Buffalo and "interesting" happening

So . . . have y'all heard of the new "paleo diet?" It is also called the cave man diet and is based upon our way way way back ancestors back in the day of mammoths and saber tooth cats. I've talked about the universe before and how it "guides" you in ways that you sometimes don't even realize. Sometimes it shouts through a megaphone, and sometimes it whispers in your ear. Let's say that my moving toward a paleo diet was somewhere in between. I've been struggling to find a correct diet for about a year now and nothing has seemed satisfactory. And then the universe spoke, so I decided to try the paleo diet. Mind you . . . I have not eaten any red meat for about fifteen years, and even chicken and fish have been relatively scarce in my diet. So, this is very new to me. The basics are: meat, fruit, and vegetables. No dairy (that's a huge one and something that EVERYONE should follow), no grains (even whole ones), and no beans. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are not allowed either, although I think there's some controversy there. Anyway, it's fairly restrictive. Oh, and did I mention NO SUGAR? That's another one that EVERYONE should follow. Well, so far so good. My first red meat in fifteen years was . . . buffalo. I thought that was appropriate.

I've been having some sleeping issues lately and I'm blaming this next event on that! I was driving to Durango minding my own business and on my way to the library. As I was approaching a stop light, I noticed FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER a sign that pointed to the right and said Library. I had never gone that way before, so I ignored the sign. Well, in my noticing the sign, too much time had passed and when I got to the intersection, the light was already yellow . . . in fact, it had turned red before I actually crossed the intersection . . . which means that I went through a red light! I was absolutely horrified! I'm not a "yellow-light-person" . . . that is, I usually don't go through yellow lights. I start slowing down and check my rear-view mirror to make sure the person behind me isn't going to try to run the light. Anyway, on I go to the library. I pull into the parking place, start getting out, when a young police officer steps up beside me and says, "Get back in the car, M'am." I did, and he says something like, "Do you know why I'm here?" and I say, "Yes! I'm horrified that I just went through a red light! OMG!" So, he gets my license and registration blah blah blah.

Well, I missed the library, so I went to the health food store. When they asked how I was, I still answered "Excellent," even with just getting a ticket. And I honestly felt excellent! Anyway, I was still horrified over going through the red light and I thought there must be something wrong with the stop light. So, I drove back over there and went through another red light! OMG! No, just kidding!! I pulled up into a parking lot so I could see the light and timed the yellow light . . . I was still certain that something must be wrong with it. Well, I sat in that parking lot through several yellow lights, and the timing was fine. It was me. I still don't know how it happened, but I'm blaming lack of sleep. And as a side note, seeing that Library sign for the first time was one of those whispers from the universe. If I had gone that way instead of insisting on going my usual way, this wouldn't have happened.

I had planned on paying the ticket. The officer said I could go to court and fight it, and I said, "No, I did it! No reason to fight." So, later in the week, I went down to the court to pay the ticket. They told me that if I wanted to pay court costs (reasonably cheap), then I could get something called a deferred judgment and it wouldn't go on my record (or to my insurance company.) So, I went back home waiting for my day in court, which was about a month away. But . . . since I'm so behind on my blog . . . you get to find out now what happened!

Nothing. I expected everything to come out good, and it did. I was going to get all dressed up (in a dress) for the court because I had read that judge's use your clothes in deciding your fate. But, at the last minute, I decided to just wear nice, white jeans, and a sweater. It was fine. I was more dressed up than anyone else. I walked in and the tension in the room was thick. But, when the judge walked in, I liked his energy. He wasn't one of those power hungry dudes. About half the people were before me and I think every single one of them got a deferred judgment . . . including one woman who had had her second reckless driving incident in a year. I actually didn't think that was right. But . . . a deferred judgment worked for me, and I was outa there in about thirty minutes. Basically, I'm on probation for ninety days and if I don't get another ticket, then I'm home free. I had to pay the ticket fine ($100), plus court costs, plus deferred judgment costs. It will be worth it, though, not having it on my record.

Current: Jennifer had her two sons bring over some wood for me . . . an old tree that had fallen down. Plus, I had some big parts leftover from the last tree she brought me. So . . . I'm out there with my trusty ax hacking away at this big tree. It was tough, and I didn't look up for several minutes. When I finally stopped to rest, who is staring right at me but two big horses! Sentalina and Gitanna are about ten feet from the fence and both of them are staring right at me and my ax! It was the funniest thing I've seen . . . they made me laugh right out loud! So cool! I love that!

Misc stuff from mostly awhile ago.

Ok, so here's the deal . . . I wrote these notes about two months ago . . . "poker, special rodeo, Ken, Sentalina." Do you think I remember what they were about . . . well, a little. Kind of. So, I'll just wing it, and then fill in with some current events so they don't get two months behind also!

Poker . . . I've been playing in a "neighborhood" game. I thought it was going to be low stakes, but sometimes that doesn't always work out. The first time I played, I was down over forty dollars and came back to win at least twenty. Not exactly sure how much. The second time I played, I won even more. The third time I played, I lost! I didn't take one hand the entire night! (6:30 to 9:30) What a freakin' bummer! I'm still ahead, but not too anxious to play again, although I think I'll win next time!! [Current update on poker: last game lost $1!]

Special Rodeo - - Cadence made an appearance, brought horses, and we did the "barrel racing" part of the rodeo. Actually, someone just walked the horses with a rider around the barrels. Everyone had a lot of fun. There was this one older woman and she was scared to be on the horse. I was horse leader and the two side walkers weren't with Cadence and weren't experienced in doing the side-walking. So, when the woman showed fear, they kept asking her if she wanted to get off. I can't remember exactly, but I said that she'll be fine, and I looked back and smiled at her. I said, "You're fine, aren't you?." She nodded her head and kind of smiled. By this time we were about halfway through the barrels, and she was doing fine. I looked back and said, "This is cool, isn't it?" And I can't remember what she said, but she smiled a big smile and you could tell that she had finally relaxed and was enjoying it. I felt like I had made a difference. That's what this is all about. I had my picture taken with a big bull that was at the rodeo, and if I remember I'll post it on here.

Ken: I don't remember at all what this was about, so I will say hello to Ken and Paul and my cousin Ronnie who just died. I talk to Ken a lot when I'm working with horses. I had to do something with Aslan that I was a little nervous about, so I asked Ken if he would help me. Everything turned out perfect. So . . . I don't know if he really helped, or if it was like the feather and Dumbo . . . remember that part . . . ?

I take care of two horses at my house: Gitanna and Sentalina. Gitanna is the smaller one and she is very affectionate. Sentalina is a pretty big girl, no definitely a big girl, and she was always standoffish. So, a couple weeks after I moved in and she finally allowed me to touch her, I excitedly told Jennifer about it. She instructed me not to touch her anymore! She said that if Sentalina learns from me that she can push people around, then it would make Jennifer's job that much harder to un-teach her.

This was a huge wake-up call for me, because as I think I've mentioned before, this is a life theme for me. When I worked at the school, the middle schoolers walked all over me. And I allow horses to walk all over me . . . hence the instruction not to touch Sentalina. Since this happened a couple months ago, I have been much better. I wouldn't exactly say I'm good at it or even efficient at it, but I'm much, much better. The hardest thing for me is knowing when the horse is just being affectionate and when he/she is pushing too far. Jennifer says it's a feeling thing . . . so, that will take longer than just step one do this, step two do that. But . . . I'm getting it. And I can feel changes in myself with people as well because of this lesson . . . so, it's all been very interesting.

I have a couple more "current" notes, but even they aren't current anymore! I remember them better than two months ago, though.

I was driving the other day and I saw a couple deer in a pasture . . . one of them was peeing. The intimacy of that moment really got to me. I see deer around here fairly regularly, but this . . . this was something more . . . a glimpse into their private life or something. It's the same way I felt when I saw that coyote pooping. Something most people don't get to see. Silly, I know, but it felt special in a very intimate way.

A couple weeks ago, Jennifer gave me some new hay for my two girls. Different hay. Hay not to their liking. So, when I threw the hay over the fence, the two of them completely ignored it! Wouldn't take one bite! Then, they began pounding on the fence with their hooves saying, "We don't like this! We want our old stuff back! This is yucky! Give us what we want!" The following day a lot of the hay that I had fed them was strewn about. But, in a couple days, they were eating most of it. Horses . . . they're like kids . . . I think.

horses not eating/pawing fence

The way home

This is now over a month old, so I'll do the best I can with my notes!!

For some reason . . . maybe excitement to hit the road . . . I hardly got any sleep the night before I left LA. And then, since I wanted to get out of town before rush hour traffic hit, I left REALLY early . . . I think it was 5:00 or 5:30. Needless to say, I was VERY tired on the trip.

I stopped for breakfast in Barstow, California . . . way out of the way of rush hour traffic. I got gas somewhere on the California side of the border . . . and when I got to Arizona, which was less than an hour later, gas was about a dollar cheaper! Bummer! Oh, well.

I was exhausted by the time I got to Flagstaff, so I stopped to have lunch at Sizzler. It was excellent! A good respite from the road. Oh, and did I mention that it was over one hundred degrees as I was driving . . . bummah! My car was wonderful, though, even with the air conditioner on.

Back on the road again, because I had reservations in Tuba City, Arizona. I used to love Tuba City in the old days . . . before it was actually a city. But, anyway, the motel was a little bare bones, but clean and fine. No tv and no telephone, but I did have internet, so what else did I need!?!

The following day an easy drive home. I stopped at Kayenta, Arizona for breakfast, and was home soon after. Home sweet home!

In Los Angeles

First thing this morning, I reached into my backpack for a clean t-shirt. Oops. I had a stack of about six t-shirts . . . and they never got put into the backpack! Luckily, I had one that I sometimes use for sleeping. It's still clean. The other days I'm just going to have to stink! Sorry!

Saturday morning, I went to breakfast with Edie, her brother Ralph and his wife Ruth, and Ralph's daughter Vickie. I met "Uncle" Ralph and Vickie when I was about sixteen years old at my friend Karen's parent's condo in Mammoth. I had a great time with them. Ruth is also a writer and so I had a connection with her, which was nice.

Dylan, Karen's twenty-something son, stopped by to see his grandmother, Edie. I haven't seen him for many years. Although he is unorthodox with multiple piercings and tattoos and even an implant, he is one of the most incredible "kids" I've ever met. At eighteen years of age, he decided *on his own* that he needed to go to detox. He completed the program and although it's been a really tough road, he is still clean after many years. What a great kid!

The reason I went to LA (after I swore I'd never return when my Mom moved to Maine) was to attend my Aunt Claire's book signing party. The really cool thing is that she had it at a fancy place that was within walking distance of Edie's house. So, I walked.

Even though I had told my aunt that I *might* come, she was totally surprised . . . and excited . . . to see me. I got to see cousins that I hadn't seen in about forty years. Their comment to my aunt later . . . she has matured! Duhhh! I'm menopausal, guys! But, don't forget, I'm still a wild child!!

After the party, I went back to Aunt Claire's with her sons and their adult children. It was interesting being with family again . . . it happens so seldom these days!

Sunday, I had a very nice lunch with Edie at a great Mexican restaurant, and then spent the afternoon with my Aunt Claire. A good time was had by all!

Next day . . .

This is now so long ago, I can't remember what my notes even mean! Sorry! I'll do the best I can.

It was 85 degrees this morning when I left Vegas this morning at 7:00. A barren landscape from Vegas into California. I was going to go a roundabout route to avoid downtown Los Angeles, but decided to go for it, anyway. I hate city driving, but it actually wasn't too bad. I got lucky.

Before going to my friend Karen's Mom's house, I stopped at Trader Joe's in Westwood to pick up some stuff. Then, I went to the library to work on my writing while I waited for her to get home. There was a guy in front of the library talking to himself. Nothing like LA for scary people!

Karen's Mom is awesome, and I always enjoy seeing her and spending time with her. Across the street from her house, an old senile woman comes out every night . . . apparently like clockwork . . . and starts yelling and screaming at imaginary people. It's somewhere between entertaining and tragic. Sad, really.

The journey begins . . .

I left home at four a.m. this morning, while it was still dark. I drove south to Farmington, and then west to Shiprock. I thought I knew which way I was supposed to go, but it was still dark, and I must have missed the turnoff for Kayenta. I prefer driving through the reservation . . . but, oh well. It turned out that I went south instead of west, and I ended up heading down to Gallup, New Mexico. Which was okay . . . it was an alternative route, but I didn't really want to go that way.

I ate breakfast there, and did some yoga . . . I woke up and had some lower back pain, so I did some yoga before breakfast hoping to get rid of it. For the most part, it worked, but it took awhile. I was hoping it wouldn't take me as long as it did, but I ended up getting to Vegas at two o'clock in the afternoon. I found my hotel and checked in. The room is large and nice. The room rates are cheap.

Then, I took the monorail down to Circus Circus. Well, actually, the monorail went to the Sahara, which is a now defunct casino. The monorail drops you off at this kind of seedy area, and I had to figure out how to get to Circus Circus. It was a much longer walk than I had anticipated. Bummer. After being so long in the car, I really wasn't up for that . . . plus, the temp outside was about 104!! OMG! Hot! And forget about that "dry heat" deal . . . it's still oppressively hot!

Finally made it to Circus Circus, but I was too late for the buffet. Last time I was down here, Circus Circus had excellent buffets for about three dollars. It was over ten years ago. Well, forget cheap! The buffet is now fifteen dollars or something! But, alas, I was too late to have it, anyway.

I looked around at a few food places inside the casino, and finally settled on Mexican fast food . . . it was reasonably priced and reasonably good. Then, I went back to the Adventure Dome . . . the inside amusement park! First, I went to see the bungee jump . . . I was really excited to try that. Well, it wasn't exactly what I had expected. In fact, it wasn't a bungee jump at all. It was jumping on a trampoline, while you are suspended in a harness. Hardly a bungee jump. I declined the whole deal. I had planned to buy the all day pass for twenty-five dollars, so you can ride the rides as many times as you want. But, the wall climbing (and the so-called bungee jumping) weren't included in the all day pass! So, I paid for the wall climb and it was taller than I had ever done, so that was cool. But, I forgot to ask the guy to time me, and I think I did it pretty fast. Oh, well!

The roller coaster was next. It was cool! Fast, and a couple of upside down roundy rounds. But, I have to admit something here . . . something embarrassing. It was so exciting that my mouth was open the whole time, and I was kinda, well, kinda drooling. Yes, drooling. All down the front of my shirt. And . . . the poor kid next to me . . . as we were getting off, I noticed him wiping his glasses off! Gross! Sorry kid!

After the roller coaster, I headed back into the casino looking for the Circus Circus midway. It, too, was disappointing . . . just not like I remembered. It seemed a lot more expensive than before, and most of the patrons were little kids. Since a lot of the games are multi-person, it meant that if I won, I would be beating a little kid. The whole thing turned me off. I left . . . in search of a poker game.

I found the poker room in approximately the same place it used to be. But, the lowest limit was $3/$6, which is really expensive . . . especially when you're talking about hold 'em. So, I passed it by. Oh, well. I thought maybe another casino might have stud poker and a little cheaper limits.

Even though it was interminably hot, I began the long walk back to my hotel. I wasn't going to go for the monorail again! There were some things I wanted to see on the way, anyway. I passed by the Excalibre . . . the casino with the King Arthur theme. It was kind of cool. Then, I made my way to the Mirage. They had a dolphin and white tiger exhibit that I thought was free, but it wasn't. Last time I was there . . . it was free. That was back when Siegfried and Roy were still there, though.

WAlking on, I checked poker games in a couple other casinos, but to no avail. Nothing that I wanted to play in. Oh, well. Finally back to my hotel, and I settled in for a short evening of surfing the net. Good night.

Moving

Friday

Got up early with not enough sleep. I had intended to take Moki on a long walk today, but I decided I needed the time to pack. But, I was too tired to get motivated to pack. I'd pack a little, and surf a little, pack a little, surf a little more. I was too tired to stay focused. Mid afternoon, I finally woke up and started packing in earnest.

I had planned to go to square dancing tonight, and as tired and hot as I was at 5:00, I started getting ready. I'm looking in the mirror, and my face is bright red from the heat, the rest of me is feeling it, and I decided to reassess the situation. I already had my dancing clothes on . . . tonight, I was even going to wear a dress! . . . which I don't do very often. The person who is going to help me move tomorrow is one of my square dance pals. And I needed to clarify a direction I had given him to get to my house. When I started doubting my sanity on going dancing, I wasn't sure if I had time to call Les . . . that is, if he would answer his phone either in the car or at the dance. Luckily, he answered. Now, I don't have to go. I still don't have a lot of energy to pack, but at least I don't have to take that drive now. I think I'll watch Star Trek . . . that will make me feel better! Then, hopefully . . . some time to pack.

Saturday

I'm glad that I chose to completely load the car last night. I still awoke early today to get more packing done, but at least the car is ready to go. Les arrived early, and we spent a long time loading his truck. Organizing is the biggest part. All the big things that needed to be moved . . . couch, desk, file cabinet, etc. . . . all fit very nicely. Plus, we were able to fit some other stuff in that helped.

I was trying to get to Durango in time to make a second trip back there before the internet guy came to install the equipment. But, by the time we got everything locked and loaded, I realized it was too late. We took off, Les in his loaded truck, and me in my loaded car. We got about a mile down the road before Les pulled over to the side. His brake lights on his truck didn't work. Bummer! This is the truck that Les calls his brand new 1973 edition. Les is a fixer, and the truck works perfectly . . . normally . . . but, he hadn't driven it in awhile. So, we pulled off onto a side street so Les could work on the brakes. It was a weird problem and took Les awhile to fix it, but before too long we were back on the road again.

We got to the new house and unloaded everything. Then, since I had to wait there for the internet guy and it was still awhile off, we went back into Durango for lunch. While I was there, I remembered that I had forgotten to bring a check! Then, I remembered again that I had the "accidentally" had the checkbook in the desk drawer that I had brought over to the new house. After lunch, we came back to the new house, and while Les tried to get the cover back on his pickup, I started putting things away. But, it was getting later and later and the internet guy still wasn't there . . . and I wanted to make a second trip. Then, I realized that while I did have a check to pay the guy, I had forgotten the new router that I bought that he needed to hook up the internet! So, I called him, and cancelled until Monday, and I drove back to Mancos to finish packing and loading. Les stayed at the new house still trying to get the cover on his truck. He told me later that it took him over an hour!

I drove back to my old house . . . dead tired. But, I still had a lot to do. I drove into Cortez and picked up a steam carpet cleaner. Then, I knew I had to make one trip to the new house early in the morning, so I loaded my car back up. Then, I kept packing until I had to go to sleep.

Sunday

Final day at my old house. I got up early and left immediately to drive to the new house. I unloaded everything as fast as I could and drove back to the old house, loaded up again, drove and unloaded again. Unfortunately, I still had a houseful of stuff. I had to place it in uncarpeted spaces so I could do the steam cleaning. That didn't take too long, and seemed to work really well. Moki didn't really have accidents, but he used to eat crud that he found on our walks, and then he'd come home and barf. I'd clean it up, but sometimes was unable to get it all off the carpet. The steam cleaner took care of that, thankfully.

I drove back to Cortez to return the steam cleaner, and hurried home. It was getting late, I still had a lot to do, and I was already dead tired. I wanted my landlord to check the house after I steam-cleaned, but he didn't want to until all the stuff was out. So, I packed like mad and loaded the car for the next couple hours. The car was getting full, and I still had more stuff. I put the dog kennel in the back, and it was obvious that Moki was going to have to ride in it because there was no room for him anywhere else! I was making a last trip to the car with a box that I had put together . . . but, I hadn't taped it up . . . the darn thing came apart . . . fully loaded . . . just as I was putting it in the car! OMG! At this point I was so tired I could barely function . . . but, it was the end of the month and I needed to be out that day. Of course, the landlord *probably* would have let me slide cause no one was moving in yet, but still . . . I didn't want to have to come back. Finally, with the car fully, and I mean fully, loaded, I was able to drive off at about 8:15 . . . which meant that I had worked steadily from 6:15 am to 8:15 pm with only about a fifteen minute break for lunch! Ouch.

Monday

Landlord called to say that the place looks fine, but he still needs me to take care of the three boxes of books! Shoot! Back I went within another couple days to get rid of the darn books . . . these are old books that I had printed that didn't exactly work out. Anyway, done.

Mundane issues and the not-so-mundane

I had to take a quick trip to Farmington to get an adjustment on my back . . . it hadn't been right since my big move (kind of jumping ahead here). While I was down there, I took the opportunity to go shopping. I'm not really a shopper, and after awhile, I start feeling . . . yucky. I used to enjoy shopping with my mother . . . to a point . . . but, now, it's just not in me. Never really was, really.

I've been having sleeping issues lately. Well, maybe not just lately. Anyway, I have bought every herbal sleep aid you can think of, and none of them have consistently worked for me. There is a non-herbal on the market, and it definitely works, but I wake up and my kidney hurts. So, I haven't used that one for quite awhile. It's actually an anti-histimine . . . which totally dries you out . . . hence the pain in my kidney. I think I'm always a little dehydrated, anyway, and this just sucks it right out of me. (I'm a little better at drinking water now, though.)

One of the suggestions that I've read about is not watching any tv or doing any computer stuff right before bed. In fact, not reading in bed, either. You're not supposed to do anything in bed except sleep. Well, there's one other thing you're allowed to do in bed, but I don't have to think about that right now! I've been rejecting this idea . . . about no computers . . . because it would affect me so much . . . two hours before bed . . . no computers . . . how can I live like that!? I was actually using the computer until right before bed, and then I'd get in bed and turn on my iPad, which is kind of like a mini-computer.

But, I was getting desperate. So, I decided to try it. Difficult at first, but getting easier. Now, I have time to do other things that I "didn't have time for before." It's actually become a quite nice time in the evening for me now. It seems to have helped my sleeping issues, but time will tell.

Eating . . . I'm having eating issues, too. I've been struggling for months to find a diet right for me, and I haven't quite succeeded yet. I'm about this far away from starting to eat meat again . . . I was thinking of trying buffalo. But, I don't know. I haven't eaten red meat for about fifteen years now . . . and the thought of it . . . I don't know. I don't know what the thought of it does, but right now, I guess I'm not quite ready for it. But, I have eliminated other things from my diet and they need to be filled in with others . . . so, I am probably going into the meat direction.

I have eliminated . . . tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers . . . the "night shade" vegetables . . . whose presence in your diet can cause "arthritic symptoms." Problem is . . . I used to eat a lot of pasta . . . which mean tomato sauce . . . which I used constantly. I had a problem "replacing" it . . . but, someone turned me onto something called artichoke archuleta . . . actually I forgot the name of it, but it's kind of a sauce made from artichokes. I'm kind of a picky eater, and wasn't sure that I would like it . . . but, I love it! So, that's worked out well.

I'm also trying to eliminate wheat/gluten from my diet. That isn't going so well. I used to eat a lot of pasta-type casseroles. The artichoke stuff let me alter the recipe to get out the tomato, but now I have the gluten thing . . . so, I'm going to have to find a whole new way of eating. So far, I haven't discovered it yet. I'm thinking of going to the "paleo diet" . . . the cave man diet . . . which is essentially meat and vegetables. But, again, I'm struggling with the meat thing . . . although, this is probably the direction that I'll ultimately go. I haven't gotten there yet, though!

Now, for the not-so-mundane.

A very, very good friend of mine died unexpectedly last week. Ken, the cowboy. He was my best cowboy pal, and we used to talk all the time, but haven't much lately. I was just getting ready to call him to tell him about my move to Durango . . . but, I never got around to it. He was younger than I am . . . I miss him very much. I still talk to him all the time. He was also on the therapeutic riding board with me. Last time I was there, I turned around at one point and really "felt" his presence . . . right over by Ken's favorite horse, Apache. And Apache turned around and looked at me for "no" reason. It was an interesting moment. I don't know if it was really Ken or not, but it "felt" like him.

And I just found out that another really good friend passed: my good friend Naomi's son, Paul. He's the one who visited me not so long ago. It seemed like it happened really fast. Wasn't he just here? He was still on treatment then. I guess it really didn't matter that he was still smoking. My Mom used to tell me . . . when it's your time to go . . . That seems more and more true to me the older I get and the more I see in the world.

Good by, Paul. Good by, Ken. I love you both and will still think of you and talk to you often . . . I know you're both still around me. I send love . . .

Ute Museum

Today, I went with members of my archeology group to the Ute Museum on the Indian Reservation in Ignacio. In a word, it was awesome! We had a big group . . . maybe twenty-four people, so they split us into two smaller groups. My group went to the permanent museum first.

The Ute woman who gave the tour was excellent. In the museum, first we watched a short video that was interesting. Then, we started on the official tour. The museum is divided into different sections, and we'd stop at most of the sections and she would talk about it. It has been too long now for me to remember the sections, but they had a broken promises section, a section on herbal plants, food, weapons, horses, mandatory schools, and they even had a small house of the type that they forced the natives to live in on the reservations.

It showed some info on the Ute language, and I saw that horse was kava. I asked them how to pronounce it, because kava kava is an herb. It's pronounced ka-va with the accent on the second syllable. They talked about the mandatory schools where they ripped all children from their parents, forced them to go to school in faraway places (so it would be too far for them to run away and go home), and how they cut their hair, and wouldn't let them speak their native language. The houses that they forced them to live in were one room simple affairs, with a wood stove, a chair, and a table. Not much else.

After that incredibly interesting presentation, we went into another room to watch a short presentation on the "buffalo box." The buffalo box is a box made of rawhide from a buffalo. Inside the box are different parts of the buffalo and she explained what each one was for. One of the most interesting were these little things on the forelegs of the buffalo . . . and horses have them, too. Jennifer had told me once that they were remnants of a previous toe. Anyway, they are this hard, pointed "thing" coming from the back of about where the ankle would be. The Utes used to use them for . . . well, she described it like this . . . they'd hang them over the door, and if a teen-ager tried to sneak out at night . . . they would make a sound! I thought that was kind of cool. The whole table was filled with many different things all made from the buffalo.

After that, both groups met up again and had lunch at the casino. This woman from the casino/museum, who had apparently arranged the whole thing for us, came as we all sat down. She started to announce that whoever came up with the first ute word . . . I immediately shouted out "ka-va!" and I won a free lunch! How cool is that!? All in all, it was a really fun day!

Mesa Verde, grossness, and horse stuff

I spent a spectacularly cool morning at Mesa Verde. They sometimes have "special" hikes, and this was one of them. I had to pay and make reservations in advance. The hike goes to a place that the general public is usually not allowed to go. This was to Oak Tree House, and it was awesome! The ranger said to me that he thought he knew me. I told him that I'm there all the time. But, he was from Mancos . . . where I currently live. I said to him that I was the one who walks my dog and waves to everyone, and he said, "Yes! That's where I know you from! Your dog is very well trained!" So, that was cool.

Afterwards, I walked down to Spruce Tree House to sit and meditate in the kiva there. I totally love that. I don't like going to Mesa Verde and missing that kiva, so I always try to go.

WARNING: THIS part is graphic and GROSS. Read at your own risk!

Later on in the week, I was home doing laundry. It was ready to come out of the washer, so I opened the washer and started putting the clothes into the dryer. But, it smelled funny, and I thought that was odd, since it was just washed. There was a big piece of what looked like fluff on the side of the washer . . . and since Moki is very long haired, and usually shedding great hunks of hair everywhere, I didn't think much of it. UNTIL, I picked up the piece of "fluff," and it had a tail!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!! I couldn't believe it! Oh, barf! It was so incredibly gross! I tossed the mouse in the garbage outside (poor guy), and washed and re-washed the clothes. Then, I washed my hands about a dozen times before I was willing to start cooking! GROSS!

END OF GROSSNESS.

At the ranch, I rode Marvin in an English saddle and had a hard time turning him. The girl who rode him before me cried because she couldn't do it, either! He's tough! Jennifer said that he's like a high level dressage horse who is very patient and a good teacher. He is!

Another time I rode Bo, who is one of the stallions. That was on a lunge line, and bareback. I did better on him, and we trotted and I actually did pretty good.

Last time I was there, we went on a trail ride and I rode Kachina bareback. I did pretty well, although Kachina in pretty easy, and I learned a lot. Every time I ride I learn a lot.

Oh, one more horse. I also rode Lyra this past week. This time, Alicia led me around and Lyra was perfect. But, since the last time she was so scary . . . I was totally scared and kept wanting to get off. Jennifer wouldn't let me. So, I kept on riding, tried to do what she asked, plus push my fear down, and all in all it was a good experience. Jennifer apologized later for not letting me get off, but I told her that I had free will and that I could have swung my leg over that saddle at any time. Plus, I learned a lot by staying on. So, I thanked her.

Pics = some cool pottery sherds the ranger showed us, and the (very unusual) square kiva at Oak Tree House . . . most are round.

Landlord blues . . .

Ok, yeah. My landlord was out of town when the rent was due, so I left a check and a notice to vacate in the usual spot. When he got back, he said something like, "So you're leaving, huh?" I said yes. He said, "I sure wish you would have paid me the extra $50. First I said that we hadn't signed the contract. I don't think that was the right thing to say. Then, I said something about thirty days notice for a raise in rent. He kind of walked off in a huff. I yelled to him to take it off my deposit.

The whole episode upset me. On my drive to Durango to go square dancing, I thought about it a lot. I kept thinking that *I* was in the right. Then, I heard my Mom's words . . . don't be dead right. When she said that the first time . . . I was learning to drive and I didn't slow down or even look at an intersection because I didn't have a stop sign. She said not to be dead right. In a car, it's appropriate. In this situation, it was just a message from her that I got loud and clear. I realized that my landlord and I had a good [landlord/tenant] relationship for the past two years, and it would be stupid to ruin it for fifty dollars . . . even if I was right.

So, the following morning when I saw him outside, I went out there and offered him the check. He refused to take it. I told him that I looked it up on the internet and I could give him the links. He said he doesn't have the time or the inclination. Ok, what could I say. I went back inside and tried to research some more. I found out there is a Colorado law that a landlord only needs to give ten days notice before the following month's rent is due. He still didn't give me enough notice . . . only seven days. Then, I called several rental agencies in Durango and they said that they give thirty days notice as a courtesy.

I know that when I moved in here I had a mad crush on this guy. And as the Garth Brooks song goes . . . thank God for unanswered prayers! The guy is a jerk. What can I say? When I lived in Bar Harbor many years ago, I lived in a small apartment over someone's garage. Doug lived with his family in the main house. They basically treated me like family . . . always invited me to holiday affairs, and when my Mom came into town, they had both of us over for dinner. Maybe Doug and his family were exceptional . . . I don't know. But, this landlord has never been like that. He just does his own thing and pretty much ignores me. If I'm home alone for the holidays, he never says a thing. Oh, well. I'm outa here. In about three weeks, anyway.

News and more news

So, the same day that I got a message from my landlord saying he's figured out how he's going to raise the rent, I got other GREAT news. The landlord's voicemail message was funny . . . he was kind of laughing out of nervousness, which he's never done before. And then he said that he thinks that I'll be happy with the new arrangement.

NOT! When I spoke to him, he said that he's not going to raise my rent. He's going to start charging me fifty dollars for the utilities, and I would also have to pay all my own propane . . . that's kind of a HUGE raise. And considering paying so much for gasoline to Durango . . . it's become pretty obvious that the universe wants me to move back there. Ok, universe! I will go with the flow!

Before I tell you the great news, I'll tell you how it started. I had been thinking . . . if I move back to Durango, I'll have to "trade down" in my living arrangements, because rents are more expensive there. I had even thought about going the roommate route again. Then, it occurred to me one morning, that I shouldn't think that because thinking it will create that exact situation. I'm all about creating your own reality these days. So, I changed my thinking to think that I would be trading UP to live in Durango. That same day Jennifer at the horse ranch mentioned that Alicia, her assistant, was moving and her house would be vacant. She didn't say anything more about it and neither did I. Frankly, I thought it was too much to hope for. Alicia lives within about two walking minutes of the ranch.

But, when I wrote to her on Friday asking if I could come out Monday, she responded with an "opportunity" to live in the house, and help her with horse clinics or other stuff. Sometimes people would be staying at the house . . . people who come to have their horses trained, but live far away . . . people at the [small-1 or 2 person] clinics . . . But, I was thinking of having a roommate anyway, and that would have been full time. This will be only occasionally or sometimes, but not all the time.

And having this come on the same day as my landlord's cockeyed message, was for me, a HUGE message from the universe. It's *screaming* . . . you are on the right path!!!! And, I am . . .

I went to the ranch on Monday for normal horsey stuff, and to talk to Jennifer to "seal the deal." It's sealed! Alicia moves out the end of July, and I am moving back to Durango! Yippee! To a horse ranch! Around horses! Is this awesome or what!?!

A couple weeks ago, I had applied at the Durango Library for a spot at their second annual Literary Festival. They were supposed to let you know by Friday, June 24th if you got accepted. After Friday, I was so excited about the move that I thought . . . the literary fest is just not meant to be . . . and I was okay with that. But, when I got home from "sealing the deal" on Monday, I had an email from the library . . . I got accepted!! I am so excited! They're only having ten or twelve authors, so this is a huge honor. I have to call the local bookstore to order some of my books for this, and when I do that, I'll probably approach them for a book signing . . . and being in the literary festival gives me a lot more credibility, so this is awesome!! My life is overflowing with incredible things right now! I am so lucky, so blessed, so appreciative . . . I love it!

A fragile life . . .

I don't know if all of you read my book/blog about when I did something incredibly stupid and was lucky nothing bad happened . . . Well, perhaps I did it again. Maybe. I'm not so sure. You know I'm looking for a place in Durango, right? So, I called this ad in the paper, and it was a roommate ad. I asked if I could have a dog. I couldn't tell if the voice was a man or a woman, because it sounded kind of like a voice box. Anyway, he/she said they loved dogs, and that would be fine. Somehow in the conversation, I said I lived in Mancos. They said they did , too, and why don't I come over there to meet. (The house in question was in Durango.) What difference does it make if I go to the house to see it, or go where the person lives now to meet them? Either way, I'm in a somewhat vulnerable position. So, off I go. But, I must have had some reservations, because before I left my house, I slipped my knife in my pocket.

I drive over there, and it was a rundown apartment building . . . really the low rent variety. I didn't even know there were places like that in Mancos. I didn't know what to do because I really didn't want to go in. But, I knocked on the door. A short guy (his looks still didn't clarify the man/woman thing much, but he was a man) answered the door. We introduced ourselves and he stepped outside, closed the door behind him, and said there was a lot going on in there. I thought I saw a dog and a person in the background. It was curious. His clothes smelled . . . like they needed to be washed. Not sweaty . . . that other peculiar smell. It added to the atmosphere.

He did have a voicebox. He said he had throat cancer and had a twenty per cent chance to live and he beat the odds. You know how they work . . . he had to press on his throat to talk. It was kind of disconcerting. So, I asked him about the utilities, because he had put $40 utilities a month, and I thought that was too cheap. He said that he keeps the heat at 55 degrees and wears a sweater. Then, he went on talking about other things. He was a massage therapist in Durango for a long time, and he repeated several times that he handled the rich and the high end. Am I supposed to be impressed with that? Anyway, then he tells me that he used to offer Tantric and erotic massages . . . which I think are pretty close to the same thing. He tells me this long story about some woman, yada yada yada, and now he's a registered sex offender. He emphasized that no one has anything to worry about with him. He said, I had to tell you that.

Then we get back to talking about the house. It turned out to be a mobile home, thank goodness. Because when I tried to get out of it by saying I can't live at 55 degrees, he says that he's ready for it to be warmer, so it wouldn't be a problem. So, then I tell him that I (slight exaggeration) need it at 75 degrees or I can't survive. He said that's fine, too. Too frickin' weird. What if I would have said 95? Anyway, then I tell him that I don't want to live in a mobile home. He says you can't tell. I said that I would still know. Finally, he let me go. The whole thing was very weird. His ad is still in the paper.

I wasn't sure if the universe WANTED me to leave Mancos and move back to Durango. But, it has made its intentions known now. My water started coming out brown the other day. It was yucky. I called the landlord's daughter, and she said hers was like that but now it's fine. I figured if hers was fine and mine wasn't even close to fine, then I better take the next step. So, I called the water company. Usually when I do something that "I'm not supposed to do," I get a voice in my head that says, "Don't do that . . . don't do that . . . don't do that." But, this time, no voice. The water company just said let the water keep running. Then, I told her that the water in the main house was fine, and mine wasn't. She said, what? That's illegal on our system. Oh, no. I knew immediately this was bad.

Turns out that the landlord told them he had a renter way back when, but they didn't do anything about it. Now, it's going to cost him something like $7500 to get it rectified. Plus, he said that he hadn't checked the usage on the usage on the propane yet, but it will cost me. Which equates to my rent being raised. The universe hath spoke. Last month I paid over $200 in gasoline . . . because of trips to Durango. That's "fine" with my low rent, but if the rent goes up, then why stay in Mancos? However, my house here is so much nicer than anything I've seen in Durango with my budget. I could pay more, but I don't want to at this time. So, I'm a little more diligent about looking for a new place now . . . not desperate, but I would really like to find a place somewhat soon.

Last weekend, I had a visit from an old friend from Tennessee and his girlfriend. I felt so privileged and so honored that he came to see me . . . because he is dying of lung cancer. Well, he has lung cancer, whether he's dying or not is still to be known. But . . . he is still smoking. You'd think that if someone had lung cancer and they really wanted to live, they would quit smoking. But, in the end, we all have free choice. He chooses to continue smoking. That's his choice. Who am I to judge? Paul is an incredibly nice guy. I've always liked him from when I first met him when he was seventeen or eighteen years old. His girlfriend is awesome. She did all the driving out here, and they drove back and forth across Colorado . . . she did a LOT Of driving. I liked her a lot. She said that her and Paul take care of each other. It was very sweet.

So Paul is killing himself with smoke. The really sad thing is that Paul's folks . . . well, his Mom and his stepfather, are killing themselves with food. They are diabetic, extremely overweight, and they either hide food (bad food) or eat way too much . . . and do it consistently. What can I say? I'll miss you? You can only help someone if they want to be helped . . . if they want to help themselves. And . . . they are reading this blog . . . they are reading this now. But . . . Naomi . . . you've known me for thirty years and you know I don't pull any punches . . . you know that I calls 'em like I sees 'em. Sorry. I hope this spurs you to make a change. Because if not . . . I'll really miss you . . .

Horses, dogs, men, and kids

I have a bunch of notes, but now it's been awhile so I can't remember what the notes meant! I'll do my best.

My friend, Karen, from high school and her dog, Checkers, visited a couple weekends ago. I had the house cleaned up, mostly, but I just couldn't get myself to do the dusting. That's something that's ALWAYS hard for me to get myself to do! So, when Karen arrived, I made all the apologies for a messy house . . . and Karen informed me that when you bring a dog to someone's house, the house DOES NOT HAVE to be clean! She says it's a rule! So, I'm good with that!

I was telling Karen that when I look at men at the plenty of fish online dating site, if it says their longest relationship was under ten years, I immediately discount them. She said that I shouldn't make such hasty decisions before I know their whole story . . . perhaps they've lived most of their life in a science research station in Antarctica or something! I'll have to rethink this . . . it does make sense to me.

So, I got to know Angela a little better, plus more about her. She's actually a pretty good kid. More hasty judgments, I suppose. And when I heard her story, it made me feel bad. She gets more negative reinforcement than positive. So, that's my new job . . . I'm good at that . . . telling people how good they did or whatever. And thanking them whenever they do something nice for me. Another turn of events . . .

I rode Kachina again. I had to struggle with her while I was putting the bareback pad on because she hadn't eaten her breakfast yet and just wanted to eat grass. So, after taking advantage of me on the ground, she tried to take advantage of me once I was on her back. I went on a trail ride with Alicia and Cosmic, the horse she's been training. Kachina kept stopping and whinnying because she wanted to go back and eat. I asked Alicia if I was doing anything to get her to stop. She said, no, but I also wasn't doing anything to stop her from stopping. As I became more aware, I realized that whenever she stopped to whinny, I would stop the forward movement of my body . . . which equates to stopping for a horse, at least Jennifer's horses. Next time she did it, I made sure to keep moving, and it worked! She didn't stop! She tried it a few more times, but then pretty much gave it up. Later in the ride, a big bird, possible a red tail hawk flew out right in front of us, and she spooked a little, but then was fine. It was a GREAT ride, and I learned a lot! It was awesome!

There is one horse at the therapeutic riding place, Bob, who is a handful. He is a young horse, I think two years old, and not broke, and he has a nasty habit of biting people . . . viciously. I'm really careful around him, and when I see him coming, I usually start swinging the lead rope so he won't get close. I was told that biting is the most aggressive thing a horse can do to you. Okay, so with that background, I'll go on. One of the kids who comes to ride, a downs syndrome kid, walked over to the fence where Bob was and wanted to pet him. I stood there waiting to shoo Bob away if he got nasty. But, the kid petted him for several minutes and Bob was a perfect gentleman. Horses KNOW. They really know. It's amazing.

Just a little behind . . .

I'm behind again, and so much has happened . . . kind of. I forgot to tell you about something that I did. The local wellness center/spa had a "sale" on experiencing a "floatation tank" or sensory deprivation tank . . . so, I did it. Apparently you can freak out or something, but when I told her that I'm a meditator, she said I'd be fine. I guess most people aren't used to being that alone with themselves . . . or in touch with themselves. Anyway, it's a big tank filled with body temperature water that is so full of salt that you can't help but float. It's also dark. I put earplugs in, too, but I could occasionally hear people talking in the other room. Mostly it was just me in the dark, though. The salty water, surprisingly, felt almost slimy. Weird feeling. I enjoyed it for the most part, although I was hoping for hallucinations! None of that. I just did my meditation and enjoyed the weightless feeling. Afterward, I took a shower which was in the room adjacent to the float tank. It was an interesting experience.

My friend and teacher, Jennifer, from the horse ranch has had a hard time lately. Last week her father died . . . it was kind of expected . . . but, still . . . it's never easy. And since I lost my Dad when I was eight . . . this is always a touchy thing for me, because I've never really gotten over it. Father's Day STILL bothers me . . . even after fifty-two years. Anyway, back to Jennifer. Then, last Friday she lost a young broodmare to a weird accident. The horse, Annie, was found with a large stick sticking straight out of her shoulder. It had already done a lot of damage systemically, so they had to put her down. This past Monday, one of her dogs, Huck, a very nice dog . . . smooth coated border collie . . . disappeared. They looked all over for him, but since one of his jobs was keeping mountain lions away . . . they think that's what might have happened to him. This one kills me . . . he was a good dog . . . and I haven't known him that long, but I'll really miss him.

Last week, I called Ron on an off day and asked if I could ride Dolly. I had planned to saddle her to give me a little more confidence to trot or maybe canter, but Ron never came out of the house, and I couldn't get the saddle off the saddle tree! So, bareback it was . . . which I never really mind, anyway. After walking around the arena several times, I got up the nerve to trot her. She did try to get away with me, but I pretty much just dealt with it. Working with Jennifer's green horses . . . not riding them . . . just doing ground work . . . has given me so much more confidence . . . even while riding. So, I was fine with Dolly. Since I was still feeling fine, I decided it was time to try cantering bareback which I haven't done in forty years! But, it was time to go for it! I tried encouraging her without giving her a little kick, but that didn't work. So, I gave her a little kick . . . she did canter for a short time, but not before giving me a little buck!! After that, I just tried to walk her around and calm her down so I could get off on a positive note. When I did finally get off, I led her around the arena for a short while just to cool her down. (an old pic of me and Dolly)

Centered living and horses

I was going to save this spot for the video, but, although my hard drive was replaced, I still haven't had a chance to see if the video is still there, so I'm going to just use it, and if I have the video, I'll put it in somewhere else.

After a tough weekend, with a much appreciated but sad visit, and culminating in my hard drive crashing . . . I drove out to the horse ranch Monday morning . . . feeling rather melancholy. I wasn't there too long, and I was walking down the way between horse areas, and I was beaming. It suddenly occurred to me that here . . . here among the horses . . . this is where I find my emotional center. This place, these horses, settle me. I am reading a book called Centered Riding. It's the way you have your body while you're on the horse . . . centered. Anyway, that came to mind and it made me realize that horses create in me . . . kind of a centered living . . . a centered life. What could be better than that?!!

Just wanted to document a couple horsey things that had a lot of meaning for me. The first one, Alicia was going to ride Jeeter . . . a green stallion. Jennifer was going along to keep him company . . . green horses and horses in training often need that. But, since this was Jeeter's first time outside the barn area, someone had to have a lead rope on Jeeter while Alicia rode him. I got elected. It was a huge responsibility . . . and an incredible compliment, as I saw it. That they should trust me with this. In fact during the ride . . . well, I walked . . . on the trail, where Jeeter saw all kinds of new things that he wasn't used to . . . Jennifer said to me, "Well, Jerri, Alicia's life is in your hands." Wow wow wow. I did it. Jeeter was fine. I was fine. We got back fine. Mission accomplished.

The next cool thing that happened was in the same week. Alicia has been training Mud, another green horse . . . he's a gelding, though . . . not as potentially volatile as a stallion. Anyway, I had held him for her before. She had a Western saddle on him (about the only time a horse around here gets a Western saddle . . . they are primarily English), and I had held him while she leaned over the saddle, and I would lead Mud on to take a step or two, so he could get the feel of having weight on his back. Then, Alicia would get off and I would walk Mud around and bring him back, and we would do it again. But, today, the day I'm speaking of, Alicia wanted to actually sit in the saddle, which is a huge step, because once you're up there it's a lot harder to slip off if the horse misbehaves than when you're just leaning on the saddle and you can slip right off. So, it was a little scary, but Mud did great. And Alicia gave me the greatest compliment! There is another woman, about my age, who sometimes comes out to help. She's been coming for a few years, I think. Anyway, Alicia told me that she felt much better with me holding the lead rope than the other woman, because she was always so nervous doing it! And me, I'm not! Is that awesome, or what! My fears, which used to be huge, are almost completely gone! Jennifer was such a great teacher getting me to this point! I owe her a million dollars or something!!

When Alicia first brought Mud out, he broke away from her. I was just about to bring Bo, one of the stallions, into the arena. I didn't know what to do. First I tried to get Mud to stop . . . I stood in front of the gate while he raced toward me at top speed. He didn't look like he was going to stop. I lost my nerve right before he got to me and he raced past me. I still didn't know what to do. Luckily, Jennifer was in the barn and stuck her head out and told me to get Bo back into his stall. We walked into the barn, where Mud had run to, and then Mud was in the way of Bo getting to his stall. Mud was pretty worked up, too. But, luckily, nothing happened and I managed to get past him and put Bo away. Bo was awesome. Not all stallions would have been that "gracious." And, for me . . . another lesson learned. When a horse gets loose, your only responsibility is to the horse that you're with at the time. Let the other person handle the loose horse.

Current note . . .

That last post was awhile ago, and the reason I haven't posted it is because I was waiting (procrastinating!) to load the video and other pics. But . . . now that won't be possible . . . at least for awhile. Yesterday, my computer did a nose dive . . . figuratively speaking, that is. Hard drive crashed on me. I think all I've lost is the last two weeks of stuff, and I can't remember if I downloaded the video and pics before that or after that. So, there ya go.

More posts to come. Sorry for the long delay. Once again an apology and I'll TRY to do better!

Leigh . . . your email address went with the hard drive . . . please drop a quick note, thanks!

awhile ago again . . .

I got very bad news: remember Cash . . . the beautiful black mustang that was at my horse clinic a couple months ago? He died. I was devastated . . . I can't believe it. Here is a good picture of Cash and Jim. So sad. So, so sad.

The kiva at Mesa Verde beckoned to me again, so I had to go there. First, I went to Cliff Palace, and I'll post the movie . . . if I remember. Then, I went to Balcony House, which is my favorite cliff dwelling because it involves a thirty foot ladder and crawling through a tunnel, among other amenities! I also took a video of climbing up the ladder . . . while the camera hung from my belt . . . but, I watched it when I got home, and you probably don't want to see that one!

A couple days later, I went on an archeology outing, but it was just kind of "virtual" . . . Well, not really, but there was nothing there except the "idea" and the landmarks. So, it wasn't very satisfying - - as far as archeology goes - - but, it was fun. And, I did take a picture of a beautiful bug that landed on me, and a rainbow in the sky on a sunny day!

men/horses/brats

Nothing interesting to report from online dating . . . in fact, nothing interesting out there . . . so, I hid my profile again . . . which means I'm done . . . at least for awhile.

BUT, I found an interesting guy on craigslist . . . local guy, probably not a serial killer! Anyway, his ad said something about a woman who likes horses and rural life. That is pretty much me . . . in fact, exactly me! So, I wrote to him. We have many other things in common besides horses, but aren't quite in agreement with politics and religion. That didn't seem to discourage him, though. Anyway, I called him. We talked for over an hour and I don't think he asked me one question . . . it was all about him, him, him. So . . . NEXT!

I went to Cadence the other day, and I was about to walk one of the regulars . . . Justin. Justin is the one who I do the most exercises with from my book on therapeutic riding. So . . . one of the girls who was doing the side walking asked me if I knew the exercises! I said, "I wrote the book!"

When I took Moki for a walk this morning, I heard the cows mowing . . . I just love that! I cam home and couldn't get the song, This Old Man outa my head. This old man, he played one, he played knick knack on my thumb. Knick knack paddy whack, give the dog a bone. This old man came rolling home!

Then, I drove over to the horse ranch for their open house. There were a ton of people there to help . . . mostly kids, some of which I knew. I had put on some nice horsey clothes this morning because there would be strangers there looking to buy high end horses. And . . . you know . . . you never know who you're going to meet. So, my first job was to move a hose and do some watering. The hose was filthy! And . . . well, when I met hose, I became filthy, also. A little disappointing, but it goes with the territory.

After that, me and two kids were supposed to groom a couple horses. One kid, a twelve to fourteen year old would be my guess, named Angela was one of the kids. I knew the other one . . . I think her name is Corey. So, we go over to the corral and Angela says, "You two get the horses, I'll get the brushes." But, Angela was the only one who knew what the horses looked like. After trying to explain which horses they were (remember, they are all white horses with VERY little difference), I said, "How about YOU go get the horses and I'll get the brushes." She went.

You know, I'm sixty years old with mostly gray hair, and I think I probably look rather grandmotherly. Most kids treat me with a slight bit of deference. I don't expect it, but I always appreciate it. But this was so blatantly . . . what . . . I don't know what you would call it. Jennifer had talked about how a lot of the people who come to her are takers . . . well, this kid was a taker, big-time. Spoiled brat, at the very least. If she was a little older, I would refer to her as a . . . well, a female dog, if you get my drift!

The instructions from Jennifer were for two people to groom while one person holds the two horses. So, Miss Brat and Corey come back with the horses, and Miss Brat says, "You two groom, I'll hold the horses first." All I could think in my head was, "TAKER!" And a lazy taker, to boot. But, I had already decided that I wanted to groom first and hold later . . . you know, get the easy stuff off the horse and let the next person get the harder to reach areas! So, her little bossiness fit exactly what I wanted.

When I got to the horses mane, some of it was so tangled, it was going to be a real chore to get it undone. Miss Brat said we would use a scissors on the mane. But, cutting a mane should really be left as a last resort, and I told her that when she tried to hand me the scissors. It took quite awhile, but I'm good at untangling knots . . . which is what was in this mane. I got it. No scissors involved. Anyway, Miss Brat then relieved Corey and started doing some grooming, but Corey had done a thorough job and there wasn't much left. Meanwhile, I'm still working on the mane. Then, a couple other people came to help with the grooming. So, now there's five people working on two horses. Miss Brat strolls away. I found Alicia and told her that since there was plenty of help, I'd be leaving. It bummed me a little because I had cancelled a really fun archeology day to be there to help . . . and they really didn't need me. But . . . whatever's meant to be!

Hope you can get this: Hawk Movie

Hope you can get this: Coyote Movie.

Trying again.

This is a about a week behind now. Getting closer . . .

Back at the ranch again, I rode Dakota . . . a horse I've never ridden before . . . but, Kelsey had me on the lunge line. I finally got it! Kind of. I would be able to get her to go, and then she would abruptly stop. Kelsey said I was changing my movement. So, I had it, but lost it whenever I got distracted . . . or, I just couldn't keep up with it. I'm getting there!

On another day, I went back to the rec center. I LOVE the climbing wall. It's me and a bunch of kids about fifty years my junior! Oh, well! I love what I love. I can't be embarrassed about that when it is so fun! Then, I went into the pool area to do some "stair stepping" up to the water slide! It was a blast, too. I'm such a kid . . .

And, for more serious matters, I've decided to try online dating again. There's a site called plentyoffish.com and it's free. It's actually where I met Phil six or so months ago.

Ok, so I started online dating again. The first guy who wrote to me was an ex-seal. His profile was interesting, and his profile picture was of him holding a HUGE (loaded) machine gun. He is currently overseas as a consultant or something . . . whatever that means in the middle of a war, I don't know. He wrote and said that although we had differences, it could be interesting getting to know each other. I might have agreed except for one thing: his profile said something about tolerating animals as long as they're outside. I wrote back and said that my dog is my kid and that there is dog hair on the bed, on the floor, and on the furniture and that is how it is going to stay. Last I heard from him!

The first line of my profile is: I skip to the beat of a different drummer, I color outside the lines, and I run with scissors - - not necessarily in that order! It occurred to me that "regular" guys would probably not respond to that line. On the other hand, when I look at a guy's profile and he has said, "I'm just a regular guy," then it is very clear to me that *I'M* not interested. So . . . it's all good!

BTW (by the way), it took me so long to complete this that I'm still probably two weeks behind right now. Sorry!

Dancing cheek to cheek

I went to see the Lipizzaner stallions in Cortez, the town near me. I wouldn't have thought they would perform in a podunk town like that, but they did! Two nights, even. The show was really good . . . interesting seeing them after working with Jennifer's Lipizzans. They, or at least some of them, seemed to be a lot smaller than Jennifer's horses. They did some cool tricks, including this one really unique thing, where the horse rears up on its hind legs, and then pushes off the ground and kicks out with his hind legs so that all four feet are off the ground. Very cool. They also did some synchronized riding, which was cool.

Our dance lesson tonight was the fox trot . . . but, a new way . . . touching. We've learned fox trot before, but we've never . . . touched. So, who is my first partner?! A woman! Denise, the teacher, says, "She's not going to do the touching with you," and I said, "Good!" So, I didn't get to practice that round. Next, I had Dapper Dan . . . he's one of the crew, older, very nice. So, the way we were taught to do it is that the couple is slightly off center from each other, so basically, my right stomach is touching his right stomach, or sort of. It was kind of weird doing that with all these "strangers" . . . mostly guys that I've danced with before, but still . . . weird. I see doing that with a boyfriend or something . . . but, I was a little uncomfortable with this. When I went out with that *much* older guy a couple months ago, he danced one of the dances like this and I was very uncomfortable. I'm all for touching . . . but, it's a little uncomfortable with strangers or people that I don't particularly want to be that close to.

Oh, and we never actually danced cheek to cheek . . . I just thought that was a good title!

Nature in and out.

Moki and I just heard a terrible ruckus outside, so I opened the window to see if I could hear more. Birds were squawking all over the place, and I saw magpies flying in and out of the trees. I thought maybe their babies were crying for food. I went outside to see if one had fallen out of the nest and got a surprise. There, at the base of the tree, stood a hawk with some kind of bird in its talons. I don't think it was a magpie . . . possibly a mourning dove. The magpies were attacking it, trying to get it to go away. Then, I did something I probably shouldn't have done. I approached the hawk trying to get it to go away and leave the rest of the birds alone. I kept thinking . . . I hope the magpies know that I'm trying to help them.

A nature columnist that I used to read regularly said that you should never interfere in nature. The hawk has to eat, too. But, I kind of feel for the underdog. Well, sometimes. Anyway, upon my arrival, the hawk left his spot under the tree and flew about twenty feet away, with the bird still clutched in his talons. The magpies wouldn't let up. I approached again. This time, the hawk left his prey and flew into a nearby tree where the magpies kept at him. The magpies are still flying in and out of the tree where the hawk took refuge, and the dead bird still lay on the ground. I hope when the hawk leaves that he takes it with him . . . otherwise the killing was a waste. Sad.

More noise outside. The hawk flew back to the ground to get his prey. The magpies were relentless, but the hawk managed to get away and fly up on the roof of the house. With the scene so clearly in front of me, I started getting a whole new picture. It didn't look like the magpies were defending their own. It looked like they were ganging up on the poor hawk and trying to steal his food! I defended the wrong side! Why do I keep making this mistake? If I would just listen to the advice of not interfering with nature, everything would be just fine. I can't help myself.

Then, the hawk left the roof and flew into a tree across the street. Then, the magpies REALLY ganged up on him. There were about six magpies and just the one, poor hawk who wasn't much bigger than the magpies. NOW, I had to go across the street to defend the hawk! Just getting close to the tree made the magpies back off a little. But, as time went on, they started ignoring me and going at the hawk again. I yelled at the magpies and thought . . . I hope the hawk knows that I'm trying to help it. A few minutes can certainly change an attitude, huh . . .

Finally, I got too close again and the hawk flew off with its prey still clutched in its talons. I thought it got away, but then I heard it again. The crying that I had heard earlier and thought was baby birds, was actually the hawk crying. He flew to another tree and the magpies wouldn't let up. Then, the hawk flew off again, a short glide and then he took off . . . but, unfortunately the magpies continued to give chase. They flew off way across the field, so for me, that was the end of the story. Trying to do the right thing, I blew it again! Oh, well. Hopefully THIS TIME I've learned my lesson.

On the nature inside . . . about a week and a half ago, while I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom, a cute little brown face peered out at me underneath the washing machine. I had a mouse! In the house! I went out and bought a plastic "hav-a-heart" trap . . . the kind of mouse trap that doesn't kill them. Then, I didn't see or hear from him for almost a week, so I was going to return the trap thinking he had moved elsewhere . . . and perhaps the cats next door got him. But, no. One morning I noticed his calling card all over my kitchen! Bummer! I set the trap, and caught him that night. I heard him chewing during the night, and worried that he might chew through the cage and escape . . . but, he didn't. He was waiting for me next morning. I took him in the car and had planned to drive him about three miles away. But, the way that I went . . . I turned and was worried that as "the crow flies" or more appropriately, as "the mouse walks," it might not be three miles. So, I kept driving. Then, there were houses near all the possible places, so I kept driving. NINE miles later, I had still not found an appropriate spot, and I was done looking. I found a quiet intersection, and even though there was a house kind of across the street, I had come to the end of the line. I opened the cage and the little mouse jumped out and ran away.

I got home and thought . . . one mouse in a year and a half . . . I'm not going to go to the trouble to clean this plastic trap and just have it sit around for another year. So . . . I threw it away. Big mistake. A couple days later, I hear something at night again. Oh, no! Not again! I bought another plastic trap and set it out in the kitchen. No go. I changed bait. Nothing. But, I knew he was still around because I could hear him at night. While I was in the bathroom, something brown and fast scurried past. I moved the trap to the bathroom. I thought I heard him in the trap, and thought, success! But, I was still afraid that he could chew his way out, so I put the trap in the bathtub, and closed the glass doors. A little later (still not sleeping), I realized I heard no sounds, so I went back to check on the trap. Upon closer examination, there was NO MOUSE in it! Bummer! I was so hoping. I put it back where I had it, and less than an hour later, I DID have a mouse.

Next morning, I loaded him in the car, and took off. I have this thing . . . I like to keep family circles together. In Maine, we had many mice over the years, and we always turned them loose in the same place . . . to keep the family circles together. Thompson Island! Anyway, so this morning I realized that I had to drive nine miles to release him in the same spot as the other one. Road construction . . . right before my release spot! There were some big tractor things close to my spot. I pulled over anyway, and did the deed. He ran for his life. Hopefully, he'll find his family. I drove home . . . another life saved.

Pretty close to current

That last post was from about a month ago . . . except for the last part about plentyoffish!

So, since then, I've had lots of horsey experiences and lots of dancing. One day, in the jumping arena, I sat on Katrina for fifteen minutes without being able to get her to move! I guess I still don't have the sitting thing right. I wasn't allowed to kick her. I forgot about clucking. But, it was a frustrating fifteen minutes, I'll tell ya that!

On my way home from Durango after the first Cadence Therapeutic Riding day . . . I remember that because I had my camera with me . . . I saw a very unique nature picture . . . a coyote pooping! I stopped the car to try to get a picture, but I was going fast and by the time I stopped, I was about a block ahead of him. I didn't think backing up on the highway would be prudent, and I didn't think the coyote would wait for me in his own kodak moment! Ah, well. There goes my future as a nature photographer!

I had to go to a western-type general store in Cortez to get a new saddle rack for Cadence. I'm the closest, so I got the job. I'm not a talker, but I did manage to ask the manager if I could have a discount since I was buying for a non-profit organization. First he said that it was going on sale in a couple weeks, but when he looked it up, it wasn't. Then, he told me that if I came back on Tuesday, I could get the senior discount of ten per cent . . . for sixty-two years old and up. I told him I wasn't sixty-two. I think that embarrassed him! So, he looked up what it was on sale for the last time, and gave it to me at that price! Score!

On another day at the ranch, I had to walk Linda, a green mare (green essentially being barely tame, in this case . . . although she's gotten into being brushed), into the arena. She had taken off on somebody a day or two before, so it made me kind of nervous. Alicia opened the gate for me and told me to do a half-halt (which is kind of a slowing down) before we entered into the arena. I did it and I was nervous, but kept control of Linda the whole time. And I wasn't scared! At least, I think this was the time I wasn't scared! And it's been better ever since.

Later, we went on a short trail ride and managed to get Katrina to trot without clucking. When we got back, I lunged Alicia on Jeeter . . . Jeeter is a green stallion. Now that was scary. But having completed it, it gave me a lot more confidence. It also made me feel good that Jennifer AND Alicia trusted me to do that in the field. In the arena is one thing - - it's contained, but the field is this huge open area. So, that was a great experience.

And yet another day, a high school girl named Alli was there. She and I caught and saddled (English no-tree saddles) PJ and Painted Lady. I've ridden PJ before, so I thought she was the one I would ride today and Alli would ride Painted Lady. But, as it turned out, Alicia rode Painted Lady and I lunged Alli on PJ. I didn't feel like Alli had control, so whenever PJ looked distracted, I pulled a little on the lunge line . . . I probably shouldn't have . . . but, I did it for my own benefit. If PJ got away from Alli . . . then I would have to handle the situation and I wasn't sure if I could at that point. So . . . whatever. Then, Alicia took PJ and I was to get on Painted Lady. I was a little leery because I thought she was more horse than I was ready to handle in the field, but Alli said that she and PJ were like the same horse and that she preferred riding Painted Lady anyway. So, up I went and Alli had the lunge line. But, she was more like leading me around than lunging me, and Jennifer didn't say anything, so I guess that's what she wanted her to do. But, I didn't feel like Alli really had control of the situation and I didn't trust her, so I was pretty distracted and not able to do what Jennifer wanted me to do. Plus the wind was blowing, so with my A.D.D. (attention deficit disorder), I could barely understand what Jennifer was saying, anyway. (And I just had my hearing checked and it's perfect . . . so, this is definitely a case of ADD and not hearing loss!)

In the meantime, PJ, the horse that I wanted to ride and the horse that Alli had just gotten off of, BUCKED while Alicia was riding her! So much for that!

One morning as Moki and I approached the house after our morning walk, I saw a big coyote in the field across from the house. He was pouncing on something and wagging his tail! It was the coolest thing! I ran home to get my camera and upon my return he was still there. He looked and wandered off, but I did get some footage.

Last of the old . . .

Sunday - The leader of the trip to Farmington a few days ago was Gail. We had to leave early because some of the people on the trip were getting tired. So, I called Gail and asked her if she wanted to go back to see the rest of the petroglyphs. She said yes! So . . . back we went. We saw some really awesome petroglyphs and had great conversations, as well.

But, the bummer is that my camera broke for no particular reason. Oh, well.

By the way, I can't remember if I ever finished the thought, but I didn't get Jennifer's brother's place. It was already taken. Whatever is meant to be . . . I look at finding a place like I look at finding a man . . . I'm already really happy with where I'm at, so I don't mind waiting.

By the way . . . I'm starting to feel like I should start looking again. In fact, you know how I read health stuff all the time? Well, I do! Anyway, I just read that if you have a "significant other" (that's how the article put it), that you are at less of a risk for cardiovascular disease! So . . . I'm thinking of signing back up for plentyoffish.com.

More pics . . .

See those lines coming out of the petroglyphs in the first picture? They're called "power lines" . .. I don't know if that's their official title, but that's what the people I was with called them. See how they're even coming off the guys fingers? Isn't that cool? I don't think anyone really knows what they mean.

That's me sitting in front of a small cave that people probably lived in about a thousand years ago. There are petroglyphs on the rock wall behind me.

The third picture is the most interesting . . . although not visually. What you see . . . or kind of see . . . has been done with a chisel. Why? Because some Native Americans believe that these petroglyphs (some of them) still have a lot of power. So, when a family member becomes sick, they go find the petroglyph that they think is causing the sickness, and they destroy it. Although it destroys wonderful petroglyphs that are like a thousand years old (or so), I find it fascinating. It also makes me happy that they are keeping to their own true spiritual practices instead of being indoctrinated into following "Western-type" religions.

Almost caught up now.

Thursday - I drove to Durango, met with my archeology group, and then drove down to Farmington, New Mexico to look at petroglyphs. It was awesome, as usual, and I had a great time climbing around and finding incredible designs. I love this stuff!

On the second picture, look at the petroglyph on the rock, and then see the highway below. These petroglyphs are right off the highway . . . and I climbed up in order to see them!

Friday - I drove to Durango again to help Cadence set up for the tack show, which is one of our fund raisers.

Saturday - Back to Durango again to work at the tack sale. Of course, before it started, I had to look at all the stuff, and I ended up buying a used headstall . . . with kind of buck-stitching on it. . . and I also bought a very soft leather hackamore. Jennifer, from the horse ranch, stopped by as I was riding the Cadence equisizer . . . the fake horse! She caught me holding the reins too high again! Oh, well, I'm learning . . . slowly but surely!