You can fool the fans - but not the players.... John Cage

Early morning starts

We've been getting up early this winter (and now spring) thanks to JC's new job. We get up in the dark, and after he leaves I drink my coffee, catch up on magazines that have arrived, and browse through Flipboard on my iPad.

The dogs come upstairs because of course they don't want to be left out of the action, and when they realize there is no action they retire to their cozy living room beds - which never fails to make me smile. Each of these beds was given to us by our lovely neighbors and meant for our cat. Our cat never had a chance at these - the dogs immediately wound themselves into tight little balls and continue to do so every morning and evening. And I laugh because they naturally gravitated towards the bed that matches their coloring.

I watch them dream and run in their sleep, and occasionally one or the other will rise, stretch, look around and then wind back into bed. They seem to like the raised walls of these beds. Downstairs they sleep in luxurious crates, but they never use those crates during the day - they prefer to be upstairs and ready to spring into action should I lace on my running or hiking shoes.

Me, I like a slow start to the morning, and getting up early allows me the luxury of that without feeling like I've lost too much of the day. I like watching the light change, and at a certain point I also rise, stretch, and head downstairs for some yoga and to start the day's work.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Setting goals: 30 days of riding

As I may have mentioned, this has been the winter of surgeries. (Not mine). Surgeries and no snow. Until now, spring. We're seeing more snow at our house than we have all winter and the fruit trees are blooming, the tulips are coming up, we've got the itch to be outside in the garden. After JC's last knee surgery, about a month ago, I set a goal for myself and my mare - to start as soon as he was able to get himself around enough to leave for a few hours. 30 consecutive days with my mare -riding 6 days a week and doing something else the 7th (grooming, hanging out, groundwork).

Well, I've already blown that all to heck by realizing that we have a camping trip during that 30 days - but rather than abandon the goal I think I've changed it to rides. 30 consecutive rides. Riding (or something) every day and then riding 2x a day to make up for the days I'll miss. (Thanks, Janet, for the suggestion!)

I began today - April Fools Day. It was the day after a storm and it was chilly, breezy, and a little cloudy. When the sun was out it was grand. When the sun went behind a cloud it was brisk. JC dropped me off and took the dogs for a walk and to work on the Rambler a little in anticipation of our next camping trip in it.

It had been a week or so since I rode last, but we've been having good rides all winter. Some challenging, some a piece of cake. She's come so far, and so have I in terms of trusting her and facing my fears. I do wear a helmet a lot more these days, and I bought a cute one. I guess my only complaint about it is that I do get a headache after awhile wearing it. Still, it gives me an extra shot of confidence.

She's such a fabulous mare. She eagerly comes to the gate of the mare pen to greet me and is completely agreeable to saddle and bridle. We rode around the grounds to settle in as the wind was flapping tarps all around and she seemed just a little bit jumpy about that. I took her around to see just about every tarp on the property. I love when I can feel her back relax and her head drops - that's when I know we're in sync.

She walked willingly out the gate and into the brush, and we wandered the dirt roads for awhile visiting trails we had not yet been on and winding around and through the sage. I headed for the track and between us and that was a nice sandy gully, which we dropped into and rode along the bottom for awhile. Climbing out we were on the same side of the track and I could feel her relaxed and attentive.

Once we reached the track we circled it and then I urged her into a trot. Up came the head and some tightness so I made a concious effort to sit deep and relaxed; I even sang to her a bit. I decided that transitions might be nice after a couple of times when she got really "rushy" and I had to circle her back to a relaxed jog. Counting beats I pushed her up into the trot and sat back down to the walk for a few circles, going left, and she relaxed into it. Turning to go right was 'head up' and back hollow again - so back into the transitions we went. A few laps and I walked her out through the brush again.

She let out her happy grunts and stretched her head down, and I almost walked back with this, but decided that I really wasn't happy with the head-up trot and ending that way. So back to the track it was and another trot, this time working the snaffle to get her to drop her head. It didn't take much and I should have done that from the start, as well as just stayed with her and let her work into relaxation at the trot, but I ended with her head down and I suppose that is something.

Back to the sandy wash, down the side and stopping at the bottom - to transition her into walking up the other side instead of rushing. She did great (we've worked on that before) and then it was pretty much the end of the ride. A little more walking around the home front and then back to the trailer.

I got to spend another hour or so with her as I'm working on evening up her mane. Last summer she wore big chunks of it off rubbing on the timbers that make up their summer corrals. I'm pulling the rest of the mane to match the 3-4" that has grown out since October but it isn't looking so hot yet! The front is going to have to get a lot shorter to match the back and she's going to look like a dressage horse when its all said and done. But it looked raggedy, and at least now it'll grow out even.

A good day, and I'm so looking forward to tomorrow. And the next day. I can't wait to see where we go.

Related articles

The Winter That Wasn't

Winding down April.

Where did it go? April, that is. Seems like the year just started and already the first quarter is over and done with. Now JC is getting ready to leave for the resort and I'm about to be alone with the dogs again - and part of me starts to plan for all that time. Will I work on jewelry? Sewing? Ride my horses more often? Work more? Hard to say... just like the months that just passed much of the time will just slip away before I can grab it. Don't you remember those summers as a kid when it seemed that time would never pass? Now if you dare blink an entire day is gone.

I've been getting some great walks and runs in this month. I learned that I need to do more running and walking for the sake of my bone density (another cruel blow by nature and time - as if I haven't spent just about my entire adult life doing weight-bearing exercise). The bone thing combined with the energy of these two dogs is enough to get me out every day that I'm not prevented by work or weather. We're taking longer walks now and branching out from the trails right around the house, and soon we'll be getting out for hikes in the backcountry, getting ready to head over the mountains this summer. Neither of these dogs has walked trans-Sierra with me and they'll both be great at it. There's nothing quite as wonderful as a dog on a walk and afterwards, a dog tired from a walk! 

What do you think? Are they ready?

This month has been devoted to developing my social media consulting business. There's a lot of work to a start-up, even one worked from home, and I've spent quite a bit of time on Social Sierra, including setting up a website for the business. Like most people just starting out I spend a lot of time doing work that is not billable but I believe I'm going in the right direction and I have been learning that I can do many things I thought I might have to contract out. I get to use the VVR as a testing ground for much of what I advise others to do, which has catapaulted the VVR into a whole new social media catagory. We now have an active twitter account, a blog, a healthy FB page, a google+ page,and a monthly newsletter. We are kicking social media #$$!

We designed a new logo for the VVR, with a couple of variations, and that gave me the opportunity to tune up some rusty Illustrator skills. We're going to use this for new styles of hats, and on t-shirts & sweatshirts, especially for women. I'm quite happy with it as I wanted something that looked a little more contemporary yet still had that rustic look that describes the resort.

 

Now my next task is to develop a nice logo for Social Sierra. It seems like there are always photos to edit, layouts or designs to work on and I rarely take the time to just do some fun stuff with photos, using overlays and some of the actions I've loaded into Photoshop. 

The newborn photos for HRC were fun - and now that the announcements are out it is probably okay to post a few of these. We have our refrigerator covered in these and love seeing her sweet face everyday when we get home. We get pretty regular photos via text and can see how quickly she's changing, but for us right now she is frozen at just about a month old.

We set up a regular little photo shoot for these and for the most part little HRC was completely cooperative and happy about it, although after a while she just decided to go to sleep. It gave me a chance to work with my camera a little more and to practice some of my retouching skills that have been lanquishing.

 

There is nothing like having a beautiful baby to photograph and I can't wait to get back down there and do another session!

Riding has been sporatic this month and who knows why. For the most part the weather has been great, maybe a bit windy some days, but warm in Bishop. Stuff always seems to get in the way but we are really scaling back in terms of our footprint and our obligations since moving out of Wilkerson. We are almost out of the saddle club - one more day of moving panels and the last of the stuff out of the shed and we'll be gone. I'll really miss some of my riding pals, but many of them are moving on as well - and having horses we'll always run into each other somewhere on the trail.

I don't know if it is age, or wisdom, or fear, or a combination of all three - but I bought a new helmet for riding yesterday. I know too many people now who have bonked their heads (and hard) and I have no desire to end up a vegetable in a care facility somewhere. The other bones might break but they'll heal (eventually) - it's the brain you have to be smart about. Can't say with confidence that I'll be using this out on the trail - a wide-brimmed hat is much more my style - but then, you never know what's going to happen on a ride. For now I'm strapping it on in the arena and if it helps me feel more confident pushing the edges of what Rhea and I can do together then it's worth wearing.

As April slips away I'm ordering some silver tubing and determined to work on a new idea for bracelets. I'm planning to get back to soldering (and yes, I know I've been saying that all winter but I'm not about to stop saying it - I'm going to do it!). Once JC is on the west side my evenings are my own again, no excuses.

I'm hopeful that future posts are going to be about what I've been making, not so much what I've been thinking.

Rushing the gate

Our gelding is in pasture this winter and as a mustang who's always been able to maintain his girth - not unlike his owner - I wasn't worried about him thriving. Its a beautiful pasture at the base of the Sierra and truthfully I had more concerns about him getting too fat.

Before turning him out he had a check-up and immunizations, and had a little dental work done to make sure he could properly grind up those grasses.

 

And all seemed well through the fall, even though he was the low man on the totem pole of pasture hierarchy and got pushed around quite a bit. There was plenty of room and plenty of autumn grass.

Once winter rolled around the valley got some snow and a lot of cold. The grasses are pretty much gone for the time being and the horses and cows began to eat hay. That's when I noticed our guy was not looking as good as I would like. I think he gets pushed away from the food and isn't getting as much as I would like, so I've started supplementing his pasture fare with Integrity Senior, a great mix of vitamins, oils, and omega-3 fatty acids. He eagerly comes to the gate for his bowl of goodies,

and so do his pasture-mates, crowding the gate and stretching their heads over the wire in hopes of getting a treat of their own.

 

 

 

 

Its pretty hard to ignore those earnest faces and ears, but all the other horses and mules are looking pretty darn good and all my efforts are focused on our boy. He's eased his way into the herd and isn't getting pushed around as much, and I hope that with the supplements and the turning of the season towards spring, he'll do fine.

I'm putting together a plan "B" just in case, but spring comes early to the valley and I hope that he gets to stay out here with all this freedom to move around.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to deliver the goods and do my best to ignore the pleading looks and irrestible cuteness of the gate-rushers.

 

 

Related articles

Fifty Shades of Hay!

I don't want her to grow up!

Having a puppy is so much fun. We've completely fallen for Vida and don't want her to grow up too fast. She's at a wonderful point in her life - pretty much housetrained, still dependent on us and very affectionate.

She's brave, but not completely sure about new things...

Like my studio area.

 

Its downstairs and I leave the door open when I'm in there to share the heat of the house. She'll come find me and sit at the doorstep, unwilling to take the big step down into the room.

 

She's so curious and she wants to be in there with me, exploring.

 

But she's just not sure she's ready.

 

In fact, she's pretty sure she's NOT ready.

 

She looks around for her buddy.

 

 

Asks for advice....

 

And takes the leap.

I just love this puppy.

There's snow time like winter to housetrain...

Sometimes you don't get to plan, sometimes you just have to roll with it. Like getting a puppy at the beginning of winter.

Vida came to live with us just as the snow began to fall, which made housetraining even more fun. She had week or so of bare ground to break her in to the idea of going outside, and then she had to adapt to the cold white stuff.

 

She's been so valiant about it - trudging along in the paths made by her big sister.

And we took pity on her during the midst of the storms by shoveling off the deck and letting her use that as a temporary pit stop until we could get some packed down paths.

 

Her coat quickly thickened and she began to enjoy her outings with Feather.

 

 

They both like to bury their faces in the snow, sniffing out little twigs and pinecones, biting at the snow. They love icesicles that we knock from the eaves.

 

Once the snow would hold her and we weren't so concerned about her disappearing into a drift, she began to relish her time outside.

 

 

 

 

 

Vida is an observant student, taking notes and learnig from the pro.

 

 

She still isn't crazy about those below freezing night trips outside, but when the sun is shining and it warms up on the deck - she is having a blast in the snow.

 

And she's learned to be really quick about her business.

 

Malti-Poo hits jackpot, wins big

This little guy got really lucky...

The day before Easter he was left with his toys and his shot records on our daughter's driveway...

We'll never know the story behind that. But we don't think it was entirely random, we think K&S were chosen because of how well they treat their dog. Perhaps whoever had to give up this puppy knew that they'd find him a good home (or keep him).

I just happened to be down south. K just happened to text me about this ball of fur. I mentioned it to my mother. And on Easter....

This puppy found a new home. His temporary mom reluctantly but joyfully said good-bye,

and Marley found his new human companion (and gained another canine companion to boot!).

Marley will never know the rocky start he had to life and how very very lucky he is, but already he has enchanted all of us and become a cherished, much loved member of the family.

What a series of coincidence, chance and good fortune. Just makes you wonder, doesn't it?

That's my horse, of course.

Almost four years ago my friend IM and I headed north to buy horses. Two for he and his wife, one for me. I had high hopes. It was a long-time dream coming and the time seemed like now or never. Truthfully, it might have been a bit late but this is when the pieces all fell into place so this is when it had to be.

We brought home yearlings and embarked on what was -for me - a pretty epic journey. Injuries, hospital time, discouragement, self-doubt, discovery, learning, finding help, finding myself... I don't know, that might pretty much sum it up.

 

 

Along the way I've learned a lot more about people and horses. I've watched Stacy Westfall's magical ride on the mare Roxy countless times.

I've watched Buck Brannaman ride, inhaled his teaching methods and can now hear his voice in my head as I ride. I've got Bill Dorrance's book at home and notes from clinics that I carry with me. I've got diagrams and sketches. I'm a horsemanship freak now. I want to know what my horse is doing every minute I'm riding him or her. I am now the alpha mare more than ever in all the years I've been riding.

I'm learning to trust myself so that she has something to trust.

I'm scared to death every day that I'll screw it up, but so far so good. I'm getting good about watching other people and getting help. I'm a little overly-cautious but I think I'm growing out of that as I realize that a horse needs precisely the opposite. Firm consistent direction and no wishy-washy riding. Ride every ride.

And it is happening. The most incredible feeling of trust and understanding growing between two distinctly different species.

Oh, it isn't anywhere near fully developed yet and we have a long ways to go. But it's there and it is all I ever hoped it might be. Finding a place in a horse's life is like nothing else in the world. It takes so many elements I did not understand at first. It isn't about food or intimidation or repetition. It is about confidence, practice, response, sensitivity, and most of all, time.

“Horses are consistent and logical. The horse will do what is easiest for him. If you make it easy for him to buck you off, kick you, and run away, that’s just what he’s going to do. And more power to him. But if you make it easy for the horse to be relaxed and calm and accurate — and also have it be a beautiful dance between you and the horse — it won’t be too long before he’ll be hunting for that just as hard as you are. Whatever you make easy for the horse, that’s what he’s going to get good at.”

Buck Brannaman

Strange relationships

We were all struck down hard by the loss of Bella a month ago and it has drawn our diverse little family closer together.

 

Our cat has liked all of our mature dogs. He tolerates the puppies.

 

Now there is just the two of them and we see them together more often.

 

They've formed a strange pack and have included the two of us.

 

I know they both miss Bella.

 

It will be interesting to see how this relationship morphs once we get another puppy.

 

Puppy? We're getting a puppy?

Cheese making - part 1: The Goats

When I think of cheese making I think of nuns in France, aging their cheeses in underground vaults. Or the Cowgirl Creamery over on the coast of northern California. I don't often think of our little town. But the art of cheese-making is alive and well here and I had the pleasure of learning the basics of making goat milk ricotta yesterday. And sampling yummy, delicious goat milk from two different does. And taking home a round of rosemary-garlic cheese to share with Mr. Man.

It all starts here:

Did you know that a goat like this can produce up to a gallon of milk a day? I'd guess that if you owned this goat you'd quickly learn to make cheese, and you'd make sure all your friends liked cheese, and you'd create a lot of opportunities to serve cheese.

 

According to the 4H dairy goat website, there are six breeds recognized for milk production.

 

This mama had two week old babies and another mama had one week old babies, 2 each, and cute as can be. I believe she is another alpine and the 3rd mama is a cross between a nubian and an alpine. Nubians have those long ears that hang down and alpines have upright ears. (I could have gotten some of the mixed up as there was a lot of talking going on and I am easily distracted by looking around at everything).

 

I wouldn't want to be their mama, cause some udder-butting was going on that couldn't feel good. Our teacher explained that at this young age the babies have such little mouths that they sometimes have a hard time getting a hold of a teat and then, if they haven't been successful in getting any milk, that teat gets even more engorged and larger. Then the doe has to be milked to relieve the pressure and prevent problems.

 

So dang cute. They had just had their little heads shaved and their horns burned off so they looked a little alien, but they had their milk and then got a little frisky around the pen. Even at two weeks they can jump! And they are pettable, although a bit squirmy.

 

I didn't get any good photos of the one-week babies - they were in another pen. They were sweet too, and would attempt to nurse on a finger if offered. The mamas were quite tolerant of us being there - perhaps it was the bowl of salad that came with us.

 

It was all I could do to not purchase one of these baby does right then and there.

 

Reason took over and reminded me that we have a resort to run and are soon to be temporarily homeless - probably not a good idea to add to our menagerie with a goat right now.

 

I was sorely tempted, though.

Tomorrow - the making of the cheese. Wherein we move to the kitchen, wash our hands, and begin part 2.