Fast Morning

Today was a pretty easy day at Leroy's. I got there around 7:40 a.m. and it was warm and sticky. We had big thunderstorms last night and the grey clouds were still hanging in the air, with the sun shining through, making the wet ground steamy. The horses were waiting in the corral for their oats like they were supposed to, and even the cats were on the hill watching the back door for the slightest movement. They know the routine when they see me drive up. Four horses and two cats, all in a row, anticipating. Once I walked through the garage and opened the back door, all the animules turned and walked to their posts. The feeding went quickly and left me time to fill the horses trough with water. Last nights rain did little to fill it. I fed the dogs later, and Leroy put me to work looking for some stuff. He also had me put his new insurance cards in all his vehicles, and then said he was tired and for me to go. I guess I was done by 9:30. He was tired from all the walking he did yesterday and wanted to take it easy today. He may have done a little too much Thursday, but I can see that he is getting back to his old self with each time I go out there. Tomorrow we will watch the final four at Normie's.

Big Day doing Errands

Yesterday was kind of a day off also, though I still had to go out and feed the horses. Leroy was waiting for Carl Strange to come out and hook up his new dishwasher, so he didn't need me to drive him around or anything. Today, Leroy kind of made up for it. After feeding the horses and cats and dogs, we left Leroy's house around 10:00 a.m. and went to Normie's to get my gate opener and some coffee. Then it was off to Howards office to talk to him about some stuff. I think it has to do with the horses and studifying them. Anyway Howard was on the phone most of the time so we talked to Cheryl about making more pie. Howard said that the three horses lifted the fence and walked through to the far field. They went through the giant hole in the fence. Thunder didn't go through because he is a scardy cat when it comes to wire and stuff. Thats how they got out there with the gate closed...no one let them through as it turned out. After Howards we came over to the Dickson Street place so that Leroy could talk to his minions and fool around in his office for an hour or so. Leroy walked all over the place and was getting in and out of his truck pretty well. We went to the Neighborhood Market and he walked all over that store getting stuff. Finally, we drove back to Blackoak and put the truck in the barn so the hail wouldn't get it. We're supposed to have severe weather tonight so he didn't want to take any chances. I'll bet Leroy walked at least half a mile today, all in all. He seems to be getting his balance back, and his stamina is improving by leaps and bounds. He may be perfectly well by next week sometime, not entirely well, but well enough to get back to his old life. We hope it doesn't include taking a dive off of any more bridges. I have to go again in the morning and feed the horses and everything, but it may not be too much longer till he can do it himself again.

My Day Off

Today was a pretty easy day at Leroy's, mainly because I didn't have to go at all. Chuck stayed around till the afternoon and did all the stuff that Leroy needed done. Mother said that they did a ton of stuff yesterday including getting a new dishwasher for his house and going to the Razorback football practice. They even got some part for Nana's car and drove that around a bit. Later they all went to dinner somewhere with mother, and she said Leroy was almost completely worn out. So they retired early. I got to sleep in this morning till about 7:30 a.m. and called about 8:30, but Leroy didn't need me for anything, so I had breakfast and then went about my day. Mother went out to Leroy's about 5:30 this evening to have dinner with him, she made a frozen pizza. She said he was getting around without his cane for the whole time and is slowly but surely getting his balance back. I was to stay out there for a few nights but it looks like he is making so much progress that I may not even have to go out and feed the horses for too much longer. Leroy even claims he is going to get the electrician out there one day to hook up the barn and then they can fill the ditch and remove the temporary fence around it. It seems that within the month he will be recovered enough to say the hell with the Dickson Street property and start work on disposing of it. Now that Chuck is gone I'll have to go out in the morning and feed the horses and then start on whatever Leroy wants me to do. Robin said she would be up here April 8th or so to see her dad, surprisingly he might be all recovered by then.

Chuck did it All

Today was kind of a wasted day, but at least it was warm enough this morning to wear the short pants. I got to Leroy's house around 7:40 and found that Chuck had pretty much taken care of everything with the horses and cats. When I walked through the walk-in gate, I could see Baby back in the corral, and she probably told the other horses that I may not be fired yet. Chuck said that the horses all came in yesterday about an hour after I left, and he and Adam closed the gate to the far field on them. Finally they were stuck in the right field with little grass to eat as Howard wanted. Chuck and Adam also moved Leroy's truck out of the barn and the new feed into the tack room. All I did this morning was feed the dogs. Chuck made us all breakfast so I shared that with them, Leroy and Chuck, Adam was still asleep as teens do. Last night we all had brisket at Normie's house and tonight I'm not sure what they have planned. All I know is that they will feed the dogs so I won't have to. Chuck is going back to Little Rock tomorrow so I will go out to Leroy's house and help him in the morning. I don't have to go in at the crack of dawn though, Chuck said he would feed the horses then too. I'll be back for them early Wednesday morning though, to feed them and call them some more names.

Catching the Tom Cat

This post is out of order and happened sometime in early February. The Tomcat would periodically show up in the mornings to steal the food for the two wild kitties, White and Siamese, that Leroy has been feeding for years. After determining that the Tomcat was going to make this a habit, he never showed up for the first few weeks that I put out food, I decided we would have to make him go. He wasn't going to leave on his own. Wally could shoot him, or we could trap him. I had thrown things at him and chased him...the cat, not Wally, and the cat would only go as far as the fence line and then start creeping back as I walked away...he knew I couldn't get him. So one day I took mothers raccoon trap up to the stables, where the cats feed, and put it down out in the open with some sardines in the end of it. The Tomcat, the arrogant Tomcat, started climbing all over it with me standing maybe 30 feet away from it, in plain sight. He walked in and got the sardines and then walked out...to my amazement. So I walked up there again and put more sardines in the trap, only harder to get to, and then walked to my original location again. The Tomcat walked in again, and this time the door came down with a bang! He didn't even notice, no reaction whatsoever. He bloodied his nose trying to get out once he saw me out of the corner of his eye standing over him, but it was too late. I had to take him out around the barn, so the dogs wouldn't see him, and took him to the humane society for disposal. Lauren was not pleased, and mother had to put an ad in the paper to make her feel better...no one called for him. Maybe the owners came and got him, but I haven't seen him since.

Worser Horses

This morning was nice and sunny and cold again. It started at 27 when I got out to Leroy's and warmed to about 48 by the time I left a few hours later. Leroy was back home today and I wanted to be quiet so as not to wake him or his son and grandson. So I came in the walk-in gate and circled the garage to the corral where I found no horses at all. Years and years have gone by and the horses haven't missed a morning in the corral to get their grain...till now. Its their dope, and now they're just saying "no," "damn Nancy Reagan!" I had to walk around the lake to find them in the far field again, and tried halfheartedly to get them to come in, but they wouldn't budge. I walked all around the fence back there to see if there was a place where they could have gotten in by themselves, but there was no place like that. Someone had to open the gate for them and they got in before he knew it and could close it...only Thunder was stuck in the middle field. This morning they wouldn't even come through the gate opening, knowing I would close it before they got back. So I ended up just feeding the cats and dogs and gave the finger to the horses. Leroy looked pretty good and was getting around well with his new cane. He and Chuck thought they would call Howard about the horses and what to do with them. We were also conferring with Robin, on the phone, about what to do now that Leroy was back and how to help him. We worked some things out, and Robin is a lot nicer now that she's away from the influence of Lauren. Tonight all of us may eat dinner at mothers and work out some more details, so stay tuned...this blog might actually start being about Leroy's recovery after all.
For more pictures go to http://certainpicturesandtext.blogspot.com/

Bad Horses

Leroy should be back today, he spent the night last night at Chucks house and is expected back around mid afternoon. This morning was sunny and cold again, about 24. I got to the house and believed that I would see the horses in the corral waiting for their food. What I got was no horses at all. I had to walk around the lake to find them, and the sight I saw mystified me. Brownie, Baby, and Spring, were all in the far field. The gate to it was closed. And, Thunder was standing in front of that gate wishing he was with the others gorging on new grass. It makes a little more sense why he was in the corral last night eating hay. The middle field, where they are all supposed to be, has very little grass in it which is what Howard wanted so the horses would lose some weight. The horses really hate it there. I went into the far field to get the other three horses, but they wouldn't come with the gate closed, so I opened it. Thunder galloped through. I called them a bunch of times, but none would come, so I wound up calling them names and stomped back to the stables to get some grain. I was going to bribe them but they were too smart for me, they remembered yesterday when Cheryl and I tricked them. They weren't going to fall for that one again...so soon. The best I did was get Baby almost to the lake and then she balked. I was feeding them out of my hand, Thunder, Baby, and Spring. Thunder, though, wouldn't come any farther than the open gate to the far field, the others kept following me. Spring stopped halfway through the middle field and Baby came to the tree at the start of the trail by the lake. I told them that if they didn't come that I wasn't waiting any more but they didn't care...they just wanted real grass. So I yelled some dirty words as I rounded the lake and looked back to see them making their way back to the far field. I fed the cats and dogs okay, and then on the way back to my truck I found my tire flat...more cussing. Then I remembered that Leroy had an air compressor, and if I could only figure out how to make it work, then I would be okay. I figured it out and here I am, everything bad happens on the most important day.

Cheryl comes to Clean

The snow and clouds finally lifted and it was sunny this morning, though it was still cold at 23 degree's. I got to Leroy's about 7:40 a.m. and passed what I thought was Howard on the way. Cheryl was already there, she arrived at about 7:00, and had no way in through the gate. Howard, Cheryls husband, came out to confirm this fact, and then left telling her I would be along soon. So Cheryl climbed over the fence with her vaccuum cleaner and cleaning stuff to do the house before Leroy got back. I had to walk to the back field to get the horses and it looked like Wally had opened the back gate to the far field. Howard wanted them in the back field where there wasn't as much grass to eat since they were gaining too much weight. When I rounded the tree at the end of the trail by the lake, all four horses were making there way toward me. I walked them into the stalls, over the quicksand that Wally put out yesterday, and fed them. They seemed to be in a hurry to get back to the far field before anyone noticed that they were there. I told Cheryl on them and she called Howard to find out if they should be there, he thought not. So Cheryl and I walked back there with some grain and a halter thingy- majig to trick them into the back field. They thought it was a dirty trick and gave me the look. The halter thing is just like a bridle without the metal part that goes in the mouth, on this, that part is just rope. We got all four into the field and then closed the gate. Petey and Gypsy were a little confused about who the other people were, but ate breakfast and then went about their morning routine as usual. I had to get Leroy's gate opener out of his truck, that was in the barn, and put it in a coffee can outside the gate so he and Chuck could get in tomorrow. I tested the opener and sure enough Petey shot out of it like a bullet to go and pee on the tractor...then he came back just as fast. I had to catch Gypsy before she noticed the gate was open or it would have been a much longer morning. I left with Cheryl cleaning the back part of the house and the dogs in the driveway. I know it will be spic and span when I get there later this evening.

Snowy Day

This morning was cold and snowy. I had to use a broom to get the snow off of my truck windshield, and it looked to be about an inch. Fortunately, the snow only accumulated on the grassy area's and cars and stuff. The roads weren't slick at all, though really wet, and the 30 degree's wasn't in place long enough for anything to freeze, tonight we may not be so lucky. About 22 degrees is forcast. There was snow all over Leroy's place and the corral, but you could still see some grass sticking through. Petey and Gypsy didn't even come out of the garage when I got there and only showed up when I opened the garage door. They were toasty warm and I runined it. The horses were in the corral, but looked like they only showed up to say "bite me" and were heading back to the back field. I had to sweet talk them to get them to come back and they did...reluctantly. After feeding them, I put out some hay, although they didn't really need it. They enjoyed it though. It was kind of like breakfast in bed in that it was right outside their stalls and they didn't have to rip it out of the ground. I left them as they were crunching and chewing and gave them one piece of advice, "don't shit in the food." I don't think they'll heed the advice though...they don't mind poop with their meal. Cheryl might come over today to clean at Leroy's house in anticipation of his returning on Saturday. Normie still needs to find out from her when she can come, so I can find a way for her to get in. Normie is making corned beef and cabbage for them the day he gets back, so we have a lot of coordinating to do about how to get different people into the house on the days they will be coming. So far, everything is pretty fluid about the next couple of days.

No More Mouses; They is licked!

Not a great deal happened this morning at Leroy's house. It was cold and windy and overcast which made things seem pretty subdued and unenergetic. The horses were hungry and are mad that they can't go to the front field to eat. Howard put them in the back field where there isn't much grass...though there are plenty of wolves which doesn't help the horses since they are vegetarians. I left the corral with the horses giving me a dirty look, like its my fault that they are being starved. I noticed that Petey had dug another giant hole near Sammy's pen and tilled the area surrounding it. Wally will like that, he said the other hole nearly killed him. So far I haven't caught any more mouses since the second one...either they are smarter now, or less arrogant, or I've got them all. Normie says that Leroy should be back on Saturday. Chuck will bring him along with Adam, and stay Saturday night. I will probably have to spend a few nights out there to help Leroy with whatever he needs, then I may have to drive him around so he can get some things done. I think I've been there about 88 or 89 times since Feb. 2nd and have about 10 or 20 more times before I'm all done. Tonight, snow is forecast, but it might not be so bad, the temp really isn't low enough for much accumulation and this may be the last of it. Its supposed to warm up more and more toward the end of the week.

More Snarling Wolves

This morning was another cold and wet one at Leroy's house. The day started badly of course also. I got up a little later than normal because of yesterdays stuff, I was so tired. Then I had to go to bed late, so this morning I only had four hours sleep to go on. When I got out there and opened the gate, Petey ran all the way to the road down the driveway, a measured quarter mile, with Gypsy and I far behind, then he turned around at the mailbox and shot back like a bullet right into the open door of my truck with his wet and muddy feet. Usually Petey just pees on the tractor and then comes back in the gate, so I will stop before I get to the garage and wait for him to come back in before I close the gate. This time Petey wasn't coming back, so I got out of my truck and walked to the head of the driveway, next to the tractor and started calling him. I guess he needed the exercise since running around the yard got a little tedious. After feeding the horses, and Brownie the new grain, I had to walk the horses around the lake to the back field, over the muddy and chopped up trail. They were a little afraid of the wolves back there. I walked over by the fence to look for the snarling wolves, leaving the horses at the other end of the field, I turned, and the horses were standing right behind me, quivering. The snarling wolves finally came out of the brush and they were disguised as bird dogs, wolves are clever. I did what any right minded protector would do and WOOFED at them...WOOF, WOOF, WOOF. Those wolves ran away with their tails between their legs. The horses are no longer scared and now know they can count on me for anything. Would Leroy have been so ingenious...maybe.

New Horse Feed

Last night wasn't the most fun I've had while going out to Leroy's house. I had to go early to feed the dogs because Howard gave me a bunch of feed to take out there earlier in the day, and I needed to figure out a way to transfer it from my truck to somewhere safe and away from mouses. Mother suggested that I could kill two birds with one stone and put it in Leroy's truck and then put the truck in the new barn. There was 450 pounds of it in nine 50 lb bags. So I got to load all of that, and then stretch about 100 feet of extension cord from the house to the garage door opener, through the window in the barn, over wet grass and everything...in between periods of rain, to get the grain safe. The cord going over the grass and the pool deck wasn't in the best shape either and I knew I was risking my life by plugging it in. After doing all of that life risking I couldn't find the right remote to even open the damn door. Leroy had five remotes in his truck with the one that opens the door in a hidden compartment over the rear view mirror. So after fumbling around and checking to see if the plug had come loose, or the garage door opener wasn't getting any power, or maybe the remote needed new batteries, I pushed every remote button in that truck, and of course the hidden one worked. Thank goodness, because it was starting to get dark and the rain was beginning again, and I still had to unplug everything and roll up the cord once the truck was secure. All of that, plus gate opening and closing, and going from truck to truck moving each slightly back and forth, took about an hour and a half before I could even hope to feed the dogs. Did I mention having to carry one of those bags across the muddy poop laden corral to the tack room? The whole exercise was to get some new feed for Brownie that she could digest more easily so she could gain some weight. After a lot of rig-a-ma-roll, I finally got it all done and out the gate before the real rain began.

We is More Smarter Than Mouses

This morning was cold and rainy and a little foggy when I left for Leroy's house. The rain was light but the clouds were hanging pretty low over the tree's. The horses were in the stables and ready to eat, as were the cats, and all that part of the day went by quickly. The dogs didn't hear me come in and only came out of the garage seconds before I parked. I walked in the house to open the can of Alpo and saw that my killer mouse trap worked again. Petey wasn't really impressed when I showed the half mouse to him, so I made Petey and Gypsy's breakfast and then reset the trap for the next mouse. I dropped the shortened mouse over the fence near Sammy's pen in case Mickey came back to life, but he didn't run away. I assume he will still be there later...unless a bird finds him. The other trap, the one in the garage, was empty. Its hard to set it, so I can get to it, without the dogs rooting it out and tripping it. So that one is now on Leroy's work bench and ready for action, still. I didn't expect to catch another mouse in the house, so that one was a bonus mouse, smaller but just as dumb as the other one. Maybe it was his wife and so distraught that she committed suicide, or not. Later we will see if Junior will be there...call me Tony Soprano.

We Is Smarter Than Mouses After All

I went back this evening to feed the dogs, and it looks like at least one of the mouse traps worked. The important one, the one in the house next to Petey's food bowl, worked just like advertised. That mouse is now laughing at us from heaven. Had it lived, I would have taken it to a non-euthanasia shelter for wayward animals so they could find a nice home for it...darn the luck. The trap in the garage was tripped also, but for some reason it had been moved out into the side yard. I can only imagine that it got another mouse since it didn't look like either dog had a sore lip or tongue. Neither dog seemed interested in any more mouses also, which leads me to believe that they know what happened to that one in the garage, but aren't telling. I should say that the word "mouses" is the term used for mice that you have a personal interest in...not that any one would want to correct me...you know who you are! Anyway, the traps are the type that you can set up again, as I did, though I hope the problem is licked. Hopefully Leroy will be back next week and we will have all the right animals there and the wrong ones out. Next I may have to go after the snarling wolves in the pasture. I hope the rain stops soon but it looks like it might snow and sleet sometime in the next few days, so I guess I'll have to stick to the long pants for a few more days. Tomorrow Howard wants me to pick up some special feed for Brownie that she can chew better. It might help her digest the grain more since she really can't chew the other very well. She's still hanging on pretty well though, and this might make her even better.

We be Smarter than Mouses

This morning I brought the mouse traps that I bought yesterday after seeing the mouse mocking Petey. I'm not sure about the one in the house, but there is one in the garage and Petey and Gypsy are after it now. It took them all day yesterday to notice it and they've been tearing up the garage looking for it ever since. I put one trap under Leroy's EZ-chair in the living room and the other in the garage near the stairs. The traps have been smeared with peanut butter and are ready for neck breaking. Its not so much the damage that mice can do, but the damage the dogs can do looking for the mouse. Yesterday Howard moved the horses to the back field behind the stables, between the lake and the ravine. When I got there last night, all the horses were hanging out in the corral next to the gate going to the front field, though. I walked them around the lake to the back field and saw some snarling grey wolves waiting for them. Maybe they weren't really wolves, but they were sneaking through the bushes looking like they were up to no good. I'm not sure what they were, but the horses didn't seem too worried, so I left them there. This morning the horses ate quickly and then hoofed it to the back field, but later they all came back to the stables...maybe to avoid the rain, or the wolves. Tonight I'll check the traps to see if I got any mouses. Mice are smarter than cats, especially the Tom Cat, so it might not be so easy. If anything though, it has given Petey and Gypsy a common interest so they can work together, and taken the boredom from them for awhile with Leroy being gone.

Mouse Mocks Petey; News Flash

Petey is not very observant I have noticed. This morning, while begging to be petted, Petey missed his opportunity to slay a mouse that was crawling out from under Leroy's chair and into his food dish. That mouse was running this way and that way right behind Petey and acting like Jerry to his Tom. In the dish, and out of the dish, mocking Petey. Leroy needs a house cat I think...the others are handling their business in the stables, they have no time for domestic work. The last several days have been pretty routine at Leroy's house. Wally weed eated the yard and then used the tractor on the back field...I never saw him, but I could hear him out there. I had to get more dry dog food the other night just after the eye doctor dilated my eyes. I nearly hit a dog, then a jogging man, then a deer crossing the hiway on that trip. This morning I got to Leroy's earlier than most of the time, and I still had to get Brownie in the front field. She doesn't like to wait for more than a few minutes after sun-up for her grain. She eats it like its air, gasping it down till there's not a spec left, but that's not enough to make her wait. She wants to be called for dinner...but maybe at her age she deserves it. Now mother is saying that it might be a few more weeks before Leroy comes back home. She said the doctors want him to be mobile and to not put any stress on his wrist like with a walker. Its just as well since we may have more snow this weekend, and if not that, then plenty of rain.

Shoveling Poop

I had to get more Alpo and cat food for the domestic type animals last night. It's not cheap with the dogs eating two cans a day and the cats going through one can of little Friskee's, as per Leroy's instructions. I bought it all last night and then lugged all of it out there this morning. At the end of it all, I had to lug the empty cans to the recycle. Again Brownie and Baby weren't in the corral when I got there and so I had to go get them. All of them ate quickly except Thunder, and then they left without any salt or water. Thunder stuck around hoping for more food. I gave him a handful before I left. Its a weird feeling to have a horse gum some bird seed out of your hand. Since I said I would shovel some of the doodoo out of the stalls yesterday, I decided that I would really do it today. I only picked up the poop that was in the way, which wasn't a whole lot. There is still more in Baby's stall, though I got the pile that was centered in the doorway. When the morning sun hits your glasses just right you can't see it, and I got tired of trying to dodge it everyday. I stayed about an hour this morning to play with Petey and Gypsy, they don't understand where that other guy is that sleeps there, and they miss him. I come about every twelve hours and don't stay for more than an hour before I leave them alone again, so they're getting antsy for Leroy to come back. Later I will have to get another giant bag of dry food for the dogs, and Wally and I might move the bed tonight...if he shows up.

Wally

Tonight Wally was mowing the lawn when I got to Leroy's house for the evening feeding. I told him about what I knew was happening with Leroy, which wasn't much. Wally was fixing a fence and checking beaver traps also out there, and was planning on doing more work during the rest of the week. One of these days we will move Leroy's single bed out of his room to the living room, but we both decided that later would be better than sooner.
This may be the last week that the horses get to eat the front field. Wally said he would move them to the back once he finishes the fence. Its just in time, because it looks like there might be a love connection between Baby and a horse across the street. They were looking longingly at each other as the sun set over the purple mountains. Wally doesn't think Baby will try to jump the fence but if any of them could, she could. This is a link to the pictures for those that can't figure out the other way...http://certainpicturesandtext.blogspot.com/

Cold Morning taking Pictures

This morning was pretty cold, 27 and sunny, and the horses were acting a little funny. The ground was still wet and soggy in the low spots. Thunder and Baby were waiting for their food as usual, but Spring and Brownie were already by the side of the house and walking away. I called them and they came back and then they all ate their breakfasts normally. I wanted to get some pictures of them but they all left quickly after eating without even licking the salt block or drinking any water. I did get the pictures, but that meant I had to walk way out in the front field to get them. I found that the front field is mined with piles of doodoo everywhere, so I had to be careful and watch where I was going. Petey was bored, I guess, and kept taking runs at Gypsy, maybe to get even for my petting her. Last night I was petting her and he tried to take a run at her, and I knocked him out of the way before he could get there. So this morning he kept running up to her to show her who was boss, knowing I was too fat to protect her from where I was standing. Mental note, don't try to bite her when the fat guy is standing there...he is deceptively quick. Mother was saying this morning that she was hoping that Leroy wouldn't get out of the rehab center till after the weekend. She thinks there might be some more bad storms then and doesn't want to try to transport him in the bad weather. She hadn't talked to him yet this morning when I called her and said that she would ask Cheryl to straighten up Leroy's house before he gets back. It sounds like its still up in the air. I have provided a link to all the pictures I took so click the title of the posting to open the picture blog.

The Crash Site

This was the start of all of Leroy's problems where he fell down this thing about ten feet.

White and the Tornado's

This morning went pretty fast. The horses weren't in the corral when I got there and I had to call them, but then they came right away. The lightening and thunder and tornado's may have made them a little disoriented timewise. They eat at 7:50 a.m. on the dot...and they know that. Anyway they ate quickly and then left without delay. The cats don't really do anything remarkable anymore, so they don't get much text. The jailed cat wasn't much of a mouser...that would require working for some food instead of just stealing it. Now that he is gone, so is the mouse problem. It seems that White and Siamese not only couldn't eat their own food, they couldn't even catch mice around the stalls with the tomcat around. Those cats were rubbing up against each other this morning before they ate...maybe they're lesbians. Who knows, but its good that they like and depend on each other. There wasn't any kind of damage around Leroy's place due to the weather, though last night on the weather channel it looked grim for them out there. Petey wouldn't eat in the house this morning so I put his bowl next to Gypsy's, after she was finished, and he ate his all up finally. I left then after playing with them for about an hour, Petey seemed unusually affectionate this morning. They had to be scared to death last night. Mother said that now Leroy isn't sure when he will be out of the rehab place though he did eat steaks at Chucks on his weekend 3 hour pass on Sunday. He has some other appointments with doctors on Friday and it may be right after that when he gets back.

The Bridge and the Ditch

Front Gate

Gypsy

Photos Petey

Today was pretty easy again. The ground was saturated with water though and it was warm and steamy, 72 at 7:30 a.m. I parked outside the gate like Leroy wanted which made it easier as far as keeping Petey from escaping and having to deal with all that. As I drove up the driveway I could see something moving in the back field but couldn't tell what it was. When I got closer I saw that it was a family of deer wandering around near the treeline. They didn't stick around long and disappeared with the blink of an eye. I took several pictures this morning so I could illustrate this blog and as usual the horses weren't cooperating so I will have to try again later to get them. I did get some other stuff though. After feeding I had to return to the stable since the horses were no where in sight. It turned out that Baby was standing in Thunders stall and all the others were in Brownies stall talking about Baby. They left soon after I came back and made it to the front field without delay...maybe they were talking about me too. Petey and Gypsy didn't do anything remarkable today but there is always later.

Petey is making it a Habit

Today was pretty easy. This morning Petey ran out the gate again and didn't come back before I closed it. I felt like I would deal with it when I got through with the horses...again. He showed up pretty soon after I got into the corral though. He must have come back in through the barb wire fence and then came up the trail on the other side of the house where the horses go. In fact I had just made it into the corral when he showed up and I hadn't even fed the horses yet. Once again I got him out of there fast and then the rest of the morning went like usual. Leroy said he might be getting out of the rehab center on friday March 17th or so...I talked to him later in the morning at mothers house. I told him about all the stuff thats been going on and then mother talked to him the rest of the time. It rained and thundered a bit last night and is threatening rain again tonight and is hot and humid right now. This is so much better than when its in the teens and I have to break ice off the water trough.

Petey the Tiller

This morning was nice and sunny though a little cold, 36. It didn't stop me from wearing my shorts though, and it was in the fifties by the time I left Leroy's house. The horses were fine, they ate, and then went to the front field without loitering much in the corral. The cats are always waiting eagerly for their food and don't run away anymore when they see me. They know the cat food can opening sound and it overcomes their fear. Petey is still taking some coaxing to eat. He is still more interested in eating Gypsy's food than his own. Feeding them at night is easier than the morning for both of them. They get the same amount each time and there is a longer wait for the morning meal, but they are hungrier at dinner time than for breakfast, strange. This morning Gypsy was sniffing the ground next to Sammy's pen which made Petey very interested. Petey started digging hard, spraying dirt all over Gypsy who soon walked away being distracted by something else. Petey spent a good ten minutes digging holes while simultaneously filling previously dug holes, and biting off and tearing roots out of the ground. He would bite it and then twist furiously till it was broken off then would spit it to the side and stick his nose in the hole, then a minute later he would start the same procedure about a foot from the last one. Petey is a very good tiller. All you need is a few moles and Petey will make a garden for you. Sadly I had to leave and seek donuts or I could have watched Petey for another hour. Petey always looks so sad when he knows I'm about to leave...he's a good dog.

Petey gets in the Corral

This was an interesting morning out at Leroy's place. Fortunately the thunderstorm was mostly over when I went out there, but the rain kept up till I was finished feeding the horses. Petey escaped when I got there and opened the gate, and this time he decided to break into the gate by the pool. I had finished feeding the horses and cats was just standing there waiting for Thunder to finish so I could open his stall door, and I saw to my horror, Petey running loose in the corral. When he escaped I decided that I would deal with it after the horses were fed since they were starting to leave when I got there. I could see a stampede coming once the horses noticed he was there. Petey always harasses the horses while they go single file by the side of the house to the front field. Luckily they didn't see him and he didn't see them. I locked the tack room right away and ran toward the house and Petey followed right behind me. Leroy has a new lake, or is it a river, where the ditch was for the electrical work on the new barn. I guess its a lake since it isn't moving and is only 2 or 3 feet deep. The new bridge came in really handy for that and I got to the house and fed the dogs. They were both soaked and neither would eat right away so I spent some time coaxing them. Then on the way home I almost hit a deer crossing the road. He saw me at the last minute and dodged, and I saw him glide over the fence on the other side of the road in my rear view mirror. Its sunny now though they expect more rain later, but now I've got one more trip under my belt.

Dog Feeding

Tonight I went out to feed the dogs and told Wally about Leroy getting back home on Monday...maybe. I think Wally and I were elected to move a single bed into Leroys living room so he wouldn't have to climb too many stairs during his recovery. Wally had the tractor fixed and was working on moving a bunch of junk (rotted boards, rusty sheet metal, more rotted boards, etc.) from behind the stables to the landfill trench. I got the dogs fed and this time they didn't try to escape, though Gypsy was giving it some strong consideration. Fortunately I broke her concentration and the crisis was over. I think the rain is going to hold off till Thursday morning, but when it comes its going to be in buckets as the weatherliars claim...at least this time it won't be too cold.

The Great Escape

Things are still going fine at Leroy's house. He may be back as early as Monday though he is still going to need some help for a while. I hear that he is already walking with a walker and has been working hard at it. Yesterday Wally was working on the tractor to remove some junk near the stables and move it to the big trench in the front field...I guess its Leroy's landfill. Wally had to stop when the tractor tire flattened. He thought that it wouldn't take any air and was going to Howards today to try and fix it. This morning the dogs ran away. I opened the gate and Petey ran out as usual, and when I was waiting for him to come back, Gypsy ran out. Gypsy started running down the driveway and Petey saw this and followed. So I just left the gate open and fed the horses and cats and would deal with the dogs later. Petey came back on his own, but as usual, Gypsy didn't. She likes to wander and smell the roses...or the whatever looks promising. I wound up putting Petey in the cab of the truck and drove down the driveway to find Gypsy after I walked to the end and didn't see her anywhere. About halfway down she popped out of the bushes and looked like she always does, happy. I had to back all the way back up the driveway slowly while calling Gypsy to keep her coming, she is so easily distracted. Petey makes a beeline for anywhere he wants to go. Finally I got both dogs over the threshold into the yard and fed them without having lost too much time. Besides all that things went fine, and soon I will be back to feed them again and hoping that they won't escape now that they know how.

Restocking the Oats

I haven't posted in a couple of days because everything has been going like clockwork out at Leroy's house. I had to buy some more grain for the horses, and one of the bags was a little different than what Leroy gets, but the guy at American Milling said it was roughly the same. The horses liked it pretty much this morning...the first time they tried it. It rained a little this morning but not enough to make things muddy, the ground is really dry right now with only the snow since sometime in January. The rest of the week is supposed to have warm and rainy weather, some severe, as the weathermen lie about. American Milling is closing down March 18th for good...the guy said they might open a new store in Hindsville but that's off into the future if at all. So Leroy will have to make a new grain connection soon, though the grain that I bought should last till the end of the month. The horses are about the same though Spring has been messing with Baby a little, walking in front of her so she could poop in her face and nipping when she can get away with it. For some unknown reason Springs side is a little green...it looks like she laid in a nice pile or ten. She doesn't really smell, but horses smell like manure anyway...there is always some close by. I took some of the dogfood cans to the recycle the other day, and it looks like I might have to do it again soon as ants have discovered the empty cans now, and there was a stream going to them from the sink to the refrigerator. I killed a lot of them tonight but they aren't all gone yet. So far everything has been fine...the horses haven't died, the dogs haven't run away, and I only had to condemn one cat that was stealing food. I hope my luck doesn't run out.