Dry

On August 7, 2017August 7, 2017 By AveryIn Faith, Horses, Life6 Comments

Hopefully we got some rain at the farm today. It has gotten pretty darn dry. Straight up crunchy. Burnt up, not turnt up. If you catch my drift.

Now, I am not one to complain about it. Especially since that whole drought thing across the state that went on for a good ten years, as drought cycles like to do. We have had a good amount of rain over the last couple of years which has been a pleasant change. Some might argue too much. Not me.

Growing grass for livestock is hard without rain! Just look at that grass. Now, I know it is hard to not admire that majestic giraffe, but look at that brown grass. Granted, that particular spot is a difficult one and is the first to dry up and get bare. It doesn’t ever get really flush with anything. Even those sad little weeds look tired. All that seemingly green back there in the background is a different kind of grass.

The point is, we are praying for rain over here!

Makes it hard to get chores done. Like fix broken water lines…Something I do not like doing and am not really all that good at. Well, I tried to fix it Sunday. I found a break that was easy to fix, but I had a suspicion that it was broken somewhere else too. Well I went to gather the PVC premier and cement so I could fix it where I knew it was broken and see if that would do the job. Naturally, I could not get either of them open (please send all eligible men my way that are good at opening these, or better yet, that are good at fixing water lines so I do not have to. I am good at giving moral support! Just kidding. I think.).

Great. OK. No worries. I will go get some more, it won’t take long. I even sprung for the cleaner. The cashier even gave me a pitiful look at my having to do this on a Sunday. I get back and get it glued back together. While I wait the thirty minutes for it to set, I went to go pack up and clean the house. The thirty minutes ran out, I turned the water back on, and…what do you know…it did not fix it. It is broken somewhere else and I do not know where. I guess we will have to go fishing in the pond, it seems the only logical place…Luckily we have a pond so the situation is not too terribly dire! Except that pasture could use some rest…enough on that though because it is bringing me down.

The dun duo never brings me down though! They are more than carrying on despite the summer doldrums.

I rode my Lito man yesterday morning and he was pretty darn good. A little flamboyant and giraffe like at times (which, too bad there is not any photo or video evidence of that), but he is making progress. He is solidly forward and consistent. Well, he has been for a while now. Anyway, we have started focusing more on straightness and separating his body parts, learning how to move them independently. Lifting his shoulders. Quick learner, he is, and I could not be happier with him. Plans are to take him over to H’s house with R and Ronan for an overnight. Looking forward to good times.

On Saturday I rode Cheetah with a friend and had a red letter day. Side note, the place was actually booked. I usually check the calendar before hauling, but this time I did not like a knucklehead. I showed up at 7 AM, because you know…heat…and realized we might be out of luck. Saturday was our day though and they were gracious and told us where we could ride and be out of the way. We were and are extremely grateful. They didn’t have to do that, but they did. I made a point to send a thank you today. AHAmoment. Tell people when you appreciate something and why!

My friend, T, was running late so we worked in the arena for a while and I put Cheetah through her paces. It has been a while since we have done ‘real work’ and man was she great. Just the right kind of forward. Very adjustable, and on the aids. Really, she did not put a hoof wrong. It felt like we could have gone out and done any class at a horse show and won. When T arrived we rode out for about two hours. Just walking and talking. Great therapy. There is a new obstacle course there and we went through a few of the questions before heading back. I just love this mare! Seriously.

Saturday evening offered up an awesome sunset and the cows were rather docile and friendly…

Having computer problems at work today…Can I go fix the water line now?

Happy Monday!

Walk in love, dear readers!

I Mean, Just All The Things.

On May 2, 2017May 2, 2017 By AveryIn Food, Horses, Life10 Comments

This week is already going by super fast! I intended to write this post this yesterday, but I just did not have time. Where do I start?

I met up with an old friend for lunch. He was actually my tutor for when I took the ACT back in high school and then again for when I took the GRE. He also tutored my sisters for the same thing because, honestly, most people are not wired to do very well on those stupid things. However, that really is not the point here. The point is, we had a common bond over horses. He is a show jumper, had a few horses at the time, and did some breeding. We would usually spend some of our sessions talking horses. Not too much though, because we would get in trouble otherwise! Anyway, fast forward to the other day, he sent me a friend request from his professional, farm page. A quick flip through his page and website and he had clearly ramped up his breeding business and has some really quality mares. Naturally, I sent him a message to catch up. Yesterday, we had a lovely lunch. It is an even longer story, but he has a horse farm in France and I am planning to visit him while he is there next summer! I know that is a long time away from now, but I do not care! I am beyond excited for this horsey vacation! I have never been to Europe either! There are many day trip options near the farm. There are really nice horses. Beautiful country side. Many trail options, including a riding beach. What more could there possibly be?!

Then, after work, I went to the bank and set up an IRA. That is boring. Next.

I had dinner with an old friend, C. Technically, my sister’s friend, but she and her husband are my friends too. They are the ones I house and dog sat for back in March. Anyway, we had great fun catching up and just talking over wine and dinner, but it made me miss my sister. When I got into my car, I called her up to tell her just that and about dinner. While we were on the phone, C beeped in, no doubt to say the same thing!

I am counting down the seconds to Friday morning when R and our horses will be on our way to the Hill Country. More on that later, but I have several things to get done before then. Farrier did say my Lito was a gentleman while he got his shoes. Prayers he has them all still on!

This weekend was pretty great. It was really busy. I of course had to spend some time with my ponies.

So, I did it this weekend. I had a lesson! This is something I have been wanting to do for a really long time. So much so, that I made it a resolution/goal to take at least 5 or 6 lessons this year. It is not going to be easy, but I will make it happen.

So, on Saturday morning, I had my first dressage lesson in many, many years. To be honest, it was nothing short of amazing. I know that sounds really grand and no it was not all perfect, but it really was great. I was kinda nervous having not ridden with a professional in so long. I got to ride one of trainer’s horses, named Phantom. A gray Arabian gelding, trained to 3rd level. That was pretty exciting as I do not think I have ever ridden an Arabian.

The first lesson is always a whirlwind. New human relationship, new horse relationship, new place, etc. Trainer is super nice and fun. It took a little bit of time to get used to Phantom since he is shaped and moves so differently from most horses I ride. The biggest thing that stood out was how forward I sit/lean. This I knew she would point out and help me fix. She did not waste any time diving in on that and getting me to sit upright, which actually got me excited. It was an issue when I was taking lessons before and I have noticed in photos that I have reverted back to that. The other main thing we worked on was establishing a solid connection on my supporting rein and getting good through-ness and stretch. Before I knew it, the lesson was over. I did not want it to be, but we finished on a great note with a very nice trot.

There were definitely moments where I felt like a beginner. I am not sure quite how I feel about that, but I found myself laughing through those moments and just riding forward. AHAmoment. Which, to be honest, I am proud of myself for. I didn’t focus on those moments, I just hunted for the next good one, the sweet spot. AHAmoment. She commented that it looks like I ride a lot of green horses by the way I ride and that is probably the source of my forward seat. I laughed and told her that was true. There were lots of smiles and laughs. There were two things she said to me that really just put me on cloud nine. That I have a good feel for a horse and that for never having ridden him before, I rode Phantom well. I mean. I think I have a pretty good feel for a horse, but to have a professional tell you that? Makes me feel like I am on the right path and doing something right!

I can not wait for my next lesson which I scheduled for Wednesday of next week! My homework is to focus on sitting upright, which to me, feels like sitting back. The plan is to continue riding Phantom and get solid on him while fixing a few things with me, and then begin with lessons on Cheetah.

After my lesson, I went to visit a friend at her ranch. She just pulled her horses out of boarding and brought them home to the ranch. I stopped at a little Mexican restaurant on the way to have lunch and celebrate. Because, why not?

That is all for now, dear readers…and that is a lot!

What is new with y’all? Anything fun this past weekend or this coming weekend? Or big plans for the future? New Year resolutions/goals getting crossed off the list? Or just good times with good people? I hope your week is off to a good start!

Go get out there and celebrate the little things!

Walk in love!

A Titch Windy

On April 24, 2017April 24, 2017 By AveryIn Horses, Life16 Comments

The spring winds, they blow! Or blew, as it were. I almost felt like I was in West Texas, just without all the red dirt.

How many times my hat blew off my head and I ran after it this many times…

The weather this past weekend was spectacular even if it was a titch windy. A cool front blew in Saturday and Sunday morning it was almost cold. Luckily the sun got to work and warmed things up. Today’s weather is no different and the wind has finally calmed down.

When I got to the farm Friday, I unloaded and ‘turned the house on’ before going to the local Mexican restaurant to treat myself to an early dinner. I was back in time to take a walk with Lito and Darcy down to the river. I will let the sunset speak for itself.

On Saturday, I took my time getting going. I spent around 40 minutes grooming my Cheetah girl and then we had an amazing ride. We did all of our hard serious work all around the house/barn and then took a long, relaxing cool down walk all around the farm to check the cows. I was trying to remind her about not being barn/buddy sour. I was very proud of her and she seemed to be very happy and proud of herself. We finished at a point where she was solidly between all my aids after some leg yielding, shoulder in, and stretchy lengthens. I was able to giver her a quick bath (her favorite!) before the wind got too chilly.

After lunch, I went to the little town by the farm to take care of some errands. The most important of which was going to the feed store where they apprently did not have what I needed, again. I got back to the farm and had lunch, worked on some chores, watered the herb garden, checked the vegetable garden, and lunged Lito. Lito was being a little silly in the chilly wind, but he eventually settled into the work. After the hard stuff I worked him around and over some obsticals and a couple little jumps. Homeboy can fly over a jump when he thinks he needs too. Then he realized that was a waste of energy and proceeded to do just enough to awkwardly plop over them.

Before we know it the gardens will be overgrown.

I was going to sit by a pit fire after dinner, but before I knew it, I was hungry and tired and it was about to be dark. Oh well, next time.

Sunday I relaxed and waited for my cousin to come out to the farm. When he arrived, I rode Lito while he went fishing in the pond.

Big boy Lito did very well in the wind and with the change. It was windy, chilly, and clear as a bell without a cloud in sight. I lunged him out in the pasture and then just hopped on and rode around. All of our rides to date have started in the arena. I intended to do this a long time ago, but because our rides have been so far apart, it seemed like the smart thing to do to wait…maybe not smart to choose a very windy day, but he gave me all the green lights to do it. It was the first time I have ridden him in my big saddle. He has packed it around, but never with me in it. It was the first time I made him wear boots while riding. He has worn them, but never while riding. I also rode him in a new bit. He did pretty ok with it, but the jury is still out. Time will tell. All in all I was very proud of him. A lot of change. Maybe too much. But moving forward and not making excuses. At least I can do that in this part of my life!

While all of this may not seem like a very big deal to some of you, it feels like a big deal to me. Every step in this process is a big deal to me. To me it means we have taken the step because he said yes. That he was comfortable moving on to the next thing and building upon what we have done. Our path is not conventional and I am OK with that. It is our path and it works for us. AHAmoment. Just like in everyday, real life. Everyone has their own path, weather you choose to take it or try to copy someone else. Walk your own path and do it in love.

Cousin W made the comment that Lito has mellowed a lot. I always thought he was very mellow, but I’m with him all he time. I will take any compliment!

After our ride, Cousin W and I went and picked up BBQ from a local joint and brought it back to have at the farm. We hung out the rest of the afternoon until we had no choice but to go back to town. Nothing like green therapy, as my mamma calls it. The traffic was terrible, but I honestly did not mind driving slow because I was bringing the horse trailer in to take to the shop and get a good once over before my girls trip with R.

I dropped it off this morning before work and before I knew it, the work day was over. Grateful for that! Another big meeting tomorrow. Praying that this seals the deal. One more step.

I hope y’all had a great weekend and start to the work week!

Walk in love, dear readers!

Easter

On April 17, 2017April 17, 2017 By AveryIn Dogs, Faith, Horses, Life13 Comments

Easter is always a special time at the farm. Well, Easter in itself is obviously special in its own right, but it is different at the farm.

I remember the first Easter after my parents bought the place. I do not remember who all was there. I know my Father and at least one sister was there. I can not remember who else. Anyway, it was windy. It is always windy at the farm on Easter. We must have come out directly after church as we were in our church clothes. At the time, the place was raw. Well, raw its own way. It needed a ton of work and even more just plain cleaning up. It was cross fenced in every way you can imagine. I do not remember why, but my Dad climbed over a gate and when he stepped down on the other side, he landed right in a fresh cow patty while wearing his nice loafers. My sister and I probably thought that was pretty funny while dear old Dad did not.

We have always celebrated Easter in some way at the farm. It has changed over the past few years, as it happens when families grow, but it always feels the same. Special.

This year, it was somewhat of a revolving door with people coming and going. Middle Sister and her Hubby could not come to town because of work commitments (that part was not special…). My Parents, Eldest Sister’s Hubby, Niece, Nephew, and myself went out Thursday. Eldest Sister had to work on Good Friday. The men, that would be my Dad, Bro in law, and Nephew, went fishing Friday for the day and the ladies, my Mom, Me, and Niece, hung out at the farm. I think I mentioned that before and how I rode Cheetah, Lito, and Ike.

Saturday, my Aunt and Grandparents came out for lunch. When my Grandparents got there, I was just riding up to the house at the end of my ride on Lito. He was amazing, by the way, if you were wondering. He is getting really consistent and more balanced. For around 20 or so rides all spaced out, he is doing better than some that get ridden every day. At least in my mind. He is pretty tractable and rates really easily. I am surprised at how well he responds to my seat and even my voice. I am really excited for our hill country adventure. While we were on our ride, we discovered a brand new calf born not that long before. Nature never ceases to amaze me.

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Sister and her family went back to town to go to church in the afternoon and participate in the church Easter egg hunt. When my Aunt arrived, we had burgers, fries, and my Grandmother’s molasses cookies for lunch out on the porch, under the live oak. That tree and porch, I tell you, there is no better place to be. My grandparents went back to town later that afternoon and my Aunt stayed to spend the night.

Saturday evening, I spent some time riding Lito bareback in a halter, just relaxing and having fun. Making sure he remembers how to do that. That it is not always hard work. He remembered.

Sunset rolled around and we had even more porch time with a steak dinner and wine. I am so glad that my Aunt was able to come out and stay. Get a away, even if just for a short time. We are all still sad, but none more than her I am sure.

Sunday morning found us sitting there on the porch again drinking coffee, looking down the valley watching the fog rise, listening to gospel and nature. Words can not express the beauty of His creation, especially in that place. The rest of my coffee got cold so I grabbed Lito’s bridle and went and did my favorite Sunday morning thing. Ride bareback.

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We wrapped things up at the farm before lunch to head back to town and get ready for Easter diner with my Mom’s side of the family. I made and decorated a coconut cake. It was pretty dang good! Doesn’t look too bad either. Holidays are my favorite because I get to see both sets of grandparents close together. I am savoring all my time with them.

Happy times were had with the still at times sad. Slowly, the happy times will start to outshine the sad. Still grieving my Uncle, but we had a new calf born and we got to watch mamma introduce him to the heard. The kiddos got dirty and tired just like the dogs, running around and playing. Like it is supposed to be. I have had some amazing rides on my 2 dun babies. I rode Lito more times that I had even planned. We all had a good time together and wished that the rest of the family could have been there. God is great.

I hope y’all had a great Easter, creating new happy memories.

Walk in love, dear readers!

This Moment.

On April 13, 2017April 13, 2017 By AveryIn Dogs, Horses, Life, Uncategorized9 Comments

I am currently sitting on the porch at the farm next to my mother as she reads, under the great live oak, enjoying the breeze. Apache is across the yard, eating his fill of senior feed. I am about ready to make a cocktail. My dad just let the cows up from the meadow and into the pond pasture where the horses live. I have been blogging a lot from my phone lately, so apologies if the formatting looks goofy.

Things went pretty well this morning and only time will tell how well. After our meeting, we (everyone in my company) all had a relaxing lunch together at my request. Not long after, my boss told everyone to go home and enjoy the long weekend. I am so blessed to work with he people I do. I know it has been hard working in this industry during this downturn (harder for many others than for me…I still have a job). I know sometimes I am unsure if this is what I should be doing and that I do not know what my next step will be, but I am happy and proud to work with such high caliber individuals that know what it is all about. Family always comes first. Blessed beyond measure to be there.

Enjoy the long weekend with family, dogs, and horses I will!

I am shooting for riding Lito Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, in addition to everyone else. I have his first off property, ridden experience booked for the first weekend in May in the hill country. More on that later. I hope to get the trailer in for a good once over on Saturday if the place is open in preparation. R and the horse she rides, Ronan, are coming with us. In addition to all the riding we will be doing, we are going to have our own little Kentucky Derby watching party!

That is what is going on in this moment. It is a pretty good AHAmoment to really feel how blessed I truly am.

More later. Walk in love, dear readers.

Tuesday Toodles

On March 21, 2017March 21, 2017 By AveryIn Dogs, Horses, Life11 Comments

Spring has officially arrived! The sun is warm. Horses and dogs are loosing their winter coats. ~~Everything is yellow, including the nastys I have been coughing up in the morning.~~..er…The pollen is exploding on the trees. The air is soft, both in feel and temperature. Besides the nastys, it is glorious.

I have decided on a schooling show to work towards at the end of April, have submitted payment for a working equitation clinic in June, and am going to audit a Charlotte Dujardin Through The Levels Masterclass in November. I am really excited about these! Making good on my 2017 goals! Just need to make lessons a priority now.

I am a little under the weather because of these allergies (seriously, these never used to be a thing for me, ugh)…and possibly, maybe, because I have been staying out too late, but oh well, you only live once.

I am house and dog sitting for the rest of this week. All the dogs are played out and enjoying basking in the sun. This past Sunday (how is it already Tuesday??!), I loaded everyone up and headed out to the farm for the day.

The day started out extremely foggy. Quite literally in a cloud. Once at the farm, I decided to wait out the fog before riding and convinced my mom to come on a walk with me and the dogs after I fed the horses. As per usual, my Darcy girl had a grand time doing her thing and running circles around the other two. These city dogs though! They had the best time being dogs! Their coats were sopping from the dew and covered in pollen within a few minutes.

We walked down to the pond first where they waded in to prime their coats to get really good and dirty. Deciding it was best to avoid the cows with the newbies, we turned around to walk back up to the front gate and back again. With all the rain we have had, there was a big muddy hog wallow by a group of live oaks. You an probably guess where this is going, but I will tell you anyway. They all promptly got in and laid down with the biggest panting grins on their faces. After a good chuckle, we called them out and continued back to the house. A good run through the tall, wet grass got all their coats moderately clean. They were so dang happy. There is nothing like a happy, dirty, and tired dog. Except maybe three of them! Impossible to smile.

I put them all in the kennel and went to grab Lito for a ride. Darcy is always with me when I ride, but I put her up with the other two to make sure the others would stay safe. A quick groom session and I had Lito tacked and ready to go.

I have stopped counting his rides, but we are somewhere in the neighborhood of 15. He continues to amaze me with his incredible mind. In an ideal world, I would be riding him around 3 times a week. I have still only been able to ride him every two weeks or so. I was worried that it would be a problem and I would have to bring him somewhere closer to town so I could ride him more. It is not only not a problem, but he continues to get better. I might still have to do that somewhere down line, but for now it is working.

We did a little arena work and then went down to the cow pasture with my mom (she is the best) to have a little trot and then back up to the front gate. I am so proud of him. We are pretty consistently forward and have pretty good rhythm. He is continually reminding me, since he was born, to be relaxed and open. He is so sensitive and responsive in a very good way. If I remember to think and ask first, I almost do not even have to do anything. He is such a blessing.

After lunch I spent the rest of my time there helping the horses shed some winter hair before heading back to town. Now is it the end of Tuesday and work is work and it is busy. Most everyone was out of the office last week, so it is back to the normal hustle. Which is not really normal, incidentally.

That is all for now. Super exciting stuff, I know. Please, try to contain yourself over there. This week is going by so fast, hence the lack of posts! Sorry about that!

Walk in love, dear readers!

Sunday Blues.

On March 6, 2017 By AveryIn Life29 Comments

You know how on Sundays when you start to feel that sad feeling brought on by the end of the weekend and the start of the week? Do you get it too? Sometimes, no matter how hard you try or how much you love what you do, it just creeps up on you. My mom calls it the Sunday Blues. My cousins call it the Sunday Scaries. I have friends that call it the Sunday Funk.

It creeped up on me yesterday, and I was quite surprised by it. We have been really busy at work which is a really good thing. It makes the day to day more exciting. It makes the state of the oil and gas indistry more ‘comfortable.’ The weekend was pretty good. I did get out to the farm to ride Cheetah. We took a couple short loops around the pond because we were on a short time frame. Some is better than none! We got a lot of rain and Darcy and I took a nap listening to the pitter patter against the window. There was movie watching. I was refreshed.

Maybe it was because I could only get one quick ride in on Cheetah.

Maybe it was my list of things at work.

Even my Darcy girl was feeling it yesterday.

Despite the blues, it was a pretty dang good Monday. What are your best ways to combat the Sunday Blues/Scaries/Funk?

Walk in love, dear readers!

I hope each and every one of you has a great week, free of any more blues.

I am having dinner with one set of grandparents and lunch with another set this week. Good for the soul.

These Days & Those Days

On February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 By AveryIn Food, Horses, Life6 Comments

Watching the super bowl made me think of how much has changed in this world and what

life is like these days. How many years ago was it that you had to wait weeks for mail or news to cross the country and that was your only communication outside of the odd telegram? No smart phone always at an arm’s reach. Can you really imagine that in this day and age of social media?

Being 28, I never got to experience any semblance of that, but it sure does sound lovely. Idyllic even. To be truly disconnected and actually experience what is in front of you. I remember when the internet became a basic household staple. Dial up, yes, but still. Instant messaging on AOL. I got my first cell phone before I even turned 16, which was after most of my friends got cell phones.

Now, all you have to do is open your phone and your immediate thoughts can be seen by everyone, whether or not you sleep on it. More people should sleep on their thoughts. To me, it is a scary thing to think…and to witness. That is another story for another day, I digress. back to the super bowl. The game was barely even over when they switched screens to talk about what everyone was saying about it on various social networks! Who cares! Let us hear what the players and coaches have to say in the moment! It really took away from the experience.

Anyway, on to other things.Yesterday was one of those days. Both literally and metaphorically cloudy. The low, flat winter kind that makes you long for the summer sun to take away the ‘seasonal affective disorder.’ I do not actually have SAD, it just feels that way sometimes when I am being melodramatic.

Why was I being melodramatic? It rained basically all Sunday morning. The one moment that I had the audacity to think I could fit in a ride before going home, the sky unleashed the real precipitation and made the ground slick as oil. Weather man, you mentioned nothing like this, by the way.

I spent Saturday morning doing chores because it was unexpectedly cold. I rode Cheetah Saturday afternoon which was, interesting. It was not the best ride in the world. Read this as the nut of the issue. At one point I had to dismount and lunge her by the reins so she could find her brain. Apparently we were both in a mood this weekend. Let us just be honest here. I really wanted to erase that ride with a better one Sunday morning. It just was not going to happen. Insert frustrated, annoyed me. Oh well, tomorrow is a new day, as they say.

My Lito could tell I was not my normal self and was extra attentive to me. I love him for that. Animals are great that way.

I will do a happy dance when the time changes back!

I got home and the sun was SHINING with no signs of past rain. Just an hour drive away. Naturally, I made brownies. The best brownies, seriously. I added a little strong brewed coffee, some coffee grounds, and cinnamon…and a little simple cream cheese frosting to top it off…oops. That made me feel a little better. Go make them. Pawning them off at the office today.

Post cleaning up my baking mess, there was going to be no cooking or cleaning for dinner. Insert the cheese tray. How I love thee. Winning as an adult. It was good game watching food.

What did y’all think of the game?

That is all for today. Clearly still random. Make it a great Monday, I am going to try to!

Walk in love, dear readers!

Aimless Friday

On February 3, 2017February 3, 2017 By AveryIn Dogs, Horses, LifeLeave a comment

I walked around my elementary school the other day while taking Darcy for a walk. I felt strange and tall. Everything seemed so small and I am not tall.

There is a man in my office building that is nice as can be. Seems pretty normal. I run into him in the hallway and the parking garage all the time. His mustache is blue. BLUE. I suppose it is dyed. I have a hard time not staring at it. The urge to ask why it is blue is quite strong.