monday morning: heat, trims, back to the real world

I had a fairy tale existence this weekend, with writing group here and no responsibility for chores or meals. When you're needing to get rolling again with writing, I think sometimes the retreat mode is what it takes to get you there, but this time, the retreat came to me right here on November Hill.

My goal was to finish the final edit of my pony book, and I hit that Saturday night/early Sunday morning, which meant I was able to keep rolling forward into the next goal. I'm now about five chapters into reformatting my first adult novel for the Kindle, doing a little tweaking along the way. It won't be long - November Hill Press will launch its first title, and claire-obscure will be out in the world after a number of false starts.

I'm excited.

But for right now, it's re-entry into summer heat, 97 degrees today, and on top of that, hoof trims, and hoping I don't literally melt by the time I get back inside.

This is my least favorite time of year, once it gets this hot. Fortunately we are having early evening thunderstorms, which keeps things from drying out too much, and also makes an immediate dent in the heat index.

Last night, right after the rain, the temp dropped from 95 or so to 74, but after an hour, it went back up to 77!

There's not much I want to do in this kind of high humidity heat, but the back field needs dragging, so that much will have to get done.

Here's to an early fall.

Trim notes, added in after the fact:

Basically, every equine had lots of growth this time and all looked good when trimmed and dressed. Worst thing was the heat and the greenish/yellow biting flies that were out mid-day. Yuck! We made it through, and hopefully next appt. won't be this hot - heat index 104!

it's writing weekend and I can't wait

I'm racing through morning chores this a.m. because I have a meeting to attend, and then a little grocery shopping to do, but when I get home, I'm declaring writing group weekend's official start.

D. will arrive sometime after 2, and I am so grateful that she's coming, because I have been walking around with my head full of books for two weeks and I need this writing time badly.

We will write through the night, through the heat, through all the chores that other members of my family will take over and do for me, because it's Writing Group Weekend!

Looking out my window, it is overwhelmingly green. The horses are transitioning to the front field and hopefully grazing the cooler nights makes up some for the very hot days we're having right now. They're all slick and shiny and even the donkey boys are beginning to shed out.

Send good writing energy this way, and if you happen to be a writer yourself, send an excerpt and we'll read it out loud and send you encouraging words back!

the magic behind the morning

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.
 - J. B. Priestley

My friend Sue's kaleidoscope of the day post this morning offered the above quote, and not only do I love it, I think it sums up my approach upon waking every morning.

Today's magic included several friendly encounters with the young black snake living in my feed room. He (or she) is very respectful of my work space,  staying near the walls along the floor. After I said hello, he left for a few moments but then came back, peeking out (literally) at me from behind the oat bin, and then coming around behind my work table to peep out from that angle.

This morning's magic also included Dickens E. Wickens lying sprawled, legs all akimbo, upside down, in a pile of hay in the grass paddock. Salina and the donkeys are used to having a tuxedo cat mixed in with their hay, and the donkeys will sometimes nuzzle Dickens' very white belly.

There were more squash, more zucchini, more cucumbers, a few beans, and new sunflowers blooming in the garden. Last night we had yellow squash and zucchini tempura. Delicious!

The tomatoes are coming in, still small and green, but we should have a nice crop soon. The basil is getting bigger - can't wait for the tomato/basil/garlic/olive oil/salt/pepper/brie pasta that is so easy yet so good it almost seems too good to be true. It's only good with vine-ripened tomatoes that have never seen the inside of a truck or refrigerator.

The watermelon vines are thriving and the pepper plants are now blooming.

Although I still have squash borer moth eggs, we are getting so many squash I can hardly complain. It might be that when the squash decline I just need to clear them out and plant anew. I'd rather do that than use chemicals!

I started a new compost pile yesterday, in a very bare spot in the bottom of the front field. I'm excited to watch the compost mature, and I'm thinking by late summer I can spread the black gold out and transform that area into more fertile ground.

zen harrowing and some other things

Last night after dinner I went out to harrow the arena. Sunset, orange and lavender, coincided with my methodical circling, and husband was there to move jumps, standards, dressage markers, and ground poles so that my circuits were uninterrupted. I hadn't realized just how calming it is to go around and around, making harrow lines in the near darkness.

Just before I drove through the gate to the barnyard to begin the harrowing, Dickens E. Wickens, cowboy and hunter, came from the forest with a young bunny in his mouth. Since the bunny was already dead, we gave it back to him, but when I first spotted those dangling ears, I called out to husband and was making upset noises. Rafer Johnson and Redford came running when they heard my cries - with looks of concern on their donkey faces. It was about the sweetest thing in the world to see them look at my face, searching to see what was wrong, donkey ears held high. They are true friends and guardians.

Today I spent some time checking my compost piles after getting the barn set up for the day. There is so much color this time of year - green grass, green leaves, yellow goldfinches, blue birds, red cardinals, brown tree trunks. Walking through the field is like opening a new box of Crayola crayons, the big box, and trying to choose which one you'll use first.

This afternoon I went into town to run errands and ended up running into my dentist at the gas station. He came over to say hello and reassure me about an upcoming dental appointment. Have I mentioned lately that I love our little town? I grew up in a different small town and couldn't wait to leave when I graduated from high school. I'm beginning to see the benefits, in middle life.

Another thing I did today was set up the second pondering bench. I have one looking into the back field, and today's looks over the barnyard. These are simple benches, utilizing leftover cinder blocks and pieces of wood, but they sit nicely and provide two shady spots to sit and watch and think. Redford walked with me to the back field bench, and knocked the bench off with his nose, but when I put it back, he allowed it to stay.

summer sunday supper

Today was another hot one, and I took an uncharacteristic late afternoon nap that I guess I needed but I am really not a napping kind of person - I always wake up groggy and feeling off kilter.

However, it was nearing dinnertime and I had a special meal in mind, so I shook it off and headed to the kitchen.

The menu:

havarti potato pie
chile lime corn on the cob
cucumbers from the garden, sprinkled with salt and splashed with balsamic vinegar

My friend Debbie, who I went to school with most of the years from kindergarten on through high school graduation, and who I have come to know again via Facebook, gave me her recipes for the potato pie and the corn.

I harvested cucumbers yesterday from the garden, and although they were not beautiful on the outside, they were absolutely perfect to eat. Best I've had in years!  I attribute it all to Keil Bay. :)

The meal was absolutely delicious, and the cucumbers made a lovely a side dish. My husband took Kyra Corgi for a walk just before dinner, and when he came back he put a handful of just-picked blackberries on my plate. Even more perfect!

This summer supper was light, yummy, and easy, and Debbie's dessert idea to go with it would have been one more incredible course - mango sorbet.

There is rumor Debbie has a cookbook in the works, and if so, I can promise you I'll be buying it the moment it's available.

I am so enjoying the garden - and the farmer's market. This week past we had a beautiful salad centered around locally grown beets I roasted in the oven - they were a bright orange and deep ruby red, and when I sliced them, they were striped! The taste was rich and good. The colors were added pleasure.

And there was something wonderful about spying them at the farmer's market, making my way to the table they were on, complimenting the grower on her lovely produce, purchasing and sticking the bunch into my bag, and pondering what meal I'd make with those gorgeous beets. 

I missed the market this week and am barely able to wait until this Thursday when it's here again.