Rhulain Steps Out Into The Darkness

47 minutes - 2.15 miles - Rhulain

 

Bill woke me up at 5:20 am.  I wanted to stay in bed where it was cozy and warm.  But then I remembered today was Rhulain's day for a walk!  I have missed my gorgeous girl!   Hustled outside and realized the stars were still clearly visible. What?! 

I had to use the flash just to get a picture of her ... a black mare on a black background doesn't show up well. :)

 

We did an uneventful 2.15 miles. Dreamy. I snapped a picture of her at the halfway point and one more outside our gate.  No matter what the light, she's gorgeous and the time spent with her was well worth crawling out of bed.

Mondays with Morgan Again

41 minutes - 1.55 miles - Morgan

We left the property before the sun was up ... Morgan was nervous and stayed glued to my back.  I don't blame her, as we heard coyote yipping about a half mile from the house.

But, some cubes and peppermints in my pocket did quite a bit to soothe Morgan and by the time we reached the half way point, the sun had started to rise.

If I haven't said it a million times, let me say it once more ... 

I love my Morgie girl.

Horrible picture, huge hug

Bill and I went for a walk after our littlest buddy went to bed.  Every time we passed by the arena Rhulain and Wasabi would stick their noses out for a snuggle.

I've missed Rhu!

She kept trying to get Bill's attention (perhaps for one of his awesome ear rubs) and Wasabi kept coming over to me.

Hmmm, we may have to switch horses for a bit :)  Naaaah.

Morgan, Sweet Morgan

37 minutes - 1.08 miles - Morgan

Someone got his first bareback solo ride today ... he did well!  He "rode" for 0.25 miles around the property, then I asked Morgan to turn and watched his balance.  When he figured out how to move with Morgan's body he started laughing and clapping.  She was delighted by the sound and reached around to nuzzle his leg.  She's my bestest girl ever!

  He hopped off and went to tell Bill about his adventure. 

 Morgan stood there looking at me ... and I couldn't resist.  

I hopped on her bareback in a halter.

 

Such a feeling of freedom.  No place in the world is better than my Morgie's back ... especially with nothing between us but happiness.

My new walking buddy

 He's not the fastest walker, nor the most talkative, but he is great company.  

It might have taken us 35 minutes to go 0.79 miles, but that's time well spent in my mind.  We hunted for the perfect rock and enjoyed each other's company.

Just he and I truly being in the moment.  

Yep, it was a great morning, despite the lack of horse time.

Morgan! Oh how I've missed you!

40 minutes - 2.00 miles - Bosco
18 minutes - 0.69 miles - Morgan

Bill surprised me by feeding the horses this morning before I got up.  It doesn't sound like much, but that extra 20 minutes was so appreciated!  Bosco walked the first two miles with me this morning while the horses finished breakfast.

Got home and switched partners, then went back out for another half mile.  It was so nice to have Morgan with me again!  Her little ears were perked forward the whole time and I felt so refreshed just to be near her ... life can be so uncomplicated when you have a wonderful horse and some time!

Walking. Alone.

2.4 miles - 53 minutes - All by myself

Bill and I have signed up to do a "Walk Across Oregon" challenge.  The challenge is to walk 395 miles (the length of Oregon) between January 15th and March 15th.  We're not going to make the full mileage because we started late, but if we get tee-shirts if we manage to make half the distance.  That means we'll have to walk/run 4 - 4.25 miles daily between now and March 15, 2016.  Even though the temperature was below 20 degrees, I started my journey today.  

Alone.

It was quiet.  It was nice to have some quiet.  Studies have shown an average 4 year old asks about 300 questions a day. I relished the quiet. 

It was wonderful to come home and get kisses from the horses after having so much "alone time."  I'm fairly certain Rhulain and Wasabi were just checking me for treats, or ushering me towards the feed because their breakfast was late, but they each gave me some snuggle time!