Monday, April 13, 2009

Mancos

I arrived at Medicine Horse at 9:30. First, I had to fill out volunteer paperwork. After that, Lynne took me out to see the horses.  In the first corral were Doc, Stealth, and Indie.  They are all older horses.  The three of them were hanging around the water trough, but not drinking.  So, Lynne went over to see why.  The water had a heater in it, so the water doesn't freeze.  

She took the heater out.  What she thinks happened, is that something went wrong with the heater and when the horses tried to drink, they got a shock.  After she took the heater out, Indie and Stealth took a long drink, but Indie was still afraid.  She kept hanging around the water, but wouldn't get too close.  Then, Stealth stepped in.  He would slurp up some water, take a step back, and let it drip slowly out of his mouth.  Indie would put her mouth under his, and drink the water that he "gave" her.  It was a wonderous thing to watch!  It was almost like a bird mother feeding her little ones.  And it wasn't a one-time thing.  Stealth did it several times!  Lynne said she'd never seen that, and neither had I.  But, it was pretty awesome!

Then, we went to see Missy and Whiskey.  They were also older horses.  Whiskey has a sway back.  They were both very sweet.

The last corral had three younger horses in it.  They were rescued from a Premarin farm in Canada.  Premarin is the drug that they get from pregnant mare's urine, and is used for menopausal women.  Makes me want to try it!  Yeah, right!

Lynne talked about their therapy sessions with a counselor, the person receiving therapy, and the horse.  The horse often mirrors what the person can't talk about.  I found that interesting,  awesome, even.

So, after the horse introductions, Lynne said that they needed someone to just hang with the horses and get them used to people again.  I can do that!

There is a river across the street from the horses, and there are nests in the trees - - blue heron nests!  Lynne said there are also bald eagles around the area.  Is this place awesome, or what!  Herons and eagles!  I have chosen correctly!

I still have several hours to wait until I can see the new house (new to me) which is about five minutes from the horses.  So, I drive to Mesa Verde which is right up the road.  I get in free with the year's pass that I bought last time, but I pay $3 for a tour of Cliff Palace, which wasn't open last time I visited.

Cliff Palace is awesome.  I think it is the largest of the ruins in Mesa Verde.  They used to think that it housed one hundred fifty families, but now they think that it was for more ceremonial purposes, because there are a lot of kivas there.  While, I wait for the tour to begin, next to me a kid is telling his younger sibling about a ladder that we have to climb . . . it is steep and away from the ruins a bit.  I think he is just teasing the little kid.  Although, in the briefing, it says you have to climb four or five ladders during the tour.  But, I can see two of them inside the ruins.

Later on, at the end of the tour, it seems the older sibling told the truth!  As I climb the ladder, I'm on the lookout for what the ranger said were the "steps" the Ancestoral Puebloans created for themselves.  They are just little, cutouts on the rock face, and would be scary!  I didn't bring my camera today, but I'll be back here often.  Not to worry!

I thought I would have more time in Mesa Verde, but it didn't work out that way.  I had just enough time to eat lunch in the restaurant there, and drive back to Mancos.  Sue wasn't there yet, so I walked over to the river . . . not too far from her front yard.  You can hear the river this time of year from the house.

The inside of the house is much bigger than I thought it would be.  Sue has it divided into three rooms:  the boys room, her room, and the living room.  The kitchen is off to the side.  She has the composting toilet disconnected, and is using another system like my friends in Missouri use.  The house has it's flaws, but it is a nice house.  I want it!

While Sue and I are talking outside, a blue heron flies by!  She says she sees them often because of the river.  The house is just five minutes from Medicine Horse.  It's perfect for me.

As I'm driving away, a hawk flies over.  A good sign.