In Parting
Dec. 26th, 2008 08:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spirithorse21Jeremy and I are headed to New Orleans for a mission trip with our church at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. I don't know if we'll have internet access while we are there, so this may be a short farewell.
But in parting, I bring you my Christmas Pictures.
Since my horses don't get Christmas presents and their barn is not decorated in any way, we have the tradition of giving them a Christmas Mash. My mom has not always been a fan of this tradition. Imagine a crowded and busy country kitchen in the early hours of Christmas day, and add to that a daughter making bran mashes for her horses because there is no hot water in the barn.
But this year was less hectic since I had to wait and make the mashes the day *after* Christmas. As you'll see, the horses forgave me and enjoyed themselves immensely. And the dogs were pretty happy too.
Joon and Tugger are very hopeful that the Christmas Mash is for them.
As usual, Dash loves his mash.
Samwise, meanwhile, makes a right proper mess of the whole thing!
I don't know what it is about winter that I love so much. Perhaps it is the quiet and serenity of the woods and landscape. Or maybe it's because I can see for miles ahead, uninterrupted by leaves. Whatever it is, I don't find the cold or damp or dreary winter weather cause to grumble or stay inside.
For years I did not have an indoor arena to ride in, and so if I wanted to exercise my horses in the winter I had to ride out in the elements. And because we did not have all weather footing in the arena, if I didn't want to destroy that space, I had to hack out. I learned to love and even look forward to winter riding because it meant months of doing nothing more than hacking out on the wide open farmlands around us. Not that I couldn't do this all year round, but there was something special about the winter hacks--especially in the snow.
Today was no different. Sure, it dawned wet and raining with a dense fog settling over the land. But it wasn't enough to stop me. Samwise and I headed out across the fields and meandered through the trails, enjoying the quiet and the gently falling rain. When we turned for home, we felt relaxed and I came home with a few more winter memories. Here are a few I can share with you all.
Heading north away from the barn.
Samwise the Intrepid
Looking across my neighbor's cornfield to "The Badlands." I call it this because even though it is a hayfield that produces beautiful hay, it has sink holes that one must be careful to avoid. They are well marked, so it isn't dangerous, but one must still be cautious. It is one of my favorite places to ride through.
A stand of Birch trees in The Badlands.
But in parting, I bring you my Christmas Pictures.
Since my horses don't get Christmas presents and their barn is not decorated in any way, we have the tradition of giving them a Christmas Mash. My mom has not always been a fan of this tradition. Imagine a crowded and busy country kitchen in the early hours of Christmas day, and add to that a daughter making bran mashes for her horses because there is no hot water in the barn.
But this year was less hectic since I had to wait and make the mashes the day *after* Christmas. As you'll see, the horses forgave me and enjoyed themselves immensely. And the dogs were pretty happy too.
Joon and Tugger are very hopeful that the Christmas Mash is for them.
As usual, Dash loves his mash.
Samwise, meanwhile, makes a right proper mess of the whole thing!
I don't know what it is about winter that I love so much. Perhaps it is the quiet and serenity of the woods and landscape. Or maybe it's because I can see for miles ahead, uninterrupted by leaves. Whatever it is, I don't find the cold or damp or dreary winter weather cause to grumble or stay inside.
For years I did not have an indoor arena to ride in, and so if I wanted to exercise my horses in the winter I had to ride out in the elements. And because we did not have all weather footing in the arena, if I didn't want to destroy that space, I had to hack out. I learned to love and even look forward to winter riding because it meant months of doing nothing more than hacking out on the wide open farmlands around us. Not that I couldn't do this all year round, but there was something special about the winter hacks--especially in the snow.
Today was no different. Sure, it dawned wet and raining with a dense fog settling over the land. But it wasn't enough to stop me. Samwise and I headed out across the fields and meandered through the trails, enjoying the quiet and the gently falling rain. When we turned for home, we felt relaxed and I came home with a few more winter memories. Here are a few I can share with you all.
Heading north away from the barn.
Samwise the Intrepid
Looking across my neighbor's cornfield to "The Badlands." I call it this because even though it is a hayfield that produces beautiful hay, it has sink holes that one must be careful to avoid. They are well marked, so it isn't dangerous, but one must still be cautious. It is one of my favorite places to ride through.
A stand of Birch trees in The Badlands.
