A Couple Days of Sunshine

I took Tuesday off from work simply to take advantage of a day of sunshine, that’s how sun deprived I’ve been feeling.

It was well worth it. I spent more time than I probably should have trying to catch up reading other people’s blogs that I’d fallen behind with during my poetry blitz.

I also spent some time researching a dog bike trailer and consulting with Sue at Dream Valley Ranch, who has some experience in this area. I’ve been looking at the Croozer brand.

Okay, another expense right? Not a necessity. But here’s how I weigh my purchases:

• Can I buy it without putting myself into a charge card nightmare situation? 
• Is it something that moves me closer to one of my ultimate life goals? 
• Is it something that I will get a lot of use out of and won’t become something like an exercise bike that’s used for clothes hooks?
• Will the purchase not interfere with something more important that I need to take care of – like buying a lawn mower?

So far, I think I can pull it off financially (who needs a lawn mower anyway when your dog is digging up all the grass?), the bike trailer is a step towards one of my big dream ideas, and it would facilitate my enjoying bike riding while not feeling guilty that I’ve left my dogs behind.

After weighing my options and not yet coming close to a decision, I managed to finally tear myself away from the computer, go get gas for my Mini (left the pump $50 poorer), stopped to pick up a mother’s day card and gift, and then finally went to do what I took the day off to do — went to see Luke.

I haven’t been out to the barn in two weeks. Partially this has been due to the weather and being busy, but mainly it’s because I’ve felt so discouraged about everything that I got it into my head that going to ride would just make me feel even worse and that I didn’t have the energy to ride anyway.

Of course this line of thinking was completely wrong. When I went out to get Luke, even before I put the halter on him, I had to put my face against his neck, feel his warm fur against my skin, and breathe in that wonderful smell that perhaps only horse lovers can appreciate. After standing that way for awhile, I pulled myself away, looked into his big, brown eyes and smooched him on the nose.

I didn’t realize how much I was missing Luke and my friends at the barn. Perhaps I should ask myself when I get really, really cranky and depressed, “When did you last go riding?” I miss having my horses in my back yard and I think the solution to not feeling that void is to stop seeing my horse altogether. Go figure.

With winter being over (cough, laugh, sputter), a number of people have taken their horses back home to ride so Luke is in his paddock by himself. He’ll be moving to the larger paddock with the bigger herd when three new horses come to the barn, which is fine. He’s been with the other group before and was perfectly fine with it. After all he’ll get to be with the wild and free, stylin’ group.

It was nice talking horse talk and catching up with what’s been going on with other horse people. I’m going to do the Dressage Intro Test C in a clinic in about three weeks so one of the women read the test for me while I rode. I think the way Luke and I backed up and did a turn on the forehand at X was much more impressive than a simple halt and salute.

So yeah, a few things to work on. It’s all just for fun anyway. Luke is my trail pal and I need to remember that and not expect him to be something he’s not. But even a trail horse can benefit from what you strive for in the lower level dressage test, which is mainly to pick up a gait when asked, listen to the rein and leg to make a certain pattern in the ring, and have the horse balance and carry himself. The point of riding a test for me is to hang out with my friends and cheer them on with their real dressage horses doing real dressage moves.

When I got back home, I took the two dogs for a walk. I’ve been trying out a double leash with them.

So far, Latte changes the side she’s walking on too much and makes life miserable for Java so I need to keep working Latte on her own. Plus, time and maturity will certainly help Latte not to be such a dang puppy.

Latte didn’t seem all that excited to see me when I picked her up. I guess she made friends with a Boston Terrier. So much for Java and me…

The photo below has nothing to do with anything except that I passed by this building on the way to doggy daycare and I like the mural.

The doggy daycare is expensive so I’m hoping to only need to take Latte there one or two days a week for three months or until she is better able to hold her bladder for a full day. I will especially use the daycare on days when I have something planned for the evening (like riding Luke, which I did again after work today). That way, Latte isn’t cooped up in a kennel all day, let out for an hour, then put back into the kennel again while I run off to do something.

My effort to organize and sort out all my work, writing, riding, dog training/playtime, and social-life time demands is definitely a work in progress. I probably will never have all of it comfortably under control but hopefully, I can get it to the point of being a little less crazy making.