Quiet, Busy, Thoughtful

The sky is clear blue, the sun is warm, the breeze is cold and there is more rain in the forecast.  It's just me and the critters home today and we've been busy.

This morning, I filled the dumpster with rose prunings.  Kersey dragged some pieces away to play with.  I can't imagine that the thorny rose bush felt good in her mouth.  When the dumpster was filled to the top, I stopped.  Three done; including the man-eating rose and the climbing rose on the arbor into my vegetable garden.  And I thought about stuff...  goals for Jackson and I next year, whether I should continue with French lessons, what to eat for lunch.

After feeding the horses lunch (and eating mine), Kersey and I went for a walk.  We need to work on her leash manners.  She did much better today; not too much tugging, not too much underfoot sudden changes of direction, and better sit.  And, of course, I thought some more while we were walking.  I'd like to show Jackson next year and have him be relaxed in the dressage court.  Schooling is going well and I'm pleased with our progress so no specific goals there.  Shows are a different story - and I guess it holds for competitive trail rides as well.  He gets nervous and prancy and resistant.  I need to take deep breaths, sit deep, and be the conduit of calm.  Hmmmm, good goal for me as well.

After our walk, I schooled Jackson.  We started with a long warm up on the bridle paths and then did some review in the arena.  The arena is not huge -- small court size -- and one third of it is still puddles so our working area was limited.  It took a few minutes for him to remember bend and relax, but it came back quicker than the last après rain review.  He picked up the correct lead, both directions, first try.  So, I washed his tail and put on one of the pretty tail bags I got for Christmas, gave him his apple and thought some more.

I'm still mulling the French thing around.  I love the language and I want to speak it well.  I can communicate pretty well, I just need to fine tune grammar.  Or do I?  I'm not sure I need to have perfect French or if it's even attainable without living there.  I read books and magazines in French, I listen to CDs, and I email my French friend.  It's hard for me to find the time for classes, it's expensive, and it is stressful (mostly because I don't study enough).  I really like my teacher, though.  I'll have to ponder on this one some more...