Making do

If I can't ride him, I'll wear him! Thanks, Lynn, for the wonderful memento of Jupiter (the darkest one), Ziggy, and Buster. I think it's cool.

Almost normal

Yesterday was a disgusting day all the way around. I am disheartened. I went to the surgeon and saw my latest x-rays--the break is still very visible and nowhere near healed. I was told everything looks good; the angles are right and the plate looks right. But I shouldn't ride. It's still swollen and causes me nerve pain and although normal, it won't get better for at least four more weeks--possibly eight. Crap. I think because I can use it for most things, I thought I was pretty much healed. Not.

Alisa rode Odie to finish her riding class and she passed (of course). Odie was good (of course) and she was careful since she wasn't supposed to be riding either! I hear she is getting pretty skinny, too! I can hardly wait for the Bull and Gelding Sale. Hopefully Toni will come, too.

The boys have been getting one sheaf of alfalfa and one of hay for breakfast and dinner and they are looking good. They are also feeling good. Even Brady comes running and bucking up the hill. Although we have had lots of rain, they have had enough days with sun to be dry. The forecast is for a few super cold nights, so I am glad they are dry. Both Brady and Star are pretty furry, but the orange horses aren't as much. Jupes has a good layer of fat, but Zigs is all bones and muscle and he gets cold. Buster keeps warm running around getting away from everyone but Brady.

Lynn groomed the girls on Sunday and they are looking skinny and cute. It's too bad they don't get to hang out with Sammi when we all get together. Lee is going to babysit Z--imagine if he had all three. Talk about spoiled.

One-handed Joe

Dang it! Typing is hard with one hand. Okay, everything is hard. And pain pills make me sick.

This is my story and I'm stickin' to it. . .

We went to ride in Weaverville to celebrate Shirley's 83rd birthday. A few hours into a beautiful ride we decided it was getting too steep and we had probably better head back and go a different way. I think we were up on the way toward Weaver Bally. At one point we were in the Trinity Alps Wilderness; I said we'll end up in Canyon Creek! At least that's what it felt like. So we were heading back onto a road, then to a cut-off trail that we had already used to go around a green gate. We knew right where we were.

Well, the trail was steep and hard-packed. Me and Jupes were in the back. He stumbled/slipped to his left really hard. I thought we were going down. His head was so far down--I thought he was going to go down with me under him. He went so hard to his left, he jerked down, too. I think I yelled, "We're in trouble!" I know I thought it! Lynn thinks I yelled something, because she turned around and watched it happen.

Anyway, what I think happened next was I pushed off his neck to the right. (I was so sure I was going end up under him to the left!) I had gloves on. The reins in my right hand probably caught on the leather and pulled my hand back toward my elbow. I saw myself land right on my wrist before I rolled into an upright, sitting position up against his front legs. I heard it crunch. I have never known anything as instantly I knew I had broken my wrist.

More later. . .

Afternoon Delight

We did something we never do--we rode in the afternoon! Both days were lots of fun, although the boys were a little pokey. We interrupted their nap time. Nevertheless, we got them moving. We rode up Hennessey and took different trails in different directions to avoid the slippery slopes. I heard Lynn hollering at Zig to slide with his back feet not his front! He likes to slide downhill. Which is all fun and games until his front feet get too far away from his back ones! Silly boy.

Buster got to go both days, so he was happy. Jupes behaved and we had a good time, too. Ziva and Haley didn't have their ears taped, so we had dogs with ears flopping in the wind.

I almost forgot: we did have a motorcycle/dirtbike give Buster a thrill. The guy stopped to talk to us and turned off his motor. When we moved on, he fired up his very loud engine. Of course Jupes bunched up and sprung out, no surprise there. Buster was closest and according to Lynn--gave Shirley a quick rodeo ride for fun. But the big surprise was Ziggy jumped, too. Mr. Calm got a little ruffled.

It couldn't have been more fun.

PS Happy belated birthday to Haley and Sammi. :)

Turtle Rescue

It was a beautiful fall morning on Saturday and we set out to ride up the Hennessey. It has been cold enough that we have not seen any bees on any trails. Of course we are on the look out for hunters with buck fever and although Lynn and Shirley saw a group camping out last weekend, we haven't seen any others. We do hear rigs coming up the road occasionally, but we have been safely deep in the woods.

Jupes had a glitch in his get-along briefly on the road below the dump; he humped, kicked, and jumped around but I don't know why and then he lined out. Temper tantrum? A horsefly on his privates? Who knows. But other than that, we rode along at a good pace. We even loped some.

We came down off a trail on to the road and Happy was sniffing a very smooth round rock. Turtle! Lynn rescued it and carried in her pack down to the marshy area off to the right of our new steep trail. I hope that isn't where he started from on his way to the upper pond. That would be frustrating for him. :) However, he does has a good story for his family--not many turtles get to ride ahorseback.

The next day we rode on the ranch. It was uneventful and relaxing. Gorgeous blue skies and everything is greening up again. It definitely felt and looked like fall. Although Haley did not get to go on Saturday due to sore feet, she went on Sunday and did well. Life is good.

A Banner Day

First things first--today was an awesome day! We have a had a great weekend. First of all on Saturday, we went up Underwood. We found Lynn's crupper from when Ziggy broke it crow hopping and bucking in the bees. We walked down through that area and I sprayed a hole where they probably had been, but were no longer in. There was a paper nest on the ground and it could be that it had fallen out of the tree and the bees were still in it at the time. The crupper was actually right where Alisa and I went down the bank as we skirted the bees. So anyway--yay!

We didn't ride far, but it was fun nevertheless. We even got to see Wood Duck boxes that have been recently added to some trees down by one of the ponds we ride by. Picture the last pond we see before we get back to the trailer. It was fun to see them. I hope we get to see the ducks one day.

Today we rode up the Hennessey. Just past the first meadow, as we were starting up the road, we saw a rabbit! It jumped out of the brush and almost ran into Ziggy's back leg. Of course he didn't miss a beat, but the rabbit hopped as fast as it could go down the road away from us. Thankfully the dogs were all way ahead and did not see it, as they are much faster. It was the cutest thing.

Once we got to the top, we turned right and rode down to the big dirt flat that used to be a meadow. We turned right on the road again (always skirting those darn bees that are on our trails) and headed to where we drop down the mountain. However, today Lynn stopped and said, "Hold on. Let's try this." We went off on a trail to the right. She has said before that it leads to a dead-end road, but today she was up for an adventure. And what a great right turn it became!

It lead down and down and DOWN. :) It was a pretty clear trail--only a few near brush offs from swinging branches and thick branches that didn't give enough. At one point I said I had a whole tree in pants which got Shirley to singing, "I've got a whole tree in my pants. It makes me want to get up and dance!" to the tune of "I've got the whole world in my hands . . " Ha! I have a few more lines I'll have to add in later . . .

The trail widened into a meadow. There were upside down buckets on posts for cows. Is it some kind of molasses? No cows, but evidence that they must come up there. We rode to what we thought was an edge to look over, but it was more meadow. There we saw three turkeys run across and lift into flight. They were too far away for Haley, but she quivered as she watched them. We also saw two deer trot up the hill to our right (again too far away to be in trouble from Haley).

We did not see a house, but Lynn thinks it is Heidi Carpenter's ranch. Next time we'll keep going and ask for breakfast! Although it seemed like we dropped down a long way, going back up was pretty quick. We didn't go the whole way though, instead turning to our right along another good looking trail. We hadn't gone very far when it began to look familiar. Sure enough it comes out on one of our regular trails!! The trail we usually all lope up and then stop and eat some grass before heading up the steep, brushy trail that is a detour because of a tree that fell across the tight, wet area we used to ride. (I don't know if you can picture this or if it makes any sense!)

How cool is that? Now we have another loop to add to our trails. It was a very fun day.

Afterward, we shampooed the girls and both of them got groomed. Two beautiful babies.

5 days of good riding out of 10 Firs

I am always thinking of naming my house--like they do in England or Europe. People know a place by its name. In the US, sometimes roads/streets are named by the people who live there, e.g. Easy Street, or the people who have always described the directions to a place as such. For example, on Hennessey Road there is  Old Mill Rd, Our Road, and  Old Moss Mill. I have thought of calling my house something common like: Briar Green or Briar Rose (isn't that Snow White's name?). There's place going up Berry Summit that lots of locals call The Pig Farm (although Lynn never has) and there are not any pigs there that I can see.

When I describe where my horse lives (because everyone asks!?), I tell them he lives at Suzy Q. Everyone knows where that is. (I always wonder who she was. I should probably ask Shirley.) The old brown house that used to stand where Lynn's current house now stands was called The Place. Even though the "funny little house" that Lynn had built stands there, Shirley still refers to the whole property by that name. But one day, I counted the trees in front of Lynn's. There are 10 trees lined up--two rows of five. Her dad planted them I think. The name of the town in my favorite book series is Three Pines. The pines are symbolic of a safe haven to Canadians who were seeking refuge from their civil war. So I told Lynn she could name her house 10 Pines. She corrected me and said they were firs. So there you have it--Lynn's place could be called 10 Firs. Especially instead of Keyes' Peaches.

To be continued. . .

Well--this post was supposed to be about Alisa and Keota coming over to ride and it got off track a little and then postponed for a month. So hmmm. What was I going to talk about? We had fun. We rode our favorite trails. Keota was nearly perfect and as graceful as always loping along behind all of us. I say nearly perfect because he came down off the trail on to the road and bucked around--surprising Alisa for sure, but all of us, too. Alisa rode it out easily and in the process of getting him under control broke off some branches that needed cleaning out of path. So it all turned out good.

We rode up Underwood one of the days and we came down the steep trail near the pot growers, which always makes me nervous, but my pistol of a horse was really good and waited on Keota to come down. He didn't even care where Zigs and Buss were. He stopped and turned sideways and looked up the  hill until Keota was in his sight, then he would turn and head back down again. Lynn and Shirley rode off quickly so the dogs (mainly Haley) would stay close and not go over that way. I so wish those people would leave.

A side note on the downhill is that Lynn went over to Quincy and rode for a few days last week and Alisa let Keota have  his head and I guess he really moved down the hills at a quick pace. Zigs wasn't sure if he could keep up and that boy is downhiller.

I'll keep thinking. . .