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Monday, August 7
Aug. 7th, 2023 11:52 pmToday I am grateful for:
That it stayed dry overnight, so the bales that I claimed in the field did not get damaged.
When I was doing chores, Dandy slipped out the gate, but all he did was run over to visit with the horses. I was careful not to let him feel like he was in trouble or going to be herded, and I caught him with no drama. Whew. If that had happened when we first got the ponies he would have run around a lot, because he was so worried about people. I'm glad I've put the time in to get them comfortable with us, and with being caught.
I screwed up my courage and went to get the second load of bales today. Another 41 lovely fresh hay bales.
It wasn't so bad, but it was pretty hot, and it's real work.
Then I came home and unloaded them loosely into the barn. The bottoms were a bit damp from simply sitting on the ground over night, so I'm letting them dry before I stack them tightly.
Then I decided to clean up and go to town. I needed groceries. I normally do get them on Mondays, and if I don't that messes up the rest of the week.
I did go to Winner's and found a few things. A nice hoodie, a couple of fairly un-obnoxious men's t-shirts (I wear those a lot), some nice flats. A single pair of underwear that look promising.
I made a joke out of the "non-returnable" policy on the underwear. I mean, can you imagine?
Then I went to get groceries, and it still feels alien to me in there. Looming black shelves and things all over the place. I managed to find what I needed, with extra steps and feeling disoriented.
At the checkout I made pleasantries with a woman who was buying lots of flowers for family events this week, and then also the cashier. I do my best to be chatty and cheerful with people to humanize this experience of being alive. Shopping doesn't have to be so isolating.
As always, I am grateful for being able to get groceries.
I am grateful for pleasant interactions.
I got home fairly late, so I did not let everyone out as per usual. I felt a little bad about that, but I can't manage it every day.
I learned about the relationship between sloths and a single species of moths which depends on the sloths:
"Three-toed sloths go to the ground to urinate and defecate about once a week, digging a hole and covering it afterwards. They go to the same spot each time and are vulnerable to predation while doing so. Considering the large energy expenditure and dangers involved in the journey to the ground, this behaviour has been described as a mystery.[49][50][51] Recent research shows that moths, which live in the sloth's fur, lay eggs in the sloth's feces. When they hatch, the larvae feed on the feces, and when mature fly up onto the sloth above. These moths may have a symbiotic relationship with sloths, as they live in the fur and promote growth of algae, which the sloths eat.[5] Individual sloths tend to spend the bulk of their time feeding on a single "modal" tree; by burying their excreta near the trunk of that tree, they may also help nourish it.[52]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloth
So this is kind of a two-fer. I learned about the moths, but also that the sloths seem to eat the algae that grows in their own fur.
That it stayed dry overnight, so the bales that I claimed in the field did not get damaged.
When I was doing chores, Dandy slipped out the gate, but all he did was run over to visit with the horses. I was careful not to let him feel like he was in trouble or going to be herded, and I caught him with no drama. Whew. If that had happened when we first got the ponies he would have run around a lot, because he was so worried about people. I'm glad I've put the time in to get them comfortable with us, and with being caught.
I screwed up my courage and went to get the second load of bales today. Another 41 lovely fresh hay bales.
It wasn't so bad, but it was pretty hot, and it's real work.
Then I came home and unloaded them loosely into the barn. The bottoms were a bit damp from simply sitting on the ground over night, so I'm letting them dry before I stack them tightly.
Then I decided to clean up and go to town. I needed groceries. I normally do get them on Mondays, and if I don't that messes up the rest of the week.
I did go to Winner's and found a few things. A nice hoodie, a couple of fairly un-obnoxious men's t-shirts (I wear those a lot), some nice flats. A single pair of underwear that look promising.
I made a joke out of the "non-returnable" policy on the underwear. I mean, can you imagine?
Then I went to get groceries, and it still feels alien to me in there. Looming black shelves and things all over the place. I managed to find what I needed, with extra steps and feeling disoriented.
At the checkout I made pleasantries with a woman who was buying lots of flowers for family events this week, and then also the cashier. I do my best to be chatty and cheerful with people to humanize this experience of being alive. Shopping doesn't have to be so isolating.
As always, I am grateful for being able to get groceries.
I am grateful for pleasant interactions.
I got home fairly late, so I did not let everyone out as per usual. I felt a little bad about that, but I can't manage it every day.
I learned about the relationship between sloths and a single species of moths which depends on the sloths:
"Three-toed sloths go to the ground to urinate and defecate about once a week, digging a hole and covering it afterwards. They go to the same spot each time and are vulnerable to predation while doing so. Considering the large energy expenditure and dangers involved in the journey to the ground, this behaviour has been described as a mystery.[49][50][51] Recent research shows that moths, which live in the sloth's fur, lay eggs in the sloth's feces. When they hatch, the larvae feed on the feces, and when mature fly up onto the sloth above. These moths may have a symbiotic relationship with sloths, as they live in the fur and promote growth of algae, which the sloths eat.[5] Individual sloths tend to spend the bulk of their time feeding on a single "modal" tree; by burying their excreta near the trunk of that tree, they may also help nourish it.[52]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloth
So this is kind of a two-fer. I learned about the moths, but also that the sloths seem to eat the algae that grows in their own fur.
