Buck and Papa

 Buck is in a phase where he absolutely adores his Papa (DH) and asks to see him.  He's a few months past his second birthday, and yes, he actually asks to come over to this little place here and hang out with his Papa.

Almost two weeks ago, he got to do this solo for the first time ever.  After a rocky few minutes right after getting dropped off and then realizing it was just him, Papa, and I, which evoked some tears and calling for his Daddy, he settled in.  

The first thing he wanted to do was have a snack. Papa is always up for a snack, so they had venison summer sausage (made by Papa this past hunting season) and cheese.  I forget the exact conversation held while snacking, but it included Buck gesturing out towards our woods and saying that Papa sits in the trees.

The next thing he wanted to do was do some puzzles.  We tried to interest him in the easy toddler puzzles we have--the wooden kind with less than a dozen pieces, but he had his heart set on the 48-piece Frozen puzzles we have.  With Papa's help, he was able to match up the colors and designs on the pieces and put the puzzle together.  I snapped a picture during the twenty minutes or so they took to work on the first puzzle.  Once that one was done, he insisted on doing another (we have three Frozen puzzles).

Like Papa, Buck has a stocky build and thick hands.  He's also got Papa's blue eyes.  Hopefully not Papa's hairline, although they say guys inherit that trait through their mother and to look at the mother's father to see if they will be balding or not, so poor Buck is probably doomed since his mom is DD1, daughter of Papa.

Buck hadn't had a nap before arriving at this little place here, despite his parents' best efforts.  Unfortunately for him, that meant that he fell asleep while sitting on Papa's lap and having Papa read to him.  After sleeping for an hour, he woke up ready to play again, with two goals in mind:

1. Ride on the tractor with Papa (who let him 'steer' )
2. Ride on the 4-wheeler with Papa (who didn't let him steer as his arms are still too short to span the handlebar).

We had an inch or so of snow on the ground, so Papa got out the sled with the long rope on it, and pulled Buck around on the sled behind the 4-wheeler for a little bit.  He biffed it once, Buck having gotten to rocking the sled from side to side and flipped over when he rocked a little too far.  That got him a mouthful of snow, but when Papa circled back around to him with the sled he was game to climb back on and go again.

Once the sled and 4-wheeler had been put away, he told us that he wanted to "go home and eat with my family" rather than stay for dinner.  (Buck doesn't talk a lot, but when he feels so moved, he has lots and lots of words.  And opinions.) So Papa took him home.

It's a Dry Cold

 You know how people talk about the summer heat in the southwest or desert part of the US as being not as bad as the heat in the more wetter parts of the country?  How they say the high temperatures are more tolerable there because "It's a dry heat" with low humidity?

Well, right now the Midwest is in a cold spell.  So cold that the area schools (at least those of several counties around this little place here) are closed because it is 'too cold' to be safe for the kids to go to school.

I kind of get it, if you don't have adequate clothing (heavy coat, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, etc) for the winter temperatures.  That can be bad.  And unfortunately it seems that more and more parents don't provide their kids with insulated boots, warm coats, sturdy pants that block the wind, hats, gloves, etc.  My feelings on that lack are rant-worthy.  However, that's not what I'm posting about today.

Because if you do have adequate gear, these zero and sub-zero temps aren't all that terrible.

I actually like these temperatures (barely above zero this morning when I was out doing chores, with moderate wind bringing wind chill to around 5ish below zero) better than when it's in the mid thirties or the forties here.  

Because it's a dry cold.  

There's no component of dampness, and I stay warmer in my layers in frigid air than I do with warmer temps, less layers and higher moisture in the ground and air around me.  Layer up, and keep moving; that's the secret.

Despite the 'dangerous' cold today, I'm wishing I was outside on a pair of cross-country skis.  It's a great day for gliding around, enjoying winter.

That Silent Language of Marriage

 You know how when you've been married a while, it's almost like you can read each other's thoughts?

Like the two of you have a special language that nobody else knows?

I think after 34 years together, DH has just about gotten the non-verbal communication down to an art. (Still needs work on the verbal though, ha ha.)

For instance, that stack of receipts on the kitchen counter near the toaster?  Those are his, and by setting them there he's saying "Honey, accountant of the family, here are some expenditures for you to notate and file."

And when there's a pair of his socks, or a sweatshirt of his, or a muddy pair of jeans laying directly in front of the washing machine, he's saying "Love of My Life, I need you to wash these so I can wear them again."

Can you guess what he's saying in each of the following pictures?

"I only wore these for a couple of hours, to church, so they are still clean.  Best Hanger-Upper of Clothes Ever, please but them back on hangers and hang them in my closet because I don't know how.  Oh, there's two pair of pants because I pulled out the wrong ones at first, but they came off the hanger so I couldn't put them back, I had to put them on the bed."

"Dear Wife, I have used all the coffee beans in this bag and I shall perish tomorrow without coffee unless you magically supply me with a new bag, located in the freezer of the basement fridge (aka the beer fridge)"

"Wonderful Cleaner of Our Home, next time you go to the basement, please take this newspaper I have finished reading and put it in the stack of newspapers down there that we use when lighting the charcoal grill."

And one I forgot to take a picture of, but will describe so you can guess what he'ssaying. The blue container next to the coffee maker in the picture about being out of coffee beans is where he dumps the used coffee filters and grounds.  When he can't stuff any more in it, he sets the container on the kitchen island (which is about three feet away from the coffee area). 

Which, of course, means "Most Awesome Woman, please walk out to the compost bin at the garden and dump this container of grounds so that they can become a soil amendment and I can have room in the container when I need to put a used filter in it tomorrow after making coffee."

Have you noticed a hint of sarcasm while reading this?  If so, you're right.  I don't fully appreciate DH's habits involving leaving stuff he wants taken care of right in my way so I will see them (and maybe trip over them--newspaper by the door to the basement stairs, dirty clothes in front of the washing machine) and deal with them without him actually having to take the time to find me and ask me to do these things.  Or, heaven forbid, learning to do them himself (hanging up clothes).

But, in the grand scheme of things, these are minor things to be annoyed at my husband over.  Can't let molehills become mountains.

I do have to admit I have my own idiosyncrasies that he probably doesn't really appreciate either.

C'est la vie.

A Whole Bunch of Random

 Back in November, during firearm deer hunting season here in Michigan, I didn't get out into the tree stand much.  But when I did, the first time, I found that the squirrels had pretty much destroyed the seat cushion for the tree stand I use (that DH had put up in October).

That hunt was fairly uncomfortable, sitting on a cushion that was one narrow strip (the cushiony part) and several large spots with no filling between my gluteus maximus and the metal frame of the tree stand.

By the third time I went out to hunt, DH had dug up a new 'cushion' (a not very squishy foam board--very likely ancient and petrified) to temporarily replace the one the squirrels excavated for nest insulation material.  I used farmer ingenuity and secured it to the tree stand with baling twine.  Because, baling twine.  LOL.  If you know, you know.

In early December, DH was out of town the week of my birthday.  DD2 was also away, so I was home alone.  Rather than just kind of not have a birthday, like I've done in recent years when DH is away on my natal date, this year I decided to celebrate myself.

So I bought myself a (cheap) bouquet of flowers from the grocery store, ordered a yummy "salad" (lettuce, chicken, rice, roasted corn, black beans, guacamole)  from the local Mexican restaurant to be ready for pickup when I was done bringing horses in for their evening feed, and made myself a small cake (chocolate with peanut butter frosting).  I even put two candles in it, leftover from when K3 and Toad were very young and often were here on short notice for an indefinite amount of time (number 5 and number 3, my current age).  I of course lit them so I could make a wish and blow them out.  It's not a real birthday party without blowing out the candles.

Silly?  Maybe.  But it was better than pretending it wasn't actually my birthday just because no one else was around to celebrate with me. 

I forgot to set aside a bit of frosting to add food coloring to and use for decorating the cake, so instead of writing Happy Birthday on it, I used colored sprinkles to carefully spell out HAPPY.  The whole message being too big to write in sprinkles on an 8" x 8" cake.  Actually, I think maybe HAPPY will be my mantra for this year of my life.  There's been a whole lot of years of late that I was frustrated, overwhelmed, hurt (by and for others), and pretty much unhappy.  I'm rather tired of all that.  Happy is my desired goal from here on out.

We had a couple decent snows in December.  After one late in the month, I found myself walking in the woods (helping DH track a doe he'd shot during the late antlerless season) and took a picture of the trees in the snow.  I/We really need to get out there more and just walk around for the sake of wandering, not because we're working on finding a deer, or cutting/hauling firewood or tapping trees and collecting sap for syrup.  

Since the first of the year, I've started working on a new baby quilt.  Grandbaby #7 (who shall be dubbed with the name of Lucky here on the blog) is due on Valentine's Day.  This is the first child for DS2 and Surprise, and they are keeping the gender a secret until Lucky arrives.  Surprise suggested 'genderless' colors such as light blue, green, yellow, gray, for this quilt.  

As usual, I've taken that concept and am running with my own adaptation.  I'm not a pastel lover for baby quilts, especially as I make my grandkids quilts that will cover them until they are about 8 or 10 years old, not just as newborns.  I don't want a theme they will outgrow quickly.  And, since DS2 and Surprise originally met at Disney World 10 years ago, I just had to go with Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto fabric too.

The weather has been rather cold lately, as it should be for January (but wasn't in Jan. 2024), and the Yarn Thief has been preferring to stay in the house rather than go outside to hunt birds and mice.  She's getting a bit of cabin fever, though, and while I was changing the sheets on my bed she crawled underneath the fitted sheet where she made a lump I couldn't smooth out.  This is a favorite game of hers that usually involves me getting one or more claws in my fingers as I'm trying to make the bed.

There have been other things happening around this little place here in recent months, and I'm hoping to turn a few of them into their own posts rather than including them here.  But I can't resist adding a couple pictures of  a Christmas present my kids got me.  I'm willing to bet I'm the only Mom who actually put these on her Wish List:

Caution cones!  Coming to a pseudo riding arena near me (okay, my temporary riding arena behind the barn) once the frigid weather breaks long enough for me to get back into the saddle.  I'm so excited to be able to set them up in multiple configurations to use as training aids.

Tell Me You're a Horse Girl. . .

 . . . without telling me "I'm a Horse Girl".  A review of 2024 in pictures.  In reverse chronological order of incident.

December. Whacked self in leg with 4" thick ice block trying to dump out (previously frozen and partially thawed) water trough alone.

Day 2

Also Day 2 (different view)

Day 9(ish)

September.  Broken fifth (?) metatarsal when Poetess spooked and landed hard on the edge of my foot on cement aisle of barn.  In her defense, something went whizzing by the open barn door at a high rate of speed.  I suspect it was DH on the 4-wheeler but never directly asked him. He was super worried afterward and super attentive, so that's kind of confession of guilt, right?

1 hour

3 days

(still very swollen)

5 days

2 months 15 days

(I think my foot is permanently colored like this now,

 hasn't faded more in the three weeks since this photo.)

April.  Little Black Mare stepped on me while dancing around in cross ties.

a few hours

Early April.  Poetess and I got our legs tangled up when I was wrapping a hind leg and the Yarn Thief decided to jump off the ladder to the hayloft and literally fly out the front door of the barn when she saw a horse in the aisle and freaked out (I assume as I didn't actually see it happening only noted where she was--with giant round eyes and a frizzed tail-- after I found myself crouched mostly under the Poetess's belly with her legs between mine).  Both Poetess and I were a little gimpy for a day or two afterwards.

Left, inner thigh/knee area

Right, shin/ankle

Did I seek medical attention for any of these?  PFFT.  No.  They're just bruises.  Well, except for the September broken foot.  I've had injuries like these before in the past (and did seek medical attention the first time around).  Experience tells me how to treat them.  And that toes/arch area of foot doesn't get casted.  So no need to spend time and money showing it to a doctor.

Which kinda says Hey, I'm a Horse Girl.

Make My Horse Life Easier Tip #1

 I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but about a year ago I happened upon a way of keeping my polo wraps tangle-free while washing them.  (Well, honestly, part of the reason it took so long is that until about a year ago I hadn't used polo wraps in a long, long time, typically using splint boots or brushing boots on the older horses I was riding.  It wasn't until I started working the Poetess, with her young four-year-old legs, that I went back to wrapping.)

Are you constantly frustrated with polo (or other long, skinny) wraps that get knotted like some demonic test of wit every time you wash them?  If so, read on for my (brilliant if I do say so) light-bulb moment of a tip for easier washing with less detangling.

Rather than tossing my polo wraps into the washing machine willy nilly (except for folding the velcroes over themselves so they didn't grab everything in the washer), I bought a couple of lingerie washing bags and put each set of polos into it's own bag.  Wonder of wonders, no more tangled wraps!

(Except for recently, when a bag came unzipped and ejected it's cargo into the washer, which prompted pictures and this post).

Now, instead of dealing with this Gordian knot on laundry day:

I simply unzip the bag, grab the end of a polo wrap and they tamely slide out one at a time in an organized manner like this:

Nice and orderly, not a big lumpy knot of snakes trying to touch the ground, the floor, and everything else that might dirty them while you try to extricate them from their grip on each other (and themselves).

This works a treat in the dryer too, not just in the case of line drying, as I was doing until the weather turned last week.  

Lingerie bags are cheap to buy.  And a set of four polo wraps fits nicely into one bag.  Definitely money well spent; it saves me both the time to untangle washer-knotted wraps and the frustration of having to unknot them before they can be rolled.

If you want to wait a little bit, and save some money, put a few lingerie bags on your holiday wish list and perhaps someone will buy them for you as a gift!  And if you've been jonesing after some new colors in polo wraps but can't justify the price when you all ready have plenty of wraps (that aren't new eye catching colors), put a set of wraps and a lingerie bag on your wish list!  

(I have seen some laundry bags for wraps listed on a few tack store websites, and I bought myself one, but, in home trials this summer, I think my cheapy lingerie bags bought at Wally World work just as well as my specifically-for-leg-wraps bag).

Well, That Was Unexpected

 I'm hoping to be back to posting fairly regularly (as in, roughly once a week like the last several years) sometime soon.  September was busy in mostly good ways and October has been an abrupt change in storyline. Honestly, this month so far is a blur. I'm tired and my body hurts. DD2 has moved back home after nearly two years of living with Brad, who was her boyfriend.  

Was.

It's been a long rollercoaster of a two weeks, first filled with DD2 in an emotional black hole wondering why she was such a horrible person that after three years (and some encouraging conversations in recent months about their long term future) Brad broke up with her after an argument (that in hindsight he'd goaded her into.).  Add insult to injury, the breakup came just a few days before her 27th birthday.

 After many tearful days and sleepless nights and feeling like she was a failure because he'd broken up with her, because she doesn't have a job (due to increasing health issues last winter through this summer), and because now she was 27 living back in her childhood bedroom, the truth slowly became clear.

It wasn't her that was a horrible person.  It was him.  And also the roommate and (she'd thought) friend that had moved in with them in May when they moved to a larger apartment at a different apartment complex.  The roommate that DD2 had accompanied to doctor appointments and to the hospital in July for a hysterectomy that ended up being more complicated than expected, had stayed with her in the hospital (since DD2 didn't have a job to go to), had nursed and tended during the six-week recovery from the roommate's surgery.   

Brad and the roommate had apparently been dating prior to him suggesting the move to a new apartment.  So, the entire time Brad, DD2 and roommate have been sharing an apartment, he has been cheating on DD2 with the roommate.  The roommate who made DD2 think she was her friend.  And then made DD2 feel so horrible that DD2's arguing with Brad had been so scary for her and DD2 was totally at fault in Brad's decision to break up.

Excuse me, what?  That was the story being fed to DD2 the entire first week after the breakup: that DD2 was a terrible person. Nothing was said about the true relationship between Brad and the roommate until DD2 sent them a group text to let them know that her eldest brother and her mom and probably a long time (since high school) friend or two would be coming on Saturday to help her move out all of her things from the apartment.

For whatever reason, that is when the truth came out.  Very viciously from the roommate, and even Brad wanting to know why she was inconveniencing them by bringing her family to their apartment on a day when they'd been hoping to relax.  The whole truth about how long Brad and the roommate had been an item.  

We moved her anyway.  Her best guy friend since freshman year of high school, DS1 (there for muscle in moving things and the intimidation factor of a Marine just in case of trouble), and I went in, and carried stuff out as fast as she could pack it.  We were on a mission to help her close the door on that bad situation as fast a possible and not let those two play her any longer putting her off and making it difficult for her to get her belongings (and off the lease).

This mom is really angry.  I cannot even begin to fathom what kind of twisted reasoning makes this behavior even remotely excusable.  A boyfriend who not only cheats, he convinces you that taking on this roommate that he 'knows from work' is beneficial to you.  A female roommate who makes you think she's your friend and then not only uses you for her own personal nursemaid she continues an affair with the guy she knows is your boyfriend, that you share a bedroom with.

The only good points I can see so far are that a) DD2 is no longer under his spell, b) she has realized how many of her friends and family he has alienated her from in the last couple of years and c) she sees an enormous support system in her friends and family (and even some of his friends who are shocked by this development and have reached out to her).

So, adjustments ahead.  DH and I aren't true empty nesters yet.   I guess this chapter of my life is about helping DD2 regain her physical health, get back into the work force and work toward financial independence in the foreseeable future.