It’s going to be a busy week around here. I have another farm that I go to one day a week and the woman who owns it is on vacation this week. She and her husband headed south to check out some farms down in South Carolina. They are looking forward to retiring down there when the time comes. So this week, not only do I have my 6 stalls every day, I also have another 10 at her house. I will have guns of steel when I get done with all of this!
We got a lot of wood cut on Saturday, even with the crappy weather we had. It was supposed to be 63 and sunny. It was 44 and cold with a lot of wind. But at least the guys got a good start on next winter’s wood. This is the good stuff….aged hard maple that is a bitch to split but burns all night. I am so thankful for my son-in-law and his friends. There are hard workers and it’s a good thing because there is a lot to be done around here. Jim left so many unfinished projects that I’m not sure I will ever get them all finished.
Jennifer and I spent a good share of yesterday afternoon in the barn knocking the mud off of a bunch of dirty horses. Not that it will do much good because I’m sure we will have to do a repeat performance before the blacksmith comes on Friday. There is nothing tackier than to expect your blacksmith to have to work on dirty horses. I’ve had my blacksmith tell me some horror stories about other clients (no names, of course) but I can’t imagine. If it snows, the driveway to the barn is plowed, if it rains, the horses stay in so they aren’t wet. I always keep a dry towel for him to use, if needed.
The snow has finally melted enough so that I found the garden! It’s going to be a while before anything goes in the ground, though. I can’t believe how far down the cold goes in the dirt. I guess we haven’t really had any kind of thaw this year and the sun has been basically non-existent so I guess it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. When my father-in-law was still able to garden he always had his peas and onions in by the end of March. I try to follow his example but I’m not so sure it’s going to happen this year.
I really like the “new” used 2 horse trailer that I bought. It’s a nice Sundowner that hasn’t been used a lot. It’s going to save wear and tear on the gooseneck. I love the big trailer and want to keep it nice as long as possible. The living quarters need cleaned out. It’s been a rough winter at the horse shows and we just sort of shoved stuff in and came home. Everything is picked up but it could definitely use a good airing out and floor scrub.
There are things that have bothered me since Jim’s death. I guess the biggest one is that not one of his family showed up for anything and the one person that Jim considered a friend was nothing more than a big liar who had an ulterior motive for keeping Jim as a friend. He was actually a direct pipeline back to Jim’s ex…..telling her everything that was going on in our lives. He is also the one who told me that Jim’s dad wasn’t dead. He is actually a convicted sex offender who lives about 20 minutes from us. Jim always told me his dad was dead. Imagine my surprise to find that out after being with him for 10 years. But I did make sure that his father got something from Jim’s estate. And surprisingly enough, the only time I heard from Jim’s beloved brother was when he had his hand out because he wanted all of his brother’s tools. I was even accused of making up the will after Jim had died. Luckily the lawyer got it through his head that it was a valid will that Jim had done in 2007.
Jim had so many problems, both physically and mentally. But it was no surprise considering the environment that he grew up in. His mother had 5 kids by several different men, they moved 13 times during the time Jim was in school. Seems his mom didn’t like to pay her bills. They were always on welfare and during that time that it was a real embarrassment to be on welfare.
I guess that is enough of the life that Jim shared with me for tonight. . At this point in time I am so glad they are no longer a part of my life. IF they are smart they better never EVER darken my door!
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