Ok so it's been awhile. Summer keeps moving along at the speed of light. I can't believe it is almost August. It seemed like it took so long for summer to finally get here and now we are about to enter the final month.
On the domestic front I need to report my washing machine died. So I had been limping along, carrying clothes to wash in the basement of the guest house. I even convinced myself I was going to fix the washer so I did some researching on the Internet, pseudo diagnosed the problem and then took a look at the back of the machine and felt tired. It looked like a real project to get the back off. So Doug did it. And he was unimpressed when he got it off, said it was nothing but a bunch of cheap plastic parts. So after much deliberation and encouragement from Doug I finally decided in the wee hours of the morning on Friday to buy a new machine instead of spend half the value of a new washer in repairs. I bit the bullet and headed to Home Depot. My new machine with the MATCHING dryer should be delivered on Wednesday. I have never owned a new appliance. But I am looking forward to this putting a little excitement in the work of washing clothes. It is a front loader and will be MUCH more energy efficient and use a fraction of the water. And the best news, I can easily wash bulky winter horse blankets!!
On the domestic front I need to report my washing machine died. So I had been limping along, carrying clothes to wash in the basement of the guest house. I even convinced myself I was going to fix the washer so I did some researching on the Internet, pseudo diagnosed the problem and then took a look at the back of the machine and felt tired. It looked like a real project to get the back off. So Doug did it. And he was unimpressed when he got it off, said it was nothing but a bunch of cheap plastic parts. So after much deliberation and encouragement from Doug I finally decided in the wee hours of the morning on Friday to buy a new machine instead of spend half the value of a new washer in repairs. I bit the bullet and headed to Home Depot. My new machine with the MATCHING dryer should be delivered on Wednesday. I have never owned a new appliance. But I am looking forward to this putting a little excitement in the work of washing clothes. It is a front loader and will be MUCH more energy efficient and use a fraction of the water. And the best news, I can easily wash bulky winter horse blankets!!
We have had another project going on this week. A guy who buys metal scrap has had a crew
here cleaning out a bunch of old cars and other misc odds and ends that have been scattered around the farm but primarily down at the racing stables. That reminds me of something I would like to share with you. One of the bigger disappointments at the time. Let me take you back 18 years. I had just started dating Doug and we would spend time together at his parents place (which is what I now call home.) He was talking about the racing stables. Yes, the racing stables. I asked him what it was. He told me it was a place that used to stable horses a little west of the house. Ok, you might be able to imagine the grandiose visions that swirled in my head as a passionate horse lover. A racing stables?? How fantastic! Ummmm....upon first hand viewing of this "racing stables" I am pretty sure no body ever put a horse in this metal building built of car frames. It was filled full of things that they didn't want to put close to their house. Old bed frames, wheels, boards, cars. You name it, it was probably there. Can you feel my disappointment? But back to present time, a crew of two men and a big loader have been here dragging stuff up from the racing stables and crushing them and then loading in a semi to make a trip to Portland. We should have one more load on Monday and then we will call it complete. There is still plenty of stuff left for future projects and parts for other machines but a lot of the bulk is gone.Saturday I ran to town in the morning and picked up 5 gallons of paint for my horse shelters. I am sprucing them up after their 5th year on the farm. The original white paint is wearing away and they need a good new coat of paint before the bad weather sets in. I had planned on getting some painting done but it didn't work out that way due to the weather and the kids schedule.
Early evening we loaded up a couple of bikes and headed over to Horn Rapids ORV park for a 
practice MX race. Doug has been active in racing the vintage bikes but hasn't raced modern bikes so he is wanting to get in some practice before he competes in a real race. The turn out was fairly slim which ended up being just fine. We liked the laid back atmosphere and the race grounds was much more kid friendly than I had thought it would be. We were able to back right up on a flat area overlooking the track below and the track was fenced in so it kept out wild toddlers. Kate and Hadley had a lot of fun playing in the little sand pit once Hadley got over the brutal reality that she wasn't going to be racing. Next time we will give some serious consideration to bringing the appropriate gear for Hadley so she can have another chance at racing. How can a daughter of mine want to compete anything that involves speed??
Sunday was a great day for me. Doug went to great lengths to help me start building a real fence around my horses. When we originally moved to the farm it was straight from Yakima when Doug completed his residency. Our plan was to live here on the single wide that his parents had and pay off student loans and get set up before we bought our own place. Therefore, I put up a temporary horse set up with plans for it to be short lived. Well, as a good friend once told me, there is nothing more permanent than a temporary fence. So...I finally decided to make it permanent after my good show horse escaped when I was in the mountains last time and took a high speed tour of the farm and the wheat fields.
practice MX race. Doug has been active in racing the vintage bikes but hasn't raced modern bikes so he is wanting to get in some practice before he competes in a real race. The turn out was fairly slim which ended up being just fine. We liked the laid back atmosphere and the race grounds was much more kid friendly than I had thought it would be. We were able to back right up on a flat area overlooking the track below and the track was fenced in so it kept out wild toddlers. Kate and Hadley had a lot of fun playing in the little sand pit once Hadley got over the brutal reality that she wasn't going to be racing. Next time we will give some serious consideration to bringing the appropriate gear for Hadley so she can have another chance at racing. How can a daughter of mine want to compete anything that involves speed??
Sunday was a great day for me. Doug went to great lengths to help me start building a real fence around my horses. When we originally moved to the farm it was straight from Yakima when Doug completed his residency. Our plan was to live here on the single wide that his parents had and pay off student loans and get set up before we bought our own place. Therefore, I put up a temporary horse set up with plans for it to be short lived. Well, as a good friend once told me, there is nothing more permanent than a temporary fence. So...I finally decided to make it permanent after my good show horse escaped when I was in the mountains last time and took a high speed tour of the farm and the wheat fields. We finished off the weekend with a dinner in town at Mongolian BBQ to celebrate Doug's aunts birthday. It was nice to get together and visit. It seems there are never enough hours in the day to see friends and family so it was good to have a special occasion to bring us together.
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