I have much gratitude for the doctors, medical intervention/advances that have made it possible for this man to still be with me. In 1983 it all started with his heart. At that time, I didn't think I would have him to grow old with. He also gets credit for keeping himself alive by doing as much as possible to keep on keeping on.

A bunch of different flowers put together for a dining room setting in a local nursing home.

I'm sleep deprived. 1am DH got up to use the bathroom and accidentally locked Aspen IN the bathroom. Ivan started SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER. Aspen sounded like he was in the far distance....mewing softly. ALL haites was breaking loose.....I asked DH what was going on, he said "they're playing", he was going back to sleep.....finally figured out what was going on...by then I was very PO'D....such drama.....ha ha I'm thankful no kitty cats were injured. ha ha It sounded like a murder.....♥

There are two horses here. The one nearest is my sweet, cranky, opinionated, chestnut mare, school horse Lady. On the other side is my instructor's gelding. I thought all was lost when my old instructor had to shut down her business due to the draconian shutdowns in my county during the pandemic. But those two horses saved my sanity, and kept my life normal while so many were in isolation. I am forever grateful that I was allowed to continue riding though out the craziness. I was a beginning English rider. Lady made me into the western rider I am today. She suffered through all my errors, and bonded with me as a partner. In the midst of the crazy I said I wanted to enter a virtual endurance race. My instructor who I consider my mentor, is a cantankerous old horseman. He looked at me like I had grown a third eye, then shook his head and grinned, and said I could use her for the 3 months I had to get it done. He suffers through my attitude and we also have a bond. That bond was formed as rode and got through some personal rough times. Words weren't needed. We focused on riding. Getting a green rider through a hundred trail miles during a pandemic, a fire, light and darkness, heat waves and downpours is quite a task, but the four of us did it. Came in way ahead of many who own their own horses. In fact I do believe she was the only by the hour school horse entered. I not only gained the skills I have today but I gained a new family, became even more mentally tough, physically fitter and found a new path to follow. I am forever grateful for that and Lady is symbolic of that time and experience. I've moved on to more advanced horses but I still ask to take her on a long trail ride now and then. When I do, it's like we never parted.