Happenings

Well, I've been spectacularly bad at keeping you up to date on the garage construction, but it's pretty well done.

Hard to believe a month ago this was just empty space
(or maybe just the concrete pad, I've lost all sense of time thanks to covid-19)

Our last contractor is supposed to be here today to install the doors, and then we'll have a tiny amount of finish work in terms of insulating the inside, but as far as the bank is concerned, it's done. And just in time, phew! We are our loan officer's favorite apparently, he just cannot wrap his brain around the fact that we finished the house so far under budget that we could also build a garage and still not go over... haha. He recommended DH look into being a general contractor, but I think the general consensus after this experience was never again ;) quite pleased with our little project but zero interest in ever doing it again! Storm shelter is being delivered tomorrow and we still need to sort out a more permanent backyard fence option for the dogs, so you'll still see a few more construction photos I imagine (plus you HAVE to see the fully installed doors once they're done), but I'm not sorry to be wrapping up this chapter in my life! 

Bebe goats are all my work coworker's new favorites, as I text spam them daily from my home. 

I'm still trying to settle in to my new global-pandemic induced schedule. WFH is... not all I thought it would be (for me, there are certainly lots of people who do it far better than I ever will). Parts of it are great, parts of it are not great. I'm struggling to adapt to being able to "turn on" for work in the morning and then "turn off" at night -- I'm kind of swimming through most days half on all the time, which has caused a lot of generalized anxiety and brought back my insomnia in a BAD WAY. But, I have both supportive coworkers and friends helping me talk it out and make better choices (like the friends who spam me with GIFs at the end of my work day to remind me to LOG OUT and get off the computer lol), so I think I'll get better at it. 

This dirty, chunky, Spanish donkey makes me laugh. 

Luckily the weather is FINALLY NOT QUITE SO SHITTY and my arena dried out and I've been able to start working horses again. I'm feeling unusually blessed to have my horses at home right now, as I watch so many friends struggle with getting to see their horses, or feeling guilt for doing so :( hang in there! However, even with the horses in my backyard, I am making deliberate decisions about how I bring them back into work to maximize safety. Both of my girls are GOOD EGGS. But, they have been off for an extended period of time (basically the entire year of construction plus a few months before it started during the wet winter from hell). So even though they're GOOD EGGS, the potential for shenanigans does exist. So I plan for an extended period of regular groundwork and lunging before I swing a leg back over. Is that perhaps overkill? Sure. But I don't want to give in to the temptation to just jump back aboard and risk a silly accident sending me to an already overburdened healthcare system. My particular county is not under a shelter in place/stay at home order, but neighboring counties are (including the county I work in and the county I would seek medical attention in), so I'm trying to play it safe. 

The dogs are living their best lives right now. Cici, in particular, is pretty sure she's actually a barn dog, and every time I go out a door she comes bouncing over like a demented ping pong ball demanding to go with me -- and most of the time I let her, haha. 

Aside from being eased back into work, the horses are also getting acclimated to spring grass again. WFH does make it convenient to very carefully time them on it, and increase it incrementally. I did order Ruby a grazing muzzle -- we got by without it last year but she was quite fat by fall (partially due to not riding but also she's an air fern) so I'm hoping to prevent future issues. Since she and Cinna will have matching muzzles and be unable to bite each other, it's possible I may be able to do more combined group turnout instead of keeping them in pairs. Which would be nice, because our next big project is to rip out and redo most of our fencing (FML). The fun on a farm never ends!

Anyway, sorry for this rather not cohesive mishmash of what's going on in my brain right now. It's possible that I could resume blogging regularly again if I'm not commuting 10 hours a week, so I suppose that's a silver lining to all this! How's the pandemic treating you? Are you also feeling a sick sense of existential dread at all times? Are you essential personnel and still working in a facility? Shifted to working to home like me? Are you able to see your horse(s)?