Anna Blake We turn into the driveway and the umpire flings his arms wide and yells, “Safe!” It’s the feeling I get passing my mailbox. Mister and I went to Texas on a blind date to meet Jolene. She said yes. After three days in a truck cab by day, a tiny camper at night, we became … Read more
Sometimes, change sneaks up behind you when you least expect it, knocks you down, and drags you off, kicking and screaming. Jolene careened into our lives like a bowling ball toward a triangle of pins. We saw her coming and stood still, waiting. Monday: When we left off, I was all mushed up about Jolene. … 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
I’m not the sort who wakes up in a cheesy rom-com. Even when I was young and my body parts were all in the normal place, I wasn’t rom-com material and I surely am not now. But somehow, there I was, blindly stumbling toward what the youngsters call a “meet-cute.” I was the last know, … 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
I have a confession. I am a gray mare who loves technology, pressing my nose to monitors and screens for hours each day. And yet, my brain is sharp, my knowledge grows. I can carry on philosophical conversations with donkeys, using an extensive vocabulary of words. Grammerly says the top 96th percentile. And I’m multilingual, … Read more
I bet you flush the toilet in town without a hint of paranoia. I did before I bought my farm. Those sacred words. My farm. My realtor was the only one in the office willing to work in my price range. The horse shed was in better shape than the house, but that was fine. … Read more
Drawn like magnets, humans want to be near animals so badly. We can’t help ourselves, but we are a little scary. Animals should look at us cautiously. Consider their wry skepticism an honest survival instinct. We have only good intentions, but our love is red hot and we start young. Haven’t we all seen toddlers … Read more