Time Runs Short When the Well Runs Dry

Apparently, every once in a while I need a good, swift kick in the pants to remind me that time is a luxury we should never take for granted.  I've been very fortunate lately to experience a break from my usual hassles and fiascoes, so I got lulled into a false sense of security that I can actually plan out my day and follow through on it without any extraneous events throwing me for a loop.

The Great Mongoose Hunt

Back to the topic of our trip to Hawaii.  I didn't want to bore you by talking about our vacation in every post for the next month, so I've been interspersing trail riding posts in between.  On our last day in Hawaii, we had to check out of our hotel by noon and our first flight did not take off until something like 8:30 at night.  That meant we had to find something to do all afternoon that

Rock has ADD

I rode Rock out today and he has discovered that with that soft, fuzzy fabric I wrapped around the nose ropes of his halter, he can now do whatever he wants with his head and it doesn't hurt.  He was snatching snacks all the way down the trail, lowering his head to sniff manure and refusing to lift it back up when I pulled and admonished him, and gawking in all directions.  He tried to turn

Sunday Morning Trail Ride

Bombay and I headed out for the trails this morning and while I was saddling him up, my neighbor came racing down his driveway revving his engine as he went.  Bombay heard it, but couldn't see what was going on from the other side of the trailer, so he got nervous.  He began doing a little dance from side to side while I attempted to adjust his saddle.  Weekday mornings are so much easier when

Helmet Cam Test 2

This time I succeeded in catching the GoPro Hero when it switched from video to camera mode, and I switched it back to video mode.  However, it got out of sync with my button pushes, so I wasn't filming when I thought I was filming, and vice versa.  It will be easier when I ride with someone else, because I can just ask them, "Is there a big red light blinking on my forehead?"

Anyway, I thought

Helmet Cam Test

Bombay took me for a trail ride this morning to test out our new GoPro Hero 2 Outdoor Edition camera that my husband gave me for Christmas.  I strapped it to my helmet.  I figured I'd do something stupid to screw up the test, so I kept my expectations low.  Because the camera is tiny, the LED screen is tiny, so I have to put on my strongest reading glasses indoors to see if I'm putting it on the

It's Been a Blitz

The past few weeks have been a complete blitz.  I'm having trouble remembering everything that happened, but it seemed to happen all at once, and I'm hoping to get back to a more relaxed pace with a predictable routine.  While in Hawaii, our horseback guide convinced us to drive around the perimeter of the big island to see Kona.  We only made it as far as the outskirts of the city, and there was

Horseback Riding in Paradise

My husband and I went to the big island of Hawaii for our silver anniversary.  Because he works all the time, he was mainly interested in resting, but he was willing to go on a horseback ride.  I researched our options and chose an outfit that would take us into the mountains to view waterfalls, valleys, and the ocean.

Our guide picked us up in a van and gave us a little tour of his town on the

Where Did I Disappear To?

Part of the reason why I was so upset about Lostine's condition, beside the obvious, was the timing of it.  We were just a few steps away from being out the door for a trip to a far away land.  I've been waiting 37 years to return to this place, and thought I was going to have to cancel our flights, hotel, and car rental because of Lostine's bout with colic.  Fortunately, she steadily improved,

Friday the 13th

On Friday the 13th I was in school all morning, came home, ate lunch, and then took my son to the dental surgeon to have his wisdom teeth pulled.  I expected his appointment to be about two hours long, but the surgeon said he'd be done in 45 minutes to an hour.  We asked him to call in the prescriptions ahead of time, so that we could pick them up before we picked our son up.  My husband and I

Abstract Reflections

I've been finishing up my final week of photography classes.  In my pet photography class, the instructor showed us how I could improve on my pictures using PhotoShop.  I have an old CS3 copy of PhotoShop, but didn't want to mess with my homework, because I thought it would be cheating.  The instructor has been more interested in the choices we make when we frame up a shot and press the shutter

A Major Milestone

This has been a long time coming, and after months of precautions and preparations, we were finally able to ride two horses across a busier road than the one in front of my house.  After how sore I was from walking after not being able to get back into the saddle after dismounting to cross a road on Monday, I was not going to get out of that saddle for anything.  Don't get me wrong.  I do like

These Boots are Made for Walkin'

It turned out that the grass hay was delivered on a flatbed truck with two men to move and stack it.  They weren't happy about having to stack it 15-feet high.



They also informed me that they have hay year round because of the contract they have with the supplier.  He stores it all for the feed store.  So, now I know where I can get it in smaller quantities throughout the year.  I will just

Stocking Up for Winter

On the horse front, I've been scrambling to find hay.  I got down to one bale of grass and three bales of alfalfa.  I called my grass hay farmer and he didn't return my call.  I called a couple more times just to make sure he didn't just get busy and forget about me, but apparently he's not in business at the moment.  Must have run out of hay.  So, I called my alfalfa hay farmer, and arranged to

A December to Remember

This December is one of the busiest months I've had in years.  There's school, homework, field trips and real trips, expected and unexpected appointments.  There's Christmas.  So far I have only set out our tiny fake LED Christmas tree and still need to decorate.  When we received our first Christmas card of the year, I panicked, realizing that I hadn't included sending cards on my agenda.  I've

Old Dog Blues

After going through a ton of veterinary appointments, surgeries, medications, time, and money over the past couple of years for my two old dogs, I thought things had finally settled out and we were all going to get some rest.  But then I received a card in the mail claiming that Midge was due for her rabies vaccination.  I nearly flipped.  Why hadn't the vet just given it to her when he saw her a

Got the Shivers

P.S. came by mid-afternoon and had a hankering to go for a ride, even though it was raining.  I checked the weather map and no systems were moving in, but rain clouds just seemed to be forming directly over us.  I told her to go ahead and do what she wanted, and I'd come out in 15 minutes.  If the sky looked any better, I'd ride with her.  It was starting to clear up to the north, south and west,

The Honeymoon is Over

My calendar was full for today, but ironically, everyone else canceled on me, leaving me a whole day to do what I desired, and I desired to ride a horse on the trails.  I rode Bombay last time, so I rode Rock this time, and Rock decided to begin testing me.

Let me first say that my mount was sloppy.  I bent my fingernail backwards and slammed down into the saddle while screeching in pain, which