Blue Lake

 

What a glorious day! Lynn had a week's vacation planned, but we had Shirley's injury and smoke. She was considering going to work and saving her days. On Thursday, she called and said, "Hey! What about Blue Lake?" What about it, I wondered. She recalled Darcy Lima telling us there were tons of trails that led off from the Gymkhana grounds in Blue Lake. So I put it out there on Facebook to the Blue Lake Saddle Club that we wanted to ride. They replied with ways to access the trails and away we went.

It was a combination of things--kind of like riding at Cuneo. There was dead grass and brush; there was snake weed and alders. We crossed the river twice and enjoyed sunshine and a nice breeze all day. Ziggy and Jupiter were happy to be out of the smoke and on new trails. They both did fantastic. We even walked down a sidewalk by a busy road for a bit and neither of them cared. Then we found an apple tree. :) That made it all worth it (at least in Jupiter's mind). 

We made a loop out of it and in a couple of hours we went just shy of seven miles. There's lots left to explore.

Pits up! lol

Cool and shady.

                         

 I forgot about the monster at the start of the trail.

What plan are we on?

 

Does the picture say a 1000 words? I am still not entirely sure how this happened, but here goes: Toby would not stand still for Shirley to get on. She had to move the step stool three times. Finally he was up against the trailer facing west. Lynn was in front of him with a granola bar; I was under Shirley helping lift her right foot/leg over the cantle. I don't do very much, she does most of it herself. Yesterday, he stepped backward and around toward me as she was swinging on. I backed away so he wouldn't step on me. I thought she was on.

He kept swinging back toward Jupiter; I stepped around to the right of him and then I realized that Shirley's leg wasn't all the way over and was dangling over his rear flank. My first thought, and Lynn's first thought, was to grab her leg and pull it on into the saddle. We were both on that side. But he wasn't having it. Lynn had him by the head/reins and he was swinging back around toward me.

My second thought, and it turns out Lynn's too, was to get on the left side of him and get her there. I thought maybe I could wrap my arms around her and pull her back out of the stirrup toward me. Lynn was thinking she'd break her fall and ease her down as she came off. That didn't happen either. He was not going to be still enough for us to get close enough. 

I am not sure why Shirley didn't think to push up and get her weight on over since her left leg was in already or get her weight forward and pull that right one on around. She was almost there. Possibly she's not strong enough; possibly she was panicking. I don't remember any of us saying much--I heard Shirley say, "Whoa." And I think there were soothing things coming from Lynn to the horse. But when I think about it, it is quiet in my head. I know I heard Lynn cry out, "Mom!" And when I finally got around him to his left side, Shirley was laying on the pavement on her side groaning. Lynn soothed her mom and then headed to the trailer house nearby to use the phone. I caught Toby and took him around by Ziggy. I alternately knelt by Shirley and held her hand and talked to her as I put Jupiter in the trailer, Ziva in the truck, and unsaddled Toby so Shirley could lay on the his saddle blanket, and then put him in the trailer. Ziggy was doing his stress twirls, so I tried to calm him, but left him tied up.

Shirley never lost consciousness and we are all thankful Lee makes us wear helmets. I took her helmet off and we used my bag as a pillow. Lynn returned with Javier from the white trailer. Ambulance was on the way. Javier offered us coffee and a blanket. We accepted the blanket and teased Shirley about how nice it was and that she never let us use her "good" blankets. She lay on her back and did not complain about too much pain. She thought her shoulder was broken, that's what she told me, and we thought it was possible it might be dislocated. Turns out her upper arm is broken. She landed on it and that was what she wanted to roll of off and on to her back, but we wouldn't let her move it on to her chest like she wanted. Probably a good thing.

She has road rash on that arm as well. Big time--it's an oval and bloody area. Somehow, she put her right hand down and took a chunk out below her middle finger on her palm side. That's how both of us got so bloody when I held her hand. It's small, but it's gonna hurt a lot.

The volunteer fire department showed up first. She flirted and made conversation with all of them. When the ambulance people showed up and put her in the "burrito" they discussed crisscrossing the straps and she reminded them that she had "big boobs." I am not sure if she was just bragging or telling it might not fit or to be careful. Obviously she was conscious and talking. :) Lynn just reminded me of a funny part: Shirley asked her to take her ring off so she could put it in her purse before she was loaded into the ambulance, but she couldn't get it off. So Lynn spit on Shirley's finger! LOL. I laughed.

After about 11 hours, Lynn made it home from the emergency room. Shirley was finally given some pudding and crackers to eat because she was dizzy. Well, yeah, no food, no water, just laying in the emergency room waiting for someone to make decisions. Thankfully, she is home now and resting. Lynn said she had not taken any pain pills as of this morning. Hopefully, she will heal quickly and easily.

Because of COVID-19, we had to wait in our cars in the parking lot. We missed out on the all excitement of the emergency room. Right after five police cars zoomed up to the doors, the hospital security asked us to go sit in our cars. We called Shirley, but she was doped up and her story might not be the whole story, but she said a woman hit a policeman. We wanted to watch someone else's drama to take our minds off our long wait.

Another thing that was interesting, although Javier was very nice, the couple did not want Lynn to use their address for the ambulance. Hmm. Guess that means their grow is illegal. Or he is. They were very helpful and nice.

One more bad thing that turned out okay. I didn't get the back trailer door secured before we left. A guy flagged Lynn down as we were almost to The Place and told her the door was open. I cannot tell you how fast I was out of the pickup and at the back door. Yep. It swung about a foot open and there was Ziggy wild eyed looking at me and pressed up again the middle divider. Thank goodness he is smart and knew to stay back away from the door. I cannot breathe when I think about it. I am so happy that nothing happened to that boy. I would not be able to live with myself.

So, I am not sure what plan we are on now. We did not ride today as yesterday was long and stressful. Lynn plans to ride Toby and get him ready for when Shirley rides again. She is on vacation next week, but there are fires and smoke and the virus has been ramping up closer to home. There are logging trucks coming out of our route to Little Happy Camp and it is probably smoky up there as well. It's supposed to be hot--although it isn't as hot today as they predicted. So Plan E? F? G?

Wet blanket catch up time

Goodness, where to start--I got behind again! Shall I start with the story that never gets old? The one with Ziggy's wanger bumping around Lynn's head like a clapper on a bell? Yep. Won't forget that story any time soon. Great idea Lynn, check Ziggy's hoof from underneath his belly. He didn't care, but she had on her helmet and there might be pokey things that could scratch him. ??

That was the same day we logged the Little Happy Camp road AGAIN. This time, Lynn got nailed by a thorn from one of the branches. We did surgery in the middle of the road. We got it out, but it stayed black for--well, I think it is still is. She was ready to amputate, it hurt so bad. 

Then there was Plan B. Thought we going camping. Drove all the way to Caribou to have to back out of the trailhead! Decided to back up some more and park the trucks and trailers in brushy little road perpendicular to the main road. BITING BUGS! Poor Keota got bit up as did Lynn. Two weeks later and she's still got swollen places. On the way out, we met Back Country Horsemen coming in to stock the lakes with fish. Although we only met two guys in a stock trailer with four mules and two horses, they said 30 more strings were coming in the following day (Friday). Meeting him and the next five rigs: cars, trucks, a Razor, sealed the deal. We weren't camping there. So we invited ourselves to Alisa's house. We slept well and rode out from there. We went to a nearby place we have ridden before and a new place full of potential adventures in the future. It was a great weekend. And no bugs.

Let's see--health wise, poor Haley got a seed in her eye. She had an emergency vet appointment and it was removed and eye drops prescribed. Poor baby just didn't feel good and it didn't seem to be getting better. Back to the vet. They missed a seed. Dang it. The good news? She is so much better and more like her old self. It is healing quickly and completely. Lynn, too, has an eye issue. She has kind of a "fish eye view" with a lump of loose sclera or something floating around. It doesn't slow her down.

Toby/Cobie been getting better about water. He walked over a little creek today without jumping. He is giving Shirley fits and after knowing her for 51 years, she has cussed more over this boy than I have ever her cuss. She told Lynn that she really likes him and they are getting along great and does not want another horse. She said, "We'll work it out." But he's a lot to handle and he's young, so she gets nervous every now and then. She says he doesn't have manners and she hates that he won't back out of the trailer. He is a sweet boy, though.

Critters: today we saw chickens (roosters) roosting in a tree by Dr. Strangelove's. It was neat. We saw turkeys on the road and in the field where the deer often are. We saw a huge bull standing in the driveway where the Morgan lives. Last week we saw tiny twin fawns. AND, we saw turtle tracks! It was so cool. The turtle pond is low and muddy and there they were! Tracks! It was cool. Lynn also spied a rare black dragonfly sitting on the "git on rock."

Turtle tracks

Cool dragonfly, fluttering and getting ready for flight!

Voices in the bushes! 

Listen for Porky Pig: "Thaaat's alll folks!" lol

PS I just flipped my calendar to August. Sorry, Alisa. I didn't see the face you were making in the picture. It's a good overall picture--just don't look closely; I don't know what you were saying! :)