Shootin' the Breeze

There's been a breeze gently moving the comfortably cool air all morning long.  I first heard it through the open bathroom window in the darkness of 5 o'clock shortly after arising this morning.

At the time, I wondered about any forest fires in the area and hoped this breeze wasn't adding any fuel to their existence.  The air is a bit hazy today but not enough for any concerns.

The breeze feels and sounds good, so for me to say I'm shooting it would be a gross oversight.

But we do have our idioms, and I'll use that one for this morning's writings.  

I was thinking about what would headline my thoughts today, and, really,  nothing stood out except my horseback rides yesterday.

There are times that I wonder if I've lost my aging mind to be taking chances on my young horses while home alone.  But with these two youngsters, spending time wondering is not helping the saddle blankets get moist.

And, remember, that's what young horses need---wet blankets---not before but after a good ride. 

So, I stuck a dry blanket and a pad on Heather yesterday and threw on the saddle.  Heather doesn't mind being saddled one bit.  Now, Lefty, that's a whole 'nother story.

Lefty has no withers--well, if he does, they're pretty darned flat, and that's not a good thing with a saddle horse.  The saddle's got to fit over some sort of  ridge to keep it snug---lest it roll over to the side of the horse.

I rode that way once as a little girl, and Darky, the black gelding,  was nice enough to keep on plodding down the road while Mother ponied him and me while riding Largo to Jack's Lockers in north Sandpoint.  Our purpose that day was to pick up some meet from the freezer.

Mother preferred for me to be quiet on those rides---no griping or complaining.  And, surprisingly, I always tried to abide by her wishes. 

Well, in this case, my silence was not golden.  It almost led to my demise had Darky's saddle slipped any further toward the ground.  

Riding sideways on a horse does offer some interesting perspectives.

Before calamity could strike that afternoon,  Mother turned around and saw that we had a problem.  She probably asked why I didn't say anything while pushing me and the saddle back up to Darky's back.

In that case, it could have been a loose cinch, cuz, as I recall, Darky was a good saddle horse. 

Anyway, back to Lefty.  He's got issues with saddles but not Heather.  She's got a good set of withers.  Seasoned riders notice and appreciate that attribute.

So, now, back to the fact that I threw on the saddle.  Heather then stood at the fence quietly while I changed into my riding boots and threw on my fanny pack with a camera inside. 

I climbed on,  and we headed down the driveway.  This time she definitely had all four shoes, so I could give her a try on the road, which was quiet at the time.  

Once on the road, Heather walked briskly past our front yard and on toward Selle Road.  Near our south property line, something spooked her.  I looked over to see two deer jumping the fence.  

I also thanked my years of experience for staying upright in the saddle while Heather jumped sideways.  

Calming her down, we moved on down the road.   I turned around to see a car coming and decided it was best on this first real road trip to pull into the neighbor's driveway.  

She was fine with that. 

Then, we headed back toward our place.  I looked behind me and saw another car turning on to South Center Valley Road.  Just a car, I thought.  This will be a good test.  

So, I just kept talking to Heather, reassuring her.  As the car approached us, I turned around to see that it was pulling a trailer---a rattly one at that.  Once again, I stayed on as Heather fidgeted at the sound of that noisy trailer. 

We headed back to the driveway, and I decided it's probably best for her next road trip to be with another horse.  

The rest of our ride to various areas around the place went just fine, and Heather did have a little sweat under the pad.  She's a sweetie pie.

Later, I saddled up my old reliable, Miss Lily.  And, when I say "old reliable," I'm always a bit taken aback to think that Miss Lily is only two years older than my 4-year-olds.  

Still, when I took her out on the road for the first time, she was 3 and I was 61.  A world of difference, especially with the latter. 

Anyway, Lily and I enjoyed a nice two-hour ride in the Forest Siding area.  We visited with Roxane Conrad and then headed down a road which turns north into a newly developed area.

Lily didn't know if she liked those four or five deer feeding off from the grove of apple trees on a hillside next to the road, and it was for sure that they didn't like the idea of Lily invading their space.  

So, they ran off. 

On the way back, I stopped on the edge of Forest Siding Road and asked Lily if she wanted a maple cookie.  She turned her head toward me in approval.  I handed her the cookie and she ate it all.   I've learned on our rides that Lily likes cookies. 

The only near tragedy we experienced along that ride occurred as Brian Wood passed us with his yellow grader.  Lily didn't exactly feel comfortable at its sight, but we just danced around on the edge of the road a bit.

Brian turned around to make sure all was okay, and I waved him that assurance. 

During my rides, I wanted to take a picture of a cow yesterday, but none in the neighborhood came to stare at us as we rode by. 

If the breeze continues today and the temperature remains comfortable like it was yesterday, I'll probably saddle up again.  

And, tomorrow morning, I hope to have no horse-related calamities to report.