funny little habit since owning horses

Last night I went with my husband to pick out a new dryer. I knew walking in to the store that we weren't getting the lovely green Duet steam washer and dryer I have ogled in catalogs and on random trips to Lowe's. I love the way the Duets look up on their stands, and the soft green against our terra cotta tile would be such a nice contrast of color in the laundry room.

And yet, standing there last night, calculating just how much it would cost for the Duet pair, plus stands, I kept thinking in my head:

Wow, that amount of money would buy a year's supply of hay.

Or two years of Adequan.

A shopping spree at Horsetech.

Saliva tests and accompanying herbs for every living creature in my family.

It would cover a County dressage saddle for Cody.

Make a good dent in the expense of getting the sink in my tack room hooked up, and putting in the wide plank wood floor I want in there.

It would buy new arena footing, pea gravel for my "hoof stimulation areas," or the gate for the front of our property.

Ever since owning horses, I have this little habit of calculating everything in terms of farm improvements, horse care, and riding tack/attire.

The funny thing is that most anything I see and "want" for its aesthetic pleasure isn't, in the end, worth anywhere near the pleasure I get from living with the horses. It was kind of nice to be reminded of that last night. And when we got home, and my husband installed the modest dryer, I tossed the latest load of clean clothes into it and turned it on. When the buzzer sounded, they were dry. And that's the important thing.

end of a week

Today will be spent awaiting the dryer repairman, who is set to come "between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m." -- so said the computerized phone call we got last evening. A fairly huge window, imo, for me to be waiting. But since the dryer is now inoperable (it screeches and moans like a dying banshee) and there are mountains of dirty laundry needing to be washed, I guess I'd better do it.

I've been considering getting one of those clothes-lines that spin around on a pole, so that I could hang the clothes right from the deck outside the laundry room. I don't mind hanging clothes out, but no one here likes the stiffness. Isn't there something you can do to avoid that? Anyone know what it is?

Otherwise, Keil Bay is back to work after time off due to chiro. Cody is back tomorrow. And if I can juggle the dryer repairman, the predicted afternoon thunderstorms, and getting a move on this laundry, I'll be out riding sometime today.

Last night Rafer Johnson threw a little donkey fit when it was time for Salina to eat her dinner alone and he was confined to the barn aisle (with us). He generally takes this in stride, but for whatever reason, he had a bucking/kicking fit last night. It looked very much like what I would call "donkey adolescence." It was intense and rebellious, and we pretty much let him wear himself out but did not allow him to aim that intensity at us. And then suddenly it ended. When it was over, he got some hugs and rubs.

This morning, we are nearing another developmental milestone, with Mystic, the growing-at-the-speed-of-light kitten. Dickens E. Wickens is outside the cat/dog door quite literally peeling it back so that Mystic can learn to get out! I can almost hear Dickens whispering: Come on, push. You know you want to be a junior cowboy. Just one little push and you're free to roam the range!



I am gearing up to get back to my novel editing. My notes and solutions are patiently enduring my late summer doldrums with writing. Fall will pick that up - it's my most productive time of year and boy do I need it this year!

Right now the sun is shining and the sky is blue, and it's time for Pilates before I head out to feed.


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The repairman arrived before I even had time for Pilates. New dryer is on the way this evening. Not the lovely color front-loader I want, but alas, it will dry the clothes and that's the important thing.

a number of paths

It's being a nice week. Sunday evening Keil Bay and I shed years off our respective ages and jumped a trot pole three times. Leave it to the Big Bay to show me we can both soar.

Monday I had a lovely ride on Cody. He is such a different ride than Keil; it teaches me an entirely different set of skills and when he really relaxes and settles into his stride, he's wonderful.



Later that afternoon, my daughter had her dressage lesson and as usual, I learn almost as much as she does just sitting there watching.

Pilates update: I am not planning to turn this into my own personal training journal, but I'm excited to report that not only have I kept up my daily Pilates, I am already losing inches in the waistline. It happens fast with the mat work. I'd forgotten.

And a labyrinth update: the first circuit is nearly done. We started an external circle path that shoots off from the actual labyrinth and goes around the outside. While this isn't a "true" feature of a labyrinth, I decided that with horses and the potential of having two at a time down there, it would be nice to have a way for one horse to be able to walk the labyrinth while another simply takes the bigger circle around. Eventually, the outer circle will also have another path feeding off it that goes up the hill and through the woods.



Chiggers notwithstanding, this labyrinth is going to be fun. I need to dust the path with DE, keep the foliage cut well back, and between that and fall, hopefully we will be chigger free. I think I forgot to say that late last week I made a huge error in judgment and worked on the labyrinth one morning, then wore those *shorts* and socks for several hours after coming inside. It was afternoon before I realized that I was being bitten by chiggers. Aiyiyi - this batch is about 4x worse than the first one. But the homeopathic ointment, remedy, and baking soda baths got me through it yet again.



Today we had the chiropractor here, and minimal issues. I found a crow feather in the arena, which really made my morning. And to top it off, it's 68 degrees out and we're getting a very soft and steady rain that feels wonderful.

one year ago this month

(I already had to add two new things!)


My daughter was having trouble with her pony, who was feeling pressured and starting to rebel. Tonight, she took him a snack in the front field while the older horses had their evening feed, and then vaulted up onto his back to sit with him while he ate. When he finished, she rode him in to the paddock, and I warned her that the horses' back doors were open and the pony was speeding up - he loves to sneak in on Cody so we normally close Cody's back door while he eats. Anyway, she sat back and said whoa and the pony did the nicest, squarest halt with nothing but the girl's request.

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This one is a bit longer ago. Five years ago I started back riding and jumped a mounting block totally by accident on the black mare Annie... about 25 years before THAT I was jumping my horse regularly.

Tonight, while riding Keil Bay, he was in such wonderful spirits and condition (thank you Patsy and your amazing herbs) he sailed over a trot pole three different times. Trotted in, cantered out. The last time he sailed pretty high, and we were flying. What a thrill! Husband said "He wants to be an eventer." Um - NO. :)


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I was getting down to the bones in my second novel. I suppose one could say that this year I am dealing with its muscle.

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We were just starting the Joss Whedon series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now we're just starting The Sopranos.

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We were living with 102 degree heat. Today it is 86.

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We celebrated multiple birthdays at my parents' house, with steak on the grill, Blue Moons and Cokes, an impromptu pomegranate martini for me, and sips of coconut rum all around. And cake and ice cream, of course.

This year my father is bedridden, with Hospice coming every day, but he can still talk and smile and enjoy cake and ice cream.

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There were hints of autumn and tons of butterflies.

Today I saw a tree completely changing color and the butterflies are swarming.

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I had a writing breakthrough and a trip to Weymouth.

This year I had a trip to Weymouth and THEN the writing breakthrough.

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And we met this little guy:

good friday

I had forgotten how invigorating the Pilates matwork is - I have decided to do it every morning, and it's been a great way to get my days rolling.

Today I finally deemed it cool enough to get Keil Bay back under saddle. He was alert but calm in the barn aisle, and this carried through to the ride itself. The first thing he did was drop manure at the mounting block, which is a sign that he's relaxed and ready to work.

His ears were forward and he was definitely checking things out - looking into the woods, beyond the back field, etc. But he wasn't distracted, and definitely not spooky. He was nicely forward and very responsive. So responsive to my seat and legs that initially we were zigzagging around a bit. I had to really get quiet and clear with my legs and seat and once I did that and focused on my self more, we got straighter.

I noticed that he was very accepting of the bit and seeking contact, and I practiced some new ways of holding the reins (thanks jme!!) which seemed to help both of us.

We did a lot of "correct" walking. Then did some extended walk and a long stretching walk. I followed his pattern from the free lunging and changed directions across the diagonals so we were basically doing a big figure-8 pattern. He was anticipating this, and that allowed me to focus on some fine-tuning instead of thinking about where we were going next.

We did some warm up trot and then did a nice pattern where we did working trot around the arena and extended trot across the diagonals. Amazing! He really went well and I felt like he was in front of my legs AND my legs were underneath ME.

We did just a bit of canter to stretch out at the end, and then walked a bit before ending.

I hosed him off and then cleaned my tack, half chaps, and boots while he grazed in the barnyard with Rafer Johnson and Dickens E. Wickens.

Really really nice day. I am hoping to ride Cody this evening and cap it off with another good ride.