Mustang Saga

 My new garden has been kind of put on a back burner while my tractor sits idle.  I'm not sure what's wrong with it but I think it has something to do with the dead-man switch under the seat.  It thinks when you ask it to move that nobody is in the seat, so it dies.  It's a safety measure but it's annoying when you actually ARE sitting in the seat.  A friend of mine is working on it.  

It seems most of what I have to share are goofy dog photos.  Yesterday I was trying so hard to get things done, but I ended up sleeping a lot.  I have idiopathic hypersomnia and even my amphetamines weren't really working to keep me working for long.  My house is a terrible mess, and it's spilled out into the yard.  I'm trying to put things where they need to be.  Some in the pumphouse, some in the barn, some in the attic.  Some I'm not sure where to put.  

These guys are my good nap buddies.  Orion is my close snuggler.

Winston usually crowds my legs.  He's got his ears on wrong here.  He has cancer, you can see the huge growth.  It's been removed once already and took forever to heal.  I decided not to put him through that again.  He feels fine so far.  When he doesn't feel fine anymore, we'll make the hard decision.

He's always been such a sweet boy.  I've known him since he was 8 weeks old, and rescued him from his abusive owner at 9 months old when the wife called our clinic telling us her husband was going to dump him far out in the mountains.  You'd never know he'd been beaten.  He loves everyone.

I was really, really sick last week.  I wanted to die.  All alone, not much food in the house, I thought about how sweet John was, always bringing me whatever I needed if he was on his way home.  He was often out of town for days but if he could, he was always willing to stop, no matter how long his day was.  Hell, his nearest commute was an hour and a half.  I don't know many people who wouldn't complain if they had to work as hard and long as that man worked.  And now I know his heart was sick and his arteries clogged and he did SO MUCH.  I don't know how he did it.

On Sunday I didn't feel like doing much and the weather was terrible most of the day, so I did some baking and later when it was a littler nicer out, I pruned my conifers. I think it's been probably 12 years since they were planted and they're getting big.  I decided to cut the lower branches so they can grow taller.  25 ponderosa pines, 4 tamaracks (larch), 2 white pines, and a couple of douglas firs.  There are more douglas firs scattered around but they're still very small.  I'd try to plant more periodically, so there are some smaller ponderosas and tamaracks as well.  My favorites are the white pines.

Then the dogs and I took a walk up the creek and they had crazy play time.  Two of these dogs aren't mine (the lab and the little golden one).  Blue is the Aussie.  He wasn't mentioned above because he doesn't like to sleep on the bed.  Silly boy, I think he gets too hot and he has personal space issues.

I just kind of liked the sky in this one.  But can you believe how the walls of the creek get eaten away?  That's why I can't easily get to the other side of my property.  Every year the creek banks change.

Orion had his own private island for quite a while.  I think he really wanted someone to join him though.

Poor blue had a hard time climbing back up the sheer bank. He chooses the stupidest places to jump in.

Orion, on the other hand, was back and forth over the creek I don't know how many times, and he didn't even get wet.  He likes to play around water but not in it.

I did get some gardening done over the weekend.  I had ordered some bare root trees and they came in, so they had to go into the ground.  This is an ambrosia apple, and I got two new cherry trees.  I think I already had two or three cherry trees, a nectarine, and an apricot in this area.  If these trees ever grow I'll have plenty of fruit.  I also transplanted about 20 tiny little plum trees from way up on our hill into this area.  They're doing well.  I'll have a nice plum thicket with the sweetest golden plums that I won't have to hike up the hill to check to see if they're ripe. :)

I struggle...  but there are good moments too.  Each day is different.  Yesterday I was so fed up with my sleep disorder and depression and trying to get over this sickness.  I felt like I had an elephant on my chest.  Then my son came home and helped me fix the gate in the barn, my nephew came over and visited (outside so I don't make him sick) and I talked to both my nieces.  That made it so much better than most days.  My house is still a mess and I still have a lot to do.  And I still have an elephant on my chest.  But I can take my drugs and chip away at it.  A friend is coming over to help, which is helpful but also makes me feel guilty at how little I've accomplished and how much there still is to do, and pressured to be productive.  But maybe that's what it takes to get it done.

Now that the gate into the barn is fixed I can just walk in the the dry, windless area and be with the horses and the donkeys.  Before, I could go out into the pasture easily but getting into the barn was hard.  I think it might help me spend time with them.  I haven't been.  I'm excited about that.

Alright, friend is here, time to get off my butt. :)