The Changing Season – August 2019

As we move into September and I put together my Changing Season’s post, I realize that August has been a month filled with both hard and wonderful things.

My job has thrown up many learning opportunities this month leaving me feeling inadequate as I try to navigate a lack of knowledge on multiple issues. It has been a balance of seeking the appropriate resources to close my education gap and navigate things to resolution.

Pax napping in the late afternoon sun that shines through the backdoor

You may have read HERE that we had to put our dog, Radar, down this month. Losing him added a layer of grief to our month and it continues to hang in the air, even as we head into September. I guess grief doesn’t observe a calendar. I’ve really tried to stay present in the emotions that come with loss and honor the fact that the cost of love is the sadness that comes once it is gone. It is hard to lose a dog. We get so deeply bonded to them as we weave them into the fabric of our daily lives.

We went to Atlanta for a weekend and got to meet our great niece. She’s adorable and happy. I’d like to refuse that I could possibly be old enough to be a “great” Aunt, but her charm nearly makes me forget this aged title she has forced me into.

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Hubby and I took a lovely drive up to Jordan Lake. The bird watchers in the area assured me that it was one of the best places to view a variety of species. They were not lying. We were gifted with many great sightings and I even captured a few of those moments with the lens. I was particularly excited to see the adult Bald Eagle in flight.

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I spent an amazing morning at a friend of mine’s barn. We met early to beat the heat and enjoyed a low-key morning catching up as we watched our boys graze together. Then we saddled up and rode around her wide open pastures, woods and lane. It was exactly the outing that Tucker and I needed.

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You may have also read HERE that we allowed a dog from the local pound to overstay his welcome. I brought him home for a day which turned into a night which turned into an adoption. We weren’t really ready to add another dog, but when are we ever really ready for anything? He is certainly not the dog I would have picked had I been in the market, but he is a very nice dog, with fun energy. We think he is about 9 years old and his breed is up to anyone’s guess. Maybe some Whippet, probably some terrier and who knows???? We are enjoying him and even though we are still in the honeymoon phase he is settling in nicely. His name is Tuve’.

Now that he has been here a minute I can see how he may have ended up at animal care & control. Since we’ve had him, he has slipped his collar, walked a leg out of his harness, chewed through a leash and is testing our fence every chance he gets. He’s an escape risk and this scares me. Is it only a matter of time before he outsmarts us? His microchip and ID tags are up to date.

Most of August was cloaked in a layer of stifling heat made all the more oppressive by the high humidity. There was, however, a glorious 2 day break which happened to fall on a weekend. Highs didn’t hit the 80s and the mornings felt almost Fall like. It was absolute bliss. We were able to work and play outside without feeling like we were being swallowed alive by the furnaces of Hell. The horses also enjoyed a break. They were able to run and play without even breaking a sweat.

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I have bored you all to tears written on this blog all Summer about how much I’ve enjoyed my early rides with Tucker and how good they have been for both of us physically and mentally. However, the unofficial end of Summer brings with it the end of my morning rides. The mornings are staying dark longer and squeezing those rides in before work is getting harder. Not to mention, now that school is back in session the later I leave for work the worse and longer I have to sit in traffic. It is time to change my schedule back, start riding in the afternoons instead of the mornings. I’m going to miss seeing the sun come up while sitting in my saddle. There is nothing like cool mornings, coffee and horses to start the day right.

On the last morning of my Summer schedule, I decided a show of gratitude was in order. I traded out the saddle and reins and instead headed outside armed with apples and peppermints. When the snacks had been doled out we sat quietly in our arena together. Him grazing, me drinking coffee. A perfect ending to the season.

Farewell August. Come on in September, I welcome you with open arms, we have much to do.