July goes by faster than any other month. Now we are in the thick of it. It could be because (at least for me) I am most busy this time of year. And I’m not spending any time putting on heavy clothing, which also includes putting on hats, boots, and mittens.

Some might say, “rather than bitch about dealing with winter in Alaska, why don’t you move?” The answer is that if I head south, I’ll have to deal with extreme heat. It’s a tossup, really.

I do appreciate where I live and what mostly Pete has done with this place; my sense of gratitude increases tenfold when others visit and express their appreciation for what we have. I then see this place through differing eyes.

Riding Hrimmi

Today we had seven visitors. Michelle, who works for Kaladi Brothers Coffee, and Tim who is co-owner, came here with their five children. Michele said that they were coming to do work here, say pull weeds or clean up after the animals. I knew this would not happen and it did not.

We first gave them the tour of the place. I noticed immediately that the teenagers were gravitating in the direction of the horses. They also all looked bored when I showed them the garden. The one non-horse thing that they really were fascinated by were the bees.

The goats were a major draw, but not as much as the horses. The chickens were also owwed and ahhed over, and the dogs, well the dogs are always well-liked.

We got the horses out after the tour and the five kids, age 13-18, spent considerable time brushing them. Bethany, who I think is 15, has had quite a bit of riding experience so I had her groom and ride Raudi. This turned out to be a good match since Raudi always pays attention to a more assertive rider.

Jude rode Hrimfara. Hrimmi was seeing our trails as an all you can eat salad bar, so I had to put her on a lead rope. Jude didn’t seem to mind. And Riley rode Tyra. Her ride went okay, and Pete lead Tyra. We did all our trails – right now it’s very brushy and also, there are still bugs out. I forgot to mention that we also got Tinni out. Cadence walked him. The parents followed.

Everyone wore helmets that I supplied. There were no mishaps or incidents of any kind. We would have done the bench ride but it was overcast and threatening to rain.

When we neared home, I had Bethany take Raudi past our place and down the road. She turned Raudi around and I had her canter Raudi back up in the direction of the house. Raudi reciprocated, by doing her rocking horse gait.

Everyone was most appreciative, but I think that Bethany was the most so. Before she left, I gave her a copy of a book I just read, “The Magic of Horses.”

So it was one of 31 superfast days.

Next: 188. 7/11/22: Oh Really