All in a day

It started out on a whim before dawn. I don't even know why I decided to just grab my Nikon and head up the hill. I expected to be disappointed because it looked like the clouds were going to fill up the sky and we would have a dreary morning.

The surprise wasn't the pretty colors in the east, it was the stunning colors emerging in the south and west.

I stood there for a long time taking photos as the colors and hues kept changing.

And when I got home just before 6, the day was starting. I watered and checked the mules. Moved Lil' Richard and Sven to some nice grazing spots, and came inside to check on Charlie and Rich.

Both were sound asleep so I picked green beans as the sun peeked over the tree tops. I got soaked with the morning dew but had a pretty good haul of green and yellow beans. I found some ripe tomatoes, pulled most of the onions, and sat on the porch to wash everything and prep it.

I got an email from my CrossFit Coach telling me that my WOD [workout of the day] was a 5K! Now understand, many of my workout friends can't run due to needing a new hip, a new knee, or even other assorted issues. We are not all Olympic athletes. So a cardio workout is taylored for them. They get to ride a stationary bike or use a rower. 

I'm not going back into a gym situation at this time. I am still Virtual.

I was so tickled to have an ALL run/jog workout, that I stopped everything I was doing and changed to go run.

I had to take my smart phone as I'd never really measured out what 3.1 miles would be if I ran it on foot! 

And I ran it. Well, perhaps I looked like an old lady shuffling down a gravel road. However I felt like I was Nike, the goddess of speed, strength, and victory flying over the road with my Covidhair blowing in the breeze.

My phone kept track of my route, my time per mile, and gave me an accurate run.

[my running route includes wide open spaces with no humans in sight]

All that aside.

When I finished, I still felt energized.

So much so that after freezing and putting produce in the dehydrator, I went out and found a willing mule.

Okay, maybe Siera wasn't willing at first.

But she proved again what an incredible animal she is. We rode nearly 4 miles around the neighbor's wild wood. Here we stop to watch a doe and her twins run through the woods below us.

My mules wear a bell. This way I never walk up on top of a deer or other form of wildlife. It works well. It isn't obtrusive and I think the bell makes a nice sound.

After getting back home, Siera got a treat.

Some grain and some yard grazing.

This after a ride pretty much assures that she will meet me at the gate next time too.

After supper, I caught up Mica. I haven't ridden her in over a year.

We went for a sunset ride along the backroads that I'd gone running on.

When I went to bed that night, I felt so calm and complete.

Something powerful reawakened me on that 5k. I hadn't run in years. I had tried to start up again, but never really did well. It just felt good. 

As though I had Wings....

I think there are a lot of sayings about how good a horse is for you.

I think they should include mules don't you?

What can I say?

I had a friend who was going to come riding with me. I had visitors who were going to come and visit this summer and distance themselves...who wanted to come riding with me.

So far none of that has worked.

So I walked out to the pasture yesterday to see who would come to me while I was holding a halter and lead rope.

Sunshine.

She is my all around go anywhere little mule. The mule we tried so hard to sell at one time. 

The mule we nearly gave up on when she had a severe injury.

When Rich and I started riding her at parks and other places, people started to notice her. Some even offered us a small price for a small mule.

She isn't a pony, but she isn't tall either.

She is just right for me now. Easy on easy off, and a mature mindset.

Well, put all that aside.

I've been really nervous about riding solo. I was spoiled last summer with Molly coming to visit and ride at least once or twice a week.

I realize now, I'm back to just me.

I took Siera last week on some of the steep hillsides after we toured the ridge top. She did fine.

Nothing like those long ears!

I guess I am tired of waiting and I have no one but myself to blame.

I weighed the risks of riding solo in the WildWood and decided that I can safely do it with these two.

Accidents do happen, I know that.

However.

The calm I felt after riding yesterday was immeasurable.

I felt a peace so overwhelming.

I want to think again of dangerous and noble things,

I want to be light and frolicsome,

I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,

as though I had wings.

~Mary Oliver

Muddin' with Siera

I promised myself I'd take Siera riding today.

I even put it on my 'to do' list. We've gone 36 hours without rain so I thought it would be a good time to take Siera on the 4 wheeler trail to the creek and all of the way down the valley.

Siera hates black muddy muck. She has told me that she is sure that the black nasty smelling stuff was only put there in the trail to suck her mule soul out through her hooves.
I have assured her that it is just mud. In the valley where the 4 wheelers have torn things up? Well indeed, it may just be sucking black muck that would pull you down.
However, since the trails those guys made are pretty decent except for low branches, I decided to take her to the end of the valley and back.

We slid down the first incline into a puddle of green slimy water that was at the bottom of a dry run. Well, it appeared more like deep rutted wash out with gobs of gunk in it. See Siera with her head turned? She knows that home is up over the ridge and to her left.

I told her how proud I was of her, she was taking on these slippery inclines and rutted ditches like a real trooper.
She was not impressed with my voice at all.

We made it to the creek and the path we normally use was partially submerged in ages old black dirt that had turned into quagmire.
She tried turning around to take the trail home and I asked her to go up and around.

She is a pretty good mule. Some of the branches I had to duck under had me laying over her neck and slightly to the side to avoid the saddle horn.

Here I gave her a choice. Walk in the soul sucking black muck or walk in the creek.

She turned her head again as if she'd rather go home. I told her that she couldn't head back until we'd gone to the end of the valley.
Hmmm.

Fine.
The creek, it was. We rode to the end of the valley and I made her stand still.
Normally she'd be a bit calmer with another mule along, but she was solo.

On the way back she was in a hurry and stepped over a tiny sapling that was bent across the trail. It slapped her between the hind legs and she did this buck/jump thing. Since Siera is terrible at bucking, it felt more like a trip than anything else.

I took the opposite side of the valley and intended on coming back a different route when we got stopped by a literal 'sea' of black sucking muck mud. I figured we could get around it by edging up towards the woods, but going through wild roses, thorny apple trees, and berry briers didn't look like an option to me.

Siera knew that she had to cross the narrow valley to get back to solid ground and we back tracked as she peered at the maze of gouged 4 wheeler ruts that were black and filled with smelly green oozing water.
I let her go along to seek a way to get across. It was if I could tell that she was really examining things or perhaps she was seeking the spot she'd safely crossed just a few weeks ago.

She made a decision and through the nasty stuff we went.

I could just hear her saying over and over.. 'Nasties! Nasties! My hooves are going to get dirty! Knee deep in smelly wet mucky muck!'

Her hooves did make sucking noises as she crossed the ruts and we got to the creek.
Big Sigh.
I like it when she sighs.
She is relaxed then.

We had two hills to go back up that we'd slid partially down. At the bottom of the hill I gave her her head and let her make her own way up the hill. I wished in a way that she'd had a luxurious mane to grab hold of ... but she doesn't. Up we climbed.

After the last climb we stopped. I wanted to let her catch her breath. The day had turned very humid.

When we got to the gravel road, I dismounted and loosened her cinch.

Siera sighed again and we stood in the road while a nice little breeze cooled us off a bit.
I walked her home.

She had really put out a great effort for me. Mud and water had always been a huge issue for her. Steep hills and tough terrain are also a bit harder for her than a mule out of a quarter type horse. She is gaited and doesn't have the incredible back end strength that Sunshine and Mica have.
On the open and flat terrain, she can really move out.

I tied her to the shade tree in the yard and took my time letting her cool off and brushed her until she was dry. She does like attention. I figured she deserved it after the hazardous adventure she'd gone on.

With dry weather coming up this week I hope to get some more rides in with Sunshine and Mica also. They handle the ditches and the mud in a different way, nearly a bored attitude.

The weather is to turn warm and muggy again so our rides will be early or late along with more round pen work with Sundance.

When I let Siera go she walked away slowly. The red headed sisters crowded me as if to ask for some attention. Sundance smelled my shirt which was spotted with black dried 'valley' muck.
Siera rolled in the dirt...
I took a shower.

...and I had to clean my saddle...
And it was a fine day.

Good things happen with Mules

I asked my husband if he'd like to go for a ride. He didn't answer right away.

We'd gone to the creek and back early in the morning and he'd come up the steep ridge road and was surprised in some ways that it wasn't as hard to do as it was this spring. I pointed that out to him.
Last year he had throat cancer. He'd had a stroke which affected his balance and he was sure he would never hike or ride a mule again.

I asked him again. "Want me to catch up Fred? And we could go for a little ride?" 

"Okay."

Well I didn't need to wait around. I went out with two lead ropes and caught up Fred and Siera.

Siera came trotting up to the gate.

"Oh look, you came when the sun did another cycle!"

I smiled and let her drop her head into the halter. Fred pushed past me into the catch pen.

"Fred is grumpy, you haven't taken him out for a while."

I caught them up and led them to the horse/mule trailer. I removed some burrs from both Fred and Siera's tails and Rich came. Siera stiffened and stepped back. 

"I don't like him. Make him go away. He isn't riding me, is he?"
Fred glanced over. "Nah, he wouldn't ride you, you are a female ditz."

Siera has never really taken a shine to Rich, maybe it is his deep voice or sometimes a bit harsh attitude when his mule won't do what he/she is supposed to do.

We saddled up and took off through the woods. We came out on the cropland at Peterson's. All the corn was off the fields.

Siera could now see the Big Scary Machinery. It wasn't so scary now. In fact it was silent.

We rode across the fields just chatting and enjoying our time out. Rich looked content and so did Fred.
Siera came to a halt and locked legs.
She turned her head and pointed with her ears.

"I see it I see it. Human sneaking along the woods!"

And darned if she wasn't right. There was a bow hunter walking along the edge of the crop land. He blended in so well that if she hadn't pointed him out I wouldn't have seen him.

We moved on down to the creek. Rich hadn't seen the damage the flood had caused in the valley. I don't know why we call it damage when there was nothing there anyway. Mother Nature re-arranged things that's all.
I showed him where I crossed the creek yesterday and Rich just shrugged and said he'd like to go back home.

We used to go on very long rides. But seeing that is was Rich's second ride this year, I said nothing and simply enjoyed that fact that he was riding.

I asked him how it felt. And he replied "Good."

And Siera seemed quite a bit more calm with Fred along. She relaxed and rode quietly with her ears bobbing out sideways but flickering around.

We rode down the road towards home. I chuckled when Siera picked up the pace and I asked her to slow down.

Rich asked me what I was laughing about.
I said. "I think I have it figured out. I had Cheyanne the flighty half Arab horse who freaked at everything in the world. 

Then I had Badger who was Mr. Laid Back Nothing Will Bother Me. 

Then I rode Opal who was like riding a mule on Speed with Attitude, who also could swap personalities and ride like Mrs. Laid Back. 

I've ridden Fred who is Mr. Chilled Out most of the time.

Now I am riding Siera who is like the Super Calm Mule who has a split personality. She is a mix of Badger, Opal, and Cheyanne the major Ditz.
She is split between calm, and pissy. Calm and angry, loving and irritable. I can now say that I have stopped comparing Siera to Badger and realize that she is her own mule."

Rich shrugged. "The Split Personality Thing works well for Siera. After all..." Rich grinned at me, "...she is a female!"

We let the mules go and both Fred and Siera stood near us for a while before turning back to their pasture and walking away.

It was a good day. The sun was low in the horizon, the temperatures were decent and we had gone riding together.

I can't think of a better way to end our day.

Oh yes. Siera did drop her head and stare at me as if to say.

"Tomorrow when the sun cycles?"

I smiled.