Cedar loves her morning cat food scatter at the barn. She is starting to slow down a bit, but she never misses an opportunity for a taste of cat food. If we forget to close the tack room door, and she is out and about, she is not above eating all the cat food in all the bowls. The morning scatter is our version of paying protection to keep her from trying too hard to rob the cats.
The old Cedar hound on her way to a cat food scatter 
Bart at the gate 
Oisin is ready for breakfast
Susan came to ride Oisin with Jane and Derry. I set jumps for them, while Harry went off on a trail ride with Stone before dropping in on the ring activity. I had my camera with me. We did some simple exercises over low jumps. It got pretty warm, and the horses are definitely getting their winter coats.
Stone in his element – on the trails 
Susan departed in her fancy, newly striped car. I am surprised she doesn’t get pulled over by the cops because the car just looks like it’s speeding.
Harry went to work in the studio with his canine assistants nearby, and Jane and I did some tree clearing in the west woods. Our favorite trail, the West Loop trail, has been blocked all summer, but we are beginning to get it cleared (in no small part thanks to Nathaniel’s diligent chainsaw work). Jane is pretty good with a chainsaw, too, though. I ran up against a snag when I went to change my chain before we started work, and discovered I had been sold the wrong size spare chain! So I did small jobs and much clearing and throwing of the branches Jane cut.
Weedy runs home from an adventure – time to go to work in the studio! 
Mistletoe loves to hang out in the studio 
Sleeping on the job 
A woodland sculpture
My brother, Peter, identified the strange purple fungus I saw yesterday as Terana caerulea, commonly called “cobalt crust fungus” or “velvet blue spread”. I love the descriptive common names. Today, I saw a pink fungus. Autumn colors abound.
Sarah Becker, a friend from Bowling Green, who now lives in Illinois, came to visit today, laden with delicious treats. She comes across on the Golden Eagle ferry from her little Illinois town, where she teaches second grade. Those are some lucky children. She radiates kindness and artistry and genuinely cares about teaching her “kiddos”. Art is her passion, so she knew Harry from his guest lectures at Bowling Green High School and has kept in touch ever since.
I had to depart to work the ring in anticipation of forecast rain tomorrow. Sarah was gone when I returned, and I turned the horses out for possibly their last night turnout of the year.
Once the horses were out, I called the cats for dinner, and got two hungry orange cats at a run.
Marmalade 
Tom Morris
End of another busy day.
Stay safe, stay well. Peace.