Today, I organized the tack area I've used for the last 23+ years. Mainly I sorted things that needed to go in the trash and things that could go to others. Lots of ointments, meds, etc. that I donated to the barn. I brought my English saddle and a Mattie pad home- will probably sell them. Left one of my Western saddles there and my helmet in case I want to test ride some of the barn horses for a potential lease. If not, the saddle will go to a good friend who has wanted it for years. I put all Smokey's blankets, bridles, bits and misc. other stuff I'd accumulated in more than 20 years and 4 different horses in my tack trunk and told the barn owner she could go through it and take whatever she thought she could use or others could use. This is the first time in this century that DH and I have been without horses. We had DH's Tinker (for 20 years) and my Smokey (for 13 years) the longest- Tinker died a couple of years ago at 35 and Smokey died 2 weeks ago at not quite 20. It has been an emotional day, but I feel a little better at having done it. The tack area is neater than it's been in years and is ready for someone else to use. I started out the day being overwhelmed at the idea of sorting through all the tack and supplies, but once I'd gotten the stuff that was obviously trash out of the way, I found it was easy to give useful stuff like fly spray, mane and tail conditioner, and liniments to various of my barn friends. While I'm feeling a bit sad, I'm also feeling a weight off my shoulders, having made the choice to give away almost all of it, rather than trying to find some way to store it at home. Lesson learned- the stuff that I used for Smokey isn't necessary for me to keep. I have other things like photos and some video to remember him by.
Tomorrow I will be back to working on my scraps. I've processed a bunch of inch and a half strips and squares and also used a bunch working on the first clue from Bonnie Hunter's most recent mystery. Next up is 2 inch strips and squares- that drawer is even more full than the inch and a half one was. LOL
Rob
Last edited by rryder; 04-02-2023 at 02:02 PM.