Safety List.

Safety is first thing on my mind!
SO as I have read, drooled over, and dreamed through this magazine for years. called YOUR HORSE  One of the things that has ALWAYS caught my attention is their safety gear!   A hack on the road is no big deal in the UK, lots do it, and it is not unusual for people to hack from farm to farm. They have Road Safety Test for riders...  So they have some of the best gear I have ever seen!

I've ordered some! Equisafety  check out their site! You will be impressed and if your not, I can't help you!

So I have ordered Polite gear in Pink and Yellow to throw over the horses, as well as a PLEASE SLOW DOWN vest for myself!

I ordered nose bands, ankle reflectors, so now I can use my ankle reflectors on myself instead of putting them on the horses. ( they make them for runners, but I've used them for riding for months now)

I already have RED LED lights for their tails that FLASH!  I'll just need to get more batteries!
I have a miner lamp for my helmet, but again will need more batteries as well.
I need to refresh my flashlight, and pack my shaking light for emergencies.
I will be wearing my bright yellow motorcycle jacket on the ride for more safety, I do this most winters anyway so on we go...

Boots or snow pads for the horses shoes are all ready being discussed.  Otherwise I'll be picking more than I want to.

I so often hear about people riding from place to place to fill that voice in their hearts, but I can't seem to find the daily grind of getting it prepared, or the ins and outs of the ride itself.  So this has been added to my goals/ bucket list!  Make a journal of this journey!

What you have to understand about me is... I over think everything! But when it comes to the safety, care, and needs of my horses they come first and I have to be prepared for the worst!

So here we go!  I know I will over do it, BUT I am OPEN to ideas, proven examples, and suggestions from ANY horse person out there!   I'm not a professional rider and this is not a professional job.  Just a journal of my thoughts, worries, actions, and eventually my trip with its misery, grace, and pure adrenaline rushes of experiencing life, mother nature, and the relationship with my horses.

Ok.. tired of it!

I made my first GOAL list just out of high school and within a short time I had almost everything marked off my list.

I then created another, again I quickly went through it except ONE thing from the previous list.

I have created a mere two more list, and at my age the name of the list has changed, yep... it is now called my bucket list.

All my years I have that ONE thing that keeps haunting me,   I'm tired of it! I will not live in regret!

So... with all the strikes against me I've got to get it done.
I can't take a month off of work as needed for my trip.
I am not even sure if I can work it out to travel one full week at a time.
I have two horses to worry about, one having extreme issues with health, but if he can ... I can...

So this WINTER... YES Winter, I am going to start my travel on horse back from Asheville back to Joelton!

It will have to be winter... as this is slower time at all three of my jobs... is the only time of the year Navarre is allowed to graze on grass ( only a little). But we will make it work.

Winters here have been lighter as of late, although more wet as well, but ... my ancestors did it why can't I? We have allowed ourselves to be too soft! Life is not suppose to be SOOOO easy all the time, not that it is, but we do tend to make it harder than it has to be; by allowing the fast pace of social expectations into our lives.  I enjoy the slow walk on horseback, and this may just be my best adventure yet.  I'll keep you posted of my progress. ?

I am planning..
I am hoping
I am willing
I am ? crazy... but I've got to get this one thing OFF my list ... then I can go on with the rest of my items in peace! besides I'm getting a little old to allow this one to sit there

Life is too short!
I have always lived my life to the fullest, and this weight has got to go.
Planning is fun! doing this will ... Hurt! oh it is going to be SOOOOOO cold!

Any suggestions welcome!
Any Help welcome!

It's the little things

I know I live in a strange place!  Rarely does someone NOT drive on the wrong side of the road, as they straighten out a curve.  Rarely does someone go the speed limit, and if you do! you're more likely to get hit from behind!

Life is fast, busy, and a pace I never knew it was going to be, but I live it! I hang on, I do my best, and I try to slow it down as much as possible where ever I can.

But tonight it was the simple act of several someones taking turns at a one lane bridge.   (I cross this bridge 6 times a day as I go to and from the barn)  Normally who ever hits their brakes first stops, while the on coming traffic barrels over the creek as fast as possible, more often than not with whom ever behind them stuck to their bumper as if lava rolling down the mountain at them.

Tonight it was the act of kindness of as each person stopped and allowed the next to go.  I was the last one in line, but just seeing the act of kindness was a lift of my spirit.  It was the simple act of each person treating the other as they wanted to be treated.

It is the simple things in life!
From a hand written note, a cold drink of water, down to the daily hum drum of stopping at a one lane bridge and allowing others the right to go instead of TAKING their turn for speed.

Update on to do list on day off.

Well, I forgot to tell you what I did on my day off.

We got in over 40 bails of hay.
Got a flower area planted,
1/2 of the pasture bush hogged before the gravely broke down on me again.

Life is too funny!  as soon as I get rolling something shuts me down quicker than I got started.  But this happens to everyone and at some point in my life I will not be working with a machine my age and will be getting something else to assist me in my management of the estate...

In this economy... it will be a long time before anything changes!

Taking the good with the bad.

Life has its way of weighing us down.  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  While my body was starting to catch up feeling almost normal, now my brain is absent; and I do mean absent....

My work day was stressful NOT because of anyone else but because I could not think straight, ending in personal torcher of sorts.   I left the water at the barn running all night!

Not only is this costly ( not financially) but in EVERY other way... it will cost me time, muscle, and truly body aches as it will require me to leg press a water container of at least 60 gallons of water every other day... yep 60 gallons of water at 8lbs a gallon... only a mere 480lbs to move at least 5 feet;  a little more than a body my size enjoys doing.

But as there is a higher power... no matter the name each group gives this energy/ creator/ and supporter of life... The heavens have just opened allowing me to replace a few hundred gallons of water, but not in any form allowing the make up of over 2,000 gallons I lost last night, as we enter the drier of seasons for our area.. I can only hope I can make it through till rain season in a few more months... only weeks away!

Things we put our selves through! Water! A VERY essential essence of life... and I threw it all away.

I am asked all the time.

Click here to see where I rode yesterday...

6.3 miles, 15 min... trust me it takes longer than 15 minutes on a horse, and it would end up being only slightly over 12 miles as I have to go there and back... where ever I do ride. 



I am always asked where I have ridden, the link above it from My barn... OLD view ... winter, no barn etc..
and over to a girl friends house that happens to have a nice size barn holding about 20+ horses.

We rode over, got water for Navarre, sprayed him off, dried him off,  and re-saddled him and headed back home.

On  the way home I stopped for a bit of water.  Tied the horse to the Pump protector, got a candy bar two bottles of water and headed on our way...

Why would I tell you about the stop? Because just this morning, as my norm is to ask people what they did, what they plan to do... One mentioned they saw a horse at a gas station yesterday.

Yep! He was black and white I replied! Oh you know them!...  the father said.  It was my horse! We were out for our ride, and I stopped to get some water.  On that road!  You can do that? I had never seen that!

I laughed, he asked questions, it really was funny.  But I had to get back to work and needed to get the kitchen cleaned.

in great need.

While my ride yesterday gave me mental stamina ... my body is running out of gas.  So as fate ... and a great boss.. I have Tuesday OFF.

Of course this means it is quickly filling up with things to do.
Call Mike, Get Hay before rain moves in...for the weekend ( I was starting to get worried about that one)
Take care of a package at the PO for Jerry .

just a few normal things that are hard to fit into my schedule as of late.

I'll let you know how it works out!

good start to a Monday.

While Mondays are always gloom... my ride yesterday is carrying me through the dread... I've already lost my first cup of coffee, as I dropped it on the hard wood floors with in seconds of getting it.A beautiful hand made mug I enjoyed... its life was well served!    A new mug and a new pot of coffee on the way.

It is dark outside, but the cool air bellows through the screens around my desk as I work.    I am enjoying the silence, the crickets, and the hum of the fan in the next room.   tap tap of the key board...

While I have a list a mile long to do today... it is starting out well enough,  and I can only hope the same for the rest of the world- MINUS loosing that ever needed nectar of the gods...

Love amber.

A Rainy day

While not yet 7am, the morning thus far has been wonderful.  All the windows open, the breeze flows through the house and the sound of the rain is so relaxing it takes me back to times of travel.

Some of my best vacations have been in the rain.

The RAIN FORREST where water is almost constant, but I never imagined it being SO wet. With a raincoat and umbrella, I may as well have been standing in it naked.

Today, we need the rain, so I can not complain in any way... but of course I can only hope it is not so slick that Navarre and I can not go on our long ride for the week.

Yesterday we went on a short ride and he was feeling well enough that he wanted to gallop a little.  We ... Sweet Pea, Navarre, myself and a neighbor were not sure about all the running he wanted to do.  So we walked the entire ride.

I wanted to take him out and let him go.  I can only hope it breaks long enough to do that!

If not... there are always other days to go play.

a break in the weather allowed me to open my raincoat to dry out some.

Athens in the pouring rain... thank goodness for motorcycle jackets, that keep you warm AND dry!

Bora Bora afternoon storm.

Engagements, Rings, Marriage?

I rarely enter my husbands electronic world, but tonight on our short drive together we were discussing a post on one of his hang outs.

While my outside opinion is not asked for specifically I feel compelled to put in my two cents worth.

Described to me...
was a post that stated someone (no he didn't give me names) posted... he had just asked his girlfriend to marry him.  ? no answer to the question was given to me!  What was told to me was... she ? whom ever she is ... said the diamond was too small.

I gasped as Jerry said this.
I was also told, most of the guys on the site said... simply... dump her! etc... If the ring isn't enough what other things aren't going to be good enough over time.

I have a little different approach to the situation, and a doubt many women will be on my side after reading this one.

1. She is a real B...... or she has especially large B...s; not on her side on this one.

2. There are MANY issues with this situation.

     a. He whom ever he is... doesn't have enough confidence in himself to tell her where to go OR not sure of his situation. If a man just reached out his hand this was like a slap in the face.
     b.  He didn't know her well enough to know what she wanted... a $30,000.00 top notch diamond that looks small or a 5,000 dollar piece of crap that is big, more to impress her girlfriends than a sparkle in her heart.
     c.  She doesn't know him well enough to know if he got her anything it would be high quality, or the best he could get at the time.  

3.  These two are not off to a good start, when did a ring start to signify everything and become more than a PRESENT of Faith towards marriage?

I am not sure what is going on is society today, I know a present of faith is just that.

Case in point, I have NEVER liked diamonds, my first mistake purchased me a marquee cut diamond to the best of his ability at the time.  Did I tell him I hated diamonds?   NO ... I accepted it with grace.

Jerry purchased me my one carat ruby... what I really wanted... and by the way can be way... more expensive than a diamond.  So while some in SOCIETY look down on (my beautiful) ruby, he knew me well enough to know I didn't like the normal.  This guy who ever you are should have know your girl well enough to know what she 1/2 way expected.  If you got a reaction you were not ready for... you better take it at face value because nothing is going to change!   That is who she is... The core of who she is ... is done! If you choose her! You asked for what ever you get.

This is how a bad marriage can start!
These two are not on the same page... and thinking of marriage... good luck!