Cooler weather arrived as promised. It was a beautiful morning. The horses were happy to come in, and Bart took his nap as soon as he finished breakfast.
Nathaniel and Allison arrived to work on the fence. I warned them about ticks, but they were undeterred, thank goodness. They replaced nine fence posts! I envy their youthful energy, and we are immensely grateful for it!
Hard at work 
Still smiling!
I did some weeding, and kept my camera with me in hopes of seeing a hummingbird. Jackpot! I got two pictures of Mrs. Hummingbird!
I tried another approach to the pileated woodpecker, without success. I did get a nice shot of a goldfinch in the crabapple tree, though, and the locust tree is starting to bloom.
After lunch, I rode Oisin and Stone, who were shocked to discover they are not retired. The shoes they wear should have been a hint.
Harry was exhausted after his exercises, and Mistletoe and Weedy convinced him to take a short rest.
Jane and Derry came over and we had a jumpfest – Derry won every exercise. Bart was a bit too enthusiastic to be jumping again! Before we started jumping, we did our usual wandering and talking for half an hour. Today we were mostly complaining about how miserable we are, despite being luckier than almost everyone. This coronavirus pandemic is getting us down. As are the ticks, which exact a high price for being outside doing what we love, puttering around the garden. Jane had many ticks yesterday and I have lost count of mine. I read that the increase in ticks is directly tied to climate change and to the destruction of natural habitats, pushing more animals into tighter places.
Marianne arrived to help in the barn just as we finished riding.
Harry came out with the dogs for an evening airing after a hard afternoon sculpting.
Another day winds down, and we hope everyone is staying safe and nerves are not fraying too much. We remind ourselves to count our blessings and stay focused on the right things. Be well.
Anne, I am so happy to get my “let out of jail free” card. Bill and I actually rode somewhere in the car on an errand not to a grocery store! Whee! Take heart, brighter days are here. We have so much for which to be thankful, hot water when we want a shower (after ticks for sure), and shelter from the storm when we need it, among other blessings.
Wow, you rode three horses in one day? That’s terrific! And the honeysuckle is so picturesque, so beautiful! One of these days you will get the money shot of the woodpecker. I was surprised at how many goldfinches you had in your yard. Such beauty all around you.