Ode to Laurie

Rather than Grecian urns or west winds, I'll sing praises today to Laurie. She's 44 on this April 7. She's also the little sister of our string of six siblings---three boys, three girls.

It's easy to sing praises to Laurie. She's smart, talented, attractive, tough, hard-working and nice. She and my sister Barbara function as a well-oiled team. Horse lovers to the very core, they have remained firmly dedicated to their equine friends since their early days of swinging from live horses's tails as 4-year-olds.

Barbara and Laurie are legendary around the area for their personal horse-related achievements, which have garnered them several regional and national awards. Folks who drive by their horse set-up on HWY 95 marvel about those pretty Arabs who enjoy better care that most people do. Over the years, my sisters have also devoted a major portion of their lives toward educating young equestrians.

It's a pretty normal routine for kids to come to them for instructions as six or seven-year-olds and stay with them until adulthood or even after. Many of their students have even struck out on their own and starred in national horse- show circles. Their Tibbs Arabian website can be viewed at www.geocities.com/YosemiteForest/6538/

When they're not teaching equine basics in their barn or indoor arena, both sisters are working with kids in local public school classrooms. Laurie has spent her career at Farmin Elementary as a fifth or sixth grade teacher. She's a no-nonsense, nuts-and-bolts traditionalist in the classroom. Her kids and parents love her for that.

Each year in May---if they behave---Laurie's fifth graders get to bring their sack lunches and spend a school day at the Colburn ranch, learning about horses. In the morning they listen as she tells them about horse breeds, colors and conformation. With heavy emphasis on safety, she then allows them to divide up into groups, grab the brushes and try their luck at spit shining the Tibbs Arabians.

After that, each student has an opportunity to actually show a horse at halter. Then, it's time to board the bus and head back to school. Every kid who's ever sat in Laurie's class (and behaved) takes the memories of that spring day with the horses along for the rest of their lives. Laurie borrowed the idea from her own teacher, Mrs. Robinson, when she attended Lincoln School and got to go visit her teacher's farm.

Many in our family tend to be sentimental slobs, but Laurie wins first place in this category. Tears come easily. When she was a child, they usually started rolling down her cheeks by about 13 minutes into each segment of the TV classic Lassie. In addition, with all the animals---dogs, cats, cows and horses---living and dying on the family farm, heartfelt emotion remains a staple.

Speaking of television shows, Laurie's a sucker for every Western classic ever made. Her hero forever was John Wayne; probably still is. She can recite key parts of the script for many Western reruns. And cowboy music is readily available with the punch of a button in her white Ford double-cab truck.

Laurie knows refinement, but she's also tough as nails. She can keep up with the best of teen-aged boys while bucking bales in the hayfield. She knows how to manage a hay crew and get the best out of them. They always know they'd better do their best----or else. She drives tractor, plows snow, spreads manure across the farm fields and really never stops working.

She's definitely worthy of great admiration for all her unique contributions to the welfare of animals, young people, family and the rural life. We all love her very much and wish her a happy day.