It’s early winter, so the oncoming winds are not bitter cold. The little snow we had was swirling around this morning, blowsy I call it. Because our cabin is up on a hill, it seems like the wind is stronger overall than it actually is. Down in the horse pen, out on the road, out in the woods, it is not as strong.

I reminded myself of this, this morning, when it came time to get the animals out. I am sticking with what I decided I might do, less time on the internet, more time outside during the daylight hours, more time writing in the evenings. So far, so good. I am off the computer at 9 p.m. no matter what, new rule. I do not text or use the cellphone much, so this is a non-issue.

This morning I also got up at 8 a.m. so that I’d have the time to get the horses out before heading to town, in order to interview Butch Shapiro, who runs the local landfill.

Talk about a good decision. I got Tyra out, took her to our trails and let her off lead. She ran around with great abandon, kicking her heels and bucking. She was truly happy. And she did not stray far from me. Beautiful chestnut mare, in the morning light – she has a blood red mane and tail – a sight to behold.

On the way back, on our road, Pete was heading out with Hrimmi. I put Tyra back in her pen and got Tinni out – went the opposite way of Pete and met up with him. Tinni moved at a walk, but put in a gallop when Hrimmi got ahead of him and I let him go free. He was happy.

Then this evening, I took Raudi down to Pat and Ray’s trail – my feeling right now is the more time I spend on the trails, the better off it is for the horses and for me. The uneven terrain is good for us balance-wise. And being amongst the trees and on the winding trails is far better than going around the loop, although once in a while that’s okay.

I have been doing the Franklin Method exercises – today studying center of gravity and doing the related work. And, I did this on Raudi. Coming downhill on the trail was challenging because she wanted to move fast. But I kept my Center of Gravity in the center, and she responded by going at a fast walk. It wasn’t a long ride, but for sure it was an exercise in trust. She is now my number one riding horse.

Movement is good. Now working at finding ways to be moving as often as possible. I had previously been moving a great deal – now I’m more aware of it.

Well, now ahead, I have to attempt to make sense of the information that Butch Shapiro provided me. Interviewing people isn’t difficult, but getting in writing what they meant to say is hard. I admire those who do this sort of writing, because to me it is a challenging task.

Back to work. Writing this dispatch was, admittedly, a form of procrastination.

Next: 308. 11/7/17: Woods Walk