Countdown to The Big Move

This time next week I will be outta here... mostly.
Truth is I'm sure there will be a few trips left to make with stuff from the city house to the country house. Matter of fact I may have to unpack some stuff just to bring boxes back to be able to pack more stuff. Yikes.
There is not one room in this house that I can say if officially packed. However there would have been at least a couple tonight if I hadn't run out of boxes lol.
LOADS of stuff left to do. Although we do have our new mailing address as of today! I got the box number at the "Post Office" and picked up the keys.
Yeah "Post Office". Unlike my home town where there was an actual separate building for the post office and you could go in and get access to your PO Box anytime you needed to our new little town has its post office in the local convenience store. And this town rolls up its sidewalks early - the store (and post office) close at 9pm!
Forgive me if I haven't been posting much. I have been keeping up on y'alls blogs for the most part even if I haven't been commenting. But soon there will be posts, and of course pics of the new place once we're settled in!
For now its crunch time. NO extra time off work so its pack, go to work, come home and pack. As well as make arrangement for utilities, pay bills, etc. Oh yeah and eat - I actually forgot to on Sunday! NOT good.
The Dave Manning clinic days 3 & 4 got rained out and are rescheduled for July. Which is good because it gave me more time to prep for moving and hopefully the horses will be in better shape!
Ooooh its shaping up to be a busy week. 9am Monday the "real" fun starts!

Sunday Stills - Landscapes

I've been so busy packing for The Big Move that taking new pics and blogging have had to be set to the side. This week's Sunday Stills theme is landscapes so I pulled a couple from my trip to Peggy's Cove NS.
I love this place. The land has a wild beauty to it. And while I long to visit again it is not somewhere I would ever live... as you can see it is not somewhere that is exactly "horse friendly" lol:
The boulder strewn field. Glaciers left these stones, from small rocks to enormous boulders.

The rocky cliff leading to the ocean's edge. Glacier strewn boulders worn smooth by the sea, wind and time.

Last Ride

*note this is not a "Rainbow Bridge" story*

My mare Cessa is 29 this year. Age is catching up to her and I know, at least in my mind, that any day could be The Day. That's something my heart has trouble remembering.

Cessa is retired now. The vets say that as long as she seems comfortable I can ride her, lightly. I'll admit that I haven't really. From time to time I'll saddle her and pop on for a little walk around the yard or the arena. That's about it, even that little bit makes me feel guilty. Cessa has earned her retirement. So she gets to roam the pastures for exercise and if I want to I can pony her off Applejack.

But I remember the last "real" ride I had on her. The last time that I rode her with any expectation. The last ride that she actually had to do any degree of work.

It was about 2 years ago. Yes that would make her 27, but that day she felt much younger.

I brought her into the barn, groomed her and saddled up. She seemed to have an extra glint in her eye that day. A little more pep in her step as I led her out of the barn.

The weather was beautiful. Warm, not hot. We headed across the yard and down the driveway. Turned left and headed into the nice, grassy ditch. Cessa gave a toss of her head, her shiny mane flirting with the soft breeze.

The last few years when walking away from home she'd go slowly, almost like she felt like a feeble old lady. Of course that was a trick. As soon as we turned for home she'd be jigging and prancing. But that day her walk was smooth and forward. Like she had places to go and things to do.

We crossed the neighbour's driveway and settled into a jog. Of course neither of us was happy with that for long and we kicked it up to a nice long trot.

I didn't want to tire Cessa so after a few minutes of trotting I sat deep and we settled into that beautiful, smooth walk again.

Cessa kept tossing her head and occasionally would take a playful, quick step. Almost as if to say "C'mon lets GO! Let's make the most of this great day and have a FUN ride!" I gave in and squeezed with my legs as I opened my fingers a bit on the reins. Cessa didn't need a second invitation and flowed into a slow lope.

I smiled as I watched her ears flicking back and forth as we rocked along. Cessa was breathing nice and easy. She felt solid and steady... and ready.

I moved my hand forward the tiniest bit and she sped up a fraction. One ear was locked forward, the other one kept flicking back to me.

I put on a bit more leg and she happily kicked it up a notch. We played this game for a minute or two. A bit more leg, a bit freer rein and she'd speed up. Every time giving me exactly how much I asked for. Then I sat deep and we went back to a walk. Breathing a bit hard but not too bad Cessa kept playfully tossing her head and trying to sneak in a quicker step or two. She still wanted to run.

Instead I made her walk for a little longer before I gave her a pat and some leg and off we went again. This time I just let her run. Hand forward onto her neck, a deep squeeze with my leg. She sped up in fractions for the first few strides. Almost like she couldn't believe I was letting her go.

She loped the first few strides. Then loped a little faster. A few more strides and a little faster. And then she WENT. I could feel her mouth firm on the bit but not lugging and that wonderful surge of muscles as she hurtled into high gear. The breeze and the speed created tears that streamed from my eyes. For awhile I sat steady and let her run as fast as she wanted.

With a happy sigh I pulled my hand back closer to the horn and sat deep. Cessa slowed to a lope and then a reluctant trot. After a stride, or three, I closed my fingers more on the reins and she somewhat grudgingly came back to a walk.

Her bay coat was glossy with a light sweat as we walked home. I think when we got back to the barn we were both smiling.

To this day the memory of that ride is something I hold dear in my heart.

Mother Nature...

must be trying to make amends for that horrible weather she sent us earlier this month. The past week was GORGEOUS. Sunny, warm, heck I even got a bit of colour! Today it almost hit 30! (Celsius my southern friends... that is about 85ish for you)
I was even able to take a bit of time for myself and go for a few rides during the week. Those will be sooo much easier to squeeze in after the big move!
Speaking of which, the time is sure speeding by. I still have to make arrangements for utilities at the new place. I really hope I can keep my phone number when we move... I've had it for over 20 years!! When I was about 13 my parents let me get my own private line in my bedroom and I paid the bill with my babysitting money. No matter where I've moved in Saskatoon and my hometown of Warman I've been able to keep that number. Not sure if I'll be able to keep it now though. Kinda sad, but silly too.
Actually the last couple days I've been feeling a bit of sadness mixed up with the excitement of moving. After all this house has been Home to me and Pie since just before we got engaged. We moved in here right before Christmas... our 2nd Christmas together (but the 1st one we actually spent together). I know its normal to feel a bit sad but don't worry, the excitement is definitely winning out - living on an acreage with my horses has been my dream all my life! lol
I am NOT expecting a birthday gift this year from Pie, moving will be good enough! lol But I've started looking around for something for him... something he really wants, although I'm not sure why. He wants a donkey. His birthday is in July so I've got some time to find one, AND to decide if its a good idea for us to get one! lol
Now I'm going to sneak some time to catch up on some blogs... oh and to say a prayer that this gorgeous weather lasts for awhile. I've got that Dave Manning clinic this weekend :)

Live for the Moment

I've spent a few days thinking. Trying to come up with the right words for this post. There is a lot of pent up emotion churning inside me.
I still don't think I've got them, its all still a bit jumbled, but I need to get this out of my head so please bear with me...

Planner. Procrastinator. Both words fit me, in a weird contradictory sort of way. I make plans, I make lists. But I put things off to the last minute, or beyond.

(let us not even go into the "how's the packing for the big move going?" lol)

Seems there's always some sort of excuse. Even with all that I try to be there for life as it happens. To live for the moment. To appreciate what I have while I have it. To enjoy what I'm doing while I do it. To be thankful for those in my life while we're together. But I know I can do better at that... and I need to make it a priority.

Horses can be a dangerous hobby/career. (hang on this does tie together) We can try to make things as safe as we can but "stuff" can still happen.
I spend a good chunk of my time disagreeing with my in-laws about this. They really don't think being involved with horses is a good thing. They'd love it if we sold all the horses. They just think about the dangers.
My usual reply is that I could just as likely trip on the stairs and break my neck as get hurt with my horses. That I HAVE been hurt, and worse, in car accidents than in any of my horse accidents. Does that mean I should never get in a car again? Ah-ha but I could get hit crossing the street if I was a pedestrian!

The truth is I have never pictured my life without horses in it in some way. And I am thankful for horses... but the risk involved is there and not to be ignored.

Sunday morning a friend/acquaintance of mine lost her mother in a wreck. Long story short she was driving a team, one horse spooked, equipment broke, the team bolted and Mrs. K fell out of the wagon and broke her neck.
A freak accident and a mother lost her mother on Mother's Day.

Then I found out that the day before, Saturday, a lady I barrel race with had a freak accident roping. She had just dallied on and her horse took a bad step and flipped. She was thrown clear but the momentum of the steer pulled hard enough on the rope that her horse got pulled over and onto her as it was tumbling. He crushed her into the ground resulting in broken bones and head injuries. She was taken to the hospital and admitted as a trauma. Up until Tuesday every time she stood up she'd get dizzy and/or pass out. (that could still be happening I haven't gotten any news past Tuesday evening)
It was another freak accident, she was on her good ole broke horse, not one of her colts. And she's lucky. If it had not been for where she landed she would have been hurt a LOT worse. The ground was freshly worked and fairly deep so it cushioned her as Dez rolled onto her, in fact there was a hollow in the ground shaped like her when the ambulance took her away.

We all hear of stories like these. Or have experienced them or bore witness to them ourselves. Does that mean we stop being horsepeople?
Well for some of us that answer is yes. For others it means we consider it. I for one have been haunted by these two stories the last few days.
Yesterday I went for a nice ride on Applejack and felt the sun beaming down on me, the breeze caressing my cheek and the ever so sweet smell of a sun warmed horse. And for me the answer is no. At this time I still cannot see myself without horses. I plan on trying to appreciate ALL I can squeeze out of every day and enjoy life and my friends and family while I can.

Don't wait to tell your loved ones you love them (I'm so glad for C's sake that she had already called her mom and told her "Happy Mother's day mom I love you" before the accident)

Don't put off vacations/trips/whatever it is you want...

Sadly tomorrow doesn't always come.

My thoughts and prayers are with both my friends and their families that I mentioned above as they struggle through this time of grief and healing.

Deer me

Got a question that I'm hoping some of you may be able to help with.
It involves deer. And gardening. And (of course) horses.

I want to plant some flowers/bushes at the new place that look pretty but that the deer won't destroy. And they must be safe to have around horses, because you know even if they aren't in the pasture flowers/leaves/seeds/spores/etc can be blown there by the wind!

At this time I do not plan on having a vegetable garden. I want to spend the first year there just getting into the routine of being there with my critters before I add something like a veggie garden (or chickens??) ;) into the mix.

Dear Mother Nature

My horses and dogs would like to know what the deal is? Seriously ma'am, what's your problem?
They said to tell you that you might think this is funny but its not.
They appreciated the nice weather and the longer days. They took your cue and started to shed out their coats.
And then the rain came. So then it was wet and cold.
Okay okay so "April showers bring May flowers".
What the heck does May snow bring?!
It brings grumpy, wet, cold critters.
Please bring back the sun.