#45 ~ Foundation
In July, David Landerville, a cowboy from Tucson Arizona, held a barefoot (no horseshoes) hoof trimming clinic outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
#44 ~ Smitten
Chief is besotted. His fancy is a tall, elegant woman from London. Lynn, who recently visited us, has the quintessential English trait of an understated but colorful demeanor.
#43 ~ Mozart
Chief is a Mozart aficionado. Prone to mule roughness and shoulder shoves, the guy is surprisingly drawn to classical music. Mozart in particular. Amadeus Mozart.
#42 ~ Pillar Of Mule
Horses are usually fenced within landowner property but we have turned this outdated convention on its head. Paul and I live in a human corral..
#41 ~ Water Tiger
As we transition from 2021 into 2022, an orange and black feline swimming in a river emerges from the mist of my mind’s eye. Our collective menagerie comments on this astrological scene:..
#40 ~ Wormhole
At a horse rescue facility where I manage the barn two days a week, sixty-two equines live in freedom after enduring abusive situations imposed on them by ignorant caretakers…
#39 ~ Tribute
The Very Large Array is a field of twenty-eight white telescopes beaming radio waves into the cosmic void near Magdalena, New Mexico…
#38 ~ Enigma
#37 ~ 2021
We spin through the cosmos on home base Earth as the Gregorian calendar turns from 2020 to 2021…
#36 ~ Panache
#35 ~ Maggie
#34 ~ Each Handles
#33 ~ Cocktail
#32 ~ Home
#31 ~ Lady
#30 ~ Voice
The Native American tradition of observing seasonal shifts by giving nicknames to the full moon, makes this one a Buck Moon, named for the emerging new antlers on young male deer…
#29 ~ Sweet Spot
Mules are the infertile offspring of horse and donkey parents. Known for their hybrid vigor, calm disposition, and wicked smarts, Chief our resident mule, is someone I listen to with rapt attention. He is perplexed by the human interest in sexual orientation…
#28 ~ Savoir-Vivre
A rambunctious mule and two spirited mustangs enter their enclosure after a rousing day on the land. It is a hot afternoon and everyone is tired…
#27 ~ Perspective
In the moonless night three equines cast a web of harmonious serenity around me. My heart beats in tandem with the rhythmic breathing of my large companions standing beside me, radiating heat and odiferous waves of medicinal creosote and damp earth..
#26 ~ Whiff
My mother enhanced traditional American recipes with exotic ingredients when our family lived in Africa. Drilling a hole in both ends of a rock hard, alabaster ostrich egg shell, she blew out the rich contents to make Angel Food Cake..
#25 ~ Acceptance
Almost two years ago a stray, dumpster-diving cattle dog entered our lives. Her previous life and age remains unknown, but she carries demons, sensitivities and unusual quirks that have engendered deep respect from me and Paul..
#24 ~ Truth
Chief, our mule, gives me his characteristic greeting of the rough-shoulder-budge on his way to somewhere else on this glorious Spring day. His hide smeared in mud, he glances at me with clay-caked eyelashes and drops an existential bombshell..
#23 ~ Humor
At liberty, with no tack or controlling gadgets, Geronimo dances a flamboyant flamenco with me. He pushes, pulls away, stomps, head tosses, teases, and pouts. He feigns indifference, imperialistically glares and elongates his nostrils in haughty disdain…
#22 ~ Spine
Our equines love to roll, their backs wiggling hard against the ground. It is a ritualistic art form: Nose down, circle, buckle knees, drop, twist on back, sweep dirt-angel arc with side of head, grunt, fold long legs and flinty hooves into a belly tuck, rest on shoulder sphinx-like.
#21 ~ Frozen
In western Colorado, we are in a deep winter freeze – socked in beneath an oppressive blanket of low, grey clouds. The equines have grown rough, protective coats embellished with snow diamonds and icicle trimming.
#20 ~ Welcoming 2020
Musings from our wild mob to yours as we enter the new decade of 2020.
#19 ~ Bromance
Our wild Navajo pony, and badass mule, have a thing going on. We catch Geronimo and Chief in long smooching sessions. Necks extended, lips locked, they appear to be kissing each other in deep affection for lengthy periods of time. Then abruptly, one flips his neck and delivers a good nip to the face of his affectionate brother, and the game is on…
#18 ~ Energy
I walk up to Geronimo, our young Navajo mustang, expecting a warm welcome after being gone for a week. He watches me approach with my big smile and even bigger needs. Turning his back he walks away, stops, and while keeping one eye discreetly arched over his rump, maintains his distance…
#17 ~ Change
As we pull our newly acquired horse trailer through the gate, the herd sniffs the newcomer-on-wheels with arched necks, squeals and flamboyant ground striking. Running alongside, they jostle for the closest premium position as we haul it up the driveway to park it in the sagebrush leaving the back door open for them to enter the enclosure at their own discretion…
#16 ~ Community
We live in the hinterlands, slightly off-the-grid. Most of our neighbors haul their water from a communal filling station down the valley. Bulbous water tubs, strapped onto battered flatbeds, lumber up the country road that serves the residents on our windswept mesa…
#15 ~ Congruency
I have not always told the truth. The overused white lie is my go-to justification for not hurting feelings, or worse, telling boldfaced lies for a benign convenience. Equines do not traffic in smarmy lies; black or white. When content; they nicker, sleep, graze and stand quietly together…
#14 ~ Schnuffling
Chief, our mule, is a Master Schnuffler. He schnuffles locked gates, closed barn doors, and delicate car side-mirrors; he schnuffles everywhere he should not schnuffle. But his favorite schnuffling site is on the top of my 91 year old mother’s head. Her name is Margaret and she is the right height for him, her hair is silvery-soft, and he likes her…
#13 ~ Transparency
Being transparent is being honest, i.e., nothing to hide. The scientific definition of transparency goes deeper than even the sterling value of honesty. Transparency is a translucent substance made visible by light shining through from behind…
#12 ~ Connection
“The Jewel Net of Indra” is used to describe the interconnectedness of the universe. Indra, a Hindu God, spread a net across the cosmos with sparkling jewels hanging from each cross-point node…
#11 ~ Lavender
I planted 64 Lavender Grosso plants this spring. The classic Provençal image of row upon purply row of lavender disappearing in parallel precision to a single point, danced in my futuristic dream of splendid bliss…
#10 ~ Heat
It is hot on the high desert plateau of western Colorado. The maddening, clacking of whirling grasshopper wings fills the silent void of summer stillness…
#9 ~ Cultural Exchange
My Japanese friend arrived from Fukuoka last week. Ikuko is an elegant, refined woman who has developed an information technology venture company with her Chinese husband. We have not seen each other for 25 years…
#8 ~ Murmurations
Chief has an old-fashioned flip cellphone. I found it hidden beneath the Russian Olive brambles. More on this unusual fact later, as it nicely sums up this blog…
#7 ~ Traveler
Traveler, an 18 year old mustang, arrived on our ranch one month ago. Our friend, Jim, generously gave him to us when he moved to Texas from Colorado. Traveler was an unexpected addition to our herd of two, and has rounded…
#6 ~ Reiki
The word Reiki is a combination of two Japanese words – Rei and Ki. Rei: A Higher Intelligence that guides the creation and functioning of the universe. It is the wisdom that permeates everything, both animate and inanimate….
#5 ~ Communication
I am dancing on the patio beneath the darkening sky as evening brings swathes of ochre tinged clouds shot through with golden rays. Vusi Mahlasela, with a voice as mellow as honey, is blaring through the speakers…
#4 ~ Chief
The impressive mule living with us is aptly named Chief. As “Head Honcho” of our ranch, he exudes unwavering power and strength. When he moved in with us 6 months ago, it was evident he had never been taught proper manners, but mules are unnervingly intuitive and Chief is a…
#3 ~ Geronimo
On March 2016, three wild Navajo foals were transported to an equine rescue facility, Horse Protection League (HPL) in Golden, Colorado. The babies came from a herd of 20 horses enduring dire conditions from a reservation near Four Corners, in southwestern Colorado…
#2 ~ Friends. . .
My husband and I live with a mule, a Navajo pony, and a cattle dog. Coyotes, bobcats, deer and bear also live on our land, all of us existing together in a motley crew of varied species. We coalesce relatively peacefully on our shared piece of Earth…
#1 ~ Stress and Trauma ~ Lessons from a Weaver Bird
When I was young, my family moved to South Africa from Colorado. My canine companion, Smoky, and I spent freedom-drenched afternoons exploring our new, wild environs. A meandering brown river on the high veld was our new playground…