Casual Friday

Have you ever had one of those days when you just couldn't be troubled to get all spiffed up? And you didn't want to waste any time on the nonessentials when there were more important things to be done?

Brita has finally stopped interfereing with my glorious mud spa routine. After all, I'm just going to have to re-do it after she leaves. The first couple of years, it was all primping and blanketing. My clothes were laundered once a week, and my tail wash washed and fluffed. Now, the clothes reside cozily in the tack trunk all fluffy and clean smelling and only come out when I'm feeling icky and shivery. I'm coated from head to toe in two inches of muck, Brita only carves out a clean spot where the saddle goes. Sometimes it takes awhile to work out compromises so that everyone gets what they want.

Get out and Vote!

...so we can put away these spooky signs. They make unexpected moves in the wind, and creep me out.

Family Foto Friday

Ride 'em Cowgirl!

So you say that it used to be so much more fun to ride a silver pony that felt like a coiled spring.... ready to test the limits of one horse power in a vertical context? Sissy... Get out yer winter gear, and let's ride!

"Bronco Billy"

Bless Me

Dear Linda Fromouttatown,

I heartily apologise for emptying the entire contents of my left nostril directly into your face. I know you were only admiring my soft, velvety, grey nose. But when Brita showed you how irrestistably kissable it was, I got a tickle. In fact, I think she might have infected me with the sniffles she had last week. I'm glad she had a mostly clean tissue in her pocket to help you round up the chunks. I hope you won't hold it against me and will come back to visit soon. I haven't seen you all afternoon, and you were around a lot for the past week, so I imagine you've gone back to Georgia where cold and flu season is a few weeks behind. Really, in the future, you shouldn't get that close to a guy's nose. Murphy's Law will certainly take over.

Sincerely,
William Pendleton Grey Esq.

I tried to save them... but they wouldn't listen.

This morning the Evil Transporter Device backed up to the cow pasture gate and the two fat steers were loaded and taken away. I did my best to save them. I bucked and kicked and whirled and whinnied at the top of my lungs like I do whenever the Evil Transporter is in action.

Mom shut me in the barn so I couldn’t see, but still I cried. “Nay.... do not go into the Transporter Device. It is very dangerous!” I was so insistent that Uncle Dad threatened to muzzle me.

They did resist, but the fat steers are so passive (and I suspect a bit dumb) so in the end, they succumbed to the persuasion and bribery and were taken away. The Evil Transporter has returned empty to lurk outside the barn and I fear I shall never see my bovine neighbors again. Alas, the insatiable, yawning, maw of the Transporter Device frets me so. Nothing good can come of this.

A Cure for the “Octobers”

It finally stopped raining! Hooray! We haven’t seen the sun in over 10 days, and we were rewarded with a perfect autumn day… high, crystal blue skies, lush green grass, and brilliant color. What a view… and what’s that I spy?

Tally ho!

The oatfield, now lush with a winter cover of red clover, was a bit mushy, but the gusty winds will soon take care of that! As soon as I rounded the lower end, I slipped into a brisk canter just knowing that I would be allowed to breeze up the side. Brita had forgotten her grab strap so she gave me a cautionary warning and tried to keep up. I held it together (despite a motorcycle whizing by) and it felt so good to get out and stretch my legs!



Mom met us on the roadside to take some pictures.

I don’t remember my canter depart being that ummm…. abrupt. Normally I am a pretty mellow fellow. But it made for inspirational photography!

Did you know....

... that there are people who will come to your house and spend hours doing nothing other than rub your sore spots? There ARE. If I had known that, I would have ordered one long ago. Mom and Brita got me a session, and it was a really nice surprise, because as we all know, after the recent events around here, Brita is the one who could really use the back rub.



Brita came to ride a little later than usual, and we did a nice slow warm up. I'm doing so well with my new Dee bit. We're even starting to work on "simple changes" which are not simple at all. It took me 5 and 6 trot strides to realise I was supposed to canter again. But, I'm catching on, and I'm sure it will become more organised soon.



After I was put up and dry, a visitor arrived. Her name was Marnee and she came from Aways-a-way, which is where all good horse professionals seem to come from. Finally an Equine Practitioner who does not pull horse juice, jab me with potentially deadly viruses, or rattle my head with corded power tools. I LIKE her!



She got real familiar real fast. I don't like people messing with the top of my neck. Brita told her she thought I have tempermandibblersomethingorother. Marnee just said I was "out" at my poll, which is not the same as being out of my head. I hope.

She poked and prodded a bit, but she had some real nice smelling stuff...

...And before long I was making a happy face.

Then she rubbed my favorite spots. She said my neck was really tight, especially on this side.

When she got to my shoulders and chest I really got into it.

And I stretched waaaaayyyyy back to loosen the right muscles and get the full benefit.

She also spent time on my back and legs.

My back had some sore spots which made Brita feel bad, but Marnee assured her they weren't so bad that Brita shouldn't sit on them.

After all this rubbing and loosening, I went for a little walk, then Marnee got up on a mounting block and cracked my sackereallyack. You could really hear it pop. We all wonder if now my tail will follow straight behind me.

Afterwards, my friend Face-Off got a massage and adjustment too. He's been REALLY cranky under saddle because he says everything hurts, and not just his feet. After his session, he leaped and jumped around. I think we all feel better tonight. Brita says it was reasonable enough that if this makes us feel this good, we can have to done more regular, and in the mean time, she learned a few places that I need a good rubbing.