Just Us Girls

 

 

I just spent the afternoon with some of my nearest and dearest friends.  And the funny thing is, I didn’t know any of them a dozen years ago.  They all came into my life because of horses. 

 

Tammy M & Jules

 

Today I sat around the table with Tammy M, who introduced me to trail riding after she sold me a horse.  She stayed, the horse didn’t.  Then there is Jules, who I met through Joni and I’ve never told her this, but her spirit and quiet way has always reminded me of my mom which makes her so easy to be with and I tear up now just writing that.   

 

Joni & Kathy

 

Joni, who is “the high school friend I never met” and if we had, we would have had so much fun and been in so much trouble!  Kathy, who put an ad in the paper asking for help building a horse trail to Loma.  We built it all right, but more importantly, we built a treasured friendship.

 

Me, Robyn & Tanya

 

Then there is Robyn, who called me out of the blue about 10 years ago (that long already?) about a ride I was hosting and who gladly accepted a Mike’s Hard Lemonade from me following what was a harder ride than she bargained for.  Tanya, from my home town, who is not quite young enough to be my daughter but I’ll claim her as my baby sister.   

 

Sharron & Shari

 

Sharron, whom I can’t remember ever meeting the first time but has always been there to share some fabulous riding trips.  I should also mention that her horse Boomer is the love of Windy’s life.  Really!   And Shari, who has not only taught me so much about distance riding, but has shared the trails with me in competition.  There were others around the long table who, if it weren’t for horses, I would not have met. 

 

Jessica

 

We talked of Jessica’s impending marriage, we did a quick run down on our kids and grandkids.  We commiserated about our diets, jobs, hot flashes, cold weather and the winter doldrums.  We laughed about what some people (not us!) post on Facebook!  But most of all, we talked horse. 

 

Deb & Janelle

 

At some time over the last twelve years, I have shared the trail with these women.  l know their horses’ names, breeds and ages better than I know their kids.  They cried with me when I lost Ginger and Maddie and Ritz and I cried with them when they lost Chivas and Chase, Dancer and Ol’ Red. 

 

Alice & Me

 

We are the girls of Cowgirl Weekend.  A multi-generational bunch of women who each fall, leave our husbands and our kids and load up our ponies for an all horse (long) weekend.  We ride, we eat, we play games and yes, we have been known to sing a song or two.  And in the cold of winter, we play dress-up (kind of) and go to a fancy restaurant and relive those crisp autumn days all over again and plan for the next one.   

 

 

And then after we eat, we hit the local western store and drop a few bucks into the local economy. 

 

Life is good.

 

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Groundhog Day

 

 

February 2.  Groundhog day.  One of my favorite holidays because it doesn’t require a special dinner, partying till the sun comes up or buying a gift.  And it’s outcome doesn’t change a thing, really.  

 

I’m not counting the days until spring as much as I am counting the bales of hay.  If we get enough moisture this spring so our pasture grass comes in lush, we will have enough.  If the drought continues (as it seems it is), we will need more hay.  Right now it is going for around $120 – $150 per round bale.  When it’s cold, our horses seem to go through one about every week.  To say I’m nervous about it is an understatement.   

 

 

In an effort to conserve the hay and avoid waste, I bought a net*.  The horses have to work a little harder to get their hay and there is a lot less waste.   It has taken some practice getting it on right and securing it but this last time seems to have worked okay.  I did put some holes in it when I hooked it to the feeder, but just “sewed” it up with twine.  We are on day 9 of the bale today; hope to get another 2 days out of it.  (If interested, info on the haynet at the bottom of this post.)

 

 

Earlier this week, the temps dipped down to single digits with high winds resulting in wind chills at –10 to –15 degrees.   John helped me blanket the herd the other night.  Ninety-nine percent of the horses in Nebraska survive the winter without being blanketed, but it makes me feel better when they are.  It’s still hovering around freezing right now, but the sun is now out so I’ll go out and undress them this afternoon. 

 

 

Pip loves the barn cats.  Tom, who has always cuddled up to our springer, Maddie, when she was alive, has allowed the pup the same liberties.  He will roll in the barn and she will pounce at him.  It was hard to catch a picture that was not blurry; Pip does not hold still for long, but you get the idea. 

 

 

When Tom has enough, he climbs back into the hayloft.  He is such a tease!  I love being out in the barn with the horses and the other animals.  Just wish it weren’t so blasted cold right now! 

 

 

 

Entries for The Distance Derby 2013 are now closed.  There are 129 riders this year, including the editor and a writer for TrailBLAZER magazine.  I am thrilled that they are publishing my story of the Distance Derby 2012 in their March issue.  Last year at this time, I had already logged over 90 miles.  This year, I have barely 35 miles.  Once we get through February – our coldest month – I’ll be more motivated.  In the meantime, I am filling the calendar with riding plans.  For the record, I have filled John in, too, even though he’ll claim he knew nothing when the time comes.  I’m also working on the Platte River Riders schedule.  I’ve asked the other chapter managers to fill in their rides and I’ll publish what I have next week. 

 

 

*I bought the haynet from Gourock.com as did several others folks I know.  I ordered 15x15 and it seems to work okay for my round bales.  It was $68 + $12 shipping.  If you are interested, here is a direct link.  It is tricky to get it completely covered but with practice, it gets easier.  We netted it this last time while on the bale fork and then used different ties (bungee cords, twine) to tie it to the feeder. 

 

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