My Birthday Ride

Yesterday was my 47th birthday. Yesterday I had a lot of mixed emotions and I fought tears all morning. Why? I have NO idea, but it was there.

Then some friends, my husband, and my parents made the day better. Dan and Clarissa planned a small ride, Jay coordinated (smirk) and Mom and Dad started a rack of ribs early in the day so we could eat before the ride. Oh! and we stopped in afterwards for cake. :-D

The BEST gift, however... came from my dear friend Janie. She and I have had our battles in the last year or so. She's dumped me twice and I've been working diligently to help her get over her head-shyness.

I took her to the playday just to hang out on Saturday and she was a bit wound up. She fought me, and we danced. She was vocal looking for "her friends" and I went along with it for the most part. She wasn't the dream-girl I know on that day. But tonight? She didn't miss a beat.

I left work about 5 minutes early because I was anxious to get home to ride. As I pulled into the drive I see a pretty sorrel face with a pretty white blaze peeking around the trailer at me. Right then I smiled. She loaded perfectly and we headed out to my folks to eat before the ride. We got to Branched Oak and she unloaded like a veteran and stood kindly while I saddled up. She was relaxed, I was relaxed, and she moved out as lead horse for most of the ride.

Then we get to the good part. There's a sandpit with swallow nests. Those who have been there know it's a small area, but it's very steep in some parts. And it's sandy. Sand is loose. Ok... that said..... I will continue on.

My friend, Jamie, was the brave soul last time I was out there and she took Cherokee up a slope and over the top that you had to step up about two feet to get over the edge. We followed that day and I was tickled to death. So tonight the four of us rode in there and I thought I'd do that again! YEAH! lol

Only! I don't know if Janie suspected that that particular route was unsafe or what, but she headed up the slope I guided her to and instead of going what I thought was "the easy way" she instead headed straight where I had initially pointed her and went up what I thought was THE HARDER WAY! And we did it twice. :-)

Here I have a beautiful young horse who has the brains and athletic ability to take you safely through something like that. I have NO doubt this horse would be a blast at Whoa Cripes or any other extreme trail I would find.

When we got back to the trailer I rubbed her down completely and gave her the biggest hug I could muster. She truly gave me the best gift I ever could have asked for tonight. The pictures aren't clear because the sun was going down and we were down in a valley. But I will cherish them nonetheless.

2009 Lancaster County Fair

Vanessa and Annie executing the gate to go on to win Reserve Champion in Elementary Trail!

The best old horse in the world waiting for his turn at the Working Ranch Horse portion of the Fair!

Vanessa and Spike showing off one of the three trophies they won at the Working Ranch Horse show. They won Goat Tying, Working Cow Pattern I and got Reserve Champion in Working Cow Pattern II. One of the COOOLEST parts of the show was the fact that they caught their calf in Breakaway roping. I was so excited I messed up the camera and ended up photographing the ground instead of their ride. :-)

Heather/Dudley and Vanessa/Annie at the 2009 Lancaster County Fair. Pretty girls and pretty horses.

Vanessa and Annie sporting their Trail trophy.

Vanessa and Annie with identical expressions on their faces as if to say "Can we PLEASE be done taking pictures now?"

Makena crashed out. Fair is exhausting!

Vanessa/Rosebud and Heather/Prince lined up for placings after their Reining patterns.

A llama walked by lol. One would think neither Buck nor Jay has ever seen a llama before!

The Capital City Bit and Bridle 4-H Club dirty and tired after a long week of Fair!

All That and a Bag of Chips

My two best riding buddies and our hubbies headed up to Oak Creek Trail Friday night. There was supposed to be a full moon. Rich and Michael haven't ridden much so we put them on the trusty steeds named Cherokee (the appy) and Rosebud (the paint).

Rich was quite pleased with the fact that his daughter painted up Cherokee with blue handprints on his butt in fine indian style! Rich is part Sioux and he was feeling right at home on his painted appy!

We loaded up our saddle bags. I was riding my 4yo Paint mare, Janie. She's getting quite good at being "pack horse". I had a drink holder and two bags hanging from the horn. I also had a big bag of chips wrapped inside a jacket and tied behind the cantle. Each time we would trot or lope we risked breaking chips because they were making nice annoying shaky-rattly noises on her rump, but she handled it like a pro.

We came to a water-crossing. Jay and Buck flew through. Not much bothers Buck. Rich and Cherokee hesitated slightly but Cherokee went through really well. Marie took Michael up to the limestone and around because we knew Rosebud would take a flying leap over it and figured Michael probably wouldn't be on the top side once she reached the other side!

Prince hestitated so Janie and I walked past them to see if he would follow. She hesitated only slightly then moved forward. I actually thought she was going to walk through, but I was wrong. She took a leap and I'm grateful for prominent swells because I wasn't quite as ready for it as I thought I would be.

Deb had a bit more of a difficult time. Prince has come a looooooong ways in the last few years but he still things that water and mud just isn't worth his time crossing.

The picture tells the story and you can see it on my youtube! Prince was ok, Deb was ok.. albeit she got really dirty lol. But I about crapped when I saw them disappear from sight! It's a good thing this wasn't a river with a current or I'd have been racing down the shoreline trying to find a large limb for her to grab! :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-gKEF8hfok

Soooooo down the trail we went. I'm not really sure what type of foliage this is on Prince's head, but it makes for a dandy bridesmaid hairpiece. He wore that thing the entire rest of the ride.

At last! we reach the fine burg of Loma! Most famous for the filming location of Too Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmahr (or something like that). It's a really cute town. Other than one day where a dude pulled up waving a gun at me asking "Where's Big Jim?" it's full of really nice people! Actually gun-guy turned out to be nice too, he was just looking for a local fellow who does gun repair. But it was quite an interesting experience so say the least!

Ok, I digress.

Deb had packed two pie-tins FULL of excellent taco-y bean dip. I heard her mention dip and thought I saw her put something in Buck's saddle-bags, but I had NO idea that it was this yummy treat! So I untied the bag of chips from Janie's saddle and we munched to our hearts' content! None of the chips were even broken! :-)

Marie was feeling fine.

Rich reminded me of Prince's fart cloud at the exact moment that Deb wanted me to take a "nice picture" of them.

Betty is the proprietor of the bar in Loma. What a nice woman! She loves when we stop to visit her. She was even telling one of the local guys about the time Jay and I were on the trail and got caught in a thunderstorm. We waited it out in the bar with her while watching the radar on television.

She was happy to see us and gave Jay a nice big zuchini!!!! (how in the HELL do you speel zookini? lmao.. giggling at myself)

Marie is suddenly back in love with her long-time boyfriend, Michael. I must say, he did a damn fine job riding Rosebud for 14.7 miles just to please her. Methinks he's okie dokie.

Buck faked us into thinking he was tired. However.. as always... he was the first one back to trailer by a long shot.

We were getting ready to head out of Loma and make the return trip back to the trailers. It's midnight now and very dark. The full moon is hidden by cloud cover. Oh well!!!!!! Mount up Outlaws!!!!

I always wonder about the rumor of mountain lion and hobo-ghost on that trail though. But I haven't seen either yet! :-)

Jay still has his zooooooookini. I have no idea where it is at the very moment, but he had it then, by gawd! Since I'm the one usually sporting the camera, Jay was kind enough to take a picture of me with the rest of the group. I look like a tiny-person!!!!!! (that's me on the far left) Janie's not a small horse and I'm not a small woman (ok, I'm short... but not small!), but I guess standing next to 16-3 Gus we're dwarfed. I might start calling myself my own mini-me.

It was a beautiful ride back. The fireflies were out in full force and I got to see the moon briefly at one point. Janie was a rock-star and really moved out at a nice long-strided walk. A couple of times I relaxed, dropped my shoulders and head and took a little doze.

Lucky for me the mountain lion and hobo decided not to make an appearance during those times.

We got back to the trailers around 3:00 a.m. but I got to spend some really quality time with my horse and good friends.

The Need for Speed

My first car was a 1969 Ford LTD. It was a puke-green color, but the back seat served as my "tack room" and it had an 8-track tape player BUILT IN TO THE DASH! YEAH! I think I wore out three cassettes each of Eagles Hotel California and Boston "Boston" in that car. The coolest part was that it had glaspacs???? which I'm told are mufflers that make a super neat noise. I wasn't real sure about that.. but I did have to carry a spare can of gas and jumper cables wherever I went. :-)

I spent a couple of years driving a Ford Escort. Yee freaking Haw. But it did get good gas mileage back in the day when we thought that $.79 per gallon was expensive.

Then........... omg......... I found the car of my dreams... or so I thought. Rambling along in South Omaha, I stumbled across a small car lot that had a 1974 ultimately teal-blue Camaro. YEAH! I dragged my brother up to check it out and I paid the $1,500 dollars and brought that heap home. I looooooved that car!

I had that car for several years before my ex decided it was too antiquated for his rapidly increasing social status so we sold it to a neighbor kid and he found me a 1984 PERFECTLY blue awesomely lovely 1984 Camaro.

I must hand it to my ex that although he hated me, he did appreciate some of my eccentricities for a while.

Due to some very unfortunate and very bad-karma circumstances (a guy backed into Jay's truck and I chased him down), I killed my 1984 and cried my heart out for months over the ordeal. Luckily, the car didn't kill me in the accident because I came out with just a few bruises, two black eyes, and stitches in both knees. My car was totalled. It does make me wonder why everything bad that happens seems to be something that involves Jay. But that's another story!

Sooooooooo I headed back to the lot for a replacement. I found a perfectly gorgeous 1989 model but in a color that didn't thrill me. A week later when I went back for some warranteed maintenance I looked down the line and there was a blue Camaro that was shouting "You are a week late and you miiiiiiiisssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeedddddddddddddddd meeeeee!" Yep, I did.

(only in maroon color although this is MUCH prettier)

But the maroon car was a screaming bitch and I had one hell of a time with her. Unfortunately, I succumbed to testerone influence and traded her in for a truck for my "new love". How stupid of me. As a result, the man in my life then drove an awesome huge beautiful black Chevy Truck and I settled then for a P.O.S. Toyota Celica that was cute but did NOT function well on anything but clear clean pavement (some day I'll tell you about my snow-driving experiences.... the Camaros always got me through).

...... Ok, I digress.

Tonight a friend showed up in his 19-something Iroc. I didn't even think to ask him the year because I was drooling and wetting my pants so bad as I was circling her and peeking in the windows. My daughter and a friend of mine separately offered to wipe my mouth because I was beside myself with awe.

I was afraid to even touch the machine. But I did.
I peered through the window.

I gazed at the beauty.

Then............ the friend who owns the car said "the keys are on the seat". That's all it took.

I got in. I sat there. I adjusted the seat thinking "I'm home". I adjusted the mirror. I looked at the keys. I put the keys in the ignition. I fired her up.

Bye now (vroooooooooooom) :-)

I backed out of the parking lot and thought I was just going to go around the block. F! the block, I headed out of town.

I got her up to 90 with much more left. Since the totalization of my 1984 I'm extremely hesitant to push the limits... so 90 was my limit but I sooooooooooo wanted to just keep flooring it and keep going. I'm such a chicken!!!!!!!!!!! I now leave the speed up to the horse because they have a brain when mine fails to think rationally.

I drove three miles out of town a lot faster than Buck, Janie, Jay and I got two days ago lmao. And it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! To feel that kind of horsepower under you is an incredible feeling and there was so much horse left above that 90 that I was beside myself wanting to push to the next level.

I turned around at an intersection and headed back to town. I tested the limits again on a straight-away and took her back up to 90 again. Ohhhhhhh to have a nice flat run where I could push it further... but alas... I had to back down.

I passed a friend's house and honkhonkhonked! I stuck my little hand out and waved as big as I could! :-) I'm sure she wonders "who is that maniac in that black Camaro???? (hee hee) it was me and I can't wait to tell her.

I rolled back in to town and turned into the lot. I then learned that I am only the third person who has ever been allowed to drive that car and I was positively BEAMING!

Horses and horsepower. The need for speed. I think I must have a death wish lmao... but man it sure gives me one hell of a thrill even at the puttery speed of 90.


Gawd, that was fun.

Circle T-P Ranch on the 3rd of July

I think my sister-in-law is related to Larry the Cable Guy! Ok, she's not, but I have to laugh when a friend compared this situation to the entire City of Lincoln rearranging the 4th of July Holiday because of his concert.

My s-i-l is a doctor. She's a very good doctor! and she works hard and many hours. She is on call on the 4th. Sooooooo my brother asked if we could have our family 4th on the 3rd. Ok... got nothing else planned since our trip for some extreme trail-riding out west got put on hold. Sure, we'll do that.

Vanessa worked all day with Mom making chocolate-dipped strawberries, decorating a cake, peeling cucumbers, cleaning the patio furniture, etc.

Jay and I decided to ride two horses to town. Perfectly marvelous idea other than the fact that we didn't think of it sooner. Heck it's only four miles... we can be there in less than an hour.

So we saddle up and we're trotting trotting trotting. Ok, Janie and I were trotting trotting because Buck has such a fast walk you HAVE to trot and sometimes lope to keep up with him! I swear he's not QH but some gaited variety. He's such a funny guy.

On the way we realized, oops, it's five miles, not four. We never think about the mile back north when you get the four to the west. Oh well. We were only 45 minutes late :0). And not EVEN that late because my middle daughter drove up just as we were a block away! Heck, we're not late! But I SWEAR we rode faster than five freaking miles an hour. I'll bet Janie would agree with me.

We rode through the back entrance of the place and tied off to a tree. The horses seemed content there, got a drink, munched some grass, and then stood with legs cocked.

I took some pictures in the yard. Dad had the fountain running. He built it himself and it's such a soothing touch off the back deck. In addition, I was reminded of the swarm of bees he captured a couple of weeks ago! A swarm appeared and because Dad used to be a beekeeper of 400 hives, he gathered them up and put them in a hive of their own in the back yard. I had to get pretty close to get a picture of the guards by the entrance. Bees are truly an interesting society.

"Yay let's go and get some fireworks!" shouts my brother. (head cocks around) fireworks? I thought we weren't going to do the full-blasting thing we usually do. I just came to eat! "Nope" I'm told. (sigh) ok, my horses have been in holiday parades with people shooting off fireworks, they'll be fiiiiiiiiiiiine.

And they pretty much were. Some of the screechers and big boomers that caused Janie's head to come up pretty high, but she stood her ground and didn't pull back. I knew my brother had bought a giganto 300shot booming thing, so Jay and Dad drove back to our place and brought the trailer so we could put the horses in there so Janie could munch on some grain and hay without me worrying she'd pull back on her rope and flip herself over. They were cozy little kittens in there all night. It was good practice for them should I ever decide to attempt mounted shooting HA!

I got to see my grand-puppies! Zoe is THE cutest little corgi and I can't wait to puppy-sit! Ziggy is probably the most handsome weimeraner I've ever seen. He's only 7 months old and he's huge already. He's going to be a big boy! He's a little "dim" and he reminds us all very much of our viszla, Bronc, that passed away a few years ago. It's a sweet memory to look at Ziggy and his antics and remember Bronc.

Zoe was pretty interested in the horses. She wouldn't get too close, but I was worried she'd get more and more brave so held tight to her leash.

Soooooooo we ate, we shot off fireworks and then it started to pour rain. I had really been looking forward to a night-time ride back home, but I was glad we had the truck and trailer at 10:30 in the rain.

It ended up being a nice night with the family (and Larry's sister lmao). My 4yo niece is cute enough to squeeze to pieces. And she's SO smart! It was a hoot to sit and listen to her comments.

"That firework looked like a hula-girl!" "That firework looked like a firework!" "Now that's what I call dancing butterflies!" Now if I can just get her interested in ponies ;-)

Funny Farm

Pretty, pretty lady... but needs to take lessons from Prince in order to stay CLEAN!

Mulberries are yummy!

Hay is yummy too.

Oops... got my foot stuck. Oh well. Cool piece 'o hay, huh?

Got my head stuck in hay. (whispers to herself "blah blah blah")

Let me eat these oats and get the hell away from me. moo, snort, grunt, stomp, head-butt.. ok fine, pull that icky hair off me... aw yes, that feels pretty good actually