A little mule time

Siera and I went to watch the smoke haze move away at sunset on the ridge.

The smoke haze was from the Canadian wildfire and the Minnesota Wildfire.

The smoke hid the sun all day.

All was peaceful on the ridge.

Romantic Memories of being a kid

Or should I say that the memories of being a kid are not romantic but perhaps bittersweet?

I picked up a red Huffy bicycle from my mom that she had for sale a while ago.
Sunday night promised to be beautiful so after supper I took out the Huffy.

The first bike I rode on was my brother's red Huffy boy's bike.  We rode that bike it seemed like forever.  To this day I recall choosing to ride the red bike over the girl's bike mom got us.

I hopped on and tried to ride up the hill on the skid steer path back to see my husband who was working on a brush pile.  I couldn't make the hill.  However I did ride from the crest down into the pasture where he was and proceeded to exclaim how much fun I was having.
And nearly crashed.  The brakes barely worked.

Husband laughed and laughed and so did I.  I started out by saying, "When I was a kid...!"  Well that caused more laughter as I am not a kid anymore.  Not in body.

The bike needed air in the tires and the chain needed oiling.  Soon I was on my way cruising up and down the flat part of the driveway hitting bumps and negotiating some rough stuff.  
I had the mule/horse/donkey herds' attention.  Some snorted, the horses ran willy nilly, and Sally the donkey stood solid and watched my fiasco.  Soon the red sisters, Sunshine and Sundance joined her.

I rode up to Siera and Fred's paddock.  They bolted and Fred came back.  Siera perked her ears and gave me the stare as if I was a three headed monster.  She watched and didn't move a muscle.  I sat for a while alongside the fence and talked to her.  She just watched me.  Perhaps she thought I'd grown some strange looking legs.

I guess I found something she could use some work with. A bicycle.

I walked the old bike up the steep driveway and hopped on by the mailboxes.  I pedaled and rode the gravel road like the wind.  Well perhaps in my mind!  

I did have a slight downhill to assist me.  I rode along the relatively flat ridge road and then stopped to enjoy the sunset.

My week ahead was going to be filled with many work hours and the construction on our Little House Remodel was supposed to start on Monday.

I took a few moments to enjoy the skies and then slowly pedaled towards home wondering why it was so much easier when I was just 12.

Perhaps I need to get the old Red Huffy out more often, I'd forgotten the thrill of the speed.

Does this Saddle make me look...

Skinny?

Is it pretty on me?
Does it match my bay coloring?

It doesn't clash does it?

Do I need to have an accent to wear an English Saddle?

Do I need Tea & Biscuits with my hay?

Oh my...
Look at this field of corn!

Nope, nothing scary to 'eat' me in here!

SHE says so!

Oh the neighbor's dog growled at me and I just stared at growly dog until the owners took it back to their house.
SHE told the people that most mules won't bother dogs unless the dog bothers the mule.  Then said mule may just reach out and 'touch' offending dog with a quick hoof-whack.

I'm not sure people should just let their dogs run loose on the roads, you know?

What a pretty sunset with my ears in the way!

We watched the sun go down and I paraded around in my very English saddle and showed her that neck reining is no big deal and that she can mount me from the either side and I will not move.

I even climbed a huge dirt pile and then carefully came down off from it.  

The sun went down and I got to graze in the yard.  Nice yummy fresh grass.

I can't wait for our next adventure.
SHE said something about trying bareback riding?
Wonder what that is?