Too Busy

Life careens onward without letup. I am very grateful for all the kind comments about the blog, and I mean to be more regular, but life is just too hectic, so I end up with way too many pictures, as this post will prove. Here are five days of a strangely warm February in our life here.

I will start by reporting that Harry had a successful cardioversion today, just a month after his last one. He soldiered through a week of atrial fibrillation, and there are more medical procedures ahead in March. We have two dear friends battling much worse situations than this, and we are hoping that there will be good news from them soon. They are front and center in our hearts all the time. Despite Harry and our friends battling health troubles, life hurtles along here.

In the studio, Harry had a visit from a Marine, who is being used as a model for a possible war memorial. He had loaned Harry his actual equipment so that details would be authentic.

Later in the day, we had a visit from my brother, Mark, with his dog, Kota, and his wife Cynthia. They live in Chicago, but are spending more time in St. Louis, where they are rehabbing a house. Cynthia has a grandchild in St. Louis.

As readers know, our life is circumscribed by the animals here. Feeding times are fairly regular, and Mark unfortunately arrived just as I was bringing horses in. I had two horses in the barn and had to leave Stone momentarily to warn Mark not to come toward the barn, as that would spook the shed cats just as they were expecting dinner. Well, it was chaos. A horse alone is unhappy. A horse expecting dinner, and alone, is upset. Of course, Mark’s dog headed for the barn, so the shad cats vamoosed. Cynthia opened the door to the house and Eddy bolted. I was NOT a gracious hostess! Luckily, Harry recalled Eddy, Kota enjoyed frisbee out back in the tall grass, and soon all was well. We had a nice visit. After the guests departed, the shed cats enjoyed a late supper.

Jane has recommitted to regular riding. Eddy was astonished to see her atop Derry. Eddy loves Jane dearly (as do Harry and I). Here are some pictures of Jane and Derry taken over the past few days.

Eddy is obsessed with deer, but he also loves water.

Then, of course, this past weekend was also the Silver Fox Horse Show at the National Equestrian Center. Silver Fox is the latest iteration of Irish Fox Stables, which was sold and became Flying Fox Stables, then sold again, and is now Silver Fox. Luckily, they have continued to put on local horse shows. With good weather and few other affordable shows, this Silver Fox show was very well attended indeed. It was fun to see everyone, with the horse show year off to a good start. Speaking of places getting sold, the National Equestrian Center itself has been purchased by St. Charles County Parks, which is a huge relief to all of us who show. It will not be turned into a housing development , as is happening to almost every square inch of St. Charles County, it seems, lately.

Monday, Jane went to Therapeutic Horemanship, where she volunteers every week, and I went to Saint Clair to ride with Lotta on Brett’s lovely young horse, Crumlin. Brett also finally convinced me to sit on his new horse, Junior. I had resisted, because he is such a nice horse, I was intimidated. Also, he has a divine canter, and I thought I would be unable to stand my own horse’s canter after feeling Junior. Well, I could resist no longer, and he was as fabulous as I had suspected. Brett has an incredible eye for a good horse. I feel so lucky to have these opportunities, even as an old lady!

Today was another unseasonably warm day. Our horses were sleeping in the sun when we returned from the cardioversion. Tomorrow Fred will shoe them, and they will go back to work.

Eddy is always very happy to see Harry. He vacillates from wild to comatose, bringing us joy in all his variations.

Rosie and Roscoe are littermates and very similar, even though Rosie lives in the barn and Roscoe in the house. They arrived here as kittens, bottle raised by Liz and her son Richard, who recued them from a feral mother. It was a lucky day for us, twelve years ago, when Liz offered them to us.

Our horrible neighbor to the east has put up No Trespassing signs. Luckily, they are along the road, and not directly facing us. Purple paint, too, denotes a prohibition against trespass. I don’t know when that started. Paint and a sign seems a serious warning. It’s a shame, because the previous owner of the 80 acres was very friendly.

No bird pictures this time, but here are some turkey tracks on the ring.

The big news in the family is that niece Ruth, Mark and Deb’s youngest child, was married yesterday! Mark sent me a picture by text. They eloped, which nowadays means they got married without a big production, privately. They did not run away to marry, like our great aunt, Louise.

Today would have been my brother, Jamie’s 65th birthday. He was born in Scotland, at home, and became a legend at Yellowstone Park. Godspeed Jamie Danger!

There you have the somewhat random account of our highlights here.

Be safe, be well, try to find some quiet spells in frenetic times. Slava Ukraini! Peace.