And by “bar,” I mean the Swedish Vallhund Nationals. We didn’t tell Mister. I packed up the Rollin’ Rancho out of view, closed the curtains, and Jolene and I pulled out just as if we were going to a class. We drove two hours north to Greeley and joined the Vallhund family camp. Over 1600 … Read more
-+ I am driving a rented passenger van. It’s a first. There are three humans and five dogs. The family is here from Texas; two of Jolene’s sisters, along with mom and dad. They came up for the Swedish Vallhund Nationals. Jolene and I are going because they are. She doesn’t have all the letters … Read more
*I’m a full-time horse trainer who has written about horses (here) since 2010. My dogs think it’s their turn now.* It’s the small things. One morning, I pulled the shower curtain open and, remarkably, the bathroom rug was right there, in the bathroom. Usually in the backyard, Jolene and I played a sneaky slow-motion fetch … Read more
**I’m a full-time horse trainer who has written about horses (here) since 2010. My dogs think it’s their turn now.** Have I wandered out of my lane? I’m not a dog trainer, just a horsewoman. But none of us are just one thing, are we? Because I work with horses doesn’t mean that I am … Read more
We’re recuperating from last week’s clinic in Wyoming. I heard more smoke moved in the next day, so the timing was good. We wouldn’t have worked the horses if the smoke had been worse. The smoke followed me home. Some years it’s been more dense, but with daily air quality warnings, this is bad enough. … Read more
We were at a clinic in Wyoming this week. I’m not saying it was hot, but Mister wouldn’t move from the front of the air-conditioning vent. I watch the breeze waft hair off his body in a near-mystical golden cloud. The air conditioner is doing its best on a hundred-degree day. I compare it to … Read more
I’m doing it again. Pretending to be Jane Goodall… you know, if she got a herd of sheep. I was born this way, to the dismay of those who thought daydreaming about animals was an immature waste of time. I guess I showed them, still doing it on the far side of seventy. Jane Goodall … Read more
Last Thursday morning, we left for Texas as four bald eagles were circling high above the farm. I’ve never seen so many here. It’s April, and the pond is drying up. We have daily red flag warnings and fires. But also eagles. By the time we crossed into New Mexico, the vultures were circling, so … Read more
We were in a different pen than usual, and it was horribly windy. That’s the excuse you might make if you were on a horse and had an uneasy feeling. We are facing four pregnant ewes, and a tornado would be no distraction. Jolene was working. Sometimes there are four boy dogs running the fence … Read more
Jolene expects that we will have an adventure every single day. Mister hopes we don’t. He likes to keep it between the lines. As for me, I want to build a life that I want to live in. That goal has never changed, but age and my cantankerous nature redefine it every few years. I … Read more