New Paint

This is the workshop/storage loft/tack room building, freshly painted. This building was here when we bought this place and was built in 1977.

Dirt Roads and My Car

Last week, I come out to my car to get a box and I see that there is a flat tire--and it is not just flat on one side, as the old joke goes, but flat all the way around. Well, nuts, I say (not really, I said a bit more then that!) but at least I am not going to work that day so there is no rush and my handyman is here to change it for me. I stopped changing tires decades ago when the power tools used made it too hard to get the nuts off. Even Jose had to stand on the tire wrench to get the nuts loosened. Of course the spare is a little low on air (yeah, I know that is supposed to be checked periodically, but, hey, out of sight--out of mind) with less then 10 lbs in it. However, living out here, one must be prepared and so there is an air compressor living in the generator house(the generator and its house is a whole 'nother story). Jose found the nail in the tire and by good grace it is in the tread and not in the sidewall, so it is fixable. I also must commend my car for having the tire go flat at home and not out in the middle of nowhere, which pretty much is everything between town and home.

I've been looking at the maintenance light on my dashboard for a while, knowing that the service place sets that light to come on at 3,000 miles for an oil change which is not at all necessary. I was letting some more miles accumulate before taking the car in for its routine service. I jokingly told a friend that maybe the flat tire was nature's way of telling me to get the car in for service. Snork!, little did I know...

Driving to the service place Saturday afternoon, I'm thinking, piece of cake, I have coupons for the oil change & the tire repair, so this should only cost me the $5 oil disposal charge. Hmmm, maybe. We did not change the air filter and cabin filter last time, and living on dirt roads, these items need frequent replacement. So, I might be stuck for that and they are not cheap. Oh well, what must be done, must be done.

I turn my car over the the nice people at the service place and sit down with a snack and a book, which I have not yet started, by an author I like, so I'll have lots to read if need be. In a while, the manager comes back in carrying an air filter and a cabin filter and both are really really dirty, so I knew they must be mine (I had the dirtiest car at the place!). Yep, he always shows me that they do need changing. Then he hands me some really nasty looking brake fluid. I am thinking that I don't recall changing out the brake fluid and the manager does not recall that we have done that for this car since I started going here. We did the radiator and transmission not super long ago, but apparently not the brake fluid. Oh well, if it must be done...

I settle back with my book and some time passes when the manager walks in again with *that* look on his face and he is looking at me. This is so not a good sign. Really. He tells me that my top engine mount is broken and needs to be replaced. I'm thinking, ok, a bracket and a couple of bolts, right? WRONG. This is a complex, heavy, important piece of equipment that dampens the shock and vibration the engine undergoes. And, with dirt roads, this engine undergoes a lot. Without this piece, there is more stress on the other mounts and it also puts more stress on the belts and hoses, which will then be more likely to break, probably in the middle of nowhere. sigh....

Napa Parts first brings the wrong part, and has to go back and get the right part, which also is $40 more expensive. Did I mention--sigh....

Finally, nearly 3 hours later, and over $400 on my credit card, I do get out of there alive. I now have new oil, new cabin filter, new air filter, new brake fluid with a flushed-out brake system, and a brand new upper motor mount. And I still have the dirtiest car there. And it is all the fault of the dirt roads.

I wouldn't trade living out here with my dirt roads for life in the flats even though it would save me money on car maintenance!

Green Horses

Brand new fly sheets, looking real pretty. Since these *are* horses, the pretty won't last long as they have got 2 acres of hill side to roam with brush & mustard weed to scrounge in as it dries out. These are the textilene material and it should last this season and get us into next season. It is the only material that stands up to my horses. 

 Looks like I need green fly leg wraps for the completely unified look!

New Paint for the Barn

The barn was built in May 1983 and has never been repainted, so it was time. The wood was so dry that it soaked up the 2 coats of primer & the 2 coats of paint. There was some prep and repair work also so now there are no more loose nails and popping lumber. It is ready for my yearly delivery of hay and for horses to come in when it rains in the winter.

The Monarch of the Glen

I have been watching, courtesy of NetFlix, the British show, The Monarch of the Glen. Good show--have really been enjoying it. So, anyways, one day as I am walking down the hall, the Big Cat comes strolling out immediately across the way in front of me. I had to come to a screeching stop or fall over him. I stopped and out of my mouth, popped the words "And here he is, The Monarch of the Glen". His new name has stuck.

He had to go to the vet, then go back for a recheck as he has some things to see about. The first time, I had to leave him there & pick him up later. The second time, I stayed with him.While waiting for the vet tech, then later the vet to come in, he stood on the table and hid himself up against me under my jacket. He does not like it there.
I have never seen a cat have blood pressure taken. It is just like for humans. The tech wraps a little cuff around his forearm and the machine measures it. They take three readings and take the average, then consider that it is higher then normal from the stress of being at the vet's. This time his blood pressure was normal. This time his pupil response was normal. I think it is because I was there to hide him.

Back home again, he resumed his rightful place as The Monarch of the Glen.

Further Update

The buyer of the mustang backed out at the last minute. She really needed to have figured out all her stuff before looking at horses and wasting folk's time, but--oh well. So mustang's owner came up & we took a ride. Lil'Red did quite well. He gets better each time he goes out w/mustang.

The two oldest horses here have started on Previcox and it is doing a very good job for them. Their old age arthritis was getting to be too much but now is much better. They get their "magic" pill each evening in their evening mush & never know it is in there. Dreamer will be 29 in mid April & Clarion will be 32 in early May.

Update

Way back in my post on Savvy is Knowing When to Quit, a comment/question was left. I have finally checked there & answered it.
Short version, the Morgan I went to look at did not work out (longer explanation in my response there). I then found a Kiger Mustang near by & checked her out. She was what I was looking for. I brought her home, worked with her & found out that I had no connection with her at all. No click. No feeling for her. Nothing, nada, zilch, zero. It was really weird. Since keeping a horse that I could not connect with was not fair to either me or the horse, I had to talk w/her owner & say it did not work. Due to the owner's circumstances, I ended up boarding the mare. And after a few more weeks, I still have no connection with her. She sold just this past Thursday to someone who really likes her & feels good about her & I can see the mare likes her too. She just needs to get hauled out of here now to her new home.
When the woman came to try the mare, I let the mare's owner ride my Lil'Red. The owner used to ride racing TBs at the track & at ranches and I've seen her work w/horses & felt I could trust Lil'Red to her. He is my difficult horse who has proven he won't be my trustworthy, ride-alone trail horse. I rode him last Monday while owner rode the mare & I showed her a trail to take the buyer out on. Lil'Red did his worry thing, but seemed to find some comfort having another horse along. He did even better for owner on Thursday (I couldn't go as I had to wait on a hay delivery). She reported that he was nervous & got really sweaty the first half of the ride, then calmed down & started to dry off. She did get off & lead him thru one difficult part of the trail. He came up my driveway looking happy to be out. He does like going out, he really does. And sometimes he can do it & we have great rides. Other times, he lacks the confidence to even leave the property.
I had been thinking of trying to pony my Paly off Lil'Red on rides. Seeing how nicely he did w/the mustang, I am going to definitely do that. They will either support & comfort each other--or make each other more nervous! It will be interesting to try. I hope it works as they both want to go do something. Some arena time at first to get things sorted out, and then we will head out & see.

The other interesting thing to come out of that ride is that the owner's saddle worked really well on Lil'Red. It is the only saddle I've had on him that fit good standing still and came back with a good sweat pattern and no dry spots! I now am borrowing that saddle to try out some more with him. I am going to try it on the Paly too as I have yet to find a saddle that really works for him.

So, of course it is going to rain this weekend. I'll attempt to work around the rain. I want the rain. We need the rain. But this year, it rains on my days at home. Really