Anticipating

Monday, November 15, 2021 (November’s fullest moon [“Beaver”] rises on the 19th.)

Shoot! I didn’t manage to take that “fall ride” on horseback. Instead, I took care of business.

I drove east to pick up three stored Dogloos offered by a friend no longer needing them. I loaded the trio, brought it home, and disassembled and cleaned the big weather-beaters. They’re now installed on my deck, and today, I’ll search for appropriate pillows to assist my dogs’ comfort and warmth.

Locals here, with years of experience, expect coming winters to be very cold, often very windy. We seem to get less snow than in years before, and even enjoy some not-so-very-cold days, but mostly the winter atmosphere challenges.

The store where I’m a worker is sponsoring a used winter jacket drive. That’ll give some of us an opportunity to create space in closets. Over my years of working at Costco, I accidentally purchased duplicate jackets. Don’t ask me more about working there and unconsciously duplicating purchases–it just happens, that’s all.

Now, I’ll donate unneeded jackets to a good cause. That will ease using my jacket closet. Its doors won’t resist folding to open or close. It’ll be easier thumbing through fewer hanging options.

Anyway, I digress.

This winter my part-time job will keep me away for daylong stretches. In previous winters I’ve been home and keeping dogs inside through worst-weather periods. This year I don’t want my aging dogs outside unprotected. To the extent possible they’ll be inside until I return home. If they’re accidentally caught outdoors for a stretch, the Dogloos could help.

Hopefully they’ll use these shelters. My smart Border Collie mix, Osix, will, because I’ve seen her inside dog shelters. Not so sure about the others, they tend to dig holes and half-bury, or curl into balls against the cold and wind.

Anyway, I digress.

Today, I’ll try to get out with horses, taking a couple of non-arthritic dogs, to enjoy a fall horseback ride, with camera.

First though, an early focus on finding pillows.

Dear Friends: Winter is a challenging, beautiful season, and enjoying it needs preparing. Diana