Deliverance

Last weekend's weather was so gross I was beside myself. This is why early spring is not a season I find particularly inspiring. Not only is it still cold, it is ugly. And very often raining. Cold, driving rain--just great.

So here I have this supercute brumby and there is nothing to do in the cold and rain with her. The ring is sloshy and slippery. The snow is old and gross.  My motivation for doing anything in challenging weather is waning.

There is nothing to do but hunker down in the hay and wait for the real spring to arrive.


 That was last weekend.

This weekend did not start any better. Not only was Lilly covered in mud, as soon as I got to Bill's it actually started sleeting. Bill says the weather always starts to go downhill as soon as I show up. Believe me, I wish I had that kind of power.

The very unwelcome rain and sleet did subside so I tacked my brumby up and we headed out. It was cold and miserable. There is still snow and ice on the trail so we stuck to the road. But the road is pretty so I had no problem with that. It felt like an ice age since Lilly and I had been out on the road.

So even though we have not been down this road in weeks, my brumby was immediately up to her old tricks as if not a day had passed since our last adventure. Here she is driving me into some hemlock as she makes her way toward a nibblefest with christmas ferns.

Then we moved on to our favorite vernal pool. Don't you love how green it is? It's like water from a glacier! Well, OK, maybe not quite. But fabulous nonetheless.

On the way home, Lilly did not take too kindly to that pile of logs down Sunset trail. I should add that last summer we passed that pile every time we took that trail without a single worry. They must have shifted and now look slightly different. In this way, I love how my brumby sees everything through fresh eyes.

On Sunday, the weather was perrrrrrrfect. Now this is what I'm talkin' about! Bill, Christine and I headed out, all on mares! I remember last year four of us went out early in the season on four mares and it did not go so well. Without our taking time to notice it, the mares were fussing and bitching at each other for half a mile. Which we only fully noticed much later than we should have. This time, not so bad....as long as Lilly and Ruby weren't too close to each other. They are pretty good at ear-pinning and tail swishing when they want to.

Usually, this is what happens with me and my slow-as-molasses brumby. Bill and Christine are yapping away and I'm way behind them, at least when we are headed away from the farm. Being on an actual trail is better because I can distract her or trick her into thinking we are headed home when we are not. (But is she ever really fooled?)  At one point on this ride both Lilly and QTee startled so badly, Lilly tried to make a run for it and QTee did a tiny rear. What was the cause? We'll never know. Christine thought it sounded like a bear growling (!) and I thought it was the flapping of a metal farm gate (even though there was no wind). Bill was so far ahead he didn't even notice the kerfuffle.

Final analysis: Spring has sprung!

I'd like to preface my final, parting shot with these words: We may not have big mountains here in New England.....

 But we do have giant pebbles!


Farewell for now!