Shoes: $120 x every six weeks

Additional hay to get us through the rain: $213

Shots: $80
Grain: $14 x too many to count
Gray "worry" hairs: $90 highlights
Riding with friends: crows' feet from all that smiling

A partner who perks up at the sound of your voice, who comes to you--ready for anything, who trusts you to take care of him and who takes care of you on the trail:
PRICELESS!



I'd like a little cheese with my whine--

It's Saturday and here I sit. Lynn has gone to town to buy groceries and I don't know what Shirley is doing. My point is probably obvious. The boys are soaking wet, muddy, and I'm sure "Star is bored." I hate to be like everyone else and complain, BUT ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

I went to a meeting in Ukiah; I left Thursday late (6pm) because after school I was in high demand. The big boards on the highway all read: "Winter Storm Watch. Carry chains. Reduce speed." They say that all the time. Snow down to 1500 feet means we'll get it in WC at 600. Snow at 2500? Well, we know that means the east side of Berry, with its own microclime will get it, but probably 299 will be fine. Right? I'm only going to Ukiah, there's nothing to worry about--Rattlesnake Mt is only 1700 elevation and everything is unmarked so all the hills along the way must be even lower. All this is true stuff, right? Ha! So much for my total disregard for warnings.

It was a wild and crazy drive to Ukiah. It was four hours of windshield washers on high speed--mostly in the dark. Snow and sleet and rivers dangerously close to the highway. The roads, both 299 and 101, are in horrible shape. Huge drops and rough, teeth rattling pavement. There were large trees, debris, and slip, sliding mountains encroaching the road. I always laugh at myself because I just plow on--I don't have any sense. Gotta get where I'm going. Thankfully I have a good rig with front wheel drive and mud and snows. As always, I 'm a woman on a mission.

I dumped my rain gauge at 5 1/4" inches this morning. I think I last dumped it at 5 1/2" on Monday. According to the WeatherUnderground website(http://www.wunderground.com/US/CA/Willow_Creek.html), Underwood Mt received 2/10 of an inch an hour ago and it was 38 degrees. NOAA (http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/versprod.php?pil=RR5&sid=RSA) shows that Hoopa accumulated 1.48 inches in 24 hours. Again, that's why I'm sitting here. Next week is the end of March--I hope it goes out like a lamb.

Faith Hill said it best, ".  . .new [and especially old] friends and blue skies that never end/Hey that's the way we like it/Good times, sunshine, and summertime." I'm so ready.

Got Socks?

The funniest thing happened Thursday! I do not know exactly how many inches of rain we have received over the last two weeks, but take my word for it--it's a lot. That's important information when you think about how much mud that is, right? Well, on Thursday I was up feeding the horses with Lynn and the bottom, downhill side of the feed boxes is pretty deep mud. It's the kind of mud that sucks your foot in about five inches up your calf, right? For as long as I have been feeding with Lynn and Shirley they have told tales about falling in the muck, losing a boot, etc. Well, it finally happened.

I had my head down in the feedbox with Brady. I was putting the hay out and Lynn was graining everybody. Over the noise of the four-wheeler, I heard a loud squawk. Lynn was up near Jupiter's box and I figured he had done something to her. But then I realized she seemed to be struggling and moving away from him. As I watched her, she squawked again and went down. "Aaaaaghhhh! Dang it! It's cooooold!" I started laughing--she had stepped out of her boot, lost her sock, and when she went to try to get it, came out of the other one, too!

Brady and I just watched her. She looked like a baby bird learning how to fly. She flopped her big ol' rain slicker around and had socks flying at the end of her waving arms as she tried to get her balance and get her boots back on. He went back to eating and I went to rescue the grain bucket because as she flailed around, the three orange horses saw their opening to eat out of the grain bucket. So not only was she bootless, gushing manure and horse pee mud in between her toes, she had greedy, nosy boys standing all around her.

The whole time she shrieked, "It's cold! Look out! My good socks!" and of course, "Stop laughing!" So I got the grain and convinced Jupes to go back to his box and took Indy to his box, but not Zigs. You know that boy loves his momma. He stood right in front her with his forehead next to hers while she struggled to regain her balance, her boots, and her dignity (?). Ha! I don't know if I've ever heard her hit a high note like that before.

I laughed for an hour. She even had mud on her nose.

I know karma is going to get me--but dang! it was funny!