The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This is the newest card produced by my favorite card designer. This is so us! I think she would totally be someone we could be friends with! Check out her blog and see what you think! I wish her shop wasn't so far away--I think it would be my favorite place to shop!
According to the weatherman, we are at 128% of normal rainfall. It's a good thing--or so we keep telling ourselves. We have not had much opportunity to wear our "pointy boots," rather we have been wearing those lovely black rubber things. (: I know my portable tack room has stunk up my car because of them.

Anyway, yesterday was winter chore day. Lynn and I finally moved all the tack from the soggy trailer and oiled up all the saddles and bridles. They look great. Aside from a few scratches from bushwacking, they look good as new. It is so nice to have the tack room lit and organized; we did a good job a few years back.

The rain has held off for a few days and we were able to brush the boys a little and get some of the caked-on dirt off. Brady and Star are so furry, that they usually end up with a little rainrot. But if they have a good hay pile in front of them, they will stand still and let me brush them. Jupes and Zigs are pretty sleek, and Buster is somewhere in between. Poor Indy--you know I love him--is still having foot problems. He doesn't trust me to brush him for very long because I put the rope on him twice to be doctored. He is in the pen now and having fits that he is separated from the herd. Hopefully Shirley will get Adam to come and look at him and make sure he will be okay.

I was recently taught an old tradition that I plan to make my own: find a Christmas card with the three kings on it (I think I have one), cut them out and hang on the door leading outside; it is supposed to bring good luck all year and remind you as you go out to look for grace in everyday things.  Today is the sixth day of Christmas (six geese-a-laying) and the last day of 2012. So I wish you six of something that will bring you much reward and many cups of kindess in the new year, and like the last verses of the old song . . .

And there’s [my] hand my trusty friend !

And give us a hand o’ thine !

And we’ll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne

[literally for "old long since", or loosely "for (the sake of) old times"]

. .  .thanks for being my friends! I value all our past stories and look forward to many more adventures to come!

~Vicki

Discover--my version

If a tree falls in the woods. . .

Great weekend! Saturday we rode all over exploring new territory with possibilities for new trails. The boys have been a little bored lately since we haven't really gone anywhere new; so we have been giving them something to think about. Mr. Calm-Cool-and-Collected (aka Ziggy) showed that although outwardly he is unbothered, inwardly he is a nervous wreck so he poops like mad when asked to do new things. Jupes acts like he doesn't care, but although he has to trot and be in front of everyone on the road, when we go off into the brush, he would just as soon follow Zigs as lead himself. Then there's Buster; he got to go both days again and that's what makes him happy. He will do anything; he just wants to be there.

Sunday was another first for all three boys (and me). We were going along the trail east of the bottom meadow when we heard a sound all mountain girls recognize: a tree falling. Instantly we all stopped to look for it and ensure we were safe. I had just said, "There it is," and pointed when I was suddenly galloping the opposite direction! Buster was right on our tail! I got Jupes stopped and turned in the path and I think that's stopped Buster. When we looked back up the trail, Lynn and Ziggy were still standing there--"like a rock," Lynn said. Ziggy froze and watched it fall. (We were all safe--it was to our left and falling parallel and approximately 20 yards from us and not big enough to knock down another one that might come our way.) So while the other two went into "flight" mode, Ziggy calmly watched the show. Lynn said she didn't think she could have moved him if she wanted to! The rest of the ride was uneventful, but the dogs stayed close by--especially Haylee who usually rips around. I think it shook her up a little.

Coming out, we have been loping a little up the meadow so I can work on my seat and comfort with going faster (I'm a chicken.). Jupes and I didn't lope a lot, but he did trot at a much faster speed and when Zigs stretched out his long lope, Jupiter kicked it up higher, too. I think Buster was moving right along, too, as I could hear him breathing, but they stayed behind us and I can't pay attention to anything but what I doing so I stay on! (:

Once again after a weekend of riding, I am smiling and thinking about how lucky I am that I have Jupiter and such good friends. This coming week is full of travel and odd assortments of assignments I have to complete and it will all go smoother since I am relaxed and happy (although bruised and battered a little!).

Next week is Shirley's 81st birthday and we hope to celebrate ahorseback!

PS I thought I share a silly thing: Jupiter has gone pee 5x in 6 rides. I guess he either figured out how to balance both of us, got over his shyness & modesty, or just decided he had to go! Anyway, he doesn't make a big deal of it; in fact, I barely notice he's shifted. It's almost like we are just stopped to let the horse in front of us have a little room, and suddenly, I hear it splashing! He's growing up. (:

Group Therapy

It was an average weekend and yet, something about it felt wonderful. We rode on Saturday and went up the road and across all our the trail cutoffs. We went backwards around the backside of the hill and we were careful to take trails that weren't too slippery. All the boys did really well--even when they did the splits a little trying to keep their footing. Buster was happy--he got to go and show Shirley how reliable and steady he could be. We all got a little wet from the branches, but it was a good day overall.

Sunday left me feeling very good about Jupiter--he is becoming such a good horse. We rode down to the meadow a different way. We went exploring and ended up near the trashy spot above the steep trail. Everyone did a great job and paid attention going through the brush. I guess Shirley and I flushed out a couple of rabbits that Lynn saw because she was down below us--but we never saw or heard them. We stayed left so as not to go down the steep, slippery trail and ended up on an old quad trail. Lynn says we've been on it before, years ago, but it wasn't real familiar to me. We wound our way pretty far up the mountain until we reached a dead end. When we came down we ended up back on the lower meadow. It was beautiful up in there and the trees were magnificient.

Then we tootled (like that word?) around the meadow and let the horses eat some apples. We went back and forth across the creek. We ended down the west side of the meadow to circle around and come back up and maybe lope a little going uphill (I'm practicing going faster.) We had been avoiding wire and fencing all along the way. Buster had been caught up in some wire earlier and we were on alert. Lynn saw some barbed wire and told us to change direction. Jupiter and I weren't that close to them, so I thought we could go below them to miss it. Instead we ended up in trouble.

I saw it just as Jupiter stepped into it--it wasn't just wire, it was the whole barbed wire fence that had fallen down. One side of it was still attached to standing tree! I made him stop and called to Lynn. I got off and she scrambled up to where we were. I told Jupes to just stand; I rubbed him and kept my voice calm. I rolled the log the fence was attached to toward him so it would relieve some of the tension; Lynn put a limb down to hold the wire down and make him step up and over, while I stood on the one that was loose and curling around and possibly catching his foot or shoe. Then I got him to step forward. He did so well! I am just completely proud of him. Although it was a bad situation--it left me feeling really good. He listened and trusted me to get him out of trouble! We are becoming a good team.

We didn't lope too much up the hill, but I guess Buster showed Shirley she had a horse under her. I am not sure if he was crow hopping or just wanting to bust loose and run--but maybe she'll give him a little more credit and not call him boring as much. He wants to make her happy that's for sure!

So it's Monday again. I have one more volleyball practice, one more game, puppies to feed for three days(my brother's), one more home football game, a boring day of inservice, Halloween to get through, and lots of major projects in all my classes. But, because of my good weekend with Jupiter (and friends), I think I will be okay.

Life's a Beach

Saturday was Jupiter and Ziggy's vet appointment. We drove out to get their flu shots and worming medicine. Both boys were on high alert because there were transients and their dogs laying under the trees in the field next to the vet's office. Nevertheless, they were both very good for Dr. Branch and licked up that apple-flavored medicine. Then we were off to the beach!

Lynn asked the vet if we could ride at Mad River's beach and we were told no, she didn't think so--being who we both are--we went anyway. It was no problem; we parked and could easily see how to get to the ocean from the parking lot. Remember: this is our third attempt of getting over the dunes and actually being on the beach and near the water's edge!

The wind was howling (of course!), but we saddled up and headed out. It was another day of firsts for the boys. Jupes did not like that water creeping up behind his feet. We never did get into the ocean. Zigs did and both he and Lynn felt a little dizzy by the movement. There were lots of horse-eating driftwood stumps and one very scary pink monster. She was dressed from head to toe in pink sweats--hood up and drawstrings pulled tight around her face. Jupes was like a coiled spring and when she suddenly grabbed her companion and pulled her out of the (scary) water--he was positive she was one of the most dangerous things he had ever seen in his life!

We trotted a ways and turned around and headed back--into the wind. Neither the horses nor the riders liked that ride back, which seemed like it took forever. However, I have to say my boy was looking pretty awesome: wind blowing that wild mane straight up, head high and ears forward, tail blowing back in the wind--you know he's beauty! (and I'm not prejudiced one bit!)

Haylee had the best time of all! She loved the sand, the birds, the water--all of it. She was happy and madly running every-which-way. The birds were playing in the wind currents and just hung over the top of her (and not very high) to tease her. She loved it anyway. Nevertheless, I think all of us were glad to be back at the trailer. So there you have it; we finally made it to the beach.

Sunday, we did a short ride on the Hennessey. Shirley said she thought Star, who had his shots on Thursday, was having a reaction and not feeling well. Personally, I am worrying about both of them. Neither seem like they are in good spirits or good health. Star seems to slip a lot more than I ever noticed before and is more cranky too (like he doesn't feel good). Shirley worries me too. But I am looking forward to celebrating her birthday on horseback on top of a mountain with beautiful view of the world!

Wow. I hope no one gave up on me--I know it's been awhile since I sat and wrote our adventures down. I have had too much sadness and then too many school-related activities going on in my life to be light-hearted and free enough to write on the blog. Even though I am still really busy at school and heavy-hearted without my best friend laying in floor next to me, I think I am ready to sit here and write. . .

Lynn and Alisa had a great week in Quincy riding to Buck's Lake one day and from the pictures, I am guessing, riding across from Alisa's place. The boys behaved and a good time was had by all. Zigs came home with a few scrapes from dinging around in the pasture and Odie added a new white stripe somehow (I didn't hear the story) and became a "paint" horse. (:

Although there has been a dearth of posts by me, we too have been riding pretty regularly. Last weekend we had a small adventure: gun shots! Although it was not our first time hearing gun shots, it was our most exciting. Some men were target practicing at the dump area as we were making our way down the Hennessey. Obviously, they were not going to hear us, so Lynn and Ziggy rushed down the trail from our cutoff above the dump.

Jupiter, who was raised near a cannon shooting range, shouldn't have been spooked; however, he has lived with me for a few years now and I am spooky, so. . . anyway, he stopped dead in his tracks to listen when it was loud and near. Star didn't seemed bothered, but Shirley said they were doing dai-dos behind us. When Zigs and Lynn took off, Jupes thought we should too. At the top of the little tiny chute, I stopped him to get back in some semblance of control. Shirley was yelling at me to "Go! We all need to be together!" I liked the together idea, but I wanted to be ON Jupiter and together, versus limping down the road without him while he was together with them. (:

Once I felt he was listening to me again, we started down the road toward where Lynn and Zigs were conversing with the shooters. Shirley and Star zoomed past me, but as we came into view, I am sure we were high-stepping and looking good. Jupiter had his head high and I could feel his fancy foot work and twinkle butt underneath me. The men were nice and even waited until we were at the trailer to resume shooting.

I have heard good reports from Quincy that there is lots of riding going on midweek; including lots of happy dogs and crazy bridges that echo. I am happy that Keota and Sammi (and Alisa) have found fun new friends to have adventures with.

I have four regular season volleyball games left and we are hoping for a chance to be in the playoffs; however, it will depend on how well my team holds it together without fighting amongst themselves (this is part of coaching I didn't miss). My students in my classes ask me every Monday, "Did you get to go riding this weekend?" hoping desperately the answer is "Yes," because then they know I won't be as cranky. (:

My little black ball of attitude is curled up on my lap, my grades are in, it's Thursday and I don't have an away game for another week, so all is relatively well in my little world. I hope it is in yours, too.

Mudding in Orick

Saturday started off with high heads and lots of snorting. There was a bull groaning or growling or generally making noise that was WAY SCARY! It was over behind a tall fence and no one could see it, but it was pretty loud. Ziggy tried to crawl out from under the trailer dividers. Both Star and Jupiter blasted out to get away from him and then Lynn carefully stayed out of his way once she opened up Zig's section. We walked them over to the end of the fence so they could see what it was, but they weren't having any of it!

Jupiter and Star settled down once they got to eating green grass, but not Ziggy. Eventually we saddled them up and got on--although, neither Star nor Ziggy would get close enough to the really great mounting blocks. We took off up the levy toward the trail head with lots of high heads and tight reins. We had also been told that there had been a bear around the first two turns. It never materialized, but we did hear some crashing in the brush.

The trail was slick and many spots were made of deep mud. Star slipped around because he doesn't want to get his prissy feet muddy; Jupes plowed through with no problem, but Ziggy got himself into trouble a couple of times. Once, he straddled the trail as he attempted to go up on the bank and slipped. Another time, Mr. Calm and Unruffled got scared of a large, red tree stump. That time his back legs slipped off the trail and his front legs were sinking up to his ankles. It was not good. He was sideways in the trail and there wasn't enough room for those kinds of shenanigans! Lynn had to get off and walk him by the scary tree.

I would say everyone was on high alert. Jupes was continually vying for passing Star and getting to the front. I think he was concerned about whatever it was out there coming up behind him--he didn't want to be last! We rode sideways most of the day. When everyone else seemed like they had relaxed reins--we did not. However, I was very proud of him--he did well.

However, for all that it was a great day! The temperature was perfect and no one performed any tricks. It was a good place to be!

**Off topic but I have to share: in Lake Tahoe there are many bears. They are thinking of adding a new activity here at the Spanish Language Institute: Running with bears, like in Spain, running with bulls. Then someone said, "Maybe it's running FROM bears!" (: Anyway, I guess the high school has three bears that like to lay on their warm sidewalks and one of the participants in the institute almost ran over a bear on her bicycle Sunday. I thought of Lynn and her love of bear sightings.

An oracle, a problem-solver, and the best friend anyone could ever ask for!

Toni and Mitch joined us Saturday for a ride around the top of Hennessey. Mitch warned us that Bristol, his mount that day, was a designated driver horse. Many a drunk or overtired passenger has nodded off, sleeping on the trail all the way back to camp, and been able to maintain his seat. Bristol has his own pace and couldn't care less what anyone thinks about it. He's a cruiser. So Mitch told us go ahead, he'd bring up the rear.

When we reached the road above the new trail section, Mitch called out to us that it was going to be a short ride today. He had broken his breast collar. I guess he doesn't know Lynn that well. She jumped down, assessed the situation, and proceeded to mend his problem. On we went. We got up to the road above the last steep in-between trail, and I decided it was a good time to get off and tighten up my cinch--there's a good get-on rock right there and Jupes knows the drill.

As soon I as was back on, I heard Toni squeal at Mitch. I guess she too had gotten off and somehow Buckwheat had stepped through or on his reins, broke them, and clunked Mitch. I'm not sure exactly; anyway, Lynn jumped off and fixed that situation, too. On we went.

We went all over the back side of Hennessey and had a good time. Zigman was happy when he got to lead as we blazed new trails. Jupes didn't mind having Buckwheat and Bristol along and I think he is getting used to having other horses with us. Mitch rode a lot of the way with his arms crossed over his chest and he seemed totally relaxed and happy to hang out with us. It was fun.

Coming down the cutoff trail above the dump, disaster struck. Buckwheat bucked Toni off. Lynn turned at the sound of Toni's squeal and saw her fly through the air and land in a pile of brush. Possibly the halter and lead rope swung under and spooked him; possibly a stob on the madrone at the top of the steep little hill poked him; no one really knows. All we know is everyone is happy that Toni was wearing the white helmet and saved her noggin. She probably pulled one of the long muscles that connects her pelvis and thigh as it hurt a lot. Her back hurt some, too, but overall, she was fine. Mitch offered Bristol, but she said it was important to get back up on Buckwheat and finish the ride.

I asked Lynn privately if we should go on the road rather than down the new trail, but she not only sits a horse like her mother--she replied, "No. She needs to get her confidence back." Only later on one of the more steep sections she recapitulated and said that she hadn't thought about how steep some of the spots were. However, when I looked back up at them, I saw that Mitch and Bristol were in front and they kept Buckwheat from going too fast. Although I am sorry Toni went off--I was relieved to not be the entertainment part of the ride that day.

So here it is: the last day of July! I have had good rides this month and look forward to many more in August. As I told Lynn, our tour director, I don't mind riding here at home--I don't have to camp or find exotic places to go to have fun. Sitting on my horse and hanging out with my friends is all I need!

The adventure continues

Remember the fun Lynn and I had stringing the electric wire across the mudhole section of the pond? Remember us almost getting the four-wheeler stuck? This is the site of our latest adventure!

Every summer Barry's horses, Shadow, Willy, Robby, and "that white thing," are sectioned off away from our horses next to Shirley's house. Willy is mean and would hurt Brady--he's already hurt Indy and tried to get Star. Well, they have the pond in their domain.

Our horses often go and lay in the mudhole, which is a section of the pond that stretches over and into the middle pasture. I am sure it helps keeps the bugs off and is a cool spot on warm summer day. Up the hill, the spring water is running over the tub and down into the trees. On one of her sleepless nights, Lynn came up with the idea that we could run the black pipe (that Don had pulled out and left stretched along the road) from the spring hose down to the empty section of pond and fill it up--using the spring water that was simply going to waste. (: Piece of cake, right?

The horses were excited and ran all around both fields. They heard the plastic bag of fittings and had to come and see what kind of good stuff we brought them. Ziggy rested his heavy head on Lynn while she bent over the pipe and Jupiter and Buster stood nearby with expectant faces, "Got carrots? Got apples? What cha got?" Star kept an eye on things because it's his job and Brady just stood a little off to the side basking the knowledge that he was "the man" for his part in stealing the hay bales. Indy? Not sure exactly where he was--but he is not one to miss out on anything, so I'm sure he was nearby.

It was too easy. We stretched the pipe and only had to put it together in two places. And the couplings were already there. Lynn barely got wet while putting the hose and the black pipe together up at the tank, and it was a warm evening anyway! Then we took Haylee for a run up and around on the trails (I love riding the four-wheelers!).

Long story short--fast forwarding through the Keystone cop-like antics of checking everything and collecting the necessary tools again--we found that there wasn't any water coming out the end, but there was a fountain spraying in the air. She was sure there was water in the pipe, so that meant something was blocking the flow somewhere. "Salamanders crawl up in there and die and then they block the pipe," she said. Gross! We fixed both the holes without getting too wet and walked back down the hill to the soon to be filled pond. Still no water. Ready? This is the good part: pipe cutting tool in hand, Lynn says to me, "I am going to cut it right here."

"Are you sure? Right there?" About that time, the blades cut into the black pipe--instantly, dark brown, thick water blew out in both directions! It was like we had struck oil! A geyser blowing north and south as Lynn held on to the pipe trying to get that last bite through the plastic. Instinctively, I had turned away, probably squealed, probably said the s-word, but I started laughing thinking about how Lynn would laugh when she saw my face that I could feel was speckled with mud, which was also speckled on my shirt and pants and everywhere else.

Before I could turn around Lynn said, "Look at my face." I am laughing right now as I think about it! I turned around and there was Lynn: imagine the cartoons with a character's face completely covered in some sort of slime, with clean eye holes where their glasses had been! Imagine a movie of a woman at a spa with mud all over her face except where the cucumber slices had been! Imagine the sight of an oil derrick with men drenched in black oil, the only nonblack part are teeth showing through because they are grinning as it drips down their face--shirts plastered to their chests, wet with the dark substance! She reached up and scraped a layer of dark brown mud off her face. Then I really lost it and I almost peed on myself! She had a layer of reddish-brown mud from her head down to her toes. She was able to wipe most of it off her face with her good, green-striped shirt, but it was on her neck, down her front, in her hair, well--you get the picture. Oh my gosh--it was hysterical (I'm still snorting at the memory!). "It's not that funny! I hope you do pee on yourself!" she said to me as I was doubled over--shrieking with laughter.

I love that I get to be in the front row for all this entertainment.

And the horses got water on their side of the pond! (:

A ride of a different kind

Last night, Lynn called and said Shirley had headed to Montana and it was a good chance to find pictures for her next picture book for her mom. We spent hours pouring over old pictures of everything from Shirley and Ed's life: baby pics of the kids, early marriage pics, family Lynn knew and didn't, and tons of horses! It was fun. I will post some of them soon.

Haylee gets to run on the mountain every night as well; so the first thing we did was go out and get the four wheelers. Lynn rode one and I rode the other. What a blast! We ran all over the trails on the hill with Haylee running and jumping through the trees. Lynn flies up and down the trails like a wild woman, sliding around corners and pouring it on. I could not tear the smile off my face as we whipped through the trees both before and after our venture into Shirley picture closet. It's one more example of what I missed out on being a "town girl!"

As I followed Lynn down the trail, it made think of being a kid. (I think about it when we are all piled on the thing in winter feeding the horses, too.) I have to laugh because at 53 and 52 (and 80 for Pete's sake!), we are still doing things that kids would think of as fun. I don't think we will ever outgrow stuff like this. Thank goodness. This is the side of my life that would probably surprise a lot of people--especially my students who see me in a dress every day, being a responsible and boring person. (:

"It's Summertime. . .

and the livin' is easy. Fish are jumpin' and cotton is so high. . . "

Play

I absolutely love that song. Although there are slower versions, this is the one I have on a 45! It's an oldie, but a goodie and every summer it runs through my head. I am officially on summer break! No more summer school. Yahooooo!

Saturday was treat: Toni and Buckwheat, Mitch and Stranger joined us for a quick ride on the hoop-de-do trail. Stranger is pretty cute; he's a talker. He whinnied in the trailer; he whinnied when he couldn't see his buddy or the other horses around the trailer. He did that "hunnh, hunnh," sound as he walked along. It was Mitch's first time riding him on the trail and they had no problems (not that Mitch would have had a problem anyway, but Stranger seemed happy to be with everyone). In fact, all the horses behaved--Star had mother hen issues of course and Shirley said he "sunfished" all the way because he was trying to keep one eye on the two horses in front and one on the two horses in back, but everyone else was good. That means everyone had a good time!

On the way back down the trail Lynn and I landed in some bees. Ziggy stopped on the trail and spread his back legs like he was going to pee and then I heard Lynn say, "Bees!" and she spurred Ziggs to move. About that time, Jupiter started humping and quivering and kicking and we too rode away quickly down the trail. I never saw the bees and I think we got away unscathed. Both of them stayed real calm and listened to us and did what we asked them to! Ziggy's tail swished for the rest of the ride, so he may have had some stings and/or stingers still stuck, but Jupiter seemed to have escaped sting-free.

Then we rode up the steep, trashy hill and back down the new trail and came home. Lynn had errands in town and I had a feast day with the Bishop at church so it was a quick ride. I hope we all get to do it again.

Sunday, we went out and this time Lynn brought the shears; she dropped them off in one of the openings on the new trail and left them  for later. We went up and around the Hennessey and came back down. The boys seemed a little tired and it was getting hot. On the way through the trees, Lynn walked and cut some of the bigger pokey branches and the ones that have threatened to clothesline us off. Shirley and I broke off the smaller ones. So maybe next time our ride will be a little less bruising.

Like mother, like daughter



 Too funny! Shirley noticed the similarities when she was scrolling through my camera. (Sorry for the blurriness--Jupiter is a twinkle butt and he makes me jiggle.)

PS It's my first time ever being suspended and I didn't like it!

Experimenting with links

AAAAGGGGHHHHH! I don't understand why you guys cannot link to the album. All of them are open to the public and shouldn't be a problem. I don't know what I am doing wrong. These are two more attempts. I hope they work.
https://picasaweb.google.com/missvkurtz/MemorialWeekend2012#

Memorial Weekend 2012

Lander's Lake

Truly we are blessed

pictures

Saturday we loaded up and headed into the wilderness. Lynn has been wanting to ride into Lander's Lake, a trail that branches off  from the Swift Creek trailhead. We rode through highly scented wild azaleas and wild flowers of all kinds. We were surrounded by purples, oranges, yellows, and lush, lush greens. High on the surrounding granite mountains were patches of snow. The sky was a beautiful blue. We saw quite a few deer out grazing and the smallest fawn I've ever seen--it was barely larger than the rabbit we watched running (hopping) down the road when we drove out.

The trail was alternately rocky, silty, and peaty. The dust was at a minimum because it is so early in the season, so it was a pleasure to ride in any position: front, middle, or back. Much of the trail going in to the lake is an incline since the elevation at the lake is approximately 7200 feet. There were some rocky step-ups and some really steep places, but the boys never faltered going either way. Although Buster is incredibly boring and walks too slow according to Shirley, he powered uphill and took the steps back down like an old pro. Both Ziggy and Jupiter did really well also and although Lynn feels like Ziggy corners too wide and she is stretched out over the abyss--picture it kind of like Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons--they looked good all day from where I sat.

I teased Lynn about always underestimating how close we were and about her memory from 30 years ago, we made it and there really was a beautiful meadow and pristine lake. The boys loved the high mountain grass and we had a little picnic that the dogs ate more of than we did; however, they probably needed it more than we did. Those two dogs ran at least 2x the 16 miles we traversed. Although they slowed down a little on the way back and stayed closer to the trail, anything that caught their eye had them chasing off through the trees. Haylee was super tired, but she made it! Both dogs slept most of the way home.

The trail was very diverse and once we got to the first meadow we had to look for rocks piled on top of each other like cairns. Lynn remembers having to pick her way through the bog in one spot, but the CCC has since added a causeway which made the trail easy for the horses and less stressful for the riders. There many water crossings and both dogs and horses had lots of opportunities to drink. Haylee doesn't like to get her feet too wet and she's a little cautious of water since her surprise dunking at the pond, so she created her own trail hopping onto rocks and logs or completely over it.

We ended the day with a preventive squirt of Absorbine JR on the boys' knees and ankles and Jupiter got a little "minty fresh" on his nose when he reached down for scratch. He made some great faces that I did not catch on film! Then we ravenously ate hamburgers at Marinos in Weaverville and got home about 8pm. It was a glorious day!

Sunday we did a short ride around the meadow on the Hennessey to make sure they were loosened up and not standing around getting stiff. When we got back home and let them loose in the field with the other boys, they had a group hug! (:  It was cute and I wish I could have taken a picture. Great weekend!!

Herd Bound

Yea! Fourth of July became a  midweek holiday and we were off to ride! It was a glorious morning: blue skies and sunshine--just like the song says. The boys were a bit off their routine, though, and Jupes tripped /stumbled into the trailer, Star tripped/stumbled out, and Ziggy--well, how can you tell?  I guess they thought it was a holiday for them too and they had had to work hard on the weekend and deserved some more time off.

We started off on our newest leg of the trail and it is becoming easier and easier to manuever and find. I really enjoy that section. We are going uphill through more trails and less road all the time. Today, we rode all the backside trails backwards--the opposite way. It was fun. You know a trail looks different from the opposite direction. Jupes was sure he had never seen that gray rock, gray stump, gray monster before.

One scary thing happened: Star slipped and went down on his side. From where I was sitting, I think it looked like he stepped on a slick root with his front foot and then onto another one with his back foot and they slid out from under him. He went down slowly and gracefully without seeming to try to catch his balance or footing. Maybe he knew it would be better to go with it. Anyway, Shirley kicked her foot free from the top (right) stirrup and then as he went to get up, kicked free from the left one.

The dirt and compost nature of the spot was churned up and pretty soft,  but there were roots and decaying branches under her. She sat for a minute and took inventory and decided she was fine. We walked the rest of the distance to the pond because it was pretty level and easy from there. (Alisa, picture going up the trail from the pond where we usually give the horses the granola bars. We were just up from the big log. We were coming down the hill there instead going up.)

I haven't called to check on her, yet, but I'll bet she's black and blue. Hopefully she's not too stiff or hurt in anyway.

On the lighter side, I was discussing that my friend Sandi thinks I should take Jupiter out on my own so he will not be herd bound. She also thinks it will help me to be a better and more confident rider. We ran into an old high school friend who has a new horse and said to me she would like to go riding with me. She's an experienced rider and just needs someone to ride with.

Here's the deal: I don't think Jupiter is herd bound. He has gotten nervous when we have been alone (once on the hill) or separated (once on the ride down Hennessey), but he did what I asked and he only bellowed a couple of times for his friends. I think he likes to go and couldn't really care less about having company--he likes to be in the front and would walk off/trot off and leave everyone if I let him.

No, it's me. I am comfortable with Lynn and Shirley. Shirley has forgotten more about riding and horses than I'll ever know. Lynn is calm and capable and can handle anything. I don't really want to ride with other people and their horses without my partners. I know what they ride like and what to expect from both them and their horses. I think I would be more comfortable alone with Jupiter, the just two of us off riding anywhere, than with someone I am not used to being with.

Shirley said, "Jupiter's not herd bound--YOU are!" Now that's the truth. (:

Word of the day: chaps

Saturday it rained pretty hard and watered our country pretty well. Sunday, we went riding again. Lynn laughed and told me to ahead and break trail! The idea of course was to clear the spiderwebs of course, but in addition, knock all the water off the branches! I knew it was going to be a wet morning, but it was too warm for any kind of water repelling gear.

Soon it was a big laughing matter as both Lynn and I were soaked from the top of our thighs to our boots. How Shirley remains clean and dry is beyond me. She never looks like she is hot or sweaty. Nothing out of place--just that jaunty angle of her helmet, her hand on hip, and an occasional, "Star!"

Today Lynn stayed on her horse most of the time and we tootled around the top of Hennessey. We've been going around sort of backwards and looping through differently and it has been really fun. We weren't gone real long, but I could tell Jupiter was a little tired from the steep trails the day before.

Anyway, my funny story for today was on me. At least I thought it was funny. We were in the lead and heading up one of the steeper inclines back to the road when Jupiter ducked his head down pretty far. Since he ducked, I ducked. Reaction I guess. But the deal is--he ducked all the way under a limb and I sort of ducked into it. Picture this: as he stepped through the bush, a fully loaded, rain-soaked, two foot wide, branch of cedar or pine needles swung and swept directly into my face and chest as I was bent over his neck. I had water running down my face, down the inside of my shirt, which of course gapped open when I leaned over, and puddling about the top of my jeans. My hair was wet and dripping, my shirt stuck to me, and little rivulets of rain water coursed down my body from the visor on my helmet down to my already wet jeans. It was like someone turned a hose on me and soaked me. I laughed. It doesn't get better than that.

For fun information on chaps: http://www.circlerchaps.com/chaphistory.cfm

Get on, Get off

When my alarm went off at 4:30am this morning, all I could think about was how nice it would be to just lay there. But I got up (albeit at 5:00) and did all my morning chores and headed out to Lynn's. Once in the car and on my way, it was a no brainer. Up on top of Hennessey a little later, I thought "nothing could be better than this!"

Yesterday, we went across the river toward Denny with our clippers, loppers, gloves, lunch, and Buster, since Star would be too bored. It was our intention to clear brush and connect the trail into a loop. After some steep, steep hills with puffing horses who rested every six feet, we got to the steep, steep downhill. I've dreamt about this particular trail! Jupes did fine--almost brushed me off once, but behaved and got us safely down.

But when we got to the brushy site, Lynn wasn't certain it was do-able. So off she went on foot to check it out. Shirley and I couldn't see her, but we could hear her, "Ow!" and then "Ow, dang blackberry bush!" and then again, "Ow!" Finally she pulled her way back out of the 10' high bush and said, "Nope, don't think we can do it without a chainsaw." So no new loop. But at least a couple good clipping stories:

One, Lynn can run pretty fast uphill when she's tailing her big, long-legged Quarterhorse. I could hear Shirley crying out, "Vicki! Stop!" So I stopped and looked over my shoulder and saw Ziggy, riderless, stepping out his big uphill, ground-covering stride toward me--without Lynn in the saddle. We turned sideways to cut him off, but he stepped on his rein and stopped anyway. That's when I saw Lynn. Of course she's way too little to be seen over the rump of Ziggy (and it was steep), but once he turned a little, I could see her hanging on to his tail and scrambling up the trail. I guess she dropped her clippers and got off to get them and Ziggy didn't see any reason to wait for her. Well, now she knows she can stride with the best of them (or run uphill with a little help).

Two, if her head was attached. . . after we (I mean Lynn) decided that we couldn't get through the loop, she walked Zigs over to the point and we followed on our trusty mounts (of course we never even got off in the first place!) and after some grass eating (by the horses) and general view appreciating (us), Lynn got back on (again). As she walked past me (of course Jupes isn't picking his head up until he has to!) I looked back and saw her helmet on the ground. "Um, Lynn. Your helmet," I said. "Oh!" she grinned, "guess I need that." Back over to the get-on rock, get down, get the helmet, and exchange the baseball cap on her head for the helmet. Then back on the get-on rock and start again. Nope. "Lynn, your cap." There it was laying just about where the helmet had been on the ground. So back over to the get-on rock to get down, get the hat, tie it on, get back on the get-on rock and start again. It's entertainment for those of us just sitting there on our horses. (: Good thing Ziggy isn't very big.

Three, as we were climbing through the deadfall up a very steep mountain, we couldn't find the trail. So Lynn says (her usual, by the way), "Stay there. I'll go check for the trail over this rise." But Buster got nervous and Shirley got nervous and so Lynn had to get off Ziggy and walk down to Buster to lead him through some downfall. Then she had to find a good get on place and get on (again). PS Jupes did fantastic; Shirley said he only looks like a city slicker!

Four! Lynn is getting-on-ist gal I know. We stopped for lunch and Shirley got off to stretch, eat, and pee. Buster has been a bit of a problem letting Shirley get on. He wants to walk away. So Lynn got on and off him two, maybe three times, to make him stand still. She said the old standby, "There's no work in riding." Well, she got a great workout in her left thigh for sure, but um, I just sat there and watched her, so--there wasn't much work involved for me. (:

Wow! That was all just Saturday. There's more to tell for Sunday. . . stay tuned.

Can't complain

I got spurs that jingle jangle jingle. I got spurs that . . .  well you get the picture. (: I can't sing anyway. Saturday was cold, but sunny. Lynn wanted to get in a quick ride before she joined Lee at the car show (from which he brought home another pretty plaque!). So we headed down to the meadow and the hoop-de-do trail.

First things first though, we had to have a little drama. Just so you know--I can do tricks. Jupiter took off before I was completely on and decided to trot (on the pavement) with me only having one foot in the stirrup and one rein. I wasn't sure how quickly I was going to get him to stop, but going in circles with the one rein was passing through my mind. Luckily, he stepped on the rein and stopped and I was able to lean over his neck and get it while sliding my foot into the right stirrup. An ominous beginning.

Lynn took the trail pretty slowly and even though we were last and following Buster (which Jupes hates to do), we did fine. He was on high alert, but I didn't have to fight with him. We led coming out and he did fine. Then we made the loop around the east side of the meadow and up the steep hill to the road above the dump. He never balked at one steep down incline. We finished high stepping and sweaty, but fine. Lynn torqued herself somewhere when Ziggy zigged and she zagged (or vice versa), but she doesn't know when or how. Shirley and Buster were totally in sync--big surprise.

Sunday was fun. It was a glorious day. Warmer, bluer sky, happier horses. Well that is after one got tuned up a little. Mr. You're Not the Boss of Me got his hiney spanked a few times and turned in circles before I ever even got on! But then he stood pretty still and led and followed without question all day. We even saw a bunny beatin' it down the road with the two dogs hot on his trail!

We came down the new brushy trail and had a blast. Jupiter is starting to really move smoothly. Going down the steep inclines today he dropped his butt and kind of slid. Then when we got to the turns he was like ice skating around cones or turning barrels--I think he was having fun. Although I had to duck a few times, he seemed to swing me around and miss all the stobs that stick out sideways and I always felt connected to him. It was fun. I think he had fun, too.

Lynn said she felt better after we rode for awhile and Shirley and Star were the high steppers today. I am totally feeling my inner thighs--I am going to have HUGE inner thigh muscles from hanging on. But Shirley said, "If you're not black and blue, or sore somewhere, you must not be having any fun." So there you have it--we must all be having one hell of a good time. (:

Simplicity

After a lot of debate and general "why are we doing this?" kinds of questions, we made the decision to stay home and ride instead of going to Cueno Creek for the holiday weekend. Everyone was relieved and a good time was had by all (mostly!).

Saturday started out with Jupes and Keota banging around in the trailer--probably trading kicks or attempts at biting. When he came out of the trailer, Jupiter had a little bit of blood on him and a wild look in his eyes; I knew it was probably going to be one of those days.

We set off on our new, brushy trail. Keota wasn't so sure about all the brush and did a little balking. Then his saddle slipped all the way back onto his rump and he didn't like it at all!! After removing one saddle blanket and recinching the tack, we set off again--but Keota wasn't the same. He was unhappy and dancing around a little. After putting up with a lot of misbehavior, Alisa finally switched horses with Lynn. Lynn is the "go-to girl" when it comes to putting a horse into his place. He behaved pretty well for her after he was made to do some circles and get out in front and listen to his rider, but she said he was definitely ready to buck and act up when she first got on.

So, while Alisa enjoyed her calm ride on Ziggy, I used my spurs on Jupiter who acted up on a couple of downhills. He does not like the spurs. He behaved in general, but felt like a live wire under me--ready to go off if he got the chance. Shirley simply sat on her dancing and prancing Star without moving--poetry in motion as usual.

Sunday was the really good day. It started out for me with Jupiter lying down in the field. I called his name and his foot kind of moved like, "Go away, I'm sleeping." Then his head came up and his eyes were half open--he was thinking it was a good day to sleep in and enjoy the sunshine on his belly. When I walked out there, he ate his carrot, let me put his halter on, and still lay there. In the meantime, Lynn brought Ziggy over and I held his rope while they chased Star around. Ha.

We drove up Underwood and rode all around the mountain. Everybody behaved and everybody had fun. I know Alisa and Keota enjoyed each other and Jupes didn't get spurred. We did a little bit of trotting on the dirt road and everyone was happy--especially Alisa who says Keota is super smooth.

So once again, good friends, good partners (dogs & horses), and good times leave us with good memories to cherish. It's all good. (:

The shape of things to come

Last week was an eventful week. Jupiter and Buster made a jailbreak and got out of the fence. Thankfully both of them are very food oriented and headed straight for the renter's lawns for a little grass. According to Shirley, the small children living there said, "Horses," and pointed at the lawn so the grownups would notice. They called and Shirley and she and Don easily rounded them up and put them back. Don fixed the fence nicely so no one will be able to get out there again. Disaster averted!

During the week the boys got their shoes and we headed out to ride on Saturday. Shirley was excited to take Star. It's been awhile since he's been off the place and he is looking good. Lynn and I were a little bit on the--nervous or cautious aren't the right words--but definitely on high alert for shenanigans since we both saw how high those two boys can buck when they're happy and excited.

Of course Ziggy was good and so was Star, much to Shirley's disappointment, but Jupiter? Well, we are having a battle of wills. The good news is I won. I know, I know--I have to. But I still get to boast a little. Jupes has decided that the crupper is too tight. He doesn't like the saddle too far forward; he doesn't like to go down steep hills that pull on the crupper or without it have the saddle slide forward. Okay fine! Get some withers!

Anyway, long story short: I made him go even when he humped and jumped and balked. He threw his head around and acted like Indy, for Pete's sake! But we did it. Then Lynn said, "Stay there!" She jumped off her horse and took off her spurs. She came over and put them on my boots. "Try this," she said, "Just touch him when he acts up."

The next steep downhill we came to, he refused again--only this time, he got spurred. Now I admit I was worrying that he would freak out and throw me to Kingdom Come, but he didn't. He definitely jumped in surprise and I calmly said, "Let's go," and steered him down the bank and away we went. When he hesitated the next time, I gently touched him again and we went down without a hitch. He did not act up again.

Sunday, he was good all day. I never used them even once.

Oh, I did fall off, but it was my fault. I think I got clotheslined. I'm not really sure. All I know is I was looking at a kind of questionable water crossing, kind of planning which way to go, and then Jupiter decided. He leaped across and unexpectedly, I saw my feet in the air and then I landed flat on my back, looking up into Jupiter's face. Except for the limb my head landed on (thanks, Lee for insisting on helmets), it was a mossy, soft landing.  

So, hum "I got a brand-new pair of spurs, you've got a brand-new attitude" to the old high-pitched tune of "I got a brand-new pair of rollerskates, you've got a brand-new key," and think of me. (:

Do you suppose. . . ?

I saw this in Sunday's paper and thought it was cute:



A different kind of wet blanket

Well, my rain gauge shows that we have had 6 1/2 inches of rain since last weekend. I do not know what our current percentage of "normal" is now, but I am voting for spring sunshine after the storm that is supposed to start on Tuesday blows through. Last week the boys were cold and trembling and slow to come up the hill to eat, but today they were muddy and fiesty. They like getting some grain with dinner. Shirley reminded us to give them the high octane alfalfa too, because although she didn't say it, "we want horses under us." (:

I'm ready for wet blankets--the kind that we get from riding. I'm ready for Cueno Creek. I'm ready for summer and the next adventure Lynn plans for us.

 

Well, no one believed we fit, but we do! Three women and a dog. This is how we roll. . .

I was wishing for my video camera on Friday because it was a wild time! The wind was blowing to beat the band and the horses were bucking and running. Even Brady got into the action and although he just stood in one place and bucked up and down, he was bucking! Then he ran everyone around and stretched out to bite their rear ends if they didn't move fast enough. I have never seen Jupiter so straight up and down--his nose was practically on the ground--I thought that was a Ziggy move! It was fun to watch them and I was sorry to miss capturing it on video.

We have not been giving them any grain--I shudder to think what their high jinks would like if they were "feeling their oats!"

Haylee is always up for run with the 4-wheeler, but bails on to it as soon the horses start running!



In like a lion--out like a lamb. Maybe.

Since Tuesday is the first day of spring, I guess today was showcase of everything "Old Man Winter" wants us to remember as he slips away for another year. The morning began with sheets of rain, filling the the rain gauge to 1/4 inch before noon. Then like a curtain was drawn back, the sun was out in all its brilliance and the sky was that deep, crystalline blue that only fortunate mountain dwellers ever get to see. Lined up in front of it were snow dusted mountains gleaming and sparkling. But then as one's gaze travelled down the river gorge, the sky darkened and where mountains should have been was nothing but a wall of pewter-colored clouds, dark and ominous. Out of nowhere, it would begin to snow and then hail and then the wind would blow so hard that the snow and hail were horizontal like a TV picture from the old antenna days. Branches from old oak trees and loose Spanish moss sailed on that pelting, white wave, while tall fir trees, creaking and moaning, bent sideways giving in to its power. It was awesome!

Up on the hill the horses were running and bucking, rearing and throwing their heads in the air. Jupiter pawed the ground and threw himself down and rolled on the four-wheeler trail--all four legs straight up in the air, kicking and running like his feet could take him on the wind. Indy ran around trying stir everyone up because he was nervous. Even Star moved from one hay pile to another. No one was able to just eat dinner calmly.

To be safe, we headed down the hill with the dogs in hot pursuit. As we neared the gate we could see and hear it coming. We dropped Shirley off at her house and proceeded to make a run for the barn. Two 50 something-year-old women, whooping and hollering through the pelting blizzard! If Dorothy and Toto and the house from Kansas had flown by, I would not have been surprised at all. Haylee was almost completely white on one side when we got to the barn and with both of us laughing in amazement and nervous excitement at the crazy change in weather, she got the puppy crazies and went wild, too--racing around the hay and in and out of the wind and snow. It was the best fun!

I love winter because of its unpredictability. This year, March hasn't been much of  the lion it can be, so I'm okay with one more wild storm! Afterward, I guess spring can come in like a lamb.

Typical Day

Picturesque Day (without any pictures!)

Today was one of the prettiest days I've seen in a long while. The sun was shining; the sky was blue. I knew Lynn was going to call and say, "Let's ride!" I was so, so ready. Driving up the Hennessey road we encountered snow on the side pretty much the whole way, but the road itself was clean. Then we parked and got the boys out.

First things first, I let Jupes smell it, taste it, and get a little used to it so hopefully we would have no mishaps. Buster was the one who seemed the most perturbed--Shirley had to work to get on because he did not want to stand still for her. He never acts like that! When we left the paved road, we also left the plowed road. People playing in the snow left tracks for us, but there was snow everywhere else.

We didn't have any trouble. The boys seemed to like kicking through it like little kids and making it spray. We went through a couple of off road trails and no one slipped. Of course everything looked a little different so Jupiter was on high alert and shied at a couple of things, but nothing major. It was gorgeous! Neither Lynn nor I brought our cameras. It was picture perfect day--definitely would have been our Dec or Jan calendar picture! Oh well.

We rode to the top and stood around in the sunshine and snow for a bit, then headed back down. A couple of turns from the top, Ziggy decided to make snow angels on the road. Yep. Down he went. Pretty smoothly too. He didn't give any indication, he just bent down to a knee, stretched his neck out, and rolled on to his side. It caught Lynn by surprise, but she got her feet out of both stirrups, stood up, and made him get up before he could roll onto his back and ruin the saddle. Consequently, his snow angel only had one wing! I'm sure he was bummed. She ruined his artwork.

She probably could have stayed on him and made him get up, but she was nervous about his long legs,which he can't control, flinging up into the air and nailing her as he flailed around and tried to get onto his back! Jupes stood nearby and looked interestedly at Zigs, so he never got to put his head down even to scratch his nose for the rest of way home. He kept going into the snow on the side of the road and it did look kind of fluffy and nice. . . you know how much he likes to roll!

We slipped once coming home, but he caught himself before he went down on his butt. He behaved really good today and I was happy. Only Zigs got into trouble today. I think some of my DRITS and overall negativity was, if not cured completely, alleviated somewhat. I can't continue to be frustrated and angry when the world is so beautiful and I am surrounded by good partners and the best of friends.

Normalcy, for now

Everything is back to normal around here (minus a few dollars that is!). Hmmm, shoes, saddle repair, new helmet, and the Club-Med bill: that whippersnapper better be worth it and not be a pill when we're out riding!

Yesterday was breezy and a weather change was in the air. The boys were full of themselves--seriously! FULL of themselves! We pulled up to the gate and they came running at us down the road. Jupiter and Buster in the lead. The two who have no idea about where that gate leads to or what might happen if they got through it. We bustled through it and the two of them turned sharply up toward the feeder boxes on our right. Jupiter kept going and then threw himself down on the ground and rolled around. Buster ran right up to a fir tree and then twisted sideways about a foot from it and proceeded to buck and jump up and down. We started down the road and everyone took off running through the trees: bucking, leaping over logs, and generally having a wild time.

All I can say is Ziggy better never buck with Lynn on him. He nearly puts his nose on the ground and his back feet are almost straight up and down. I guess if she just slid down his neck it wouldn't be too far to fall, but it would be face first! Jeez that boy can buck! I so wished I had my video camera. It was quite the show. It continued all the way up to the high ground where we fed; in fact, Indy got a little close and Lynn felt the wind of feet on her face. Old corkscrew head can buck with the best of them! Even Brady put on show. Only Star kept his dignity and acted his age.

Jupes is definitely back to his ornery self. A couple of days after he came home, I found another tick on him. Thankfully it was either not the right kind or he still had enough medicine in him to counteract it. However, he does have a smooth skin spot on the base of his neck. And teeth marks. Someone told him to mind his manners and remember his place. Or someone was tired of hearing his "vacation" stories. I am betting it was Star. I can just hear him, "Enough already! I am sick and tired of hearing about Margaret and all the carrots you ate. You think all that brushing made you so pretty. Look at me! They shaved big patches on both sides of my body! I'll show you pretty--here's your own bare patch! Cold, isn't it?! Now shut up!"

So there we are--back to normal. We were hoping for a ride today, but all that wind brought in the rain. I guess we'll get our tack oiled and the tack room organized instead.

Club Med Spa

Monday afternoon, I raced to the vet's office to see my sick boy. He definitely was. I could see him trying to focus on me. Then he would yawn and yawn and his head would hang down real low. I rubbed on him and left him to sleep. Tuesday I called and his temp was down to 98 already. They said the drugs work like a miracle on the tick-bite disease. He was outside in a large stall, counting Fords and Chevys and keeping an eye on the animals who were coming into the vet's office. There were dogs next door and the car wash was busy--he had lots of entertainment.

That night, I walked him into his indoor stall to spend the night. The maid had been there. Fresh sawdust, fresh water, and a pile of hay (is that like a mint on your pillow?). He was like, "See ya mom." The next day I couldn't go in because I work until 6pm. I called to see how he was doing. 

"He doesn't like our hay very much, so I gave him some alfalfa to find in his hay pile. Margaret has been out to brush him and give him some carrots." What?! Alfalfa? I do have to ride him again sometime! OMG! He is being spoiled. A nice warm stall with fresh sawdust (which he loves to roll in), alfalfa and no one to fight over it, carrots, and lots of attention and brushing. He is not going to want to come home. He will lock those front legs and refuse to get in the trailer!

Unfortunately for Jupes, the Spa is not exclusive. They let a goat in. I got there about 4:40 on Thursday. They said, "He has had a tough day. He has seen goats and a big bull, among other things. He does not like goats." Hmm. I don't think he has ever seen a goat. He was already in his stall. I could hear a goat bleating pitifully. I popped up to his stall door (Hilton Hotel room) to see him. His rear was up against the back wall and his whole posture was up--making himself look big. He was staring across the hallway toward the goat's stall.

I went in with apples and a brush. What was there to brush? His dreds in his tail are completely gone. His mane, although wild, was looking perfectly groomed. I think all his winter hair has been smoothed and brushed away. Talk about looking good! He has lost a few pounds and standing there at attention, I do not think he has ever looked more handsome. He does not look like that little horse we brought home. This spa vacation is worth the money! (If Star had only given it a chance!)

As beautiful as he looked, I could not stay in his stall very long. He was definitely agitated over the goat. She was a little, pitiful thing. Nothing a big, powerful horse should be upset over! He circled and circled and could not keep his eyes off the goat's stall. Even after her owners took her home. When the big barn door opened, he craned his head around and leaned against the stall door. He is ready to go--ready to check out of the spa. He is not happy with the clientele at what had been his spa resort. He thought it was an exclusive place for gorgeous Morgans. He did not know they would let in the riff-raff.

I hope he is still ready to go today. Although, as soon as we get home I know he is going to roll in the mud and get oak leaves in his tail. It's going to rain and he is no longer going to look like he stepped out of the beauty parlor. He's going to have to run poor Buster around and remind him that he's last in the pecking order. He's going to have stories to tell to his pals for sure--but they won't take him seriously until he no longer looks like a pretty boy.

A Sick Boy

Sunday morning Lynn found Jupiter alone, above where she was feeding. Everyone else came along quickly, proving they weren't far away. She wondered at the anomaly, but in her mind she thought maybe he had been asleep and everyone else wandered away. It happens. That afternoon I came up to feed with she and Shirley. Jupes did not run and buck nor run up to me for his apple. In fact, as we were unloading the hay and everyone else was skittering around--he was down the hill just standing there watching. I called to him and he walked up to a pile of hay and started eating. He did not look around or move from that pile. I went over to him and rubbed on him and looked him over. Lynn and Shirley came over and felt around him. I listened to his belly. But we left and I guess privately we all were thinking something wasn't right.

Monday morning I paced around and waited for the clock to finally chime 6am. I called Lynn to ask how he was at breakfast. Both us decided that Shirley should check him out in the daylight. When Lynn called her, she had already been to see and made the decision that he was sick. Unfortunately for me, I don't have the kind of job where I can check my cell phone easily and I missed the entire conversation.

At 1:07 pm we had violent earthquake. It shook so hard I almost fell down! My prep period is from 2:00-2:40. I checked my phone when I had finished doing most of my to-do list about 2:20 and saw the text from Lynn asking if we were all okay. I replied that we were--was she? She returned the message quickly, saying she didn't feel it because she was at the vet with Jupe! I immediately scrolled back through my messages and found five from her telling me Jupiter was sick and they would pick me up and we could go to the vet.

Unfortunately, people who work in the real world do not know how the world of school works. So six hours and 80 students later, I got the message. I was deeply upset. It was my fault for not digging in my coat pocket and finding my phone to check for messages--I have approximately 4 minutes between each class. I am supposed to meet all my students at the door and greet them as they arrive. I teach completely different subjects each period and have to prepare so that once they are inside they have something to do while I take roll. I have approximately 20 minutes to go to the bathroom (which I am not able to do for the first four hours) and eat something before I meet, greet , and teach another 28 students. I don't know how I thought Lynn would let me know. I guess part of me didn't think they would do anything about Jupiter so quickly--both times when Star was sick, Shirley waited days to do anything or take him in to be checked out. I know I am much more of a worrywart than either of them, so I try to keep quiet. I know I am quick to take my animals to the vet for the littlest things, thus "babying" them too much. Anyway, enough said.

Jupes had a temp of 103. Horses are supposed to be in the 98-100 range. He was a sick boy and probably didn't care whether I was there or not. He probably had the tick-bite disease that is becoming very common in our area. I got the news he was staying for a week.

Thankfully, I have good friends who can take time off their jobs and out of their lives to take care of my horse. I appreciate it more than I can say. Because of their quick actions, Jupes is going to recover quickly.

Keota's Adventure

Yesterday morning began with a phone call.The caller id showed that it was Lynn. "Good morning!" I happily answered the phone. "No, it's not a good morning," she replied. In that infinitesimal amount of time, many things rushed through my head--none of them good, but none of them even close to the actual unhappy tidings.  "Keota's been stolen."

She ran through the details: really foggy, 4:30 am no Keota, a pacing and agitated Odie, gate closed/fence fine, lots of driving around and no dark horse with a blaze shining in the darkness. Then she went into stories of horse thieves who drove in with a trailer, loaded up horses, took them the auction to be slaughtered, and drove off with money without anyone ever knowing what happened to their equine family member.

It made me think of Izzy--if someone had ever stolen her, or I lost her somehow, when would I stop looking for her? How would I be able to ever get my life back on an even keel? It made me think about the family who lost their son last year. When do you stop looking for them without feeling guilty that you gave up? I drive past their house everyday and feel the waves of grief that emanate from it.

Thankfully, I am woman of faith and have always had that strength and power in my life. I went outside and stood on my deck in the rising light and prayed. In times of trouble, that is how I get through it. What do people do who don't have it? How do they survive in this turbulent world?

The phone rang again at 7:30. Spitting toothpaste out and running for the phone, Lynn's cell phone number was in the window. "She found him! He was at the back of the neighbor's fence, visiting his horses. There's a small space in the fence and he got through it somehow. He's fine."

The power of prayer? Luck? Simply the end to the story? Whatever--it was a happy ending and gave us all new hope for the coming day.

Win, Lose, or Draw

Sunday was a clear, cold day and we got to take the boys out for a short ride up the Hennessey road. It was also Haylee's maiden trek. Haylee is Lynn's newest family member--sister to Alisa's Sammi--they are black Standard Bred Poodles. I have not met Sammi yet, but Haylee is quite the character. She loves life and is always smiling and ready to go. She's very smart and learns quickly. She's also very leery of the horses ever since Buster went after her one day. Thankfully, she escaped unscathed. Now when we are up feeding the horses and they get too crazy, she jumps on the four-wheeler and stays out of the way of their feet.

Haylee wasn't too sure about the whole riding aspect of the horses. She was nervous and Lynn was awfully high up and out of reach! She ran ahead of the horses and waited when Lynn called out to her, which I thought was pretty dang cool for someone so young to understand! Part way, she was pretty tired, so she got her first horse ride! First, Lynn handed her up to Shirley who was on Buster and that went pretty smoothly. Then Lynn climbed aboard Zigs and Haylee was passed over. She did really great and both horses were absolutely fine having her up there. When Lynn put her down for some more running, she tired again and then whined and cried a little--but it was understandable because it was quite the big day for someone so young.

So that was the good part of the experience. My part was not as swell. ): Jupiter needs to be ridden and tired out. He is such a headstrong pistol. I am such an inexperienced rider who just sits there and expects the horse to know how to behave. I have been spoiled by Brady and before him, Kibbles. They were older and knew their job. Jupiter is young and full of himself. He and I are going to have to work hard to get past our current difficulties. Unfortunately, most of the problems are because of me--I have not worked on anything with him. He came so well trained that I have been lazy and now I am going to pay for it.

I know he is too much horse for me as a beginner rider, but I do not want to trade him for someone else. We're family. But I also don't really want to live in a wheel chair or as a vegetable for the rest of my life! So he won on Sunday. I got off and walked instead fighting him and eventually getting bucked off onto the hard road. I know I have to figure this out and I get lots of advice that I need to sort out. "Lace his butt with your reins, " "Use a quirt to sting him," "Kick him really hard in the belly like Alisa did Odie," "Remember cowboy boots are pointed for a reason," "Turn him in circles and keep his feet moving," and "Hitting a horse is really unnecessary if you can get his attention by moving his feet." Ultimately the one thing everyone says, "You have to win. You have to be in charge. He's bigger than you and you have to have his respect." Stuff like that. I need advice for sure, since I am oblivious and ignorant.

But what is going to work with both Jupes' and my personalities? He doesn't care if I yell at him. He got mad and humped up the only time I ever hit him with the reins (but he did stop). He doesn't get his feelings hurt. He throws temper tantrums. He's very expressive and pretty easy to read when he's irritated, so sometimes I have prior warning. He probably knows that sometimes it freaks me out when starts crow hopping and threatening to buck (sometimes I just react and I don't have time to be afraid--it's kind of like dealing with big kids at school!). Bottom line: he doesn't care if he pleases me or not. He's not like Ziggy or Buster who adore Lynn and Shirley. We are in a one-way relationship: I love him and he doesn't really care. Just like a man, dang it! (At least he doesn't tell me I'm fat and ugly!)

So there it is. I had a frustrating, un-fun day and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm bummed. I hate to lose.

On a good note: it's Keota's birthday month! Is he turning six or seven? I hope we get to meet up soon and go riding.

Keeping in touch--

Winter has unleashed her fury. Six wet horses here; Lynn said they barely even acknowledged her at breakfast and just went to eating. Of course receiving grain now makes them less antsy and more likely to focus on finishing theirs before someone else tries to move them out.

Star's hair is growing in; it looks a little funny--the hair is fine and a little thin next to his super long winter hair. At least it's not white--I was teasing Shirley that maybe she'd have a paint horse. Buster's white back feet are now the same color as everyone else--mud. Lynn says Brady is getting shorter by the day, but I think it's because Ziggy is getting taller. Brady is still the most handsome and best boss; he lets anyone eat with him. In fact the other morning, Lynn said that the horses were so wet and miserable, they didn't want to break up out of their huddle for breakfast. Finally they got together in threes: Brady, Star, and Indy at one box and the orange young-in's at the other.

Lee took the four-wheeler up to get some wood and Ziggy came to hang out with him. He found his container of hoof medicine and helped himself to a couple day's worth. Jupiter is fat and sassy. It makes my day when he looks up at my voice or comes to me on his own. Of course it helps that occasionally I have carrots in my pocket for him. Yesterday, he came all the way to the top feeder and put his wet, muddy nose against mine. Lynn thinks he's taller, but I'm thinking he's longer--cadillac back. He should be smooth riding this spring (if I get to stay on that is!). And Indy is Indy. You know I love him.

Red Bluff and the Bull and Gelding Sale is next weekend and I am sad to miss it. Send me a picture of the bucking cowboy from Oregon and a picture of Chubb, the horse that doesn't know he's little. (: Have fun for me, too!

Lynn, instead of a helmet for me: look for a halter for Jupes. Black? Brown? Neon orange? Something no one else has and you think would look good on him. (Do you think we can adjust the neon green one to be large enough? We never take the time to fiddle with our tack and I haven't looked at it in awhile.)