Quiet weekend

We spent a fairly quiet, unassuming weekend mostly at home.  We accomplished very little by our usual standards, but somedays are just meant for downtime, I guess.  The weather was mostly overcast with a little rain Sunday afternoon.  The days were not cold, but pleasant sweatshirt weather.  Perfect for horseback riding or hiking. 

Saturday morning we went to church and stayed for potluck lunch afterwards.  I took the dogs for a little walk and spent some time in the barn watching the horses graze lazily in the pasture.  For some reason, I had very little energy or ambition, so the dogs and I enjoyed a little nap.  What a treat that was!! 

Saturday evening, we ate a light supper and then I went to my sister's for a visit.  We decided on an evening walk and of course, the dogs came along.  It was nice to have some time to catch up with my sister.  Even though she lives within 15 miles, we don't see each other very often.  Very different lifestyles and a different set of values seems to keep some distance between us.  I wish things were different between me and my family, but that's just the way it is.  I did enjoy the time spent with her though, and stayed until 2:00 in the morning before I took my leave.  I took my time coming home and enjoyed the lazy drive with no other traffic on the country roads between our homes.  It was a beautiful night and it was so very peaceful and quiet. 

Sunday morning I woke up to find my hubby in the bottom pasture mowing some blackberries that were trying to take over a portion of our grazing land.  That's quite a chore to try and accomplish with our riding lawnmower/wannabe tractor, but he was making some headway.  The dogs and I walked down the driveway to wave a morning hello.  The sun was out, so I enjoyed my morning coffee in the sunshine of the barn and watched the horses eat their breakfast.  Later, we went to the annual Derby Days Pancake breakfast at the local fire hall in town and spent some time visiting with some of our neighbors.  It was a pretty good breakfast for $5 and the company was great, plus it's for a good cause.  When we got home, my boss was there and had already got Shad out of the pasture, had him sedated and had diagnosed the problem with his knee.  Pretty quick work!  Shad has tendonitis with fluid and inflammation around the knee, more than likely a result of a strike from one of the neighbor's mares across the fence.  With ultrasound-guided injection, he put some HA (hyaluronic acid) and steroid into the tendon sheath.  He says that within a few days or so, the swelling should resolve and he should be fine.  What a relief!  That's much better than a torn tendon or a bone chip, and a fairly inexpensive fix.  We just need to keep him quiet for a while and let the meds do their work. 

Afterwards, I spent some time grooming and working Ladde again.  He was such a good boy...gosh I love that horse!  We're making progress, and with each session I feel a little more confident.  Soon, I hope to take him on a few trail rides and see how we do in the woods.  If I can remember to relax, I'll be fine.  When we were finishing up in the barn, a decent little rain shower moved in and for the remainder of the evening, we had on-again, off-again showers.  It sure feels more like April than mid-June, but compared to most of the country, we have nothing to complain about!  We brought the horses into the barn for the night, not so much because of the rain, but it was a great excuse for Shad to be stalled and kept quiet overnight.  They seemed to enjoy the warmth and the peacefulness of the barn too, and we left them contentedly munching their hay.  I almost built a fire, but decided against it.  I'd cooked a beef roast in the oven and we had that and some vegetable soup that my sis had sent home with me the night before.  Hmm hmm, it sure tasted good!  A perfect meal for a cool evening.  

I was in bed by 10 pm and slept like a rock.  What a wild woman I've become!!  But, I feel rested and ready for my work week.  Thursday is Ruby's day to be spayed.  I need to have her in Salem by 7:30 am and can pick her up at 4:30 that afternoon.  Rather than waste time and gas coming home or going to work, I've taken the day off and plan to spend the day in Salem.  I'd hoped that my friend could spend the day with me, but she had already made plans.  Oh well, Annie and I will amuse ourselves somehow.  I'm looking forward to the free day, I just pray that all goes well with little Ruby's surgery.  She's such a sweet little dog...we couldn't bear living our lives without her. 

Blessings to all for a good week...