The hard part is getting started… it seems so daunting… SPRING CLEANING!
But once you start, it feels, really, really good!
THE SHED. (na na nana dun dun dundun… imagine JAWS music)
It was looming.
You see, I never had the goal of stuffing my shed to the gills with crates and leaving it for a year and a half… The goal was to ‘put that stuff in there for now and I’ll get to it later’ type of thing. And then later never came… until today.
Truth to tell, lots of my stuff (like the medicines and salves) had expired because that shed gets really hot in the summers. But, most of it was happily tucked away in plastic, well sealed, plastic crates that I purchased in a frenzy from Staples. Yay!
First, I took everything outside. Then, I opened each crate and redistributed contents in new, smaller, clear plastic containers. These new containers would fit on the installed shelving. As it was, I had all of the crates stacked in there, on the ground and all over, because none of the crates fit on the shelves.
But now I had a remedy – thinner, smaller plastic containers.
I wanted floor space AND I wanted to be able to see what was in each plastic tub, so I’d know what was what.
What’s kinda funny, is I thought I had a system for the previously stacked crates. I had them all set up like they were in my Grass Valley barn. I figured I’d remember which drawer was where and which shelf was above the other… and I did, for the most part. But I still almost invariably would opened the wrong crate when I was looking for something.
Anyway, today was the day. Everything out, everything re-sorted, everything thrown out that needed throwing out and all re-sorted back ON THE SHELVES!
Of course, the nasty, brand new and full bottle of Coppertox spilled all over everything. Sigh.
I felt like a chicken, throwing stuff out behind me from the hen house… Here we have empty crates, empty boxes and a huge garbage bag full of stuff no longer needed.
Of course, the full bottle of Coppertox exploded over everything in its crate. Here is the remnant.
JOB COMPLETED! Not only that, I actually sunk another hitching post!
This area in front of the shed is mostly shaded. I thought that if I put in a hitching post, I could give someone a bath there.
Well, I’d need more than a post to give a bath…so I brought over a hose. I’m going to install my portable hot water station somewhere. I haven’t decided if I’ll put it on a dolly or mount it to the side alley of the shed.
Since I now know where I have my shampoos (Yay!), I’m almost all set to give BG a bath! As you can see, I put out Mama Tess’ spongy mats. I need to get an actual stall mat. But for now, this will work.
Dig while the diggin’ is good, they say. And the diggin’ was good today! The deep down earth was still wet from last year’s deluge of rain, which was good to know because this year has been relatively dry. In fact, last year was hideous for the horses – do you remember? The earth was like a slippy slide for them. This year, we’ve hardly had any of that. If it has rained, it has stopped after one day – to give the ground a reprieve. SO VERY DIFFERENT from last year where the horses and I were miserable.
Anyway, I dug the post hole and set the post. After cleaning out the shed, I found a few lead rope rings/catches. I installed those. Yay, again!
It took several hours…
Yay! All clean and resorted efficiently. You can see here the hitching post I set. The hole was easy to dig this time of year. Also, I have the hose on the side of the shed where I’ll probably mount my portable hot water station.
I have one of these and I’m deciding if I want to attach it to the shed or put it on a dolly, like this one.
LOOK WHAT I FOUND! ANYONE NEED A BRAND NEW PONY OR DONKEY BLANKET?
I purchased very nice blankets for both Dodger (Shetland) and Norma (a regular-sized donkey) a while back… I had hoped the blankets would help them in the awful rains. But, Dodger refused to wear his and Norma refused to even look at hers. So, they hung, brand new and packaged, in the shed.
After finding them again, I have perfect condition, beautiful blankets to sell!
Anyone want these before I put them on Ebay?
Dodger’s blanket: Weatherbeeta Orican with Freestyle Tail Flap, Freestyle Foreleg Flap, 1200 Denier, waterproof, breathable, taped seams, teflon coated and Ripstop. Green. Size 51″. I paid $189. It is brand new with tags (the bag is a bit beatup…). $99 includes shipping.
Click here to purchase Dodger’s brand new 51″ blanket for $99.
Norma’s blanket (hers is slightly higher grade): Weatherbeeta Orican, Freestyle with forward positioned freedom gusset for shoulder movement, cupped shoulder dart to prevent rubbing, full wrap tail flap… 1200 Denier, Quick clips, Ripstop, waterproof, breathable, taped seams, repel shell. It is brand new with tags. Purple and navy plaid – really pretty. 54″. I paid $229. (The bag is a little dusty but the blanket is perfect.) It is yours for $119 including shipping.
IT IS PURPLE AND NAVY, not red and grey as it appears in these photos.
SOLD! THANK YOU!
THANKS FOR COMING ALONG ON MY CLEANING DAY!!
That was nice of you to think of them… however, the blankets have sold. I’ll note that rescue in Avon. Thank you!
US Horse Welfare & Rescue in Avon, CT has two rescue ponies (Faith and Bentley), both of whom could use some new blankets. How much do you want for the pair of blankets?