Stalls

Deep breath.

I gave my notice for my stall cleaning job on Wednesday.

All of the photos in this post were taken during stall cleaning.

I've done stalls nearly every Sunday since the weekend before I got Connor.  Up at 6:30, at the barn by 7:30, usually done with chores by about noon, then ride, then get home about 2:30.  It's the only way I could have afforded to keep him these past three years.

To be honest, I really like it, except when the high temperature is below 30...

...or when I'm up all night Saturday night for work.  Then it gets a little rough.  But I'm always grateful for the opportunity to do the work, and it's nice to feel slightly more involved in my horse's care than the average full boarder.

Scenes you miss when you're full boarding.

But with Nick being thousands of miles away Monday-Thursday, we agreed that stalls needed to end so that we can maximize our weekend time together.  The marriage comes first, always.  He's taking a couple of bills from me so that I can pay the increase.

I almost never see anyone at the barn on Sundays.  Just me and the horses and the silence of the country.

My favorite thing: I save filling the tanks for last so that at the end of a long day of stall cleaning, I can sit against a tree and watch the horses in their fields while the tanks fill.

Sometimes I come home to a...less than clean house.

The Thermos Nick got me that has singlehandedly saved me on cold winter mornings.

Scenes I'd probably miss otherwise.

I'm going to continue doing it indefinitely until she finds someone else, so I'm not leaving her high and dry, but it will be over soon.  I'll miss it!