Animals

I'll Tell You A Secret

Wanna know a little secret?

I'd trade you 5 summer days for 1 autumn day anytime...

in a heartbeat!

Yesterday may just have been the most stellar day of the entire year so far.

Long-sleeve-cool temperatures, brilliant blue sky, light breeze, no humidity...

do I need to go on?

I awoke with more energy than I've had in months...

and so I put it to good use!

After morning chores were complete, the farrier arrived

to trim all of the equines' hooves.

I took the opportunity to groom them while he trimmed their feet.

Curry, curry, brush, brush, buzz, buzz, snip, snip.

Each one got a complete makeover from head to tail.

Were they grateful?

Probably not.

But they were well behaved and I have learned to be satisfied with just that.

When the farrier was finished, I headed back to the house to fold a load of laundry

and do a week's worth of ironing.

Next on the list was cleaning the front pasture.

Sam is always willing to accompany me for chores

and loves to ride shotgun.

For the most part, he sits in the passenger seat while I pick up horse manure.

That is, until the donkeys get a little too close for comfort.

"Maybe if I close my eyes, I can pretend they aren't there!"

Eventually he makes a hasty exit out the driver's side.

The pasture is a peaceful place this cool October morning...

everyone just nibbling and enjoying the day.

My next stop was in the pig pen, where I also picked up "poop."

After emptying my buckets at the manure pile, I decided it was time to do a little mowing

(hopefully the last of the season.)

I trimmed a few bushes and picked the last bucket of tomatoes and peppers

and headed home to cook dinner.

If this had been a hot summer day, I could never have accomplished all that I did.

I am thankful for these days...

and only wish we had more of them each year.

But, I won't be greedy.

No, I'll just take advantage of them and enjoy them,

remembering that winter is coming and life will slow down considerably then.

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