July 31

The farrier, Brad, came out to trim the horses' hooves today. Super sweet guy. Horses were nodding off with their chins aquiver (sure sign of contentment) while he worked on them. He's goood. Every 7-8 weeks.

    

* * *

Chuck drove up to tell me that he's invited an artist friend and his wife to dinner - here - on Thursday. And offered some suggestions for what to prepare. Should be fun, and reason to sweep chicken poop off porch and vacuum the house.

Today, otherwise:

Threw scratch for the chickens, replenished their protein feeder, cleaned water, fed cats, fed geese

Two days of yoga challenge in a row because anxious about goings-on at home that have thankfully been shelved

Mowed the lawn in a flat 75 minutes, including adding gas without spilling

Hung out with Randy, Willow, and horses while farrier worked on hooves (highlight)

Dropped trash in dumpster on way into town for calamine lotion (maybe 2 dozen itchy bites)

FINALLY had someone return my one-index-finger-lifted-from-steering-wheel gesture while passing on ranch road at 60 mph, learned from Chuck (bucket list) (timing is everything)

Got to town in 20 minutes because I'm finally confident enough to reach the speed limit

Stopped to feed goats and say hi to dogs. Dogs miss Katherine. Arms scratched from offering pets over fence. Will go down in long sleeves and jeans to say hi tomorrow.

Good FT with my lovely parents in their new home, equally happy commute-time phone call with Erin

Half-moon. Will be home hopefully in time for eclipse.

July 30

Just pried two goats out of the fence. They'd put their heads through and gotten stuck. My work for the day is done.

* * *

Blissfully cooler tonight, beautiful cornflower-blue twilight. Peaceful day.

This morning after my first attempt to get the goats unhooked I called Chuck. The phone conversation:

C: Yeah?

A: Coupla goats stuck in the fence here

C: Yeah... Can't you get 'em out?

A: I tried...

C: Welp, I'll come down there then

A, 5 minutes later: Got 'em out

C: Okay, then

Felt so proud.

Tomorrow, will "have to" mow the lawn. Tonight, GoT!!!

July 29

Rules for having people over for dinner here on the ranch:

- There is always dessert 

- Guests will arrive with their own drink, typically in a coozie 

- Order fresh breeze to enable comfortable porch dining

That's about all I can think of. But...

- It's 101, no breeze yet.

- Shopped at the HEB and almost forgot the salmon.

- Queued up brownies recipe (to have warm with vanilla ice cream); having trouble with the idea of turning the oven on.

- Chicken poop on the porch, along with the spilled dirt from the overturned geranium and gravel from the overturned cactus (because chickens) but it's too dang hot to sweep.

There are potato wedges in the Crock Pot with smashed garlic, oregano, and Parmesan. If all else fails, cheesy potatoes for dinner. I think it'll be fun though.

* * *

When 91 degrees at 10pm feels refreshingly cool...

Let's see, what else...

Dinner went fine, I made way too much food, it was too hot to eat outside, the kitchen is a mess.

After dinner we went to Chuck's to look at pictures: Jeffrey climbing Denali last spring, Chuck's days working as a civil engineer in Africa, vacation photos from when his wife was still alive. Chuck has led a full and interesting life.

Clea the dog got lots of good pets. Even though she chased the armadillo.

On my way home a baby jackrabbit ran zig-zag down the road in front of the truck. Stopped and turned off lights for a minute so it could escape... it is DARK out here. Lovely lovely total dark. I think that will be one of the things I miss most.

Sitting on the porch now getting eaten by mosquitos, listening to bumps in the night (seriously, even the cat is attentive), and feeling happily connected to my home planet via text message.

Obviously I have no idea how a space traveler feels, but I do often feel very small out here.

July 28

Pretty sure that was a great blue heron that just took off from the pond but it was bigger than any I've seen before! Wow.

Started 30-day yoga challenge and remember why I miss it... already feeling better in body and calmer in mind.

Realized there are fewer than 30 days until I'm home.

Went for a walk and explored the east pasture 'til I overheated, which wasn't long, but long enough to listen to part 2 of the Freakonomics podcast "Why Hate the Koch Brothers?" which made my brain hurt in a good way. Highly recommend it. Continued my lesson about the importance of critically questioning media input.

Fed the horses and the goats. Got jumped by large muddy dogs. Dispensed affection and pets to all the above. 

Bumped into Chuck and Clea (she got a bath last night) and made plans to grill down here tomorrow night. Saturday night date! Chuck said he's going to his sister's house tonight but someone... her brother-in-law maybe?... had a heart attack recently so they might need to go to the hospital. I said "Hope he recovers soon" and Chuck responded "Well, he's 90, they put in a stent and he got through the surgery okay, he'll be fine."

Fed the chickens chilled cucumber and strawberries in their yard. Began to suspect that they're intentionally coming to the porch to poop.

Yesterday at the HEB I overheard the man in line behind me respond to the cashier's "How are you?" with "Having the time of my life, as usual, how 'bout you?"

Having the time of my life, as usual. Is there any other time?

July 27

First thing this morning went out as usual in Katherine's big rubber boots to feed the outside cats, let the chickens out of their coop, and throw scratch for them and for the geese by the pond. Walking back found a tiny bat body on the porch, small and perfect as a swallow.

Took another walk through the pasture, this time accompanied by Clea (Chuck's shepherd). At some point she fell back and started barking furiously so I walked back up the path and saw that she'd cornered a very large and very pissed-off skunk. Called to her and she retreated right away (which makes me think I helped her save face with the skunk, who was clearly winning, because she's not like to come when called by anyone other than Chuck) and rubbed on me. Next, shower and laundry. Pew.

Conversation with Alysse tonight made me realize that the armadillo doesn't lose novelty by showing up every day, it becomes novel that an armadillo shows up every day. 

So. An armadillo has been showing up on the lawn every afternoon. There one is right now, hopping around and snuffling the grass.

May the novelty never wear off.

July 26

Not really. 

- 90 minutes of yoga with YouTube this morning

- Still anxious so went on a long walk:

 Down the road to where the goats congregate (thunder of little hooves galloping to find out if I have any food, dogs jumping up for kisses)

 Across the pasture... had gone about 100 yards when the dogs caught up and ran circles, made me smile 

 To the pond, where the dogs took a dip and then shook all over me (good dogs! It was like 92)

- Lunch, and Behzat/nap

- Dogs sleeping under truck when I brought the bucket of goat supplement out

 Smiley hitched a ride

 Sky ran in front 

 Max followed behind

- Dogs back in with goats, Curly Joe in the dog food enclosure eating dog food

- Good phone catch-up and movie planning with Erin

3 weeks until K gets back and I start the journey home. This has been an amazing adventure and also I am really ready to go home and see what the next few months have in store.

July 25

Took my sketchbook and a bag of carrots up to where the horses were grazing in the shade but this time as soon as they saw me they ran down to the feed shed instead of sticking their heads through the window for treats and investigating the truck bed. JJ cantering and Clover dancing patterns in front of and around him all the way down the hill, kicking and tossing her head.

Stopped on the way back to feed carrots to Molly the burro, who Chuck thinks he's had for 40 years.

Also today, found the old rut-road in the pasture and had a lovely shady walk through the oak trees. And painted.

Pensive postscript alert:

Some growing pains the past couple of days but feel like I'm learning something important about translating new language and identifying legacy issues vs. legitimate ones. Language is important but communication matters, if that makes any sense.

 

July 24

Taking you guys with me to feed the horses. And splash through the puddle.

July 23

Wow, exciting day!

Michael was here early this morning to drop off goat feed and pick up eggs; we had a fun and illuminating conversation about TX/CA stereotypes.

Went to the store. People smile at me more often when I'm wearing my new hat. Even got a compliment from a cute teenage girl.

Randy was here when I got home and with heroic effort got the air conditioner up and running again. Thank you!!!

Just as we finished with the AC Chuck arrived so we sat around the table for a while talking about goats. And goat nuts. I asked Chuck why Michael got a billy and he laughed and said "'Cause he's a novice." (For the curious: keeping the bloodline diverse.) I do so enjoy Chuck's sense of humor. 

When Randy left Chuck and I searched the property for scorpion poison and finally found it in the last place we looked (which was the first place I looked, but apparently I didn't know what I was looking for).

Five minutes after Chuck left, a tremendous storm rolled in. I am not exaggerating, I don't think I've ever in my life heard thunder this loud. Lightning bolts in a darkened sky, trees blowing in the wind, torrential rain. Glad.

And it's only 3:30!

July 23, later

Storm update:

Still going. Thunder and lightning overlapping, thunder loud as dickens. Frogs hopping onto porch. Geese impervious. Josephine under the bed.

Pretty sure I've never experienced this even in MT.

July 22

AC unit started dripping today. Texted K for instructions. Standing on a chair, pulled out filters and vacuumed them and put them back in. Still dripping.

Called Carrie. "You have a package down here anyway, why don't you come hang out until Paul gets home and then he'll have a look."

Couple of extra minutes getting to the Wickander's because goats blocked the road and surrounded the truck. (Sorry to go here, but goats' testicles are shockingly big.)

Glass of wine and showing of quilts - she really does beautiful artistic work, and her enthusiasm is inspiring. Opened package from StitchFix and admired new outfits (yay, box of new things!).

Paul says the AC needs to be off overnight so built-up ice can melt. Fortunately it shouldn't take more than overnight because it's freaking hot, and getting steadily hotter in the house. Also fortunate, there's a window unit in the bedroom. We won't cook.

As I'm leaving Paul quips "Drive safe, it's a long way." I like those two a lot.

* * *

On the phone with my mom and whispering because I'm sneaking up on an animal that turns out to be a skunk. Me: Excited that I've gotten like 10' away. Mom: "ANI. TURN AROUND. WALK AWAY FROM THE SKUNK."

When it's your Mom, you hear the all caps.

There is a lot of stuff happening with people who represent home to me and I want to be there. Best I can do is send love from Texas. Since everything is bigger in Texas, hoping my love is amplified loud enough for you to feel it in your foot-bones.

* * *

Just reached that yes everything is going to be okay place. There's an armadillo on the lawn, and a cat sleeping curled up next to me; earlier on FT with Matt there was a giant beetle on my sleeve that made me shriek and giggle, I'm up way too late but it doesn't matter. Every moment counts. I've lived a rich life and expect that to continue.

Gah it's so hard to go to bed around here!

July 21

Binge-watched the stars coming out, and bats swooping in the twilight. Listened to very vocal cows going home for the night, and crickets and frogs singing.

The chickens took dust baths and ate zucchini and sipped cold water from an upturned bin lid. And pooped on the porch. Given the choice between hosing poop off the porch or removing weird bugs from the "studio" every day I decided I choose hosing.

This morning Randy came over with his dog Willow to have coffee and look at paintings. We had a fun visit. Willow is a love and very good company even if she did spill coffee on the rug (stain came out easily).

Thankfully Randy took a dozen eggs. The girls have been productive and the snake hasn't been eating its share.

Broke 100 today. Nearly swooned on my foolish midday walk. Now though? Delicious 85.

A little lonesome on a Friday night but appreciating solitude, cats' company, and insane grasshopper that keeps dive-bombing my hair.

(Cats' company + insane grasshopper = no more insane grasshopper)