Author: Elaine

Pansy

Pansy
This pansy is a survivor. The local bunny population apparently viewed my planting pansies as the opening of a new salad bar, and ate them down to the roots. However, this one has struggled its way back, and even managed to bloom.

How NOT to start the day

I did something unprecedented yesterday evening: I decided to take a nap at 6:30. I almost never take naps. At 8:30, I woke up long enough to realize, “Good, Jack is feeding the horses.” At 12:30, I woke and realized I was still dressed. I took off my clothes, and went back to bed. Finally, I woke up again about 4:30, feeling completely refreshed.

So this morning I decided to catch up reading email and just relaxing. I felt more cheerful than I had since discovering Lily’s injury because it had gone down so much when I removed the wrap yesterday. The vet was quite optimistic when she saw it before she put the gel cast on it.

Then my neighbors called. They could see a deer hung up in my fence. Jack had just left for the office. We agreed to meet at the deer in five minutes and see what we could do.

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A Good Day Goes Bad

Yesterday morning I went to my trainer’s barn to help her with a class. She has one little seven year old girl who is a beginner beginner. My trainer doesn’t usually take them that young, but this little girl’s first word was probably “horse.” We quickly learned to never ask her if she has had enough riding, because she is never ready to get off the pony on her own.

Usually I work with the beginner while my trainer works with the other kids. However, yesterday morning she handed me the megaphone and took the little girl into the center of the arena to work with her. I had to figure out what to do with five students of varying ability without using the center of the arena. There was one advanced teenager on a fiery Thoroughbred named Cappy; a not very advanced teenager on my trainer’s old show hunter Havoc; the perfect kid on the grulla Indy; the kid who is a pretty decent rider but doesn’t get out much on Danny, the small Arab cross; and the kid who wants to show on Major, the impressive looking Percheron cross.
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Jack

Jack
I took this photo at the reception of a wedding that Jack and I attended on Friday. It was held at the Officers Club at the Air Force Academy which has very nice facilities. Jack and the bride’s mother used to go to elementary school together, so it is safe to say we are old friends of the family. We found seats next to one of the bride’s high school teachers and his wife. I told them that it had never occurred to me to invite one of my teachers to a wedding. His wife says it happens a lot. He must be a great instructor.

Arnie

Arnie
My friend’s cat Arnie, like many cats before him, discovers that it is easier to go up a tree than down. Fortunately, the lowest branch of this Ponderosa pine was close enough to the ground that my friend was able to lift him down.