Toasted with A Side of Laughter....

Yesterday Linda and I set out early to load up our horses, food, and necessary items to go on an early morning trail ride with our equine club Hlll Country Equine Friends . Since my son's father was in Iraq for ten months and I was the sole caretaker, I haven't been available to participate in all of the cool activities this club has had to offer! Also, my time in Texas is drawing to a close, so I was really looking forward to this one! It was supposed to be a camping weekend getaway, and then when folks were not RSVP'ing--due to vacations, a broken arm, and (I personally think) the heat-- it was cancelled and turned into an AM trail ride. Wusses! Just KIDDING! Well, only the true die-hard ride in the heat like I do (Linda too!), I suppose! Bring on the heat! I would've camped anyway! I love camping! We got there, checked in, and preceded to the three campsites that we had reserved. I found out on the way to the Park, that the only OTHER person coming was another woman that I had actually met before. I was happy, she is a cool gal! In fact, my Stubben breast collar used to be hers! I was also hoping our vet and his wife might make it. Our vet = one cool dude. I love that he NEVER minds all my questions, paired with the fact that he is a wealth of interesting knowledge and HELP. So strike the camping trip, AND THEN, our group trail ride! Argh.! The gal who was coming left us a message. She had had a blowout (on her property, thank GOD) and was not going to make our ride time. Our good friend Lorri--who isn't a heat wimp, and was MISSED by Linda and myself-- had gone to Houston to pick up her new Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named COPPER! BTW: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY COPPER!

Linda and I tacked up, locked up-- *important to note for later*,  put the cooler in the shade, and headed out. There were lots of people on the in the park. On the more popular trails. Since Linda helped build the trails (on 5,000 acres!) some thirty years ago, she knew right where to go---shade, shade, and not a lot of rock for my boy's back feet--we need boots--no more rock bruises! It was also one of the paths not as "known about". YEAH! Luckily, we only ran into two groups on our 2 hour trail ride. SWEET! I love navigators who actually know where they are, and what they're doing. So we had some great areas to look at, LOTS of shade, and cantering, trotting areas on some really nice soft ground. Side by side much of the ride! We didn't do TONS of MOVIN', due to the heat of course, but enough to satisfy the itch! We did lots of cooling them out in between, so they were hot, but never panting. Sweaty, but never scarily so. There was a breeze as well, OH HAPPY DAY!

Views  in the distance...

She's going up! Tiny hill to get to a photo op....

Linda on Red (the Growth, as I call him....:) He was really nice to Jackson yesterday, Thanks RED!

RED caught in a compromising position...Honestly, for some reason, neither one of us realized he was peeing, WE DO get up off of their kidneys for that! We cracked up when we realized we had caught this later, RED is now humiliated viva la Internet! ---BIG SMUG GRIN on my face---

Why the dislike? He runs me down if the mood strikes him (to get out the gate!) ohhhhhhh....bad, bad bad..., and he IS MEAN TO MY HORSE! HE IS A BIG, FAT, growth of a  Missouri Foxtrotter...I tease about him, but I guess I grudgingly admit a "certain" fondness for him. Every few months or so... :)

COOL looking dead woods...

"Mom--Listen. I am quite sure there are EQUINE EATING MONSTERS

in them thar' woods."  Me: "Chillax. Let's GO!" So he did (after a nice firm kick!:).

Made it...phew!

Almost perfectly square!

I apologize for the multitude of Mindy and Jackson pics. I have none of us since I hit my goal weight, and Linda shot some GREAT ones (of Jackson anywhoo!), and I wanted to share! Yes, I know his mane still needs pulled properly. I'd rather ride than stand in the heat and play with a mane! It's on my TO DO list. At the bottom. Really, I'm ashamed at my horridness. REALLY. Oh God. I can't live with it... I AM a bad mom, I guess! :) I do know how to pull a mane. Three different (correct) ways, in fact. I have no pride. LOL!

And then...suspenseful music begins to play...DA DA DUMB DUMB DUMB....we got back to our camp, and Linda realized she had brought the ignition key, but not the key that unlocks the truck doors! DOH! I am truly bad luck, this is the third time in 1 month or so that she has lost a key (tubing), locked it in her car (lunch at a restaurant), or forgot it (yesterday)! Seriously. I just shook my head. I should know at this point to A)have copies of all her keys, and B) remind her about any and ALL keys. I just laughed and got on top of the truck cab to get reception via cell phone. I then called MY insurance companies roadside assistance--guaranteed in 90 minutes--WORD. When the tow truck driver arrived to unlock the door, we got him to show us the tool. NOT a slim jim. He showed us how to make it. It involves a long slim piece of thin flexible plastic folded in half with sandpaper at the crease. You can make it for less than $1.50. Cool! He got the door open in less than two minutes. WOW. While we were waiting, we had untacked, given the horses a little hay, ate (quickly), and then rode both horses bareback with halters and lead ropes to the wash rack located about a mile down for baths with my rice brush and a bit of horse wash. LORD, I love that rice brush! If you never do anything, spend the money on a REAL (not synthetic) rice brush! It is the grooming brush I love the most, perfect for baths and getting to the root of the problem! We were leading the horses back from their baths when when Mr. Nice Tow Truck Guy showed up and we told him to go on ahead! As mentioned, he had it open in record time, we loaded the horses, and made a slight detour to the leather/tack store to get various items repaired. SUPER reasonable and great work! We were in there 10 minutes tops and parked in the shade! We made it home, safe, alive, and TIRED! Good times, good times....

Blog Winners--Finally Announced....

YEAH. Sorry 'bout that. I did, however notify the winners on the specified day!! Congrats to Pru over at BigRedHorse on winning the horsehoe of her choice, she has chosen red and black which are her and Olly's eventing colors. Winner #2 was Kristen who owns Laz over at SweetHorsesBreath . She now has no excuse not to clean her tack--she won the Leather CPR. I put all contestants in a bowl and pulled out the winners, so I did not even do it like I said I would, making it easier to win! I guess the prize giver can change her mind, eh? :) In case anyone is interested in which of the hay bags I would pick if I were to buy one: I really liked the Tye Dye and the Girrafe Print! They are so quirky and weird--cool! That said, they are mongo expensive in my book. But since when are these horsey hunks of love cheap? Which one would I NEVER, EVER buy? The zebra print! UGH...

Congrats, ladies. I do sell the shoes, and for my blog buds will make it very reasonable, but at this time am BACKLOGGED! I really only make them when the mood hits, and custom orders are the hardest. I always worry that they won't be liked and the shoe ends up getting three weeks of thought, and then I do it in an hour! I prefer to go with my gut, make them, and then sell them or give them to friends... That said, I've never done red and black, this will be fun.

I may be blog-o-cating for awhile, but I will post it all e-ven-tuall-y!

Jackson says "Congrats gals, now where is MY treat?"

Don't you love how you think you got a good shot, then realize something like your tack is ahem. not fully latched? argh. It was hot. And this was not taken with my phone even! I got out the darn camera! Points for that at least.... :)

The Dance We Do

Miles & Piper P. McPiperson a.k.a. The Mayor of Munchtown (18 lb. cat!!!)

This pic is almost a year old, thanks to the teenage NO PICS rule that has come down...

This blog is where I talk about my horse, and this title would have been a rather nice one to illustrate some of my more recent dressage lessons, but I think a post about my first favorite guy (the human one that came ten years before Jackson...) to be a bit more fitting. Rarely do I say much about my son Miles, mainly because I come here to talk about my horse. So. Here we are. Miles is fourteen and has grown to be as tall as me--5'9--maybe taller, and is still growing. Miles also has gingery red hair and a smattering of freckles, and some of the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen. I love my son to death, and would gladly die for him in any torturous way you can dream up. It really is true that when you have a baby you reach inside your chest, extract your own heart, and give it away to that little person. Everything changes and nothing will ever be the same. NOTHING. Loving my son as I do, I am SO glad I only had one.

I get every comment in the world regarding this. "Oh, You'll meet someone and have another one", is my absolute favorite! I think it floors people when I tell them honestly, "You know, some people aren't meant to be parents, they just aren't really that great at it, and I have decided not to perpetuate the species any further." The predictable looks of amazement and shock are a sight to see, let me tell you! My favorite thing is when my reply actually seems to get through to someone, and they GET what I'm trying to say. Instead of having four children (and a mental breakdown), I have decided to stop. I personally think it shows great forethought, fortitude, and genuine caring for all the little potential Mindy's that won't get fertilized and hatched! That's right folks, I'm going to take a LEAP and say it! "Parenting just AIN'T MY THANG!" I have no regrets, and I try my hardest, but if you know this about yourself, why would you keep breeding?

My son and I have been battling it out over where he is going to move now that his Dad took an intelligence job in Maryland--he returned from Iraq after 10 months in May, and subsequently retired from the Air Force. Well, not battling JUST about that, we battle about any and everything! We have been like two storm fronts meeting, and fighting for the very same air in the room. Just the other day I nicely asked him to do something, and he just said, "No." There I am, "What, how dare you?" and go to squawk at him (like the teacher in Charlie Brown) and realized I was looking UP at my little 8 lb. bundle of joy. Wha? It freaked me out pretty badly. It was so VERY weird. Teenager in the house. Time to run. I was a VERY REBELLIOUS teenager...

So yes, the decision has been made by my son to go to Maryland and live with his father. We have always manage to co-parent somewhat; I have known his dad since we were both fifteen. I have also decided that after following his dad to three different states in order to keep Miles' world intact, he is now old enough to be without me. I sure hope I'm old enough to be without him! I'll go to Florida I hope, and we can start accumulating our frequent flyer points. Oh. And that is an act of love. I don't really like to fly.... Too bad I can't scuba dive or ride to go see him. Hmmm. I'll have to look into some sponsors for those two ideas... :)

So, the point of this early morning meandering is Miles. And how I think he is the BEST writer. He wrote me the following poem, and I think it's pretty cool. His other writing's are great, but this is a momma favorite. FOLKS! My son can write better than me!!! Oh yeah. Most people can... Well, anyway, enjoy.

Where I'm From

I am from nature, from Portal and Half Life.

I am from a one story house Filled with books and trinkets.

I am from the oak tree who is strong like my Father, and

The Daisy, soft like my Mother. When combined

Making me a leaf. I am from running and wrestling

And Bright neon Red hair, from Glenn and Mindy.

I am from laughing often and extreme stubborness.

From a penny saved is a penny earned,

And lead a horse with a carrot and stick.

I am from Christianity and laid back worship.

I am from Ireland, and sushi and Payee.

I am Miles, and this is where I'm from.