Recipe for Excitment!

 Look what I found at the book section of the town transfer station! This is maybe the second time I have ever stopped at the library at the dump. Well, you know, it's not a library at all. Just a take-it-or-leave-it book department. My eyes popped out of my head when I saw the word brumby! Naturally, I snatched it up. Silver Brumby's Daughter! How wonderful. I will read it and tell you how it turns out.


Yesterday Bill and I went into Trollwood for the first time this summer. I was thrilled. I snapped many photos only to discover that I had no memory card in the camera! All photos lost!! So today when I left for the barn, I made sure I was packing the proper gear.

Nevermind that it looked like it could rain at any minute. We headed out, Getty, Lilly and me. And even though I had my memory card, I had forgotten to charge my cell phone, so I did not have that. Do you know how to ensure that your day on the trail is filled to the brim with unanticipated excitement? You go out alone, and you do not take a cell phone.

Getting to the trail head was a chore because Lilly was moving xxxxtra-slow, and Getty was being very fussy. But of course we made it made it. When I am alone, I sometimes pause to make piles of kindling along the trail. So as soon as we were on the trail, I made a small kindling pile. I have become a kindling-pile-making fiend. Initially, my plan was to come back and get the piles, so I could use them at home in our woostove (winter) or patio fire bowl (summer). But then I decided I liked making the piles. There is something so contemplative about it. Getty roams around inspecting things and Lilly stands there watching me or napping, occasionally nosing around in the pile itself. On this particular day I made a kindling house!

Yesterday when Bill and I were riding, the horse Bill was on (Freddie) had not been on the trail since the fall, and when he mosied by the new kindling piles, he did quite the doubletake. It just goes to show you that horses notice everything, even placid little piles of sticks.

After I made the kindling structure, we kept going. It really looked like it was going to rain and I had left my car windows open so I knew I didn't want to go too far.

Look who I found under a stone! A salamander! I thought this little guy was so cute and began to photograph him, but as I was doing this, my normally perfectly ground-tied brumby whirled around and took off at a fast trot down the trail. Imagine my surprise! I had to forgo getting a good photo and fling the salamander [gently] aside. The camera was flung aside too. I yelled to my brumby WHOA! in a very stern tone.

She stopped immediately. She was in that tall and skinny thoroughbred posture with her ears STRAIGHT UP which meant she was afraid of/had heard something. I looked around. I saw nothing. It was so quiet. We had all been so quiet. There seemed to be nothing going on. I asked Lilly what she saw. Nothing.

She allowed me to bring her back to the spot where we were. She was still looking all around. But I saw nothing.

And then about 10 feet from Lilly and me, a sandy brown coyote trotted by! This is not a picture of him. That's Getty. Because just as I was marveling over this coyote, I realized I could not see Getty and that made me nervous. As the coyote moved off, Lilly and I ran up the trail and, phew, found Getty watching the coyote with great interest. She waited, looked at me and then took off after it. 

Oh dear. I did not feel good about this turn of events. Lilly and I ran off the trail and into the woods calling for Getty. What a good and willing brumby to come along so supportively!! I was calling to Getty so loudly that the coyote looked at me for several seconds. It did not look worried. Getty paused and as soon as she made one step back toward me and Lilly, I praised her. But then, she was off again! She vanished into the woods! I did not know what to do. I considered calling Bill but I had no phone and besides, what could he have done?

Well. One heart attack later, Getty came back. Perhaps the coyote had moved off. Perhaps its body language told her to go away. 

I was so stressed out, I decided to call it a day. I let Getty run along the trail until the the road and she made no effort to run off. But back out on the road she looked like she was going to sprint into the woods after something. She ignored my calls, so I had to fake that I had fallen and might be hurt. OOoyyumpph! I cried and plopped on the ground awkwardly. She ran over to me immediately. Good dog. I hooked some reins on her and we all walked back to the barn.

Oh Lilly! Where would I be without you? You are rock solid!

The chickens were very soothing.

Do you see Lilly's white bum? Back in the pasture nibbling.

We are supposed to have three more days of rain! We have been having so much rain that the hay cannot be cut and harvested. Even on a sunny day (like yesterday), the ground is so wet the hay cannot lay on it. I do not like this hay uncertainty. Please come back, sunshine!!

If you are wondering what this is, I will tell you. This is what my husband does when he is at home making the garden more interesting. (?) That is interesting all right!!