3 days brings a new perspective

Another three days have come and gone but the work is still the same. I really cannot complain because the past three days have had some great diversity so the work is not as monotonous as the past two and a half weeks. On Wednesday, the 4th of July we had all decided that we were going to shut down early enough to actually enjoy some fireworks from the porch at GGMa’s house. During the day we started working on some of the different projects. I began the process of reworking the automatic waterers and how they will be hung within the stalls. More work was done on the hay barn and discussion began to occur on how to handle a leaking roof joint. We made another trip to Home Depot and to Lowe’s to gather the waterer supplies and more odds and ends. We did shut down and enjoyed a variety of fireworks and a couple of cold beers. This one event has changed the perspective of all of us involved in the large project we have undertaken. We have all realized that as much as we have dedicated the vast majority of our waking hours to the ultimate goal we have forgotten to sit back and enjoy life. Thursday was back to the grind but with a renewed purpose and insight. I worked on installing the waterers and got two of them all hooked up. I probably could have gotten them all put in but there were some distractions that took place. Some of them were work related and others were just simply enjoyable. Brianna had one the horses out in the arena going through her paces and one of our boarders had her horse out as well putting it through a good workout. The bathroom finally is done thanks to a new toilet seat, a fresh coat of paint on the mirror frame, and some trim board on some panel that the ladies didn’t like. Yeah, one thing is done. Hey, I’ll take it. We also got some advice on how to repair the roof and will tackle that project on Monday. It was a little weird because it was so hot, like before the 4th, but the work didn’t seem as tedious as it was previously. Last evening was really cool because we wanted to test our arena lights so we opened up for a night ride. Brianna, Michelle, Ruthie, and one of our boarders came out and rode from about 8:30 to 10:00. Even though that put us there really late into the evening it was cool to see that we have the option of opening our facility for more convenience for the boarders. Friday, ah Friday, came and this was a complete change from our past three weeks. I still got up and headed to the barn for the morning feeding and stall mucking but that’s where the normal changed. Finally, after a two week hiatus I got to play golf again. I headed to River Greens in Avon Park to meet up with the Webber crew and we teed it up to continue our summer competition. After 17 holes Brad and I were tied so the 18th was going to decide it all. After the round, which I did win, Brad and I were amazed at how well we both shot. Normally we are in the low to mid 90’s but today we both shot under 90. I actually shot an 84 which is my best round in a very long time. Since the day was kind of an off day from the barn I headed back to the house to meet up with my loves’ and actually just hang out at the house. We did run to Frostproof to pick up the roofing needs from Bagwell Lumber but other than that it was a good lazy afternoon at the casa de Heath. Around 6:30 we headed back to the barn for the evening feeding but did nothing more. Once we got home Michelle crashed and Brianna did my hair. During the summer I let it grow out and she gets a kick out of putting as many hairclips in it as she can. She has been doing it since she was a very little girl. She went to bed around 10 while Michelle is still passed out on the floor. It was almost a normal day from our past. Tomorrow we will hit the floor running and see how much work we can get done. I think we will start taking some breaks and my goal is that we work harder but also take some rest days so that we can maintain the positive feelings we have felt from our little break. When you train hard you must balance your work load with your rest periods. I also think this is true when it comes to work projects as you need to sit back and actually realize you are accomplishing things. If you just keep pounding out work you become engrossed in continuing projects instead of finishing each goal. Just my perspective.

Slowly getting there and funny observations

Hey, I only missed two days this time. The last time I put words to paper it was Saturday night. Sunday at the barn started as a normal day but it appears the heat is getting to all of us. We began by finishing up the final trim boards on the front and the side of the barn. We also began remodeling one of the stalls for Brianna’s big boy because the stall we initially chose just doesn’t seem to match his size. Some of the paneling that we had installed now had to be disassembled for airflow purposes. Sunday was also a day to see strange things and revel in the fact that individuality is such an awesome thing to admire. We had to make a trip to Lowe’s and while we were there I saw one of those sites that just make you scratch your head. Picture a guy about 6’4” and 260 with a great grey mullet with a pierced ear with a nice dangly lion head earring. Okay, now add to that he is wearing a Harley-Davidson T-shirt and Harley-Davidson jeans. At this point you are thinking a real bad ass. Hold your horses because the bad boy points are about to go away. As you continue down to his footwear notice that he is wearing, not squared toed leather riding boots but Sketcher’s Shape Ups. Yep, the bad ass points just got wiped clean. That was enough to make a hot day more enjoyable but there was one more special moment while on the way home. We stopped by our favorite convenience store, Race Trac, to get a drink and when we hit the line it happened. The woman in front of us was talking with a friend about the fact that she was struggling losing weight. I really wanted to ask her if I could help her with her problem but figured it would have led to a confrontation that would not have been enjoyable. I think the problem with her weight loss struggles may have been attributed to the 52 ounce Coke Icee she was proudly holding while having the in-depth conversation with her friend. Work at the barn gets spotty because we have had lots of guests. Some are family and others are friends but most of the time we welcome the distraction. Sunday finished with some positive progress and the realization that much work was still ahead of us. Monday rolled in and we all overslept. We got to the barn around 7:45 and rushed to get the horses fed and moved out to the pastures so we could begin our work. We had a nice session until about 10:45 when we headed to Circle R Ranch and Livestock Supply. We went there to look at entrance gates and openers and of course other items on our wish list. Once we finished it was lunch time and just plain hot. After a nice break we started back to the tasks and Tyler showed up so he and I headed to Home Depot to pick up all the parts and pieces to reconstruct the front water supply. We got all of our stuff, of course we forgot a few things that we will have to go back and get to finish completely but we did obtain enough to get the shut off valves all installed. We stopped at Tractor Supply on the way home because we needed some supply lines that we couldn’t find and while there we ran into the interesting story for Monday. While looking for hose a nice lady happened by and began conversation. To make a long story really short she was aware of our barn, in fact she used to run it, and was somewhat negative on the former owner. No big deal, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I will listen and move on. She also knew Yonka, she owned him at one time, and had determined that he had been stolen from her a few years ago. I don’t know anything about that as he is registered with the American Paint Horse Association legally through my wife. Well, she was just too curious so about 20 minutes after I got back to the barn, without supply lines, she and her husband showed up to snoop about and check on Yonka. This interaction with Michelle was entertaining and in the end the lady and her husband were very nice and appreciative of what we are doing with H&W Stables. That pretty much ended the work day since by the time they left a massive storm came in and we were running around dodging lightning to move horses for the night. Tuesday was kids’ day at the barn. Mother-in-law and father-in-law Welch needed to do their real jobs so we were left to our own devices. We did our morning duties and then loaded up our trailer with Yonka and headed to Brianna’s lesson with Mrs. Grinstead. While Brianna rode and rode Michelle and I just sat in the shade and tried to rest. We also went and played with the little foal. He is really growing and has quite a personality on him. Finally about 1:30 we were heading back to our barn but first we had to grab some lunch. Horse in tow, we hit Micky D’s and it is amazing the looks you get from little kids when you show up at McDonald’s with a horse. It is fun putting a smile on people’s faces and Yonka is a good looking Paint so people just want to check him out. We got back to the barn, moved some horses around and then got down to business. We had one minor distraction with an out of town family member that hadn’t seen the barn so we gave her the $5 tour and then got down to business. Michelle and I started connecting all the front water pipe back for the watering system. We added a shut-off valve, and drilled two holes through the front wall for drainage pipe and water faucets out front by the wash racks. The two holes really weren’t a big deal but during one of them we had a couple of funny moments. The drain hole goes through a 6x6 post, two panels, and then exits out of a 2x6. No big deal except that while drilling the final portion the bit fell off and disappeared in the wall. How do you lose a 1 ¼ inch hole drilling bit? Quick answer is you let me mess with it. To get it out we had to remove the outer trim board and snake it out of the wall. Awesome, it worked so we tried it again. After the second failed attempt I just decided to drill from the outer wall and miraculously hit the existing hole perfectly. Once that debacle was completed we motored along and got all the front stalls completed minus actually installing the waterers. Hey, I need something to do in the shade tomorrow. The reason for all this work really hit home today. As Michelle and I were working today Brianna went out and worked both of her horses. She put Johnnie in the arena and rode him bareback for almost an hour and then went out and got all the horses to bring them in for feeding time. Even though the work at this time is tiring and somewhat frustrating watching your child enjoy her horses anytime is becoming worth the effort. Have a great 4th of July and please take a moment to remember why we actually celebrate the day. It is also okay to have a BBQ, drink some beer, and watch fireworks. If you are bored and in my area, stop by and check out the barn.