hqueen's collection of Far From the Usual stuff.

[frustratedearthmother]

What she said!

 

[hqueen13]

Thanks @sumi & @baymule

Ok, first the GOOD news: WE HAVE A/C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I meant to pop on here on Friday and update yall, but I got busy. It feels SOOOOO good. They finished it up on Thursday evening LATE. They were still outside checking over the unit and I started to feel cool air. I went to the window and was like should I close the windows now???????? They were like YEAH!!! So we were finally sitting down to eat at like 8:30 that night, and suddenly something stopped running. The BF looked at me startled and was like did it just shut off? I said I don't know. He jumped up and looked out the window and saw that the outdoor unit was still running, so he runs down the hall, and then comes back with a puzzled look on his face, it's still running. What was that?? I looked at him and was like that was the refrigerator that cut off for the first time in 2 months. We started laughing. It's been so wonderful to have the house comfortable again and not sticky and gross.

I have spent all weekend outside. Really from Friday on I've been outside. It's been AWFUL. The only good news is that my one friend, HR went out of town this weekend and told me I could use her pool while they were away. It's a GORGEOUS salt water pool. I had 4 visits to make over the 4 days they were gone. I got in the pool 4 times. It was divine!!!! I just laid there and floated around for a little while each time I was there. I wish I could have stayed in it longer, and I really wished I could have gone and gotten back in yesterday evening, but they were home and I was in the barn for entirely too long.

Saturday I helped out on the veggie farm, which was fun, but hot. I got home way later than I had planned, but I had veggies and $50 more than when I left. Went back to my friend's farm and took care of the horses and then hopped in the pool again.

Sunday, I had to go back to my friend's farm for the last time, so I enjoyed the pool one more time after I mucked the pony stalls. I headed home and hopped into the shower so we could go to the BF's coworker's backyard wedding. Thank goodness they work for an equipment rental company and the guy brought home 2 huge fans for the back yard. That helped a lot, but it was still hot as hades. I was really careful and drank lots of water. I was mildly annoyed they only had those little mini bottles of water. I think I drank like 5 or 6. I ate a really big lunch, since I knew I had to go to the barn.

The horses are now flipped to being in during the day, and that has really complicated the schedule. On top of that, we now have 2 more additional horses in the co-op. The more annoying part is that the gal is working on getting her nursing degree, so she can only help out 3 days during the week, despite having 2 horses there. So that means on Sunday nights I now have to turn 6 horses out (4 of which go in the furthest pasture down a big hill, we do walk them in pairs, but now it means hiking the hill twice) and do 6 stalls. It took me over 3 hours last night, and I was absolutely exhausted, and I still had to run to my other friend's house to care for Cowboy and Coyote. I didn't get home until after 9, and I walked into the house and straight into the shower. I was DRIPPING with sweat, it was GROSS. I only ate a snack before falling into bed.

I'm still exhausted this morning, and really just want to take a nap, but they frown upon that in the office. To top it off, the office that I share here in our main location gets HOT in summer. It's probably in the upper 70's in here. The way they ran the ducts when they built out the office doesn't make much sense, and so for some reason our little office ROASTS in the summer, it gets morning sun, and the thermostat is in another office, which ends up fine. We have a tiny fan running, but that's not really doing anything except blowing the air around above our heads.

So, to answer some of your questions, @baymule
I know it's going to cost over $300 to get the lyme I need for the grass space I have.
It's going to cost $250.00 to rent the post pounder that will drive the posts into the ground instead of having to use an auger to dig them and a rock bar to hand tamp them.
I know that a run-in shed that can be delivered to me will cost somewhere between $6000 and $10000. There was a vendor at the expo this past year that advertised a shed for payments as low as $125.00/month for 5 years on a shed. That's LESS than I'm paying for my board, so that's pretty reasonable.
I don't know how much it's going to cost to fence it. I do know that I want to put up good fencing, even if it does take me a bit longer and possibly more funds. I own a draft, it's not worth it to throw something up that's not going to hold him well, and on top of that we live REALLY close to a very busy main road, so I don't want any risks. (I've also known several horses that have died on T Posts and wire fences. It's not worth the cost savings to take the risk in my opinion)
I will need some sort of hay storage, even if it's one of those tarp car ports.
I will also need to build a hay feeder, which will cost us about $400.
I will need some stone dust to build a footer, and I'll need to build some kind of manure holding bin, too.
I'm going to need about 5 gates, at least, maybe more (crazy fences!)
I'm also going to need a small tractor with a mower and a bucket.
I'll need a manure spreader and drag harrow, too.

So yeah, I'm looking a real chunk of change to get this going, though some of these things don't have to happen right away. We really do need a tractor/mower because our neighbor, bless his heart, has still been mowing for us. Not worth the expense to buy a lawn mower AND then still get a tractor when we can buy 1 thing that will do it all. Right now our yard isn't so complicated that a nice compact tractor can't mow the front yard, too.

About the boarding arrangement currently: Yes, I am paying board at $175.00/month. I also have to pay an additional $5.00/month to use my fan, plus I have to chip in for the sawdust for our stalls, and buy my own hay (I'm currently still working on the credit of hay I had left over when we closed the farm, and should be good on hay at least through the summer). My board is self care board, and my horse is required to be in his stall for half the day. As part of the co-op of self care, I have to take care of the horses a couple days a week. With the addition of this new gal, I do turn out and 2 stalls on Friday evening, turn out and 6 stalls on Sunday evening, plus I come over 1 more day a week and either turn out or bring in, depending on when I'm there. Right now I am bringing in on Monday morning, but I think I'm going to switch that to turning out on Tuesday pm instead because it will save me some time and I won't have to come to the office soaked in sweat like this morning.

It takes 30 minutes to drive each way, plus anywhere from an hour to 3 hours depending on what amount of chores I need to do. As of right now it is costing me about 8 hours per week just doing chores and driving to and from the barn. And then there's the cost of gas. And that does not include any time I spent actually doing anything with my horse. Normally, chores take so much energy that I don't have the time nor desire to work him when I'm there on a chore day. So that means an extra trip (with an hour of drive time) some other day during the week to work him.

And I KNOW that it won't take me an hour a day to do chores for 2 horses, even if I do muck the sacrifice paddock, AND I can do those chores at whatever time I choose during the day.

So yeah, figuring out how to get out of the barn and bring him home is going to help my stress level A LOT.

Here's where I'm at with things:
I need to figure out where my fences are going to go and how many feet of fencing and posts I'm going to need, plus gates. Once I've done that I can figure out what type of fencing I'm going to use. I will research the no climb wire fence (I've always called that Stockade fencing, it seems to go by many names), but that's my least favorite choice for a lot of reasons right now. I'll also check the price of board fencing, as well as the poly-vinyl Ramm fencing (though Ramm isn't the only maker of it).
I need to figure out how many gates I'm going to need, too.
I also need to go up to the Amish builders right over the line in PA and see how much their sheds are. The vendor I found at the Expo is several states away, and while they said they'll deliver, I just want to double check and see if the Amish folks are any cheaper. I did find someone on FB who was building them for less expensive, but they also looked less expensive if you know what I mean. I own a draft. His name is Storm. The "joke" is Is it Storm Proof? If the answer is no, I'm not buying it... and these sheds looked like they might be questionable. So I need to continue to research that and figure out my options.
I also need to call the septic company and ask a few questions as the fencing will be close to the outer part of the drain field. I don't believe it will be an issue, but I want to call them to make sure. I have anther question for them related to the septic tank cap anyway, so I have to give them a buzz and see if I can get those questions answered.

My parents are supposed to be coming soon, and I really want my dad's opinion and help laying all this out. I don't trust myself to make straight square lines to keep us organized, LOL

SO. That's the to do list at the moment! It's not short, but I am going to be able to start taking some steps forward soon. If this dang heat will break that will help a LOT.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

YaY for AC!!!! So happy for you. I can't imagine no AC here.

Whew....that's quite a "to-do" list for getting Storm moved home. But, it'll be worth it!

 

[baymule]

AC!!! That is some GOOD news! What a relief that is. LOL at the refrigerator finally cutting off.

You do have a lot of work to do to get Storm home. You can do it, it will take some time and money, but you will get it done.

 

[sumi]

I was thinking of you and the AC over the last few days actually. We had some unusually hot weather here and I've been keeping the windows open to catch the breeze to keep the house comfortable. At night I need to close the street side windows though and then it gets a bit warm in here. AC or proper fans are awesome!

It would take a lot of money and effort to get Storm home, but in the long run it will save you money and a lot of driving and stress. Plus I think it would be lovely to be able to see him more often and when you want to, without having to drive out for a visit

 

[framing fowl]

Hurray for AC! It sounds like the benefits of having Storm at your place are numerous. Just take it 1 step at a time...

 

[hqueen13]

Thanks yall! It is SOOOOOO nice to walk into the house and not feel worse than outside!

Yes, the list is pretty long to get him home, but it's doable. If I could find about 15,000.00 lying around somewhere I'd be a LOT closer to the goal, LOL

I need to call the septic company and ask them some questions to make sure that we can put things where we'd like to put them. Maybe I can check that off today. If it isn't so CUSSED hot this weekend hopefully I can get some measurements taken so I can figure out how many feet of fencing I'm gonna need (I already know it's going to be a ridiculous amount for the tiny space that we have...) so I can get a number on that. It's just been so dang hot that I haven't wanted to do anything outside that isn't absolutely necessary.

Yesterday we had a nice 4th. We got up and had a fairly slow morning (for us anyway) and I burned the cinnamon rolls that I bought as a surprise for the BF for breakfast. We made the zucchini dip to take with us to the parties we have to go to, and then hustled out the door to head down to the marina where his dad keeps his boat so that we could move it around to his grandparent's house. We got there and his dad was hanging out doing some last minute stuff on the boat. So we sat and talked with him, and then his brothers arrived, and he all the sudden had more things he needed to do before we could leave. So we did all that stuff and were finally able to head out. The trip around takes just under 2 hours, and then they had to get the boat tied up, which took a while, too. It was a nice trip and I had fun. I almost didn't go (knowing how complicated his dad makes everything) but I'm glad I did. It was HOT, but at least on the moving boat the wind felt good. I got some sun on my legs which was good since they are so pasty white from working in the barn in pants all the time.

We finally got everything done and the boat docked and his mom picked us up to take us back to the marina. We hustled home to change and grab the dip and head to his cousins. We were late, but thankfully not too late. We were starving by the time we got there though! They have a pool, so everybody was in the pool because it was crazy hot. They had as solar powered water heaters installed for the pool because his cousin likes it warm, and the pool was 94 degrees. It was like bath water. It was almost too hot to be in, but being in the water felt better than not wet at all. Even getting out of the pool, you didn't cool off any being wet. It was gross. Everybody had a good time, and the party went on so long that they ordered pizza for dinner. We finally left and headed home at almost 7. We took showers and crashed after being outside in the sun and heat all day. I heard fireworks go off, and I was a little concerned with how big some of them sounded, I think the horses won't appreciate that when they're here, but we'll see. It didn't sound like there was too much going on close to us which made me happy.

So now it's just 2 days and the weekend again. Weeks with breaks in the middle are the best! I didn't get much done with my business this week, hopefully I can get myself organized to keep moving forward from here. I've got to get more income moving in again if I'm ever going to get anywhere!

 

[baymule]

Sounds like a good time had by all!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Does sound like a good time! Boat rides are always fun...and generally feel cooler with the water cooled air around. Days off in the middle of the week are good!

 

[hqueen13]

It was a lot of fun! Having the day off in the middle of the week kind of threw me off, though. I'll take it, I wish it happened more often!
The rest of the week wasn't bad, the weekend was busy though.
But the best news about the weekend was that the weather was GORGEOUS! Saturday morning it was only 65 and the humidity had dropped a LOT! It felt fantastic!!
Saturday I went out to the barn where my friend JA works to do a reiki share. That was a lot of fun, and I got to connect with some really great women and receive some amazing energy work. It's wonderful what happens when you do combined work together. It was also helpful to get some confirmation of doing the work for someone else.
That afternoon I headed back home to meet my friend DR who does the Alexander Technique body work. We had a few sessions at my house instead of over at the other farm where we usually go. Her schedule filled up enough that she needed to be here Saturday and Sunday. A couple people came up for sessions, and so she worked on them first, and then after they were done she worked on me. I needed it, my knee had been popping for some reason, so she helped me work that out. She helped me adjust the way I was walking which feels really odd right now and I end up fatigued pretty quickly. But using muscles correctly causes fatigue if they haven't been used correctly in a long time. I'm still working through those changes, and get the feedback that I'm not doing it right when my knee starts popping again!
The BF was down at his pop's house on the water to celebrate the holiday, and come to find out he didn't leave until way later (I'm glad I made the decision not to go because we never would have stayed long enough if I had gone) so DR and I hung out for the evening and made tacos. It was a great girls evening, and then we both crashed.
Sunday morning I had to head down to my friend's to do chores and check on Cowboy and Coyote, and then pick up Roxy, the dog I am babysitting for a week. I got home with her just after 10 and then I futzed around keeping an eye on the dog and cats together while the BF was working on a gift for his brother. Eventually he stopped and we decided to head out to grab some lunch. We took the dog with us because she's the BEST DOG EVER and went down to a restaurant that has an outdoor patio that allows dogs. She laid under the table the whole time, and they even brought her a bowl of water with ice cubes in it for her to drink since the sun was pretty hot and she's a black dog. I got a bit more sunshine on my shoulders than I wanted, but I really enjoyed being able to sit outside and not feel like I was dying.
We stopped by the autoparts store on the way home so he could get a new starter for the black explorer since he almost couldn't get home on Saturday, the truck wouldn't start at all. We got home to find that the neighbor's sister and boyfriend/husband/partner had mowed our lawn since she is sick and her husband is usually the one that does it for us since we don't have a tractor yet. I was floored that they not only mowed the sister's lawn, but also ours, too. I feel so blessed to have them all as neighbors because they're really wonderful people. We had a bit of trouble with the one sister before we bought the house (it's their house that we bought, they grew up there) but they're really great people and have helped take such good care of us.
Our neighbor is REALLY sick with cancer, and in the hospital, and we're all really worried about her. I hope that one of them will have some news for us today, I hope while I have the dog out this evening that I can catch one of them at the house to find out what's going on. They were supposed to receive the pathology report (and I guess that means a plan of action moving forward) some time yesterday or I guess today.
In other news, I'm in the office a lot this week covering for someone who is away on vacation. And I'm bringing the Best Dog Ever with me. She's currently shut in my office and I'll go let her out when I take a break for lunch. I'll probably walk her during my lunch break and then eat at my desk when I get back. Tomorrow nobody will be here with me so I can let her roam the whole time (she'll sit in my office with me anyway though, I'm sure), and then Wednesday we'll repeat this same routine with her in the office while we have patients, and I'll let her out when there's no one here. She's so great that I can't help but take her with me places. I just have to somehow make sure she gets enough exercise because she's really high energy, but is very mellow when she's had enough exercise to burn off her energy. That's hard for me because I can't run or anything, and I don't have any good spaces to let her off leash. I need to check with her owner and see if she has swam in a pool before and see if a couple of my friends will let me bring her over to their pools so she can play. She loves to swim, but I don't know if she's ever done it in a pool, or just the river.
So not much else happening. Everything is just about normal I suppose. It's vacation season which is great for my biz, but not so great for free time, LOL. I've got several folks with trips coming up, starting before I have to give Roxy back, so that will be entertaining to take her with me places.