That tomorrow is December 1st. It just seemed to me like it was November 15th. This is an instance in which time got away from me. Just slipped through my open fingers.

Now I wake up in the morning and it’s 8:30 a.m. and it’s dark out. I think, oh, I’ll stay in bed until the sun is up because I don’t want to feed and clean up after the horses in the dark. Also, I don’t see much use in sitting around another 45 or so minutes, waiting for the sun to appear. I have a routine that involves getting up and getting going and first taking care of the animals. The goats also like to mosey on down to the barn when it’s light.

Peaches

I will never again own another black goat. The good thing about Peaches, who was white, was that she was easy to spot when she got old and senile and wandered off. I don’t know if Lilac will wander off, but if she does, being black, she will be hard to find. Sassy will be easy to find because, while she is brown and black, she has white markings and a white spot.

The three mares are chestnut. Hrimmi is a pinto chestnut and also has a large white spot, which makes her easy to spot at night when she’s either in the pen or in the yard. And the other two are never distant from her.

All the animals here stick together, which is with their own kind. Sure makes life easier.

I am feeling good about my attempt to create a more balanced lifestyle. I did get Tyra for a walk this morning, before heading into the hotel. And I am going to start taking Tuesdays and Thursdays off. In addition to this being a time saver, I’ll also save on gas. Maybe I will resume doing agility. Sure would like to ski jour or have Hrimmi pull a cart.

And maybe, just maybe, I’ll start to sleep better. The past two nights I was not able to sleep at all – I’d start to doze off and wake up and have a coughing fit. I put my head between the two pillows that use and tried to drown out the terrible sound. Pete never complained, but I am sure that this also kept him awake.

I didn’t feel over tired today, but it seems to catch up with me at night. A week ago, I felt tightness in the roof of my mouth, and I thought, oh oh, I’ve caught a cold. Then I thought, this is just tightness. I got home from Old Harbor and wham it hit me.

I think I’m also going to sleep better knowing that I’ve resumed working on Shelf Life. I am giving myself an achievable limit, which is one hour’s writing time a day.

I went and checked out writing residencies in Alaska. At first, I thought, great idea. And then I realized that I can create my own writing residency here.

Next: 327. 12/1/24: Wind