The Day After

After the last week of bone chilling temperatures, today it warmed back into the 50’s – quite unseasonably, I might add. I saddled Windy for a short ride but she felt like she might have some stiffness in her right front leg or shoulder. I lunged her a bit & she seemed a little short-strided. It has been so icy and snow packed in the corral, she could have twisted it or strained a muscle. Decided not to push it with her – there will be other days – and went back to the barn and unsaddled her. Cleaned her stall and messed around with the rest of the herd who seemed as glad to see me as I was them. It’s a muddy mess out there right now, but better than the alternative.

Butterscotch seemed a little forlorn today. As the rest of the herd watched from the feed bunk side of the barn, Butter hung out on the opposite side, looking over the fence at Windy and me. I had opened Windy’s run to the bean field and she had been working her way a little further out. I’d caught Butter testing the gate that would bring her closer to the bean field, too. What the heck? The girl just wants to have fun. Grabbed some twine & slipped it around Butter's neck and lead her through the gate. Once in the bean field, she took off on a dead gallop. My heart skipped a beat knowing how muddy it was, but she seemed pretty sure footed. Her tail flagged and head high, she ran toward Windy. Hearing her coming, Windy took flight and they raced across the terrace and then circled back up to the corral area.

The Holidays are over! At least in my world, they are. For Christmas, we started Christmas Eve at John’s sister’s home in Wahoo, had Christmas morning with just our family and the drove to my sister’s home in Superior that afternoon. We got back home early afternoon today. Ate too much, drank too much and spent too much. And now I’m glad it’s done! Other than taking the horses over to 3V Stables for their annual game day on New Year’s Day, we don’t really celebrate New Year’s.

I know its cliché to mention the commercialization of Christmas. But after living through the worst financial crisis of my lifetime this past year – from skyrocketing gas & grocery prices to the crashing of the stock market – it makes me long to keep things simpler in the future. Being mindful that Case is just 12 years old and that I have allowed myself to fall into the spending trap, I have to be careful not to change too much too soon. I've got eleven months to figure out how to find that perfect balance of helping the boys to appreciate the season with less in their hands and more in their hearts.

From our house to yours.... Merry Christmas!