Outdoor Chores

Yesterday was all Claire (and Honey) related outdoor work.

Of course it began with a fruit and veggie run to Walmart, where I was met by some crows acting as Gargoyles above the cameras

and I spotted the above “Claire’s” sign.

Then Claire and Honey had their regular mani-pedis by their amazing farrier, Jason Bastemeyer,

Then I had to remove saturated wood chips to Hadrian’s Wall, clean the rubber flooring, and replace their stall area with fragrant new chips in the new barn.

When I went to retrieve the stored bags of wood chips, I found an old gnome Belgian Ale advertisement sign given to me by a powerful psychic, Ginger, which originally hung outside my back door (friends and family entered that way, and no, that is not a euphemistic reference to yesterday’s adventure) in Riverdale, spent the past seven years on the interior back wall of the old barn but now has established its place in the new barn.

You see, the gnomes and I go way back. I brought some of the Gnomes on Gnome Island with me from Riverdale. One of them, Geoffrey, hails from the Primrose Hill section of London via the Fairy Godmothers, v&b. Each day I am looking more and more like a white bearded Gnome.

I also found these old school bale hooks in the back of the old barn. So they now adorn the new barn.

But then I had to empty, clean and refill the water troughs. That means emptying the now algead water by pail until half empty then busting a gut flipping the tanks over to finish the job (or you’ll be there all day). Great core work.

(Note the mild PTSD I am suffering from yesterday’s adventure triggered by those hoses).

The troughs were then inspected to see if they met the Casa Claire standards.

Although most of the day, the mules spent their time sleeping or meandering their slow graze around the property, waiting for me to finish my chores.

And after I was done, they returned to the new barn to inspect the results,

where they also shared an afternoon meal.

And I finally got to put my feet up,

watch a very content mourning dove,

and listen to the Old Man play his wind chimes for the fairies.

So, Magical Mother Nature, the chores and the beautiful creatures of Casa Claire all had their therapeutic effect. I am indeed a lucky man.

But the last Sunday of August is upon us, and I have some shit shovelling and food prep to attend to.

You fine, five readers enjoy your well-earned and Biblically ordained day of rest.

Maybe read a book.

I’m going out to cuddle some kitties

and then off on my rounds.

But no matter what else we get up to, let us make today a great one.

And I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Joe Serrano – yes from The Claire Saga, although he’s Joe Marrero in FJM – who penned a cheeky comment to yesterday’s traumatic blog. I highly recommend you go back for a laugh and check out Joe’s talented bit of Bronx Doggerel. Joe is a local legend when it comes to bawdy limericks but he expanded his lyrical pallet to capture the moment brilliantly. I do hope Joe appears at one of the Bronx readings next month so I can thank him personally.