I’m still pretty out of it, so let’s talk about good parts of today. As always, plants, animals, and insects are good, even the differential grasshoppers, who lurk everywhere to surprise me.
Hi. Am I bothering you? No? Let me go crawl in the chain on a gate so you’ll have to move me and my buddies.
Even the birds are feeling the summer heat. I enjoyed watching these Brown-headed Cowbirds today. They were making their weird gurgling noise.
Say what you will about them, but they sing prettily
The chickens and horses are feeling the heat, too. Poor guys.
Bianca won’t come out of her puddle to join us. I’m sweaty.
I spent much of the day doing chores, cooking, and knitting. I made a couple of plarn discoveries. I need a crochet hook to help me pick up stitches along the edges when I start a new segment. Also, “throwing,” or English knitting is easier than Continental knitting when your yarn is plastic.
First “log cabin” section I did today.
I haven’t finished the first ball of plarn yet, but it’s getting bigger. The plarn maker just randomly put in different colored bags, so it’s coming out quite random.
I hit a yellow and gray section.
I still don’t know what this is. I may make it sorta big and use it as a camping mat.
Looks like more white is coming up.
My hands are holding up okay (weaving is tempting me nonetheless) but I’m still going to alternate with my Temperature Blanket, which is easier on my fingers. Speaking of which, we made it through June without any 100° days! But they’re coming.
And the air conditioning upstairs needs fixing!
Anyway, the day ended with a nice meal “cooked” by me (frozen lasagna and salad) and lots of time in the swimming pool with our camping buddies Mike and Martha. I’m glad the pool is still working. Long story behind that. and I’m glad for friends you can talk to about pretty much everything. We’re lucky!
I thought way too much about adult topics like real estate, bills, car maintenance, and such. Then I started watching two old men call each other liars with no way to verify who’s telling the truth (US Presidential Debate).
Then I left to watch the sunset.
I’m done. Just done. Back to concentrating very hard on the beauty of the world around me and the goodness that’s everywhere.
Like this! Whoever thought they’d see a Great Blue Heron at the top of an electric pole!
For example, we got help with a broken air conditioning unit so fast it made my head spin. I’m ever so grateful to have caring people in my life. That’s a good part of adulting.
Halfway through the year. It’s getting hot, but still no 100° days yet.
I leave you with bunnies. I saw at least three today, but I think these photos are the same one, morning and afternoon.
Oh, there’s so much I do to maintain my tranquility. Daily meditation, yoga/stretches, my antidepressant, hanging out with horses, sleeping enough, and plenty of exercise, outdoors. With nature.
My nature buddies
Happily, we made it home today, so I can get back to my usual routine. I did plenty of self care when we were traveling, though, including connecting with friends. We got to see my friend Steve again before we left, so I could get a picture.
I also needed to pick up two bags of plarn, yarn made from plastic bags. I sure hope I can make his cousin proud by making something for a charity out of it. I happen to know the stuff is hard to knit and crochet with. Maybe I’ll weave it? We will see.
Plarn in the car.
It was great to get back to central Texas. It’s so green here (thanks to rain), and it’s nice to see creeks and ponds with water in them. I used to make fun of one of my professors who said he was moved emotionally when he first saw corn upon returning to Illinois. Well, I was moved to see my first corn growing in Texas. I should apologize to Jerry, ha ha.
Ahh. Water.
It was good to pet all the the dogs and hug the heck out of Apache. Even Buttercup the chicken was glad to see me.
I was too busy hugging or petting the rest of the animals to get photos.
I’m remembering that my self care is mostly internal, but the little physical things you do for yourself matter a lot. Hmm. It may be time to take a dip in the pool, one of the best self-care things I do.
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
Surprise! As a child I was very fond of, you guessed it, horse books. I read every horse book in the Sidney Lanier Elementary School library by third grade. The last book the librarian found was Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. She soon learned that sensitive young girls should not be given that book, even if they have advanced reading skills. I cried a lot and had nightmares.
I didn’t like the thought of horses dying gruesome deaths.
I’m glad they now have books for young people with high reading levels that are still children.
My favorite childhood book, Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell, also depicted bad things that happen to a horse, but after I’d read it once, I knew there would be a happy ending, so I let all Sewell’s animal rights propaganda seep into my future Master Naturalist brain by reading my poor copy dozens of times.
This was the 1955 edition I owned. Goodness, that horse has small eyes.
I can tell you what the cover looked like, and how I regretted that I let the plastic coating on the cover peel away. I can smell the book, even. It was the most beloved of a set of beloved horse books, a few of which I still have.
My second favorite. I still have this.
No wonder it was so important to me to find a trainer who was kind to horses and understood them. It’s probably a good thing I waited until I was getting on in years to start formal lessons, so that natural horsemanship could become a “thing.” I wouldn’t have been good at the showing the horse who’s boss by beating them school of training nor the cruel bits/painful sours tack they’d use. Black Beauty didn’t like that either!
That stuff’s for the birds, says Mr Cardinal.
Today was a great example of how Tarrin Warren, my horsemanship coach and horse trainer, works with each horse and rider pair differently, according to the needs and skills of both the horse and the human.
Check this out! Me and Drew happily riding outside of the arena! Happy faces.
I had lessons on both horses, and doing the same exercise I used different techniques to bring out Drew and Apache’s talents and help with their issues, all the while building my skills. This helps me with my confidence in other areas, too.
This horse right here calmly walked by neighing horses, a loud RV, and the previously hated trailer.
Horses are good for people. And looking at Apache’s shining eyes and willing body makes me think maybe they get something from us, too.
I love you, Suna, in my horsey way.
Drew is completely back to his normal self, too. It’s like the past few months never happened. We have fun and I feel perfectly safe with him, even when his leg collapses under him. Heck, today I gave him his shot like a pro, and had ZERO issues bridling him. Those are two things I’d never have believed I could do before.
Calm and happy horse and rider.
So yeah, as much as I loved learning about horses in books as a child, I’m loving it even more with actual horses. Yup, even with all the ups and downs.
Here we are, looking forward to the future. Or looking at Tarrin’s new house.
Tomorrow I promise to write about something other than horses! Or birds. I’m getting rather stuck on topics, but it helps me avoid controversy.
But we birds are fascinating, says the Red-Bellied Woodpecker. I’m also interesting! (Giant Walking Stick)What about me? I came in Suna’s house and she rescued me before dogs found me. That’s interesting. (Gulf Coast Toad)
Whenever I get the urge to write about controversial topics, I think about whether what I’m going to say will help folks out or just needle at people. Rather than needle, I think I’ll be a boring blogger and just write about the goodness in my life.
Fiona has feelings about that
Regardless of my fun-loving long-eared buddy’s opinions, I think contentment is a fine topic. I noticed how Mama Swallow looked content this morning as she gazed at her nearly grown brood, still trying to fit in their nest. She’s almost finished bringing them all those insects!
I’ve done my jobJust one more moth, please?
Much of my own contentment today came from watching little things. There were many Viceroy butterflies dancing around one of the broken willow trees. Maybe they are getting analgesic properties from the sap. Who knows. But it was satisfying to watch all the fluttering.
Viceroy party
I know I get repetitive about this. I do. But who cares, since it’s my blog! Just watching Fiona and the horses enjoying their lives brings me a great deal of contentment. Just knowing that they get to roam, graze, and explore their world warms me up inside.
Drew at peace in his world.
They have alternated between blissful relaxation, diligent chomping, and playing all day today. So much grass to choose from must make them feel good. (And it has NOT made Apache’s feet feel bad, so I know I chose a good time to move them. He was pretty perky in his ground work today).
I’m soooo relaxed.
I had a great time this evening just watching them graze by the pond. Apache loves these little sedges that grow in our moist areas, and there’s a lot of it around the pond. He carefully made his way to the shore and chowed down. That made him thirsty so he splashed and drank and had so much fun that Drew was intrigued, but he never intruded on Apache’s fun.
This is so good, FionaDang, this ragweed is as tall as meI’m outa hereWhatcha doin’?I’m intimidated Mmm, sedgeChompSplash It was more fun in person
One of the best things about living here is just watching animals, whether it’s the chickens hopping on bugs, the dogs chasing each other, cattle, or these guys. They remind me that simple things can make you content.
I did get a funny action shot, too.
Shaky shaky
And now for a photo dump.
Morning relaxation Just hanging We see something I think there are nuts here. Oh, good. Horse butts and crazy Apache tail
It was a fun day for both Lee and our equine buddies. Lee got to shred (that means mow using a shredder pulled behind a tractor) the two pastures the horses haven’t been on, since the grass has seeded.
Ready to shred (no, the hay forks have nothing to do with shredding)
It was time for the horses and Fiona to switch pastures anyway, and I wanted the extra annoying giant cockleburs mowed down before they made seeds this year. I’ve learned a lesson with them! Lee loves to shred, so once he got help attaching the shredder, off he went.
Off he goes
To get there, I had to open the gate, do of course everyone went out to see their old pasture with new grass in it.
Woo hoo!
Where the round bales had been, lots and lots of Johnson grass had grown up (indicating that was not the greatest hay). It was taller than Dusty!
Dusty demonstrates the height of Johnson grass. Note that all horses look fat.
Everyone started to go to town on that dang grass, but I knew it wouldn’t be there long enough to hurt anyone, because Lee was shredding away.
Yum
He says at first, every time he went by the horses they’d run around and kick up their heels. By the fourth time he had to encourage them to move. Typical!
It’s funny but after the initial thrill of seeing their hill and the hay bale locations, they went back to normal. By feeding time they were all in their pens looking for their feed and supplements.
Vlassic says he also appreciates regular meals.
Other than that, today’s excitement included seeing a bobcat cross the road right in front of me (my son saw it in the same spot last week, holding a rabbit), watching barn swallow fledglings on their first flights, and being visited by some purple martins while we were sitting by our pool. Their song is so lovely—I can see why my friend Donna loves them so much.
I’ve been very healthy most of my life, other than being incapable of pushing babies out and having a messed up gall bladder removed. I don’t become ill very often, either. Now that my slightly low thyroid and lady hormones have been adjusted, I’m one healthy elder.
And I’m a great photographer! It’s a katydid at sunset
But today I found out I have a condition! Here’s the story.
Yesterday the guy adjusting my back said I should get it x-rayed to be sure I hadn’t cracked a bone in there. That made sense— it was probably just bruised, but who would want to mess with it if you weren’t sure?
Not me, says Carlton.
So today I thought I’d go to the doctor to get it looked at, but they don’t have x-rays there. So I went to a nice standalone ER place as soon as I got my important work stuff done. It took longer than I’d hoped, especially since I’d forgotten to eat anything.
Goldie never forgets to eat.
Once the doctor found out I’d been thrown off a horse he went into covering all the bases mode and decided to get a CAT scan of my head and back. So, now I know what one of those is like. It’s not bad. Sort of fun, probably expensive.
The bubbles in the draining water are like my money draining away.
I was getting worried I wouldn’t make it home in time for my lessons with Tarrin, but eventually the nice doctor came back and told me that my head and back were okay, which I thought would be the case.
That lifted some dark clouds off my head.
But there was more. I have a splenic artery aneurysm. I guess they really look at you when they scan! It turns out these things are usually found when looking for something else. Mine is 1cm and they get concerned when they are 3cm.
I’m supposed to not fall off things, get kicked in the spleen, or get in a car accident. I told Drew and I think he’s holding off on the naughtiness. Just kidding. I’ll be in touch with my primary care doctor on Monday to see what to do.
Appropriate meme
My guess is they will want to check again in a year. Or they will yank out my poor spleen. I’d like to keep my organs.
Of course I’m still riding. Carefully. Both horses did well today at our place for lessons. It had rained a lot again last night, but we managed a lot with mostly walking. I’m so glad Drew is treating me normally again. That took a while!
No picture of me riding, so here is Tarrin schooling my handsome guys.
Hope you enjoy these sunset photos. There were colors I truly wish I could paint in tonight’s!
Just a quick blog today. After a nice afternoon hanging out with the horses I realized that for the first time in months, all the equines are healthy, happy, and calm. It’s about time!
Apache now comes up every time I call, probably because he loves the feed I hide his pill in. And his appetite is normal. We must have spent 20 minutes after he ate just hanging out. He loves having his poll rubbed after some nice grooming.
Happy horses noshing away.
And Drew is well on his way back to normal as well. I can groom him, though today he pitched a little fit before I got him groomed. The helpful bamboo stick came to the rescue. Earlier in the week he did fine. And I can ride him and get his bridle on. Whew. I’m proud that I have no trouble riding him after the fall I took. And he’s affectionate again. I’d missed that.
Not his most flattering angle. He’s not much fatter. I felt he deserved some nice grass after all his ground work today (the riding was just walking and trotting and stopping.)
I’m relieved none of them got hurt in the storms, too. I can’t even find a cut.
They were supposed to get their dental work done today, but the poor dentist accidentally dropped her expensive bottle of sedatives and it broke! You can’t do teeth safely without sedation. We will try again!
See. We are back to a good relationship. I do wish I could wear a helmet straight.
There was another horse show for the group I participate in, Working Horse Central. Sara and Aragorn went with me and Apache. We had to use our trailer, because Sara’s had gotten damaged in the storms. Mine had only been knocked off its stand, so it was a challenge getting it hitched to her vehicle, but Lee, Sara, and her nephew Justin got it done eventually.
I had a festive new outfit. It was a bit small.
The show had lots of participants, which was really cool. You always learn a lot from everyone at every level. Apache and I learned that a person recovering from a fall and a horse recovering from a laminitic episode aren’t going to do really well in the hottest day of the year so far.
Extra coordinated. My new helmet matched his tack.
I was disappointed in our standings, but we had some good moments and I was proud of how hard we tried. We both sweated a lot. Then I got all red. Luckily, our body worker Jackie was also in the show, and she had a functioning air conditioner in her living quarters trailer. Resting in there allowed us to at least try the final event, though we placed dead last and didn’t even get a ribbon. Wah. I thought we’d done okay, but the truth is that the other folks had great rounds. I enjoyed watching them through the haze of heat.
Doing our best!
I was also proud that I was able to do some of the cleanup and packing, though I felt awful. My back hurt from getting a chiropractic adjustment on the part I hurt worst when I unexpectedly flew off Drew. It needs more work!
Love this action shot of Sara and Aragorn. They are so much fun to watch as they get better and better.
And to add insult to injury, I had a huge blister on my heel, because I cleaned up the storm damage in my rubber boots with no socks on. That was MY fault. It sure made wearing cowboy boots uncomfortable.
Look at all the riders!
However, I survived. Apache did, too. He even made a new friend, one of the horses Tarrin is working with. I came into Apache’s stall to clean his poop, and caught them bonding through the open window. The gray horse was making cute little noises at Apache, and they were nuzzling. Then something happened and they both backed up and started yawning. It was so cute! Made the day worth it.
I don’t know what this means, but they were happy.
I really admire the people at these shows. Here’s an example. There was a woman who had trouble getting up on her horse. Her horse was blind in one eye. But once she was on and warmed up a bit, she was so obviously a skilled rider and the horse was very well trained. Her Agility round was awesome. I hope I’m still willing to put myself out there as long as possible, like her. Great role model for me.
Yes, I read another bird book. The Backyard Bird Chronicles (2024), by Amy Tan (yes, THAT Amy Tan), is very enjoyable for any bird watcher or wannabe bird watcher. It’s absolutely beautiful, too, with many detailed illustrations by Tan, who didn’t start taking art lessons until she was getting on in years. You’d never guess it. She’s a keen observer of our avian buddies.
Yes, the foreword is by THAT David Allen Sibley.
Tan based the book on her bird journal for a few years, including through COVID. She is a dedicated suburban bird feeder with the funds to give them the best a bird could want. I enjoyed reading about how hard she had to work to thwart squirrels and rats from getting all this fine food.
I learned a lot about songbirds of northern California, of which I wasn’t very familiar before. There are lots of similarities to the birds here, just Western versions. Tan’s charming and sometimes a bit naive observations are quite fun to read, even when you know some of her ideas aren’t entirely accurate. But she has so much fun thinking about what birds are thinking, that you just want to roll along with her.
Even though I observe birds differently (no way I’d feed them and encourage even more mice, rats, raccoons, etc.), I got a lot out of her close observations, which I rarely get out in the woods or pasture.
Most of you would probably enjoy this book, both for the writing and the art. And you get insights into Amy Tan’s life. I have loved her memoirs before, and this was sharing her memories on a topic we both love.
Honestly, even non-bird folks will be charmed by this book. Maybe it will inspire others to look closely at the nature around them.
The Hermits' Rest 