I bought Tonka seven years ago, yesterday. Having him in my life has been better than I dreamed (and I dreamed a lot!) Every time that I go to the barn feels like a new gift. Simply put, this horse makes me happy. We’ve already done a lot together.   […]

7 Years!

This is the view from my house down to the marsh. Those big pine trees are on a hump of land that juts into the water. We call it the South Point.   We think it’s a beautiful part of the property. It has a mix of hardwood and pines. […]

The Farming Beaver

It rained all day on Thanksgiving. The horses were not turned out into their big paddocks, but Tonka has his in/out so at least he got to put his head outside. The barn was closed to boarders so that the staff could have most of the day off. We all […]

The Sanity Nugget

Thanksgiving isn’t following the usual script. Instead of a house filled with friends for my annual Pie Party, it’s just Steve and me. And Scooter. It’s cold and raining outside. It’s going to be one of these days.   Po had her Thanksgiving early. Around Halloween the supermarket had a big […]

Script Rewrite

Porcupines are solitary animals and stay that way by defending their territory. If you see two porcupines at the same time and it’s summer, you’re probably seeing a mamma and her porucpette. Or if you see (and hear) porcupines interacting, you’ve likely caught the action during breeding season. Occasionally in […]

Who’s This Porcupine?

This has not been a good morning. At 8 a.m. I had a flat-to-the-rim tire. Steve had to cancel a phone meeting to come and help. He tried to change the tire to the spare, but the flat wouldn’t budge. Perhaps the wheel was damaged? This was in 20° F […]

Staying Mentally in the Plus Column

I’m the sort of person who is happiest when my life is structured with goals. I like to achieve. This can be frustrating. I rarely live up to my desires or expectations. That being said, goals are good. They can expand your world and push you to help others. But […]

The Big Picture Goal

Tonka and I have a relationship based on two-way communication. We both have a say. I trust that when Tonka stops in an alert posture that there is something to suss out. I don’t take that stop as a disobedience. Rather, it’s the start of a discussion. For example, yesterday […]

He’d Rather Canter

Today we have the trifecta of things that cause stress: a pandemic, politics and Christmas catalogs in the mailbox. Fortunately, I have something to counterbalance the stressors. A beaver marsh.   Today there was ice on the shaded north side. This won’t last long. Temperatures will be rising all week. […]

Stress Relief at Turtle Hill