home life (5/14/2023) -by Anne

Meanwhile at Warehouse 16….

Where has the month gone already. Last night it was cool enough out to leave the windows shut, so I would not be woken up at 4 am to the whippoorwill. This am the temp is 39 degrees, but it is supposed to get up to 75 later in the day. The deck is buzzing with activity. Hummingbirds, house finches and goldfinches. I did go back to the store and buy a few more petunias, so our flower boxes look more uniform. Our view of the field is slowly becoming obstructed as the oaks are now in on the leaf action.

Brooke left on Friday afternoon, so Suzie and I have been on our own since then. After my success mowing on Friday, I decided that I should be able to handle a trip to the dump.(Saturday) I cleaned up the kitchen and gathered all the garbage and recycling. On my way to the barn I was able to drop off my collections with no trouble at all.

With tomorrow (Sunday) being Mother's day, I planned to go up to New London, NH to visit my mom. I also had the opportunity to go to Bradford, NH to a Horsemanship Clinic. It would be a review of info I would need to work on, to be ready for a bigger clinic later in June. Now what vehicle do I take to get there?

Now it is early Sunday morning and it is a pretty cold morning. It is 42 degrees with winds 10-20mph. No rain was predicted and the sun was shining brightly. Hmmm… I am learning that I shouldn't over think things, so I make the choice to decide later.

I am up early, 5:30am, so I make a cup of coffee and go upstairs to watch a show or a YouTube video while I wake up. Our favorite motorcycle traveller doesn't have a new video posted yet, so I watch another all about off road riding over obstacle courses. It looks similar to our horse obstacle courses, though we do not ride our horse's over old cars.

After watching the video, I take a shower and have a lite breakfast as I figure I will stop for coffee on my way and I can get something else.

I decide to take the bike as I have heated gear and grips. As I organize what I need, I let Suzie out and make sure she has food and water. As I get packed it takes longer than I anticipated as the last time I rode it was 75 degrees. Today, I need the liner back in the jacket, my heavier pants with the liners, my heated liner, and my heavier gloves. I get all this on which seems overkill. I pack up stuff for the clinic, phone and pocket book. I get the bike out and shut the garage. I have to remember next time to fix the clock on the bike . It is 16 minutes fast. I need to get going as the clinic starts at 9. I head out and get down my driveway and realize that I have forgotten to put in my ear plugs, so I stop and put them in. I also check my chain, as I have been hearing a tick tick sound as I rode along. Chain seems okay, as far as I can tell? I will have to have Rob check it when he gets home. It is a beautiful morning to ride. I am glad I feel comfortable riding by myself now, at least on familiar roads. As I go I realize that I will need gas. I think I have enough to get there? It occupies my thoughts as I keep track of how many bars are showing. As I turn onto 393 highway, I am glad to have my heated gear. It is cold and windy especially at highway speeds.

I may have gone the more leisurely route, if I was just going to moms, but the highway was the fast route today. Just as I am nearing my exit, the last bar ony gas gauge goes clear and blinking, so a stop at the Irving is needed. Well …I will be a bit late for the clinic.

After gassing up, I ride the last bit to the clinic venue. I pull quietly into the farm and park. I am proud of myself for getting there safely. I am a bit late to the party, but old friends greet me with smiles and catch me up as they sit in a semi circle at the usual pre clinic introduction and classroom session. Eventually that raps up and they go get their horses and I catch up with old friends and talk horses. It is nice to be auditing for a change. No pressure of performing, and you get to take notes and relax and just observe. It was a cold day, so we were in the indoor arena. At a break in the action, I went upstairs and made a cup of tea. That helped as I was getting cold just sitting still.

At the lunch break, I took my lunch box and sat outside in the sun, using the stonewall as a wind block. Eventually, as I began to thaw out, I went to meet with the others in the house and had a cup of coffee.

After lunch, the riders resumed with the clinic and I took my place as observer. I took lots of notes, and now have a good handle on what to practice at home. I needed to get to my mom's, so when they took a short break, I said my goodbyes and thank yous.

I mounted up, not needing my heated liner and headed out. When I hit the main road, the light wouldn't change for me, so I zoomed across quickly. I took the leisurely road this time up through the back roads towards mom's house. I arrived safely and spent the afternoon talking with my mom, her husband Frank, my brother John, and his girlfriend Sarah. Nascar racing was on the TV , and I shared my adventures in mowing story. I had wanted to leave, so I didn't have to ride in the dark. By the time we ordered Chinese food and enjoyed yummy chocolate cake and each other's company, the sun was setting.

I said my goodbyes and went out to put my layers back on, including my heat for the way home. I remembered that my jacket also has lights, so I turned them on too. It wasn't dark yet. The first part of my trip home would be more rural, so I was hoping I wouldn't meet any deer. The roads were quiet. I rode along well. At one point my mind was wandering and a bird almost flew into me as it searched for flying insects. Thank you mother nature for putting my focus right back on the road. There were a few cars in front of me, which I welcomed, as hopefully they would scare the deer back into the woods before I came upon them. I only saw one deer and it was still in the woods.

It was getting dark fast, so I was glad to get down to Concord, where there are more lights and civilization. The rest of the trip was quiet though dark enough that I needed my high beems quite a bit. I was very happy when I pulled up to the garage at Warehouse 16. As I went upstairs, our dog Suzie was very excited to see me. I think she also thought that Rob was home too. She looked disappointed when she couldn't find him. I told her soon, soon.