Last week I raved about my beautiful but desolate riding arena at the front of my little farm. My other favorite place is the pond at the very back of my farm. Waterfront property on the high desert prairie of Colorado was a major selling point when I chose this dilapidated farm. It’s fed by … Read more
Ten days after solstice and it’s already staying light longer. Want to wish me a happy one-year-older? On January first, horses become one year older, regardless of their actual birthdate. Breed organizations do it for ease of record keeping, and I doubt the horses notice. As proud gray mare, that means I am a year … Read more
It’s the limbo week between Christmas and the New Year. The sunset of the year, if there is such a thing. Have you ever thought about how sunrise and sunset look alike? This photo is easy to place because Pikes Peak is on the western horizon here. But I know it’s an old photo because … Read more
Here on the high desert prairie, the grasses are a flat dry tan, and we won’t see green again all winter. But as the ground lies fallow, it’s as if the sky stands up even taller and says watch this! Each sunrise is a pink and yellow watercolor wash that starts as safety-vest orange with … Read more
My farm has a cathedral. It started as a tiny chapel, one of five deciduous trees on my prairie farm. She is an elm, what they call a weed tree, but we aren’t picky out here. Just the same, I didn’t give her much credit in those early years. At first, she cast a limited umbrella … Read more
Mister has been studying Edgar Rice Burro, our farm’s moral compass, these last years. He recognizes the donkey’s buddha-like wisdom and believes himself to be the canine equivalent. Mister says he has the ears for it. And he’s a deep thinker. It only looks like he’s napping, but his belly is sticking out, which is … Read more
It felt like a militant act of self care. Like cutting your hair really short or tossing out jeans for their inability to adapt to change. But those things are common to me. This was bigger. I found the life-altering drug that Mister and I needed. There is a puppy. She has a name. But … Read more
My horse sister called to ask how I was. It wasn’t small talk. We tell each other the truth and it took a beat to answer. There were so many parts. “I’m exhausted,” I said. “It’s been such a hard year.” “Anna, it’s only April,” she said. And we both chuckled and quickly slid into … Read more
Today is a big anniversary for me. Here is the thing about anniversaries; they only matter to the ones having them. We might congratulate married couples if anyone outside remembers the date. We mark the anniversary of years at work, looking toward retirement. Birthdays are anniversaries. Some of us celebrate sobriety milestones. Or remember the … Read more
I’ve been pondering two conversations about horses lately. They aren’t very cheerful and I always know, no matter what I write about, I’ll end up poking someone in the eye when I don’t mean to. But people are touchy about horses, I notice. The first conversation was several years ago, but I think of it … Read more