This page is where you can find all my cute dog, horse, donkey, and chicken stories. Aww.
Mysteries, Musings, and Squirrels
Today has been one that made me think a lot. I’m second guessing myself a lot since Lee went off to go back to the ranch. My plan is to stay here for another week to do a lot of meditating, walking, and introspection. So far, the introspecting is making me feel a little unhinged,…
Filet Gumbo and Filet Crow
What a nice day it was, through a bit nippy. So much got done that I felt like a paragon of efficiency. The Red House is ready for the next visitors, I got a fun custom sweatshirt from the talented Kimberly of Side Hustle Shirts (photo later), and I enjoyed a really special time with…
Yup, Horses Make You Feel Good
I had a pretty free Saturday, so I split it between fun with yarn and fun with horses. The yarn post will be tomorrow. Today is my day to bask in my relationship with the horses. I’ve spent a lot of time with Apache this week, mostly just hanging out with him. It really pays…
The Great Scary Lump Mystery
Oh the poor horses! Today we looked out the front window and saw something out of place. There was a brown lump where there is usually smooth grass. I looked to the left of the lump and there were the horses and Fiona. They were standing transfixed, with their heads and ears pointed at that…
Well, Today Was Good for Making an Arena
Too bad I had so much work that I didn’t have time to take photos or put together deep thoughts. But it’s fine. Stuff got done, I enjoyed lunch with friends, and bought myself a big ole tape measure. Why did I buy a hundred-foot tape measure? Because I had a plan! I missed my…
Rolling with Changes
Oh you never know what’s going to happen around here. So today’s agenda changed, but it’s all good! Since I needed to skip Drew’s lesson today, I just worked with him a few minutes, which made it clear I needed to rearrange my obstacle area, or horse playground. So I moved a lot of barrels,…
Happiness Is Birds and Beasts
This is an interesting part of my life. Outside of me, things are challenging. Inside of me, I’m feeling better than I ever have. I wish I’d learned to focus on what I can influence and let other stuff go much earlier in life. But I think only experience teaches us how important this is…
Humid Winter Days and Hairy Horses Don’t Mix
This was the second day in a row that I mostly did horse stuff. That sure is a fun way to spend a day. But there was a lot of sweat involved. It was extra humid and quite warm today, which was hard on us all, especially Apache. I do enjoy just hanging out with…
At Least SOMEONE Got Body Work Today
Whew, I’m sore today! And of course I did all the things I needed to do, which did not help with my bruises and aches. But no, I didn’t get worked on, nor did I remember to fire up the hot tub tonight. But I’ll live. The fall yesterday was minor, it’s just combined with…
Nature: Good Role Model for Resilience
It was awfully cold, then it rained a lot and warmed up. All of nature seemed to think it was time to wake up my get moving until the next cold front comes along. I took a lunch break walk today to see how all the water features are doing. A heavy shower last night…
Turn That Calendar Page
I did so. I don’t even have a good calendar this year. That’s what happens when you only have free ones. So, Whee. Actually it was about as perfect of a day as a person could want. If retirement could be this pleasant I’d be more ready than I think I am now. The weather…
Another Day, Another Year
Resolution time? No. I’ll keep doing my best to learn, grow, be kind, promote love and peace among my neighbors. I guess I resolve to keep going. I think the way 2022 differs from the last couple years is that the lows were lower and the highs higher. The family stuff has been particularly scary,…
Sharing a Skill in a Soggy Field
Right after I wrote last night, we had the most intense rainstorm we’ve had since before the drought started. Around 2.55 inches fell quickly as a narrow band passed over. The water came up high enough to require the backup culvert to kick in so our driveway/dam wouldn’t be breached. Whew. The new pond flooded…
Rural Excitement
Lots of excitement here in rural Milam County today. Mostly good! This morning I got ingredients and made bean soup to use leftover Christmas ham. It was great. No photos. We ate it. I then ran into the mobile office bedroom where I laid out the squares of the blanket or rug I made for…
I Could Do Whatever I Wanted to Today
Whee! I’m not supposed to work this week or next Monday (Dell employees get the week off paid plus a year-end bonus, contractors get six days of no pay…well, it’s a job at a good rate so I’m just stating facts, not complaining). So, what did I do on a day with no mandatory activities?…
A Hermits Christmas Eve
As the years pass and our circle grows smaller, the holidays have stopped being about visitors, travel, and togetherness. Television commercials keep saying that’s what we should want. But Lee and I are happy to spend time with just each other these days. We have plenty of animals to stand in for friends and family,…
Still Cold. Alive.
We are all alive! Me, Lee, the rest of the local family, horses, dogs, and chickens. It’s a lot worse in other parts of the US, so I’m thankful for my knowledge of how to dress for really cold weather and that it only got down to 10° F last night. I brought the chickens…
One More Nice Day
Today was cold, but the sun was shining, so I spent as much time as I could outside. It’s gonna get icky again, so I wanted to enjoy one last nice day for a while. The horses were out in the far pasture, where there is plenty of grass, apparently, since they’ve ignored their latest…
Not Too Bleak Midwinter
Ooh doggies, it was nippy today. It wasn’t that cold, really, but the wind was fierce. And it kept drizzling all day. What a great day for horse lessons, right? It hadn’t felt too bad in the morning, but it got worse and worse. By the time Tarrin got to my house, I think she…
What’s Wrong with Normal?
Today was a normal day. Nothing stressful other than software glitches, and repeatedly sending out the wrong minutes for a meeting, today was low key and calm. I love calm. I got all my to-do items done. I’m cooking dinner. Ahh. I got to spend quality time with all the horses in the calmest possible…
Roller Coaster of Love
I didn’t take pictures of the wonders of today, so check out my very silver nails. They nearly blind me. I was wondering if the highlight of my day was going to be learning about a new kind of moth, the plume moth. These look like flies, but nope, they are weird looking tiny moths…
Droodles Has Teen Angst
Sara and I had this great idea to film our Functionality test for the delayed Winter virtual show for Working Horse Central this morning. Yep, the day after Drew and Aragorn worked hard on the in-person show. Great idea. It’s a good thing we had no time pressure and good humor, because we had some…
Life and Goodness Return
Hey, I got through one of my extra-long days and I’m not totally wiped out! I have my life back! Yep, I even woke up for my 7 am meeting at 6:45, having forgotten to save my alarm clock setting, and made it in time. Woo! I got all my work done, then had two…
Barrel of Fun
My day has already been made! Playing with my little Droodles has lifted my spirits as my nasal passages flow (I feel better, though!). I don’t want to push myself again and slow down my recovery, but it’s a pretty day and I need to work with the horses despite the fact that it’s still…
Penney Goes Ballistic When I Sneeze
Here’s a new development! As you may know, I’ve been sick for a few days. That’s made me a bit sneezy. (The strep throat is way better but it’s pretty obvious I have come down the the common cold, a thing I haven’t had in a long time!) The dogs have been taking good care…
I Can’t Breathe, but I’m Happy
Finally, the strep symptoms are fading away, but I think I also have a common cold or something causing me to be rather stuffy nosed. That, I can deal with. I took some decongestant and felt all right the rest of the day (and I got nice soft tissues, so I’ll survive). And not only…
Clever Equines (and Saddle Stuff)
Hey all – thanks for all the support from yesterday’s post. I sure appreciate the empathy and ideas. You all rock. Today it’s rainy and cold PLUS both Lee and I seem to have come down with something. I haven’t been sick since LONG before COVID, so this is a surprise. It feels like strep…
Always Something, Right?
It hasn’t been a good day for me, mentally. I’ve been meaning all day to look up why anxiety attacks cause intense chest pain. Okay, I finally did. That answers one of my burning questions, ha ha. Anxiety attacks or panic attacks can cause chest pain that mimics a heart attack. It is caused by…
It Rained without Flooding
A cold front blasted through this morning. Declan mowed the yard, and we were comfortably discussing how he should wait to trim until later, when a huge gust of wind came and instantly lowered the temperature. Declan said, “Hello, winter.” It’s a powerful front that has lowered the temperature at least 20 degrees and brought…
The Free Tranquilizer: Nature
I’m always telling you all how much being out in nature helps me deal with my chronic anxiety and Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD). Today I’m really taking advantage of it and pulling out all the stops with nature, cuteness, and sunshine helping me deal with how people treat me and (the worst) the fact that…
Instant Stress Relief
Damn! Work was a challenge today and there’s other stressful stuff lurking. But I feel, as I like to say, “way mo’ better” now. I knew I was in no shape to ride but knew I’d feel much better if I could hang out with the equines, so I headed outside, where it’s been a…
Bursting with Pride
I have felt this before. When my son first played rock and roll in public. When the other son said he was going to be a high school teacher. When a friend tap danced in her first recital — in her 60s. I know about feeling like your chest will burst open from happiness. Today…
Just Enjoying the Morning with My Horse Buddies
We don’t get to do much trail riding lately, but this morning, Sara and I both had time to do it. I was really happy with how well Apache and I did. First, I mounted from the fence after getting out of our pasture walking. The cows made it a little challenging by their curiosity.…
Tired of Prickles
I’m really over cockleburs. My fingers are about to give up from extraction of these sticky things from horse tails and manes. I know someone else who’s sick of burs. I got over a dozen burs out of Apache’s mane and almost as many from his tail. It’s easier getting them out of tails. I…
Mabel’s Transformation
Friday, when Apache and I came back from our lesson, a brown blur appeared. A horse was galloping full speed towards us, then stopped on a dime at the gate. What energy! Who was that? No, not Fiona. Last July, Kathleen rescued a large, dark bay horse, who we named Mabel. She was in such…
Goldie + Carlton = True Love
Over the past month or so, the friendship between Goldie, the Great Dane, and Carlton, the extra-white mutt, has blossomed into what can only be true love. They’re together almost all the time and keep each other in great shape, in between long naps on the couch. And of course there’s the running in huge…
Enjoying Life
Why not? I was all tired after helping a lot of folks at work, but when I went out to see the horses, I felt so much better that I did my scheduled ride and enjoyed the nice afternoon. The bulldozer is still plowing away. I think that project will be done tomorrow. He’s made…
A Hardworking Heavyweight in the Pasture
Hooray! I have a ranch project I can talk about! We’re getting the front pond dug out more, so it will be bigger, deeper, and hold more water. The pond was originally made from an arroyo (ditch) that made it hard to build a driveway into our homestead area. The dam is our driveway. While…
More Fire but Okay
The wind came up and blew the fire from yesterday across the road. But they saved a bunch of other hay and then used our tractor to spread the remaining bales out so they would burn out more quickly. These round bales are like cigars. They are so dense that it takes a long time…
A Good Kind of Tired
It’s been a long day and I’m darned tired, but like I said in the title, it’s a good kind of tired, both physically and mentally. Yep, I went to a horse clinic with both horses today over at Tarrin’s ranch. That’s a lot of horse time! The good news? It was COOL this morning.…
Hearts, Hay, Horses, and Headaches
The letter for today is apparently H. I shall start with hearts, since it’s a cheerful topic and something to be proud of. After finishing the camo blanket, I went back to work on my heart afghan I was making for Kathleen. Today I finished the heart section. It’s way too small to be useful…
Ups, Ups, Downs
Things have been good here lately. I spend a lot of time watching cute animals. I even rescued a trapped English sparrow today who couldn’t figure out how to get out of the henhouse. I caught her and took her out. She was so exhausted that she just sat on my hand. Poor dear. No…
Book Report: Horse Color Explored
I was looking for a book about horse breeds but didn’t find anything helpful. Most were for children. But I saw Horse Color Explored: Over 150 Breeds, Types, and Variations, by Vera Kurskaya (2017) and that piqued my interest. I was interested in knowing more about the genetics of horse colors than I’d read about…
Sharing Is Daring
Some of you may have seen that I wrote yesterday about how hard it is to escape old patterns and negative self image. I decided to challenge myself to accept myself just as I am, because hey, I’m trying new things, learning new skills, and staying active for someone who’s 64 (especially where I live,…
Pretty Gray Things with Horsepower
Admittedly, the gray things with horsepower are quite different. But they’re both pretty. One Horse with Power Today was Drew’s turn to shine. He was scheduled to get filmed doing the dressage part of this quarter’s Working Horse Central virtual show. We walked over to Sara’s lovely arena that she made all by herself. I…
What’s Pink and behind My House?
It’s a roseate spoonbill, that’s what! I was excited to see the storks visiting again, then I noticed one of the beaks trolling the shore was not black and looked sorta funny. Whoa. It was pink! I’ve only had one visit from a spoonbill before so this made me smile. I remember looking at one…
Horse Dentistry Hilarity
Yesterday I had lots of fun and learned many new things as Bonnie, the equine dentist, came over to float the teeth of all the horses here (that’s what they call dental work, floating). Everyone was due except Mabel, but I was concerned that she still might need more work, so all got looked at.…
Let’s Learn Horse Stuff
Today was a good horse day. Lee was kind enough to drive me and Sara met me at Tarrin’s ranch where we filmed Drew’s next set of obstacles for the Working Horse Central third quarter virtual show. I learned a lot more today, particularly about my capacity to do things in humidity. I had already…
Droodles Making Progress
While it’s been rather rainy and my work has been eating into my horse time (work funds the horses), I’ve had time to make progress with my beautiful, dapple gray teenager, Drew (or Andrew or Droodles). While there hasn’t been any cantering and jumping (blame mud), there has been a lot of other stuff to…
I Try to Cheer Up
I feel sorta silly for being sad about a rooster. But it’s sort of on top of three people I know losing beloved horses recently, too. Livestock? Friends? Fellow beings who enrich our lives? Sure. I went out to remind myself of how we are all part of something bigger. Tiny mushrooms said, “Look at…
Honoring a Good Rooster
The morning didn’t start out as well as I’d hoped, though I had an inkling I might make a sad discovery this morning. And yes, I was correct that my buddy Bruce, the best rooster ever to crow, had passed away overnight. He was only 2.5 years old, so I’d hoped we’d have many more…
Helping Your Friends
It was a fun morning, another one spent with our friend, Sara, and her Andalusian charges. Solly and Aragorn both came over today so we could work on things together and give the horses new experiences. Aragorn did a great job ponying his mare buddy over to our house. He seemed proud of himself. It…
I Never Get Tired Of…
Sunsets. Tonight’s even featured some rain in the distance. And a cute dog. I got to enjoy this sunset because I had a nice dinner with my friends Mike and Martha. I got so used to not doing things with friends that it’s been hard to get back in the habit. The last two weeks…
Slime Mold, Mystery Mold, Shimmering Fungi
Well, shoot, no wonder my head is full of mush, there is so much mold, fungus, and who knows what other damp-loving organisms right now after the rain. I was feeling better after taking the Mucinex, but then I went outside and did stuff with the horses and BOOM I’m a dizzy, queasy mess again.…
I Think I’ll Live
I kept having dizzy spells today but got my work done. Then I went to the really nice new clinic and talked to the nice PA about my symptoms. I love that he didn’t start me on antibiotics! While my eardrums are swollen, we’re just trying Mucinex first. That should fry up my poor Eustachian…
What’s Good with You?
I hope you’re finding good things in your life. They’re in there somewhere! Today I enjoyed a sunrise. Ok. The sunrise. There was just one. It was pretty in every direction. I was surrounded by color! That was my idea of goodness. No day that starts this pretty could be all bad. Even when you…
Drew and Apache Learn New Skills
Yeah, yeah, non-horsey people. It’s another horse post. I’m very proud of what my horses and I have been learning, though, and I want to be able to look back on our good days and smile. I need smiles and kindness, and I got those in huge doses yesterday! We just had the best lesson…
Birds? A Few
Someone asked what kids of birds are still hanging out at the ranch. In addition to the ones I mentioned yesterday there are some interesting ones. It cheered me up greatly this morning to see this family. I love these beautiful birds, and I’m glad they fledged at least one baby! The other birds we’ve…
Cooling It Down
I’m visualizing calm and coolness. Neither is easy, since poor Kathleen is still racking up the challenges and trying to avoid the hospital, and it still hasn’t rained again. It didn’t go over 100° today so far, so that’s encouraging. And the cumulus clouds seem bigger today that they have been. So I’m patiently hoping…
Horses in Heaven
It’s been a hard summer for the horses. Not much grass, much heat, not as much attention as last year. But today has been a good one! To start, I was able to get out early enough to give all the horses nice baths. I know Dusty was happy. He’s such a level-headed dude, but…
Hey, Hey, Hay
I’ve mentioned that we’re in a big drought, as big as when we first got to the Hermits’ Rest. You may be in a part of the world with too much water. Neither is ideal! As you know, there’s not much for the horses to eat, even though we’ve been supplementing with hay and built…
Heat. Sick.
Feeling bad today. Stomach stress and literally falling asleep randomly. No COVID, so my social life didn’t kill me. Glad for those free test kits. I think I’ve just tried to do too much outside the past few days. I’m sure I’ll be better tomorrow. At least I picked colors for our next renovation project…
Oh, Fifi!
That little donkey of ours is always up to something. This morning I stayed in my room drinking coffee for a while, then realized I needed to go feed the chickens. I looked out the front window and had a start! Fiona was being herded back onto our property and the gate was being shut…
Social Life!
Not much time to blog today, because I’ve been busy seeing people and doing things. I DO have friends in real life! My friends are darned interesting, too. Plus, two horses have trimmed hooves. That’s it, other than a few random ranch pictures.
My Thundering Herd
Today’s electrical work got delayed, but not to worry, the next priority awaited. That was moving the fencing for the horses so they could eat some of the grass that hadn’t been touched yet. It’s still dry, but at least it’s long. It was such a hot, hot day for the guys to work in…
Life. Challenging. Frustrating.
Drew agrees. He had to learn hard lessons today. Look at him kicking up dust and swishing. I hope whoever deals with me and my family and their challenges and frustrations will be firm but patient and kind, like Tarrin is with a confused and annoyed horse. Love to you, readers.
Closer to Rancher-hood (and drought wrestler)
The endless stretch of rainless and ridiculously hot days has not ended here, so I feel much sympathy for my friends in the northeast who are finding out what it’s like here! No fun, right? Well, there is SOME fun. You might say that a bale of hay in a wagon is a pretty boring…
Headache Time
I probably have more to say, but I have a sore head. There was an accidental collision between me and the head of Dusty. I think. I’d fed the horses and was attaching the two gates that won’t stay open to each other, like every day. Suddenly I’m waking up on the ground. My guess…
Visitors and Visiting
Our house has a lot of comings and goings for a hermitage, but we’re glad that caregivers can come help out Lee’s brother while Kathleen’s still confined to her hospital bed. I get my dose of visiting by hanging out with the horses and getting them to do some exercises before it’s too hot. Luckily…
It’s Looking Good Inside, Not So Good Outside
There was a surprise waiting for me when I got home last night. My bedroom was no longer a poop brown color. It’s now yellow! Maybe it’s not the exact perfect shade, but it sure is more cheerful than before. Lee knew how much I liked my bedroom in the Bobcat house, so he had…
Good to Be Home
One good thing about having to drive an additional hour to Pecos, TX because there was no water in the entire town on Van Horn, our drive home was easy. Wow, Pecos is a one-industry place. That industry is oil. We knew that, but it was impressive to see so many wells, tanks, and pipelines.…
Book Report: Piglet
My new blogging strategy does include continuing with book reports. They are among the least-read posts, but the people who do read them seem to enjoy them, and I like having a record of what I read over the past few years. So, let’s go! My friend Johanna recommended the book Piglet: The Unexpected Story…
Happy Drewsday!
I was taking a blog break, but I had to come back to celebrate the light of my life, Andrew “Droodles” Kendall. We got him a year ago today, on an adventure trip to Cuero, Texas, or somewhere near there. Happy Droodle-versary! He’s been nothing but a joy for the past year. He inspired me…
Pride and Practicality
I have to say my horses make me proud. Today was another lesson day for both of them, and you could really see progress, even since last week. Drew. Damn. He just loves to learn new things, so it’s easy to sneak new knowledge. The goal today was to work on turning right without crowding.…
We Have a Fancy Chicken Nursery
You may know we have yet another broody hen. This time it’s Billie Idyll. What a surprise! I let her set, and she still has three eggs under her. It’s about hatching time, so I knew the babies couldn’t hatch in the nest boxes. They’d fall. Our dog crate that we use for babies is…
Howdy from Recovery Land
I’m feeling better about some things and I know Vlassic is! We had a good night last night. He slept straight through the night next to me on the couch in the future in-law suite. It’s a comfy couch that makes a bed. I did okay. There is apparently something living in a box that…
Self Care Lets You Care for Others
It’s thoughtful not to bare your inner torment then just drop the subject. People worry (at least two of them!). So, hey, not only did I get in some quality talk therapy and encouragement from people I rely on, I bravely ventured to a new health-care facility to get my medications back (or see what…
More to Come
I’m honestly too tired to write. The good news is all animals got vaccinated and Goldie got spayed today. All survived so far. Much tranquilizer was used. Vlassic and Harvey were quite the pains in the butt. Carlton hid. But he was good. Shocking: Alfred let them cut his toenails like a gentleman. That’s all…
Stress Relief
Between concerns about family member health and work intensity, I’ve got no blogging brilliance. The heat doesn’t help. It’s getting really dry around here and we’re surrounded by katydids and prairie boopies (grasshoppers). They are everywhere. But, there’s a life and death fight going on that has me fascinated. The garden spiders and one dog…
Book Report: Two Horse Books That Apply to Everyone
I recently finished two books by Crissi McDonald, a horse trainer and clinician who lives in Colorado with her husband Mark Rashid, who wrote the previous books I read. I had a theme. I think they are self-published, but the quality is quite good. She must know a good proofreader. The books are Continuing the…
Some Horsie Funnies
I’ve been enjoying the stuff the horses and Fiona have been doing lately. They are not being bothered by the heat these days one bit. They have their ways of keeping cool! For one, Dusty hangs out by the water troughs a lot. The fish really like it. I guess they get bits of food…
Pain, Worth It
I seem to be dealing with the hurt of my lost friendships by replacing it with physical pain to distract myself. I’m pretty sure I have a stress fracture in my foot, because it didn’t bruise much, but hurts unless I wear supportive shoes. And falling in the hole definitely sprained my second toe on…
Apache Goes to the Big City
I was browsing through my horse material when I saw something that concerned me: Apache’s Coggins certification had recently expired. Oops. Horses that travel need those to ensure they don’t bring a bad disease to other horses. For non-horse folks: A “Coggins” is a blood test that detects antibodies to the disease Equine Infectious Anemia…
Lessons Learned, More Positive
Yesterday’s lessons learned were pretty hard to take, but I’m doing better today, other than being a bit overly warm from outdoor activities, dealing with a sore foot, and realizing I am developing swimming muscles thanks to some sore thighs. I survived five straight hours of work meetings, too, so I feel like a marathoner.…
Ouch, More Than One Way
The day started with an ouch and ended with a painful long-term one. I was planning to go ride with Sara this morning and ran late, but I had Apache clean and saddled in time. We were walking to the mounting block, which is in the portable round pen. As we entered, the stirrup in…
Harvey, He Loves Babies
Yesterday my friend Mandi visited. She recently gave birth to a tiny boy named Cuyler. Yes, she’s got a 22-year-old son. But also has this surprise gift. We sat and talked with her in the rocking chair that I sat in when my kids were born (which reminds me that I gave birth for the…
Drew and Sully Part 2: The Good Gray Horses
This morning Sara and I took advantage of the cooler morning temperatures to film the second part of Drew and Sully’s in-hand virtual show. She was going to do Aragorn, too, but he lost one of his fancy shoes that is fixing his foot issue. Tarrin spent a lot of time on that shoe, and…
Drew and Sully Do a Show
Today Sara and I took Drew and Sully, the mare she is training while waiting for her to get pregnant, over to Tarrin’s to film the obstacles test for the Q2 Working Horse Central show. We were ready for fun! It went pretty well, other than Sara’s first video failing. Luckily Sully did just as…
Oh, Let’s Go Back to Fun
I felt a little better today, so I was able to get work done and enjoy my immediate surroundings. I also had some good talks with family, and that always helps. So, let’s see what’s going on with all those projects around here. The tack room (Suna Shack) is moving right along. I love the…
Mabel, Mabel, You Are Expensive
First of all, yesterday was a pretty glorious day, as days go. I had a great day at work, enjoyed family stuff, and was thrilled to see all our horses and Fiona running up to us for dinner. It was so beautiful. Then, when we fed the horses, Mabel had problems. Oh my gosh, the…
Something’s Different at the Henhouse
I hinted that things were different at the ranch when I came home. I didn’t notice it at first, because it was hiding behind cars and tractors, but the men in the family had conspired to upgrade the chickens’ living quarters. A lot. They even moved! Wow! The chicken run is now attached to the…
Book Report: Whole Heart, Whole Horse
Here’s a short book report, since I talked about this book in a recent post already. Whole Heart, Whole Horse: Building Trust Between Horse and Rider, by Mark Rashid (2009, 2014) is another book that helps you put a finger on what’s going right and what’s going wrong with your relationship to your horse. And…
How Nature Deals with Trauma
You may remember that a couple of days ago we were surprised by a fire alarm in the building where we are staying, right in the middle of important meetings I was supposed to be holding. Going down all those stairs, then trying to train people in software from an overly sunny condo balcony was…
Horses Can Learn by Observation
For the five of you who read my review of Horse Brain, Human Brain from this morning, you might find what happened this afternoon really interesting. The author of that book, Janet Jones, claimed that horses can learn from observing other horses. She shared that she’d seen horses learn to open gates and do ground…
Book Report: Horse Brain, Human Brain
There haven’t been many book reports lately, thanks to all that knitting of baby blankets I’ve been doing in my off times. But I did manage to get through Horse Brain, Human Brain, by Janet L. Jones, and I’m glad I did. Anyone who rides, trains, or just loves horses will want to read this…
Drew Goes to Summer Camp
It isn’t summer yet, but Drew went off to Camp Wild Type yesterday, like a little man. Really, what’s happening is that I’m going out of town later this week, and Sara offered to take care of him most of the time I’m gone, since she has a really healthy pasture someone needs to nosh…
Patience Pays Off, with Help
Today Apache and I had our first lesson in a while, since Tarrin is recovering from some surgery that will improve her quality of life, if she survives her convalescent period. That’s hard for an active person! I just brought Apache, since Drew is doing well. This was one educational lesson! Tarrin did great scooting…
Trying Not to Cry Over Spoilt Milk
Last night the dinner we’d planned to have didn’t happen, so both Lee and I had cereal for dinner. I looked at the milk carton, which said it was good until that day. So I poured it on my Oaty Something and chomped away. The cereal tasted odd but I thought nothing of it. But…
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The Hermits' Rest 