What to Write About

This was one of those days when nothing happened that seemed that interesting. The most interesting thing is it rained over night and we haven't had rain for several months. So, I'll close with these questions.

What do you get when you cross an Appaloosa with a Danish Warmblood? Da, dum... an Apple Danish.

Did you know that in Tennessee law it's illegal for horse riders to lasso fish?

So, the next time you ride your Apple Danish in Tennessee, don't try to lasso a fish.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to the Vet We Go!

Today was Morgunn and Gletta's dreaded day. They went to our Vet, Matt Paxton, for their annual check, shots and the dreaded teeth floating. We're not sure why it's called 'floating,' but the Vet files their teeth each year. Horses grow little points on their teeth and they can cause problems if they're not filed down. It's not their favorite thing, but it needs to be done.

Here's Gletta loading into the trailer like the old pro that she is.

OK, where are we going and what are we going to do?

To start things off, Matt gave each of them a mild sedative. So, here's Morgunn on drugs:

Here's Gletta getting her upper teeth floated and you can hear her saying, "Ow, ow, ow - what's a girl to do?"

Here's Morgunn getting his lower teeth floated. The 'Hannibel Lecter' device keeps the horse's mouth open so Matt can get to his lower teeth without getting his fingers bit off.

After getting home, the final task is to get the trailer backed into the driveway and ready for the next trip.

And that brings another vet trip to a close for six more months.

Gnats, Fleas and Flies, Oh My!

Yep, it's that time of year again. We put fly masks onto Morgunn and Gletta for the first time this year. They were being bothered by little gnats flying all around them. I guess that's part of being a horse, but at least we can keep the little buggers out of their eyes.

A Beauty Filled Woman

Today at church, our pastor's message was how women can be Beauty Full. The theme of his message was that true beauty comes from within - when a woman knows who she is in Jesus Christ.

By that definition, Betty is the most beautiful woman in the world!

She has been a great mother to our two sons - Wade Daniel and Chris; a great mother-in-law to our two beauty-filled daughters-in-law, Marie and Tracy; and now a great grandmother to our grandchildren - Juliet Elizabeth and Javier.

We have been married for almost 41 years and we went together for 6 years before that. I have seen her strength in the way she took care of her mother when she was dying of cancer. She also had to be strong during my four years in the Navy during the Vietnam War when I was gone a total of two years at sea. Both boys were born during that period and she kept our home together, got the boys off to a great start, and faithfully wrote me every day during my deployments (and this was before e-mail - long before). I have seen her tenderness with our children, our animals, our family, our friends, and, most of all, with me. She truly has a tender heart.

Most recently I have seen her courage as she battled her way through a serious injury and in getting back into the saddle again primarily because she loves her horse, Gletta, and she loves to ride.

She exemplifies the truth of the vows we said almost 41 years ago. We have been in health and in sickness, we have been richer and poorer, we have seen our marriage better and worse, and she has stayed true to me, true to herself, true to her children, true to her friends, and true to her God.

Betty, you truly are a beauty-filled woman. Happy Mother's Day!

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her..." (Proverbs 31:28)

They Call the Wind...

You know what's hard? Trying to take a picture of the wind. You can take a picture of a swaying Cottonwood tree and an Apache Plume bush, but when it comes out they look as if they're staying still -- no wind.



Then I realized I needed to take a picture of something that would clearly show that it's windy so I came up with this:



This wind sock, attached to our horse trailer, clearly shows the wind blowing - but it doesn't show the wind itself - just the effects of the wind. You really can't take a picture of the wind - just the effect it has on our world.

Why this obsession about the wind? For those of you who live in New Mexico you know that the wind is a part of our lives. It blows at Birthday parties. It blows dust into everything. It chaps our skin. It blows our hats away. It messes up our hairdos.

One time a couple of years ago the wind was so strong it blew our horse trailer backwards about 30 feet.

Yet, I don't dislike the wind - I actually like it in the same way I like thunder and lightning storms. I like things that remind that I'm alive and life is not all neat and perfect.

I love to see a dust devil create a column of dust hundreds of feet high. When a dust devil passes close by there's a rushing sound that is unique - kind of like a small tornado.

Most of all I like to see the wind in Morgunn's mane:



So, call the wind Mariah, or any of the many dirty names we can think of, it is a part of our lives - a part that is special to me.

Sayonara Simone

After 86 straight days of spending her nights in our stable, our resident Roadrunner, Simone, has flown the coop - so to speak.

For the past two nights she hasn't been there.

Our best guess is she may be nesting somewhere to raise some little Simones or Simons. It's either that or she was the dinner entree for a coyote. We'll assume the best for now.

Roadrunners normally nest in places like the bottom of a Cholla cactus to help protect the nest from marauders like coyotes. If you've ever had a run in with a Cholla cactus, and I have, it's definitely a prickly, painful experience.

Simone, we wish you the best and we hope you know that the stable door is always open if you want to get away from the kids for some peace and quiet.

The Farrier and the Nail Job

The last couple days were visiting the hair cutter (us). Today was a visit from the horse manicurist - otherwise known as a farrier. Horses hoofs are really big nails, similar to our finger nails, just bigger and tougher.

Richard Candelaria is our farrier and he's a great guy and really good with the horses. He's a certified barefoot farrier which means he's trained to work on horses who don't have shoes - such as our guys. Here's what a typical visit from Richard looks like.

Richards trailer - pretty good looking.

Here's our favorite hoof guy hard at work on Gletta.

However, this is usually the view I get talking to Richard while he works. I enjoy talking with him as I learn a lot about horses as well as hooves. Richard is also an accomplished horseman and team roper.

Richard's work on our horses usually starts with him clipping the hoof wall as it has grown since his last visit.

Then he rasps the hoof until he gets the angle he wants. He finishes by putting a small roll on the front of the hoof which is called a "mustang roll" because it is similar to the roll that mustangs get in the wild.


Clipping and rasping (filing) - not that much different from what we do with our nails!