Bliss

Two days of wet blankets! (Jupiter's was wetter than it needed to be since I didn't get my water bottle closed before I put it in my pack! Ice water was tickling his fanny!) Saturday we went up Hennessey; Shirley told us she was "pulling leather" down on the bottom of the trail where we start out. She told us, "Go, go! Bees!" She said Star was bucking and having a fit. Neither Lynn nor I saw anything. Then I heard Lynn say something about Shirley and Star had gone through the short cut trail, rather than down the other one that makes a sharp left like we did. We don't usually go the other way because the branches are stiff and pokey. Plus, it's fun to make that turn. When we returned, sure enough, there was a paper nest on that part of the trail. We could see it from the other one. No one got bees that time and Lynn and I are going to try and either gas it or spray it.

We went on the upper trails to the left and then down the trail to the steep one, but Lynn got off and pulled out some downfall and when she got on, we were all pointing up hill and away Jupes went. So we did the loop backwards--which was fun, too. We just missed Lynn's favorite steep part. Last week, it was too smoky on top and we turned around and went to the bottom meadows and rode around.

On the way down on the steep east side of the mountain, heading back to the trailer, Ziggy gave a big jump off the trail and swung his big head around and gave Lynn something to think about. I watched him do it. It was pretty interesting. He's a lot of horse to be throwing himself around. :) He likes to be in the lead on the section of trail and so he had a little fit. He keeps her on toes some days.

Today we rode on Underwood. It was a nice morning. It was a quick little loop around and back, but I sure like it. We saw two deer and all the dogs only gave a short chase and then returned. Poor Haley was covered in burrs. Lynn had us laughing as she told us about Ziggy having stuff in his mane. She wants to reach out and get it, and he acts like he wants her to too, but she says it's a loooong way out there. :) Speaking of stuff in someone's mane--Lynn tried to break a limb or pull it out of the way and all it did was get caught more and made it so we couldn't really get under it very well. She was on the other side, so Shirley turned Star and was going to go around it. It was a dead Cedar tree. I just held Jupes back to watch this. As they went through, they knocked into the branches; Shirley and Star were in the middle of a gold cloud of Cedar needles and dead branches. They were covered in them once the dust settled. Seriously, Star was almost a palomino. :) Jupes and I were thankful as we went through unscathed. :)

Last Sunday we did the hoop-de-doo trail for the first time this year. The lower meadow is FULL of star thistle. The stickers are abundant this year. Yuck! We saw some cows, but no bear; no jackrabbits; and thankfully, no mules. We have avoided that area because one of the locals lets her horses and mules out to graze during the day. We didn't go all the way to the brush obstacle, but turned around at the bottom of the steep climb. Last year there were bees just past that area. I don't know if they use the same holes or not. . . but we didn't take a chance on it.

Today is the Summer Solstice. It's officially summer. I have grades to do and my room to clean, but I am almost free until the end of July when I will teach six days of summer school. I hope the rest of summer is as good as these past two weekends have been--love those early morning rides. :)

Wet saddle blankets

Saturday I worked in Sonoma (Windsor) for my fall hay money. Lynn and Shirley took Star, Ziggy, and Jupiter to the vet for their shots.

Here's her version:

What a great day! 
> 
> Weather, overcast turning out sunny all at one time. :) NO wind.
> Dr. Mott, is great. She said his feet are not bad. If you want to feed the Farriers Choice is fine, best product for feet, but you will not see much difference for about 1 year. You must feet it every day to do much good. She checked his teeth. He will probably need teeth floated this next fall. He was really good for her. She did say he was over weight. I said yes he is a easy keeper. She said Morgan's are very easy keepers and tend to be over weight. I said he will be hopefully going down with riding. 
> 
> Star is in great shape. Teeth are perfect, she could not believe how good he looks and the shape he is in for his age. 
> 
> Ziggy, well she went to give him wormer and as she walked up to him, she said "oh there is more of him than I thought." I laughed. She had to put a little more in the syringe. His teeth are good. But I had his floated a year or so ago. 
> 
> She was impressed with how well they all stood for shots. She said a lot of them will not stand still. 
> 
> We drove out to the beach, parked where you and I parked. Rode about a mile or so, nice and warm, no wind. Star was a bobble head horse. :)
> 
> Zig was TNT! I could feel his heart pounding! I rode in your western saddle. The saddle was back a few inches too far back. So he felt even worse. Jupe has been ponied before, I figured he had. Probably with a saddle when he was young. He wanted to roll about the time his feet hit the sand. I did not let him. Then we were out near the ocean, and he had a small bucking fit. :) Mom hollered at me, to watch out. He was funny. On the way back low and behold there is a man and woman , in PINK! Jupiter was having flash backs and planted his feet! I felt the pull and it was like I was on him and touched Him with the spurs... ah Ziggy with spurs, Zig shot forward and Jupe's feet was planted. I did not turn loose and pulled with everything I had and Jupe shot forward. Those dang moving pink things are flat out scary. Check out last picture in the back ground :)))) 

(can you see the pink monster in the background?)
> 
> After the short but very nice ride, we unsaddled and took them back up the hill into the sand and let them roll. Star must have went down I think I counted seven times, several times dug to China. :) Star was loving it! Jupe 3 times, I laughed he was digging with his front legs while on the ground! Mom and I were laughing. Zig went for one roll, he was digging with his nose! The sand was really nice and warm. (I felt it) 
> 
> Happy and Haley had a ball! 
> 
> We loaded up went to Big K (Kmart) then to Denny's for lunch. It was actually good. There was not a seat vacant in there. It was nuts. I heard on waitress say it's been like this since 7am. Wow. Crazy in there. 

Sorry I missed it! Sunday was a good day, too. We went up and around on the Hennessey. Everyone behaved! Did I do one of these last weekend? Lynn saw a 300 lb, beautiful, black shiny bear. :) It was a good weekend, too. I am looking forward to a long weekend next weekend. 

A hitch in our get-along

Well this past weekend was a total bust for me! I managed to not only ruin my own riding, but everyone else's too. First of all, we went somewhere new. We drove up Big French Creek to what Lynn thought would lead to Cherry Flat. We got to the corrals she remembered on a pretty good, if dirt and a little rocky, road. It wasn't bad, but Shirley was a nervous wreck and a little hard on Lynn.

Nevertheless, we got there and took off on the road headed north. Lynn was looking for a loop that would take us out and around. Well, we never got there. Jupiter got a cramp in his right flank. We rubbed it, but it didn't come out. So, once again, these boots are made for walking! We walked back to the trailer and took them home. I ran up and got the salt block and brought it down from the hill and I saw he went straight for it.

He was good, he let us rub it and put Absorbine Jr. on it. But he was still had a hitch and was too stiff to take on Sunday, so Shirley said I could ride Buster. Buster, the horse everybody rides. Buster the boring horse.

The second I got on he started humping and jumping and acting stupid. I thought it was because I grabbed his mane. Finally we got out of the parking area and headed up the hill. He still didn't seem right to me. My saddle slipped back on him going up the first little hill, so we put Ziggy's breast collar on him.

Going up the second, steep hill he balked. I know it's because I am so used to Jupiter. I always lean forward and grab his mane as we run uphill. I didn't grab Buster's mane, but I put my hand on his neck. He blew up and turned away from the trail. I tried to circle him back up, but he fell and off I went.

So now I too have a hitch. Dang it all.

However, I did get to ride Ziggy back to the trailer. I was a quitter. I said, "Can we cut this ride short? Can we just ride the road back?" And that's what we did.

Can I ask you a weird question?

So today I called up to make a hair appointment. It's time to get a trim, I decide. So I identified myself and asked for Brenda. Turns out her daughter had a baby last night and she is off today. BUT, do I have a minute? Am I ready for a weird question?

I say, "Okay. Go for it."

She says, "You better sit down."

I'm laughing. Fine. Then she hems and haws. "I don't know how to start," she says.

"Just do it." Me and Nike. That's our motto.

So she launches in: she knows a really nice, smart lawyer. She really likes him. He's been divorced, but no kids. He has a dog that he really likes--"just like you like your dog so much!" Wow, a match made in Heaven.

She keeps going--no breath in between--he wears COWBOY boots! He's smart. She thinks he's safe--doesn't know what kind of house  he keeps--but he's called her when he was fixing a leak, so he can do some plumbing. "He'd be HANDY," she says.

Are you laughing yet?

He's really smart. Did I say that already? He lives in Trinity Center. He RIDES horses. His practice is in the Bay Area. So how could you have a real relationship anyway? "You're just like that--super busy--so maybe you could have a dinner every now and then. . . . I really like him," she says.

Snort, yet?

Finally, she breathes. I say, it makes me feel awkward and weird. No.

Well, she says (she's a quick breather), well, I MARRIED my blind date. Yep, TONI set us up, she says. OH and SHIRLEY was in on it, too!! (I can feel the vibes coming through the phone--having Shirley on it makes it an even BETTER idea.) She doesn't slow down, though. We could do it in a social setting. I wouldn't make it EMBARRASSING, she finishes.

I know she can hear me breathing-getting ready to say something-but she doesn't let me in. She's on a roll now.

He's smart. (Is that 3 times?) You can have a conversation with him. That's important AND he's well written. You would like him.

Good gravy train. Don't pee on yourself.

I said, thank you for thinking of me. I don't think so. I don't have time. Thank you for trusting me with your friend. I'm flattered. But no. Awkward.

She says, it so weird you called today. I was just thinking coming home from Weaverville that I needed to find someone for him--and then YOU CALLED.

I told her next time I am not going to identify myself. I will hang up after she says, "Brenda's off today."

It will sound like this: "Okay, thanks! BYE!"

Sleeping single in a double bed--NOT

I love that Ziva is a cuddler. I brought her up on the bed when she was little, knowing that she would get bigger. So I guess I deserve the loss of space. And I'm not really complaining. It's kind of funny. Last night for instance, she woke me up because I think she got cold. She's not like Haley, who likes to be covered up. Instead she spoons (which I know Haley does, too--usually with her behind nearer to Lee's face than her face). Last night, instead of just spooning--kerthump against my back like normal--she plopped down ON my lower back! So I moved over, right? This is what my bed looked like after we both got up.

The covers are of course kicked off because I am hot already and then I have her hot body pressed up against me. She probably moves up so high because my feet are always moving in and out of the covers, keeping HER awake.

Sometimes I wake up and I am stretched across the bed width-wise and so is she.Good thing I am not very tall.

Sometimes Ursula is next to us, too. She gets cranky if I move around too much. I end up between the two of them or she comes and lays up by the pillows before Ziva can.

I go to bed early and I get up early. But needless to say, in between, there isn't as much sleep as one would think.

The grass isn't always greener somewhere else--sometimes it's pretty darn green right where you are!

It's that time of year again--tall grass and hungry horses. The fields are green and beckoning. Although the horses have been getting alfalfa as well as hay every day, twice a day--they are ready for the fresh stuff. The problem is, that just like those of us who overeat when something tastes yummy, they will overeat and founder. Shirley tells me this practically every day. :)

So we start out slow; we bring them down and let them eat for a half hour or so every evening. It's a chewing festival. They never even lift their heads to move from one clean square to the next potential spot. Although the prospect of running does not seem like a good idea to them while they are eating--we are pretty sure that once the "time's up" signal is given, they probably would not let us catch them; so we hold on to their lead ropes. Except for Brady who is free to wander where he wants--old age has it's benefits.

Because of my work schedule and the fact that there are five horses, sometimes someone has to wait a little bit longer for his turn. It was Jupiter on Sunday. Guess how that went! He was upset that he had been left and everyone else was eating grass. He threw a bucking fit and had Shirley hugging a tree. He is the fattest of everyone. I mean he's ROUND. Shirley christened him with a new name: Jimmy Dean. He is going to get even rounder once they come down off the hill. Lynn will have to trim more brush so we fit on the trail.

Barry is planning on bringing his horses over to the pasture as soon as we get our horses acclimated to the grass. Although no one is happy about them coming, we are eager to see Dusty. Barry said he is huge now. He plans to ride him a lot this year. I don't think Nancy intends to get on him until Barry has gotten all the "bucking" out of him; but even then, she is shorter than any of us and will need a ladder to get on.

I like this time of year for a few reasons: first of all, I like standing around with Jupes. I get to talk to him and rub on him while he eats. He probably can't hear me over all that chewing, but it feels nice to hang out with him. Secondly, it also means standing around with Lynn and Shirley. We laugh over the day's events. You know Lynn is full of weird people stories! Finally, the dogs have a ball. The grass is way over their heads and they look so funny running and jumping in it. They roll around and weave in and out of the horses. It's easy to see the pure joy in their faces.

This together time is short and will come to a close very soon. The horses will be out in the fields and won't need us for a bit. Thankfully, they like us well enough and know that sometimes we bear treats, so they come to the fence to say hello. But the days of hurrying from school to feed are almost over for awhile. Although I like that I can stay at school longer and accomplish a few more things--I will miss seeing everyone. It also means that Ziva, the ball dog, won't be romping with her best friend and will expect me to play even more ball! :)

As I look forward to tomorrow's ride--I send good thoughts to Alisa and her crew. Six more weeks in the brace, but no surgery--Yay! We will be planning rides into Stanshaw and other fun places in no time.

Hmmm. Who's this?