Today, I found myself again thinking about the Jane Kenyon poem that I wrote about yesterday. The question that arose at the end of yesterday’s dispatch was, how was today going to be different than yesterday? I knew that, like the weather, it obviously would not be the same. They say variety is the spice of life. I know this to be true although I looked and did not see variety on the shelf.

Today started out similar to yesterday – it began with my picking up a shitload of manure and then eating breakfast – yogurt, blueberries, bananas, apples, muesli, one of Pete’s bagels, and tea. Then there was the daily discussion, one in which we routinely ask one another, “what’s your plan for today?” I don’t know why we do this because neither one of us

Alys and Tyra near Goose Neck Junction

ever follows suit. We are both on our own time frames and have our own always-changing agendas.

We did agree to look at yesterday’s horse agility videos, and we agreed that if they were sub-par to make more videos. Midway through looking at the videos, our neighbor Ron stopped by. He and his wife Cathy, who are both in their ‘80s, badly want a puppy. I located a potential seller – the pups are English Shepherd/Border collie crosses. Cuter than shit in the Craigs List ad. I gave Ron the information and he was on his way.

Back to agility. The process of putting up the videos was about complete when we got a call from our friends in Anchorage, Judy and Brien, who wondered if we were up for a ski. I said yes, so we agree to meet up at Hatcher Pass.

Beforehand, I took Tinni for a walk around the loop.

Pete, Brian, Judy, and I are all at about the same level of ability, so we were able to move along and chat. This was a nice change for Pete and me, who generally ski here. So we now are tentatively planning to meet the pair next weekend at Nancy Lake and do another ski.

Once at home, Pete and I took Tyra and Raudi for an outing on the trails. The snow on the side of the trails is now quite deep. The snow at the center of the trails is rather punchy. We practiced walking slowly down the hills, and in general, walking. We got a sense walking from our mounting block area to the trailhead what that the going must also have been a slog for the horses.

I had just enough time to take Hrimmi for a walk and to finish cleaning the horse pen. Pete had already gotten a start on this. This is, right now, an onerous task because the piles are surfacing and must be dug out of the snow.

So yeah, today, in terms of what I did, did differ from yesterday. But it was much the same because “it could have been otherwise.” In other words, I was as grateful today as I was yesterday for what was a varied day.

60. 3/1/21: The Nitty Gritty of Livestock Ownership