We have been very appreciative of this tranquil Monday. I think the cats and horses are even more relieved than we are that life has calmed back to normal.
Marmalade skipped breakfast every morning while the roofers were here, and he was positively ecstatic this morning to greet me on the path with no strangers in the vicinity.
This is Marmalade looking happy
Oisin and Bart were very grateful for a day off.
Stone didn’t think Kris’ lessons were all that tiring – of course, he was simply used as a couch, after a light hack.
“Those Pearl Brothers are sissies!“
There was one tick in the ointment, so to speak. Harry mentioned at bedtime last night that he had found an attached seed tick on his leg. I took a look, and it was alarming – a classic “bull’s eye rash”. We broke out the dog doxycycline, for an immediate dose, and called the doctor this morning. He asked for a picture (which I had taken last night, anticipating the blog). His reaction – “a classic bull’s eye rash” – and a prescription for human doxycycline (it’s all the same stuff, actually – unlike using horse ivermectin instead of human ivermectin). Anyway, here’s the illustration.
Marianne was here yesterday evening, and she found some nails on the road when walking to her truck. She offered to loan us her wheeled magnet, and even drove all the way back here with TWO wheeled magnets. Yikes! We are very grateful to Marianne – there have already been dozens of nails left behind after the roofers cleaned up. We will continue to wheel over the ground until we come up without any nails, which will probably take several days! I am making a collection.
Marianne hard at work 
One pass with the magnet – 4 nails!
As I was bringing the horses in this morning, Oisin was rubbing his tail against the fence that I had recently repaired with Gorilla tape. I reprimanded him, but he didn’t stop until he had broken the fence – again. Despite Harry’s incipient tick borne disease (circumvented, we hope, by doxycycline), the artist went to work to help me fix the fence. The new fence boards we picked up last week are a joy. I don’t think Oisin will break this one!
Bad boy, Oisin! 
Good boy, Harry! 
Fixed fence
We dashed up to the NEC to see where our stalls are, and to install buckets and put bedding down for tomorrow’s morning schooling. To our delight, we are in Barn 7, as requested, and not too far from Kris and his Kirin Farm. He is the next aisle over and across. Excitement is building! The trailer is packed and ready for departure before 8 AM, meeting up with Kris at 9 AM. The St. Louis National Charity Horse Show always feels special. I hope I can remember how to ride!
Tom Morris wants to go to the horse show!
At the end of day barn chores, the cats were celebrating the placid evening.
Twizzler 
Skittle 
Licorice and Marmalade 
Cora – missing a few meals didn’t have much effect on her!
Much of the garden has been trampled, but it will bounce back if we ever get any rain. We seem to be in a drought for the time being. The lantana, though, has escaped damage and is beautiful on a late summer evening.
Finally, our friends Laura and John sent a glorious picture from their view in Colorado…
Stay safe, stay well. Peace.
Good luck and have fun!
Thanks, Linda. I’m pretty nervous!
St. Louis Charity HS, a classic for sure, what fun!! I’ll look up your classes and hopefully watch live feed, maybe Horse & Country?
I doubt it will be live streamed, Jane.
Fabulous pictures Anne. Be careful out there.
I’m glad that someone said something to you about looking for roofing nails. I almost mentioned that, but I feel like a meddling old lady when I say stuff like that. After I had a new loafing shed built, my first trip on the zero turn mower in that field yielded a flat tire. Lesson learned, I now own a magnet on a stick.
Good luck and, most importantly, have fun at the show!!!
I’m too old to care about seeming like a meddling old lady! I am horrified at how many nails we continue to find! I am worried about having a flat tire on the trailer, of course. I have on of those magnets on a stick, but the wheeled magnet bars are amazing – if you have any building or repairs, I strongly recommend it! Marianne has lent us two, which has been very helpful. This evening we found ANOTHER twenty nails around the barn! They removed the roofing dumpster this morning.
Oisin tried to break a fence before he was even weaned. Mom was on the other side.