Balance is elusive enough as to be non-existent. At least there are tangible moments when the ring on the merry-go-round or carousel is close. An aside, I do wonder what the difference between a merry-go-round and a carousel might be. Okay, I looked this up and learned that both terms describe a circular platform with seats, often resembling horses or other animals. The carousel or merry go around rotates and typically moves up and down. While some may argue minor details like whether the animals move up and down or the type of animals used, these are generally considered to be semantic differences rather than fundamental distinctions.

I don’t think that the gold ring is the mainstay of either anymore. Too bad, this made the ride that much more interesting.

Mary Sackinger’s mother used to own the property that Pete and I are now using for camping purposes. The panel divide adequately separates the horses, but gosh Raudi squealed all night. When she did this, Pete would sigh and roll over, so I also didn’t get much sleep.

This morning Pete said that there was fence kicking going on. I corrected him and said that Raudi, in using her front feet, was striking the fence. This is the horse that many years ago took an intense dislike to a mare in Tok and, in kicking at her, put her foot through the panel.

This morning I spent time pen cleaning. Mary finally arrived and we got the horses ready to go out on a trail ride. Raudi became jumpy when I tied her to the trailer. I later figured out that she was suffering from separation anxiety – I’d tied Tyra on the other side, next to Hrimmi, and Raudi, unable to see the pair, reached for the stars.

I was reluctant to ride her and tried to get Teresa who is a very good rider to take her on. I had no such luck. She said, “Stormur is my buddy.” And Mary wanted to ride Yelma, or as I call her “Butterball.”

I took Raudi up the driveway and onto the road, and she stood perfectly still as I mounted up. Just in case, I rode most of the wooded trail ride behind Tyra. Next time, I’ll feel more confident about riding her, and more often than not, change positions.

The trails took us through wooded areas – I called it the residential woods trail. We came to someone working on their chainsaw and walked past their huge pile of cut wood. I think that all three of our horses were glad to get out.

This afternoon, Pete and I went to check out the Alaska Literacy Council – they were having an open house. We had a lot of questions, and they had a lot of answers. And we told them all about the BLBP.

So all n’ all it, was a good exchange.

Next: 194. 7/18/25: Full Day