55!

I always like to try to do something big and brave and bold on or around my birthday.

Last year I walked 180 miles in August.

This year (my 55th) Cora and I rode together in the arena for the first time. :)

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baby white-winged dove

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snippets, 8-24-2018

Scientists stumble upon baby horse frozen in time for 40,000 years (BGR). Poor little dude.

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4:30ish and 8:10ish

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everyone should get their very own patch of fresh green grass every once in a while

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young cardinals

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I dimly remember seeing a diagram like this inside an office copier

back in the olden days when i worked under fluorescent lights and had a perpetual brain cloud

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it's a theme or a metaphor or something

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yes, sometimes I sing to her

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a Cooper's hawk stopped by

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I spent about a minute on Cora's back today - first time I've been on her. Look at those ears! :)

I stroked her mane, rubbed her neck, scratched her butt and took this picture, then got off.

I was tempted to try more, but no, no, we're taking this easy. Baby steps.

Bitless and bareback - she's wearing a rope halter and a bareback pad.

(It's likely she's never been ridden without a bunch of tack, but there's no way to know.)

I was going to wait and do this with my instructor present, but I felt like I had to be wholly focused on Cora, you know, not splitting my attention between my instructor and my mule.

It could have ended badly, I guess, but I was wearing my helmet and I had to believe in us.

She is heart-thumpingly wonderful.

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today's word of the day is trust

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We startled a bunny. I asked her to step over that big log in the background of the second picture - it's about 18 inches in diameter - no problem. 

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yup, real

(for the full 'xperience you have to imaginerially add birdsong and blistering heat)

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Remind me to grab some of those seeds - that's pearl milkweed, a lovely vining plant.

Also, that's Rumor taking a nap before a morning workshop and Cora being all beautiful in one of the round pens. She let me wash her legs with a hose today - not sure she's ever had that done before.

She wasn't super thrilled about it but she behaved.