Independence day...

Rachel and I really know how to celebrate a holiday. We decided to change our schedule up a bit so we would have an extra long weekend, courtesy of the 4th of July. There was a reason for this, beyond having a little respite during our busiest time of year.  Wednesday evening, after a full day of grooming, we took every single thing out of the grooming studio.  We cleaned each item as we moved it, wiping down the furniture and tools, one by one. It took us a couple of hours to do this. We had the good sense to plan ahead and put batch of Hungarian Goulash big enough to feed 4 in the crock pot.  She headed home with a hot supper, and we settled in here with ours.

Bravo loves the grooming studio, and was clearly unhappy with our activities. Chris was surprised to come home from work and see the dining room packed full of... well, everything.

I was up early on Independence Day. I hung our beautiful flag, took care of the animals, and then Chris and I headed out to buy the floor cleaner I had forgotten to purchase before the holiday. While it was mighty convenient to be able to go to a big box store for what I needed, I couldn't help but be sad that it was open at all. I remember when I was growing up every store was closed up tight on major holidays, and that seems more fitting.

Once home, Rachel joined me and we washed the walls in the studio, then she got down on her hands and knees and scrubbed the floor with a stout brush. I mopped. Then mopped again. And one more time for good measure.  It was a hot, sunny, day, and the windows were open. The floor dried pretty fast, so soon we got in there with trim brushes and painted the floor from the walls out. Next we used a roller on a nifty handle and painted the rest.  We last painted the floor a year and a half ago. We took some time off in January, when business is a little slower anyway, and moved everything out for the project. Though the studio is heated, the floor was cold, and the paint never cured properly. Even when freshly washed, it showed the dirt, and chipped, looking disreputable. We were happy to cover that up and try again. It's warm and lovely now, so hopefully it will cure hard and perfectly, and last longer for us. We are plotting ways to reorganize as we move items back in, to optimize our work space while keeping things looking serene and comfortable.

Hot and tired, we headed into the celebration phase of the holiday.  Evans joined us, and the four of us used excellent family teamwork to prepare a feast. The lawn was mowed, a fire laid in the sturdy new fire ring, the table set, the outdoor cooker fired up.  Rachel and I made a batch of focaccia bread, and cooked some local asparagus. Chris steamed up a mess of lobster, Evans tended the fire, hauled fire wood, helped carry things to and fro.

Rachel and I, looking a mess from our labors, did not pose for a photo, but these two handsome guys did!

There were hardly any bugs, and we enjoyed a perfect meal at the old picnic table. The donkeys and goats lazed around in the warm evening air, and the chickens were happy to clean up any meat we left clinging to the lobster shells.  They stayed up later than usual, enjoying the treats.

Later Rachel and I sat by the fire ring, watching the sun go down, and a lovely deer graze in the pasture near the domestic critters.We were full of excellent food, and it was quiet and peaceful all around us.

Evans and Chris broke out some special cigars they'd been saving for just such an occasion. And one of them practiced blowing smoke rings.

Before the fireworks from neighbors and the camp across the lake went off, we got the dogs settled inside. Poor Bravo is afraid of loud sounds, so he got a little something to take the edge off. It didn't help much, and I was glad when things quieted down. Flirt didn't care. She likes holidays. I do, too.