Trail Adventures: Katy Trail, plus bonus long weekend content

Back to back three day weekends in February is great, but even BETTER when it comes with nice weather! This is actually for the weekend before last, I'm just lazy about catching up. Working on it though!

First things first though - I got a new (to me) car! I have been driving a 2005 Malibu for closing in on a decade now (bought it in August of 2013 lol), and with 230K+ miles and a radiator leak, it's days are numbered. I was trying to limp it along until my truck is paid off in August of 2024, but having to replace DH's car in a hurry after his was totaled by the impaired driver really drove home to me that I don't want to HAVE to car shop on a tight timeline, so I've been casually browsing for a while now. I was actually planning to wait on purchasing anything until after the promotion (and accompanying raise) were official, but it worked out otherwise and I'm not sad about it. This is a 2017 Toyota 86 and it is fast and fun and sporty and I smile every time I climb in it. It's also a complete revelation to have like.... a back up camera and bluetooth? What is this sorcery?! Anyway, loving my foray into the 21st century tech, despite this car being super bare bones otherwise, lol. Hopefully I get a decade out of it like the Malibu!

Anyway, you're here for the horses. My bad. They're doing fine too. Ruby and Trigger both got to get out on the first of our two long weekends, and we all enjoyed the sunshine! 

Thank god I had a slight amount of leverage, homegirl was LIT. 

We all took turns leading!

Trigger had a good time and wanted to jog most of the trail, lol. 

Note to self, buy Trigger a lead rope with a bull snap. When I took him to Rudolf Bennitt last month, when his rider went to bridle him, the lead rope wasn't clipped to his halter. He didn't go anywhere because he had hay, but she commented on it. I knew it was clipped when I tied him (and a picture confirmed lol) so the best I could figure was he managed to snag the clip while he was eating hay. This time, when I went to load up to head home, I walked Ruby on and was just clipping her in when all of a sudden Trigger loaded himself up too - he must have gotten the snap undone again and just decided it was time to self load. Sigh. Glad he's so well behaved, but not going to count on that permanently, so I need something he can't accidentally open!

This little blue noodle turned 13!

Penny got mad she wasn't the center of attention haha. She also turned 2!

Hayden enjoyed some sunbathing. 

Cinna enjoyed a mud mask - blech. 

I did some major feed room cleaning and rearranging (AND THROWING JUNK AWAY)

Pulling everything out lol. 

Ick. So gross.

Another #anonymousoctopus in the mail, to hang in my car lol. 

Also enjoyed some good sunbathing!

We changed up our shavings storage so we could pick up bulk sawdust with a dump trailer instead of laboriously hand shoveling it out of the back of our truck (since neither of us have the backs we had 5 years ago, sigh). The dump bed doesn't go *quite* high enough for gravity to do all the work, but its definitely easier to do this than what we did before. 

Hopefully this works out long term - that $100 of shavings should last us 5-6 months, so fingers crossed!

I ran out of steam towards the end so I didn't get things as organized as I wanted, but it's definitely better lol. 

We wore the dogs out. 

So tired. 

Getting closer to caught up! Now I'm just one long weekend (and equine nutrition seminar and lesson) away from being caught up! :)