dream land babies

Every dream I've had for years and years and years has happened in the same location. Sure, it looks a little different each time, but I KNOW that it's on the Ranch property. The Ranch being my place of employment for 9 years between the ages of 14 and 23. Those are pretty formative years... but it's still weird that every dream is set there.

Last night I had a stress filled dream. I was with a dear friend who is pregnant (also pregnant in real life and due in like 3 weeks)... And it was winter... and I took her horseback riding... and the horse fell, and she fell... and I spent the rest of the dream trying to figure out if she was ok, if the baby was ok... and trying to convince her that she was fine and that she didn't really fall... she um... went down with the horse.

Today 2 of my friends had babies.

Not my friend from the dream.

Yet.

new-er er

here's where I spent most of my time. ok, ok... not really... see that square field in the bottom left? that was the main corral.... hours and hours of standing in the sun teaching lessons. That big arena and I never got to hang out all that much. I was more of a "old barn" girl.
meh... I liked it better that way.
Lots of best and worst memories there.... lots.



on an unrelated note, last night there was a reunion of sorts in celebration of Hoover and Mrs.Crilly's birthdays. We ate well. And I was more than happy to have friends again.

I'm in a funk ... I think it's due to being a working weekend. I'm glad it's over.

roofie-o (or) don't be an ass (or) turn back time some more

At 14.1 hands... Rufus was a lot of Donkey. Full Texas Mammoth Jack, with his sister Ruby, they kept us entertained ... and annoyed as anything. You know that expression "stubborn as a mule"? Rufus had it all figured out. He was probably twice as smart as any horse on the property, he drove me nuts.. .but I was totally in love with him!
I'd been asking if I could take one of the yearlings or two year olds to start them, and was turned down over and over... then PJ (my boss) offered me Rufus.
We were riding him in less than a week. I'd love to say that I was a professional horse whisperer... but really... he knew what I was going to do before I offered it to him.
One summer a friend and I spent time trying to get him ready to enter into a show jumping class... we thought it would be too funny to show up in the ring with this giant long ear... unfortunately, even with pacing poles layed out before a jump, he'd still spring straight up in the air to get over the jump... not fun to try to stay on him.. and not good enough to bring him in on the pretense of a "jumper".
le sigh

turn back the clock.... step into... 1993

Cherry (Cherokee) and I came to the ranch the same week... she was 3 weeks old the summer she arrived.... I was 13. My parents really wanted my sister and I to find a new camp (they'd been really good about getting us to go away and try new things in the summer) we said "riding camp" and they found one... it wasn't much of a place when we went there for the first time... and my sister and I both didn't really want to go.
That is until we walked into the cabins.
The bunk-beds were 3 beds high.
That's what sold us.

Cherry was owned by the ranch till she was three, sold to a non-horse person for a year, nearly killed by their stupidity, bought back for another 3 years, then sold again to another non-horse person.. this one cared though.. and put a lot of time and training into her... she was great. Last I heard, she'd been sold again. She'd be 15 nearly 16 now. I hope she's ok.

I used to go bombing up the back fields on her mom ... a mare named Lady... she could run like NO other horse I'd ever been on. crazy.
I'm surprised I'm still alive.

my shack, your shack, and a bungalow

Other than those little picture books from growing up... the first bible story I ever learned was the story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego... and the furnace. (Daniel 3 if you want to check it out).
I heard it at "the Ranch" (MCCR) and from there... ended up spending the next 10 years of my life working there. Just a summer job (for the most part) I'd start in May or June and live on the property till September wound it's way into the valley. In later years, I'd work there all seasons, teaching riding lessons in the evening, leading retreats and "horse clubs" on the weekends. All told, I figure I lived there 3 years of my life... if not more.
This past weekend at church, Scott was speaking about Daniel. The funny thing is... I'd never paid too much attention to his part of the story. And it really fit with what's going on in my own life right now. But that's not what this post is about.

Today I got an email that said the ranch had finally sold... 100 acres of memories. I tried not to cry when I read the email. That place shaped me in a huge way.... for the good, and for the bad (as is the case with life). I think I'm going to do a "time travel" week here in the Parsley Patch. Maybe dig out some old journals... lol, from back in the days before blogs.