I have a standing desk, it’s a bookcase with a computer table on top. Pete set this up for me. The reason I have this particular set up is because sometimes I work late at night. If I was sitting at a desk, I’d fall asleep. I have fallen asleep a few times standing. My head hit the keyboard. I jerked awake (both times) and looked at the screen – single letters were appearing on the screen. It felt surreal.

Tonight, I am tired enough to fall asleep standing. But I have vowed to get this dispatch written. I am optimistic – I am so tired that there is the likelihood I’ll sleep soundly tonight. The likelihood is increased by the fact that today I went to the hotel and got some work done. I won’t be thinking about what I have to do tomorrow.

Pete on Signy with Hrimmi, Rainbow and Jenna

After work, I came home and cleaned Tinni’s shelter and the hitching post area. There was a lot of old hay in these areas, but of course, no manure. There was just a small snow patch – this was the last of the snow in the enclosure. So now it’s really spring.

Though tired, I decided to take Hrimmi, aka birthday girl, out for a ride. She’s now 11 years old. I think we both thought that the best part was the brushing. Amazingly, she seemed to be doing a third major shed. The hair came out in sheets when I used the metal comb.

We did a short ride to Murphy Road. It had been sprinkling all day, on and off, so the dust was down. Alas, Pete, who rode her last did not readjust the stirrups. I was too lazy to stop and do this and too lazy to put her boots on, so we mostly walked and trotted just a little bit.

As I rode, I of course thought about Hrimmi’s coming into the world – how Signy, her dam, was late foaling and how Pete and I were checking on her every two hours, for approximately three weeks. We did a colostrum test, and this indicated that Signy would foal within 48 hours. I thought this meant that we had 48 hours before she foaled.

We went upstairs, watched a movie, relaxed. Pete then went out and did evening chores. He returned and said that Signy had foaled, and it was a pinto. He did not say what sex Hrimmi was. I knew right then that the sire was not Prudur, the North American champion, but Skjor, the other guy. Of course, I was not at all disappointed. I was ecstatic because Signy had given birth to a beautiful foal.

Hrimmi has always been a very calm riding horse. Pete recently asked me if I thought she would be a good husband horse. I said no. I did not elaborate, but the reason is that Hrimmi will not move unless she has a very take-charge rider. She is also not an arena horse. She needs trails.

I could go on and on about this very wonderful horse, but if I do, I will fall asleep standing here. Tomorrow I will continue this story.

Next: 125. 5/6/24: Hrimmi’s Story, Continued