Toward Spring

Tuesday, April 02, 2024

Today will be this area’s warmest; I haven’t any pressing needs to take me away from home. I am going to rev up my tractor and clear the horses’ dry lot of dried muck and other ground-awful debris. The pitifully messy area has been on hold until a pause in our long string of wet, windy, and too-cold days, and it’s this one.

Last week, after charging the tractor’s motor, I tested its starter. The engine immediately powered up and with a good-sounding idle. I didn’t do any cleaning that day because it was overcast, and later it rained.

When I first moved onto this property and arranged it for horses, which had been my dream, I knew little about all actually needed. If today I were setting up for horses, many elements would be different. Years of experience teach; and I’ve learned and dealt with many unanticipated needs on my hilly, rocky property.

Hey, I count my blessings, too. Space with a rocky landscape reduces gardening demands; provides room for outside animals–horses, chickens, and a goat; enables privacy when it’s needed; and living up high makes visible a distant, beautiful mountain range.

When the tractoring is done and the dry lot better, I more easily will welcome spring. Already growing weeds need attention; the horses (and dogs) should be out on trails; and my favorite hobbies need resuming.

Dear Friends: A warm day encourages a shift from shrinking to re-engaging. Diana