Home > Dispatches > Daily Dispatches 2014 > Daily Dispatch #17

January 17, 2014: Under the Weather, Still

Pete is still sick. He’s coughing, blowing his nose a lot. I’m holding my own – I’m feeling run down, and experiencing cold-like symptoms. I have a slight cough, feels like there’s crud in my chest. I’m still functioning, but not at all under duress.

I’m not as sick as Pete so I’m the house frau. If it was the other way around, it would be the other way around. I have been able to deal – I just put myself on autopilot and check things off the list as I do them. I also accept the fact that what gets done is routine stuff – no more, no less.



Yesterday I got the horses and dogs out. I decided (since Pete could not accompany me) to do something new. I would first take Rainbow, Ryder, and Jenna out with Tinni and Raudi, and then take Signy and Hrimmi out by themselves.

Part 1 of my adventure was an adventure. Two dogs on leash, two horses on leads – there were some tangles. I finally let go of Rainbow, and she followed along nicely. Then, on the trail, I rode Tinni and ponied Raudi. At one point, Raudi got excited, which got Tinni excited. Tinni went uphill really fast and I let go of Raudi’s lead rope. Tinni then bolted, going very fast down a steep hill. It’s the one that I’m the least fond of because there’s a sharp turn before the descent. Tinni stopped at the base of this hill, and Raudi, who had been ambling around in the spruce trees, ran up right next to us, enabling me to grab her lead line. The dogs were right behind us.

All went well when I took Signy and Hrimmi out. Signy’s reliable and Hrimmi is her daughter.

I decided to do things differently today. I first took Signy, Hrimmi, and Rainbow out. The horses and dog did wonderfully – at the conclusion of our ride, Hrimmi and Rainbow met me at our designated end point—the trailhead.

I next decided to take Raudi and Tinni out, this time with Ryder and Jenna. At the very last minute, Pete decided to go along. I was glad to have both a riding companion and a helping hand.

This turned out to be a tremendous ride. Temperatures have been in the 30s, so the road and trail surfaces have become questionable. The road surface was okay – it had been plowed and graveled (graveled is now a word), and the trail base was okay – no one besides us has been out on it.

Tinni and Raudi found the going to be a bit sloggy, but both seemed to enjoy having gotten out.

It was as we were riding what we call the second loop that we were treated to an under the weather surprise. The setting sun descended below the cloud line, which illuminated the nearby trees and distant hills. The light was orange/pink in color. And the light of the setting sun was near blinding. The sky was in places an aqua blue, and the storm clouds steel gray.

This spectacle lasted about twenty minutes. Pete and I knew that we were fortunate to have been out riding during the most beautiful part of the day.

The grande finale came at the end of our ride, when Ryder opted to wait at the road’s edge for us. She had the option of taking off, but decided not to do so.

We headed home under darkening, overcast skies, something that’s become the norm around here. I was glad to have gotten out, and Pete’s sentiments were the same.

Next: 18. 1/18/14: Dog Training: Human Lessons Learned