Thursday mutterings

I have slow computers this morning.  Pictures are downloading on my desktop for the second time, thanks to operator error.  So, I moved over to this laptop, which seems to have its share of Thursday morning glitches too.

Sometimes I seriously wonder why I go through all these hoops to get the morning blog out.  Every time, though,  I persevere.  When each posting is finally completed, through whatever obstacles choose to strike, the frustration is forgotten.

A busy day lies ahead, and memories of a fun but busy yesterday persist.

My former student Chad and his entire family---mom, dad, wife, daughter, brother and his family visited yesterday.  The goal:  for little ones to ride Lily.  When it was all over, six family members had ridden Lily, and I'm thinking a good time was had by all. 

Lily's patience was supreme as little folks and big folks climbed aboard.  And, as we made the rounds, smiles abounded while cameras clicked.

The weather had opened up to a beautiful, comfortable, slightly breezy day, and a feeling of supreme summer relaxation in beautiful North Idaho dominated the visit.

Some of Chad's family also climbed aboard the 4-wheeler and drove through the woods toward the Lodgepole tree where newcomers joined the Lodgepole Society. 

As they were leaving, I told them confidently that there would be more horses to ride when they returned for vacations in future years.  We bid adieu, and I walked into the house to hear the telephone ringing.

It was my sister who asked me if I'd checked my Facebook in the past few minutes. 

"No," I said. "Is there something bad on there?"  Hacking occurs on a daily basis on Facebook, and suggestions of dirty videos may appear on anyone's wall at any time.  So, that's what I though she meant.

"There's a picture of Melissa, posted a few minutes ago,  with a title about being bunged up by a horse," my sister said, "and it was sent in from an ER."

The confidence about my horses that I had enjoyed just minutes before imploded instantly, as the horrid thought of Heather doing something terrible to Melissa erased any sense of composure.

"She's smiling," Barbara said, trying to reassure me.

That didn't help one bit as the mere mention of ER spawned all kinds of dire images. 

I wasted no time calling Melissa's grandmother's house to find out what had happened.  MELISSA answered the phone. Calmly too.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said.

"Why's your photo on Facebook from the ER?" I asked.

"Oh, that's my friend," she said.  

In the craziness of it all, Melissa finally figured out why I was a raging maniac at my end while she was simply enjoying a nice day at her grandmother's.  She told me she had even just sent me a note on Facebook, which I had not yet seen.

The note:  You have a nice little trail horse . . . . 

Turns out Melissa's friend went off a horse recently, and Melissa accompanied her to the doctor.  When my sister saw the posting on Melissa's wall, she did not look closely at the photo.

Bottom line:  Heather's been doing just fine.  Melissa has had a lot of fun with her on the trails and pastures at their place.  Heather has figured out how to take the gate off her enclosure and let herself into the pasture.

But that's the worst of any scenarios happening over her way.  Melissa has no injuries, and she seems quite pleased with her progress on Heather.  

Thank God.

I calmed down and returned to my positive thoughts about horses and continued to think about what a nice time it had been while visiting with Chad and his family.  

It was a fun day, thankfully with more good news than bad. I'm hoping today will be the same as I take horses over to my sisters and spend some time visiting with a former student turned professor and successful author.  

Happy Thursday.