My walk...

Pants been getting snugger, and rodeo season is on its way so I have set my sights on lower numbers in the horizon. Been eating better, trying to ride my critters (weather allowing), and today I even went for a walk. When I first got there I saw this...

and I thought to myself why in the world is there a hydrant in the middle of nowhere?

Then I saw where we were heading....

I was a bit frightened, but not for long for who should I see, but...

Jayden the fearless "Sea Monster Slayer"... not sure how many sea monsters live in the woods, but I felt better anyway...

So off we go....

Slayer in the lead aboard his mighty steed "Old Green"...

The trip was fairly uneventful after that aside from one part of the journey when my cell phone committed suicide and went overboard into a deadly pool of slush... Never Fear - I have Cell Phone insurance and all ended well.

AAAHHHH --- Friday!

How long it seems to take to arrive, and today it seems to take just as long to finish... dragging on like the energizer bunny commercials. Unfortunately my head is the drum , and I am surrounded by 22 eager Energizer Bunnies!!! Bang, Boom, Bang...pound, pound, pound... 2:50 p.m. - Only 30 minutes left to go.

The Dentist

The dentist... that one little word can make even the toughest guy/gal tremble and cringe. Even on its best day - a brief cleaning - the trip is never a treat. Just walking into that sterile office and inhaling the unique aroma makes me want to hurl.
My most recent dentist appointment also carried with it a unique scent, but not one of sterility and cleanliness. Surrounded by birthing mothers, afterbirth, and warm manure piles - one might call the odor of our surroundings "crappy". For many and most of us this scent filled image does not conjure up notions of a dentist appointment. But if you are a horse getting your teeth worked on in the middle of winter calving season, it is definately the most logical place for some dental repair.
After watching my two beautiful girls hang in a stupor from their halters while the dentist sanded away on their teeth I was hit with two thoughts.

• Thank goodness for dental chairs - as awkward as they may seem.
• How can my dentist get me some of those drugs.

$250 dollars later my girls have smooth fresh teeth again, and I am so grateful it was not me.

Melting...

Mushy, slushy-
Melting snow.
Slipping, sliding -
Down I go...
Wet behind
a rip to boot-
bet that gave someone quite a hoot!
Two days before, I sang its praises;
sleeping in,
not missing students' faces.
I've had my fill -
the time has come,
the snow I hope
is finally done.

A Snow Day in January

In Hermiston, Oregon we are rarely graced with more than an inch or two of the fluffy white stuff at one time... Yet one thing about life - always expect the unexpected. After a night of freezing rain it started snowing yesterday and dumped more than 6 inches. Places like St. Paul, Minnesota, Anchorage, Alaska or even just La Grande and Baker, Oregon, would scoff at this minute amount, but in Hermiston the town just about shuts down. Of course school was closed, the children and teachers cheered while the parents cursed. My own children embarked on a sledding excursion with their father while I took a day to myself. After a delightful lunch at Hale's, our town's hometown favorite restaurant, I decided to take my camera in hand and capture some of our snowy winter wonderland. Here is what I saw.