Humming along...

This evening while I was feeding the dogs on the deck, two hummingbirds vied for rights of the feeder. They were inches from my head, wings buzzing, tiny bodies zooming right around me.

When the dogs were fed I grabbed my camera. I didn't have to wait long. I heard the hum before I saw the bird, it hovered near my ear then landed in the lilac bush a moment. He looked at me with a keen eye, then braved my presence and landed inches from my camera on the feeder. Brazen, he turned his back to me and enjoyed his supper. Every few seconds he would turn his head and watch me for a heartbeat. Then, unafraid, he turned to the food source.

I saved a hummingbird two years ago. I almost wonder if this is the same one... it showed no fear of me and made a lot of eye contact. I do not take the miracle of these tiny, trusting birds for granted... they are minute miracles and a constant source of amazement. Speaking of amazement... I am amazed at what I accomplished today.

A HUGE dump truck dropped a load of gravel next to our new run in shed on Saturday. The plan was to create a nice, level floor of gravel inside the shed. We will then top this with rubber stall mats. This will give the horse and goats a nice place to lay, be easy to clean, and offer good drainage with that base of gravel. The problem was, how to get the gravel from the enormous pile into the shed. There was only one obvious answer... for me to move it, one shovelful at a time. So I did. It was a challenge. I have a sprained ankle and a cranky right shoulder, and am in general out of shape, but I took the project on, one scoop at a time. I made mini goals. I would scoop, carry, walk then toss 25 or 30 scoops into the shed, then rake it smooth, stamp it down tight, and take a tiny break. I brought a chair out and set it in the shade. The day was hot and sunny, and from my vantage point in my comfy chair I looked up to see pine boughs and cloudless blue skies. The goats "helped." Luna the mama goat would come stand by me each time I sat down, and I would reward her by scratching her neck and sides. This makes her look blissful. Taco the buckling would leap up on the top of the high gravel pile, then jump and twist through the air, land neatly and bound into the shed in time to intercept my shovel load. The comic entertainment made up for the inconvenience.

It took me most of the day, but I managed to get a nice gravel floor laid into the shed. I used up about half of the gravel pile. Tomorrow I will shovel the rest around the base of the shed, making a "ramp" up into it, and creating a gravel border around the entire building. While I worked on this project Chris rigged up the charger to our new electric fence and ran a hot wire around most of the fenced area. He has a bit more to do tomorrow to finish up, and then we will be ready to more my horse home! I feel a lot like a kid at Christmas. Stay tuned for photos of Chanel in her new home.