Soggy Sunday

They say we're gonna dry out. 

That will be nice. 

We've had enough wetness to have earned a couple of days of dry weather before the doomsdayers start their annual spout-off about how we're gonna have forest fires this summer because of not enough moisture.

Happens almost every time we get more than two days of sunshine.  It's like we're never supposed to enjoy good weather around here cuz something bad will surely happen. 

Today I see some blue sky in the midst of our socked-in conditions.  The lady on the radio said it's supposed to be nice today. 

Because it's not supposed to rain all day, I decided to surprise my horses and put them in the round pen for the day. 

Until we have a good dry-out, the round pen is the only safe place, besides the soupy barnyard or the barn, where horses can spend their time.

I placed flakes of hay in a circle in the middle of the round pen.  That strategy involved Liam.  

I figured if the horses' food was away from the fence, Liam may be safe during his all-day vigilance.   

One cannot plan much around here without having to think on several animal levels. 

For example, if Lily had been allowed to stay in the round pen this morning, totally ignoring those hay flakes while gorging on new green grass, she could  get a tummy ache. 

And, if those flakes of hay had been scattered too close to the fence line of the round pen, Liam could receive a stomping from an irritated horse when he sticks three quarters of his body under the bottom rail and inside the pen. 

So, Lily went back to the barn to have some hay for breakfast, along with Lefty and CB. 

When they finish their breakfast, they'll go to the round pen with relatively full tummies.  And, then, with luck, that young green grass won't harm their tummies. 

In the meantime, I decided for Liam's welfare that he'll go to the dog run today. 

He'll bark, but the neighbors aren't home, so that'll be okay for today. 

It's definitely the time of year when nothing comes easily. CB was supposed to leave today to go to my sisters' place in Colburn for a month of basic training. 

Instead, he'll stay home for a few days in hopes that the lake in front of the horse trailer will dry up and that the ground will firm up.  

If that happens,  I can back in, hook up the trailer and pull it out of there without leaving huge ruts next to where I left huge ruts a few weeks ago while driving the tractor to the gravel pile to cover up all the mud making a mess around the house entrance.

Did I suggest that life is complicated on a farm in the wet spring?  

Anyway, we have had enough rain to quell the forest fires, at least for this week, and if we get some sun today, that might even quell my ugly mood. 

It hit bottom on the ugly scale yesterday afternoon after I kept trying to do some projects outside, only to have nasty squalls of wind and rain send me inside. 

The second time I went into the house Bill was watching a Seattle Mariners game so I told him I would take my camera and go somewhere.  

"Somewhere" ended up being the wildlife refuge at McArthur Lake, where the rain was nice enough to quit once in a while and just spit a bit.  I even saw some sun.

While walking through the area, where a lot of geese, ducks and swans hang out, I saw no mud but more than enough water pockets within the areas of taller grass.   Happily, it wasn't too deep so I enjoyed a pleasant walk and a few neat scenes. 

BTW:  the donkey was not at McArthur.  It lives down on the corner of Selle Road and HWY 95.  It was smart enough to come in out of the rain and cute enough for me to stop and take its picture.  The donkey even talked back while I snapped photos. 

This snow monster next to the shop is the last of our yard snow.  Still some in the fields but a lot got washed away during the weekend rains. 

Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, Annie is on the last legs of her vacation.  

She's headed to Seoul, South Korea, today on a six-hour flight (it's night time over there, meaning a shortage of sleep).

And, then, she'll be back in Seattle tomorrow afternoon, and we'll get to see her this weekend when she takes another flight to "her own private Idaho."  

More photos from her time spent exploring beautiful Bangkok.