Feelin' It

There I was, well into July, working in the barn with a denim jacket on.  Unreal, but no complaints!  Chores seemed to go so much faster, and it was still early when I got back to the house.  A quick sit-down and it was back outside again.  I was afraid the cloud cover would burn off and the opportunity to mow would go away.  Fu gassed up and ready to go, we headed to the back slope.  Grey sky, cool breeze, perfect weather for mowing.  Backyard done, we cut down the side yard.  The danged star thistle had grown under the clothesline, making laundry days painful.  Not anymore!  We mowed along the fence line and down the drive, but not out in front by the road.  Too much gravel and the chance of sparks and too far away from any water source to risk that.  So far, so good.  Little spits of rain now and then kept us going and next was the front yard.  Down in the valley, people are being urged to "let their yard go California gold" and cut back on watering their lawns.  Ha!  I can't remember what it was like to have a lawn.  I often wish that Fu Manchu had power steering, but there is a benefit to having to make wide turns; it offers the opportunity to go over any area that might have been missed on the first pass.  Under other circumstances I might have quit after two, maybe three yards, but the weather held and I wasn't sure when or if it might come again this summer.  "Come on, Fu, we can do this!"  I topped off his tank (wishing I could do the same for myself), and we took on the west point.  Three solid hours of mowing and finally we were done.  Poor old Fu looked like I felt.

On a roll, after a quick but necessary nap, I loaded the truck with bags of squooshed cans and Bessie Anne and I headed to El Dorado and the recycling center.  I go only a couple of times a year and was running out of storage space.  Unlike a lot of dogs, Bess doesn't really like riding in the truck, mainly snoozing and only occasionally lifting her head.  As a puppy, she used to get car sick and barf on the seat.  She got over that, thank goodness, but she has no interest in where we're going.  Unless we're going to the cookie store (feed store), that is.  As a surprise, we made a detour to Mt. Aukum on the way home.  I needed a bag of goat chow and Bess deserved a treat.

For the last chore of the day, I gave Fu Manchu a much-needed bath.  He may not sparkle, but sure looks better than he did after yeoman's work.

A glass of whiskey and a seat on the deck at day's end, listening to the quiet with my girl and looking over the hills eased my aches and pains.

I may be feeling it this morning, but it was a good day.