Thursday Rambling

What a difference 12 hours makes. On the last day of summer (yesterday), temps were in the 80s. Today, the first day of fall, temps are in the 60s. Fall is definitely here...and I am NOT ready for it.


We are in the beginning stages of planning for our playday. I didn't do it last year because my mind wasn't totally with it yet. I was on maternity leave and could have held the playday but my mind...well, it wasn't there.


But we definitely need to be doing some major fundraising to help offset hay costs. Our hay guy has always wanted us to pay for hay the following year. Not something I liked but as the years passed, that's just how it was and I got used to it. Then I got an offer for the same quality of hay, cheaper, AND I can pay right then and there instead of waiting to find out what prices will be like (I got schnookered this year for last year's hay).


So now I find myself in a pickle. I had to pay for last year's hay and now I'm scrambling to come up with the money to pay for this year's hay. I know it doesn't make sense but to come up with $8,000 in a couple of months is impossible. Luckily our new hay guy is understanding but it's going to be tight this year. I knew at some point this manner in which we paid for hay was going to bite me in the butt. Unfortunately, it's now when I'm still trying to get myself refocused on the Sanctuary instead of letting it coast. It sort of has to coast when you're pregnant and then have to figure out baby stuff.


But I digress.


Last Friday a neighbor stopped out and asked if we wanted some small square bales of hay. Well of COURSE! We never turn down hay (unless there's a timing issue in that we have to get the paid hay home and the free hay has to wait). So Saturday morning Mike ran over and loaded the stock trailer full of hay. The flat bed is still loaded with alfalfa that was donated and I haven't had time to unload. The alfalfa is a bit trickier as it's drier and not nearly as easy to man handle.


But, we need to bring Junior and Lace home tonight. That meant last night after the kids went to bed, that I had to unload the hay into the shed...in the dark. It wouldn't have been too big of a deal but where we put the hay isnt' exactly easy to get into. I tried to drive straight in but that didn't work so had to go through the front and haul each bale through the little door. It didn't take long luckily and it's a great feeling to have some extra hay.


The Farmers Almanac is calling for a bad winter. I had a feeling we would have one. It's been a few years. I'm not talking polar vortex kind of bad but real bad with lots of snow. Hopefully we won't have another year like we did a few years back where the snow was so high on the road that it was like driving through a tunnel (yes, I realize I sound like an old person talking about the "good ol' days").


I also need to pick up a bale of hay. I need to put the mares and Junior into the smaller pen instead of letting them stay in the pasture. I dont' trust Junior to fall out of the pasture again like he did this summer. And with the corn being almost ready to pick, I don't want him out there running around. So until I can get electric up, they will have to stay in their other pen. I know Mayhem is going to start pushing on the fence pretty soon as well. So even more incentive to get it done. Now that we have electric hooked up in the barn to keep the horses off the fence in their pen, it'll be easier to take care of adding electric to the pasture. The only catch is timing. There's just too much to get done with no time at all.


I always overestimate what I can get done and underestimate the length of time it takes. If we were in the middle of summer instead of the first day of fall, the days would be longer and I would push to get stuff done. But with the sun setting at 7pm, it's really hard to get anything done outside.


I am planning on taking a day or two off from the paying job to work on a few projects on the Sanctuary. Blankets need to be washed, repaired, and water proofed and a few outbuildings could do with a scrape and a paint. I don't know how much Ill get done. The blankets are high on the priority list. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening until mid October and by then it'll be chilly washing blankets. My goal was to have them washing in July when it was super hot. But that didn't happen. I guess because there wasn't as much pressure to get them done. Well, now there's pressure. Those blankets haven't been washed and waterproofed in quite a while.


And to add insult to injury, we are still in the middle of two house remodels. It's been since March for the one and June for the other. I know it'll all get done but I'm anxious. Before long snow will fly and everything will end up coming to a complete halt for the projects that I want to work on.


Hopefully after I get over this darn cold, I'll have more energy and can take on a bigger project. I'm going on almost a full week without my voice. Ok, so it's there now but not very good. Luckily I don't spend a lot of time talking (I make up for it by making long posts).


It'll all get done, or it won't and I just have to come to terms with it. But in the meantime, I'll still be a bit panicked. I'm slowly working on the playday fundraiser. I could use some help...spreading the word is the biggest part that I need help with.