorting
Rise up so early in the morn.
Can’t you hear the mares all snorting

Raudi eat your corn.
Raudi won’t you eat,
Raudi won’t you eat,
Raudi won’t you eat your cor-r-r-n?

Someone’s in the barnyard with Raudi
Someone’s in the barnyard I know
Someone’s in the barnyard with Raudi
Kicking on the old silo.

And I say
Fee fi fiddley I oh
Fee fi fiddley I oh-h-h
Fee fi fiddley I oh
Kicking on the old silo.

Raudi, it’s her song, does seem to enjoy it. She flicks her ears back and forth when I sing. I’m not able to sing this song this time of year because I am putting all my energy into keeping her going. What she wants to do is what she’s best at, which is eating.

I sing other songs too, like my own version of “You are my Sunshine.” My song is entitled, “You are my Raudi horse.” And, when I was milking Swampy (who is now Lilac) I sang her my own version of the Mockingbird song.

There is less singing going on now. I am fighting, tooth and nail, situational depression. Grr, grr, grr. I went to put my shoe on, I was headed out the door, in the direction of work, when my hip seized up.

The pain is indescribable. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t get my leg into a position that alleviated the pain.

I have figured out how to deal with the problem, at least temporarily. Today, as I did the other day when this happened, I did some body awareness work. A body scan – while lying down, you bring your awareness to various parts of your body, both sides. After, I had Pete pull on my legs. This worked. I was soon walking around and able to go to the hotel. There, I boxed up 20 boxes of books, which are now ready to send to villages.

I am on the fence about doing the competitive trail ride. Stay tuned.

Next: 197. 7/19/24: Doing it All