We could use some rain. We didn’t get much snow this winter, and we have not gotten any rain, so the ground is dry and the horse water tanks are empty. A drought is imminent. Fire danger will be high.

To extend the rain metaphor – rain is in this instance considered to be when good things happen. And it’s pouring is in this instance considered to be when there is an abundance of good things happening.

Lots of good things are happening. The latest news is that Millie Carney was accepted to attend the USIHC summer youth camp. I’m excited, and Millie even more so. I’m an adult and as such have a bigger big picture perspective than Millie, who is 17 years old.

Heck, she could be my grandkid. A very sobering thought, one that deserves but most likely won’t get further thought.

I foresee that this experience could be life-changing. Right now Millie is at a crossroads in that she’s attempting to figure out what she’s going to do in the immediate years ahead. This is not going to be an easy task. She’s not from a rich family, which could be an impediment. Such things are doubly difficult for females, who tend to lead very nonlinear lives.

Undoubtedly, Millie’s life will be nonlinear. It’s my hope that the one constant in her life will continue to be horses. I hope too, that she gets lucky and finds individuals who will assist her in further developing this interest. Then again, her deciding to follow other career paths and having horses be a secondary interest might be oddly fortuitous. You never know. This is what makes life so exciting.

That Millie put together a good application and worked with others in doing this speaks well about her having considerable drive and initiative.

Millie isn’t going into this venture (as she might otherwise be) by having rich parents who have provided her with a pricey tolting maching and access to the best possible riding instruction. Rather, Millie owns Yelma, a fat pinto mare whose gait of choice is the pace.

Millie loves Yelma dearly and takes very good care of her. She will at the very least return to Alaska knowing more about horse care and will be a more proficient rider.

It feels good to put someone else’s horse-related aspirations ahead of my own. Good news, indeed, on a beautiful spring day. Now I need to get outside and spend some time with my own horses. Always lots to think about.

Next: 106. 4/23/15: Field of Tolting Dreams