Pete’s in Rohn, Alaska, so in his absence I’m both taking care of the place and the animals. Today I took Tinni, Ryder, and Rainbow on a lengthy outing (Jenna bowed out right before we got to the trail). The one horse and two dogs and I went far, and on our journey we crossed two icy patches and an icy creek. I next took Signy for a trail ride, and Hrimfara came with us. The latter was a treacherous endeavor because the road at the base of the driveway and the intersection of Oceanview and Murphy roads are icy slabs. I had, after all this, just enough time to take Raudi for a walk around the loop. As we walked, we talked:

Rohn Public Use Cabin

Alys: Watch out for the ice at the driveway’s edge.
Raudi: Don’t worry, I see it.
A: Move over some.
R: I’m glad that I have ice shoes.
A: You can thank Josh, our farrier for this.
R: Josh is a good man.
A: Do you care to elaborate?
R: No.
A: Well then, would you be so kind enough as to elaborate?
R: Josh does very good work and he’s fast. This is unlike those two farriers who you had work on us this past summer. Actually, they both did good work, but gosh, they were slow. I’m patient, but Signy doesn’t put up with having to stand on three feet for very long. She told me that her having to hold her rear legs up makes them sore. I told her that she should kick slow farriers, but she deferred, saying that jumping around some made them work faster. If you ask me, she’s far too polite for her own good.
A: We went with who we could find at the time.
R: Next time hire a farrier to travel with us.
A: Do you want to go on another trip?
R: Yes. I like eating dandelions.
A: Do you like anything else about long distance trekking?
R: I like it that every day is different. It gets a bit boring around here, especially in the winter.
A: Raudi, I have gotten you out on the trails nearly every day this winter.
R: Same trails, same route, day in, and day out.
A: You know that most of the horses in our area haven’t been taken out at all this winter.
R: Owners too cheap to buy ice shoes?
A: Yep.
R: Too bad. Getting out keeps me sane.
A: Get over here. Let’s walk on the berm. It’s too icy where you are.
R: I can deal. Hey, it smells like someone is burning garbage.
A: They’re obviously too cheap to go to the dump.
R: Speaking of cheap, how are book sales going?
A: You mean sales of Raudi’s Story?
R: Yes.
A: I’m just getting started on publicity. I sent a copy to my father and he called yesterday and said that he’d gotten it. He was very pleased with the outcome.
R: I wonder if my father’s seen the book yet.
A: Vikengur?
R: Yes.
A: I’m sure that he’s also pleased with the outcome. Chris Romano did a good job in capturing his likeness.
R: Yes she did. Seeing all the others in my former herd makes me miss them. Gerjun, Silfra, Lisa, Siggi, they’ve all passed on.
A: Lysy is down in the Kenai – Amy told me she’s doing well. And Vikengur and Elsa (Lysy’s daughter) are over in Chugiak. And I think that Virginia took Roskova, Siggi’s dam, with her to Oregon.
R: No matter. I’m happy being with this herd. We’re all focused these days on raising Hrimmi. She’s going to be a great riding horse. Who do you think will back her when she turns four?
A: I’m not sure yet. It’ll either be me or Pete.
R: It should be Pete. This way, you can ride me, and we can all go for a first ride together.
A: We’ll see. Now about the book . . .
R: You need to get off your increasingly fatter ass and start doing some serious marketing.
A: Your ass is way fatter than mine. I arranged for a book signing at Fireside Books in Palmer, on March 29th.
R: Can I go?
A: I’d like that. I don’t think that we can bring you into the bookstore. But we can stand outside of it and you can hang out with your “Will sign books for food” sandwich board sign.
R: I’d like that. Plus we have to tell potential buyers that for every book we sell, I get a fresh bale of hay. Ummmm, ummmm.
A: Watch out, it’s slippery here.
R: Oh yes. Just remember, I have ice shoes and you don’t.

Next: 62. 3/3/14: Home Alone, Day #3, the Story Continues