Anna Blake

Photo Challenge: Transient

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A hand flattened to shade my brow, questioning the late-afternoon glare diced with shadow, not certain I should trust my wind-burnt eyes. How to make sense of a tropical memory skimming across this land-locked farm, are those pelicans on my prairie pond? They’re rare visitors floating with mallards and mergansers and Canada geese. The herons … Read more

Caring for the Lead Mare

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It was a perfect day. There were just enough clouds to soften the heat. The front gate didn’t open once all day long. No emergency vet calls. Best of all, I had some fence to repair. Perfect. There was still dew on the grass when I loaded up my yellow wagon with the t-post driver, post hole digger, … Read more

Photo Challenge: Order

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The passing hours of this hot-dry day spook and buck and bolt, swirling together and scattering apart in a a howling dust devil of sharp nickers, skittering hooves, and manure. Always manure. I’m only human. I march from water tank leaks to gate repair, trying to mitigate the day’s erosion and prepare for the next … Read more

Learning to Love Negotiation

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Rule number one about horses: There will be a high learning curve. Most of us are drawn to horses because we feel some sort of connection. It doesn’t matter if we grew up with horses or only saw them in books, eventually, we find our way to a barn. When we get there, some of … Read more