Back in the Saddle -- Sort Of

Monday is Memorial Day here in the US so I have a three-day weekend.  Culturally, we bookend summer with Memorial Day (last Monday in May) and Labor Day (first Monday in September).  So, even though it isn't technically summer, we are in full-summer mode.  The weather is also very warm, lending credence to the change of seasons.

Sweat was already making my shirt stick to my back as I walked Lucy up to the arena.  She'd been quiet at the tie rail while I groomed her, until turkeys strolled past out driveway.  This morning a Tom was sitting on the fence with his tail fanned, and gobbling for all he was worth.  The horses were all standing in their pastures, facing the street, heads high and eyes wide.

Lucy

Tex

The entourage eventually walked further down the road and the horses settled into their breakfast. When the turkeys came back, Lucy swung her hips away from the tie rail so she could twist her neck and watch them.  There are turkeys cruising by (and in) the pastures all the time so I'm not sure why these were so alarming.

Fortunately, the arena is in the opposite direction from the road so Lucy was back to mellow by the time I snapped on the lunge line.  It didn't take her long to settle into a relaxed trot, stretching down and blowing.  When I asked her to canter, she bucked.  And crow-hopped.  And shook her head.  She never did canter, just kept up with the crow hopping.  Watching, I could see that canter was painful for her.  I know how Lucy bucks when she is fresh, or pissy, or worried.  This was none of those.  She couldn't canter either direction.  I thought two things: 1) No wonder my back got hurt with all that jarring crow-hopping going on and 2) her hocks need to be injected again.  I'll have to save up for that, and in the meantime I won't ask her to canter.

Lucy stood quietly for me at the mounting block and I got on without incident.  We walked around the dusty arena, with the sun beating down, for five minutes or so.  Brett was working with Pistol up at the far end, keeping things low key.  I asked Lucy to trot and she was a bit sluggish.  We trotted a few steps and my back felt fine, but I wasn't happy with the transition.  I asked again and used a bit more leg in an effort to get a more energetic response.  As I pushed against Lucy with my leg, pain shot down my thigh.  Lucy is very light; very sensitive; so the pressure wasn't much, which is discouraging.  It shouldn't have hurt at all.  I'll see what the physical therapist says later this week, but I don't think I'll be riding yet for awhile.

Food, Food, Glorious Food

Nobody loves food more than Pistol.

Hey, you got cookies?  Carrots? An apple per chance?

Lucy: You should be ashamed, begging like that.  Pistol: bug off, Princess

Meanwhile, even wild turkeys in the pasture couldn't distract Jackson from nosing around in the oak leaves for acorns.

Flash: Hey, Whiskey - what are you doing under the hay feeder?  Mufasa: Is that a camera you're carrying -- or do you have cookies?

The horses all know that Brett's pockets are usually full of cookies.  He's a big softie when it comes to treats.

An Early Christmas

Kyle and Camille came home last weekend to celebrate Christmas with us.  As soon as the rain let up, Camille went outside and took selfies with the animals.

We had our Christmas Eve dinner Friday night; a tenderloin roast with roasted potatoes and mushrooms.  Saturday after chores, I cranked the Christmas music and we opened gifts.  The kids took Kersey for a walk in the drizzle but mostly we stayed inside, eating chocolates and cookies.  I made a heritage turkey for dinner.  Have you heard of them?  I keep reading about them and was curious to see if they taste as good as the articles say.  Think about the difference between a supermarket tomato bought in the winter compared to an heirloom variety plucked from the garden in the heat of summer.  That is the difference.  The dark meat was really dark; almost purple.  The skin was thick and hard to cut through.  The recipe I followed strongly suggested cutting off the thigh/leg quarters and cooking them first and then adding the breast later.  The dark meat takes a long time to cook and there is nothing worse than dry white meat -- especially when you've paid four times as much as usual for the turkey.  But, oh my, that bird was tasty!  We all agreed that it was worth every penny.

Sunday, Kyle and Camille headed over to Tahoe to ski.  Brett and I worked outside, cleaning up after the last storm.

The kids were home in time for dinner.  It is a definite benefit living so close to the Tahoe ski resorts.  Monday morning they loaded Kyle's car and drove to San Francisco where Kyle is now living and working.  He showed Camille around the city and they spent the night in his apartment.  This morning they drove down to Southern California to spend Christmas with their dad.  Kersey was not happy about them leaving.

It's the first time we've celebrated Christmas on a day other than Christmas itself and we liked it.  It did seem strange, though, at work today with people stressed about getting their shopping and holiday cooking done and I'm feeling all relaxed because I'm finished with all of that.