Early to rise gets more work done.

I heard people stirring and dogs barking at neighbor dogs really early this morning.  The first time I looked at the clock it was 3:40.  A few minutes later some yiping outside the window awakened me again.  

Normally dogs aren't outside at that time, so the neighborhood sounds wafting through the early dawn air put them into a barking mode.  I yelled out the window for them to be quiet, which they did.

I never heard Bill or Annie leave, but by shortly after 4, I know they were on the road.  Annie decided to change her airline ticket for an early Monday flight, allowing her the whole Sunday to enjoy her visit to Sandpoint.

I think she had a good time.  She spent a lot of this past weekend taking photos with her brand-new iphone, which she tells me has a much superior camera over her first iphone.  She belongs to some photo group which sponsors weekly contests, and this week's theme was photos taken by cell phone.

I told her if she wanted to win first place to take that phone out to the funky front lawn while I watered the flowers and carrots in the antique manure spreader.  When I water flowers or veggies anywhere, I have more than enough help.  

Have I mentioned before that Border Collies love hoses, especially hoses that spray water?  It's fun to jump really high in the air grab a mouthful of running water and then choke on it.  Border Collies can't get enough of chugging and choking.  And, they do nice dances in the process. Kea, in particular, puts on some good photogenic moves. 

Did I ever mention that Border Collies like to stick with a routine?  When Mom Love waters the stuff in the antique manure spreader, Kea's self imposed assignment is the south side of the spreader.  Todd and Brooke take the north side, while Kiwi, like a good big sister dog,  stands behind Mom Love, allowing the young-uns to play. 

The routine seldom varies.  And, as the hose operator, I get to see some neat scenes.  My favorite is Kea jumping up on the other side of the spreader, trying to get her chug.  There's rustic wood, artistic cascades, and cute columbine blossoms  in the photo frame, along with a determined little black-and-white dog popping up every few seconds.  

Annie took several pictures of this scene yesterday and caught some good action shots with her new phone, so we'll see how she does in the contest.

Anyway, as I write, she's probably over Central Washington about to see the Cascade Mountains.  If she caught her flight, she'll probably be at work by 9 a.m. So, Groundspeak people, if she's late, you know she's on her way.  

The early morning wake-up eventually got my mind to thinking that if I'd just get up, I could get some hot work done during relatively cool hours.  So, I went out, turned the horses out, and wasted no time going back to the horse stalls which need floor repair.

Lefty's stall should hold up for another year after yesterday's patch job.  This morning I pulled up the mats and discovered a little more challenging job in Lily's stall.  It will involve replacing two full boards, so I cleaned up the area and pulled out the previous patchwork.  

This will probably be a two-day project cuz I'm actually going to try to do it somewhat right.  I'm not too good at doing anything somewhat right when it comes to boards, hammers and nails, but I'll do my best.  

 Maybe today I can finally get into the north garden and move the rototiller from the spot where it's been sitting for almost a month.  I'll do my best to work up the ground one more time, throw in some bean seed and transplant my cucumbers---all before July.

With luck, maybe some of that stuff will still have a chance.  I have discovered, very sadly, that most of my strawberry patch, which I doubled in size this past year, is without berries.  The cold weather must have done a number on those blossoms too.  So, what looked like a great fruit year has turned a bit dismal.

Maybe next year.  

Anyway, gotta get going and get some sweaty work done before it heats up, and some doggies are waiting for their daily water dance. 

Happy Monday.