Emotional support pony

We all miss Emma.

I miss her so,

so,

so much.

Sigh.

And, of course, it's not just Emma I'm missing.

I still miss her sister.

And James, who is alive and well, but so far away.

It's been a hard month.

The weather has been unrelentingly hot,

work is depressing...

and people I know keep dying. RIP Roxy, one of my favorite servers at my favorite post-ride watering hole. I'm so sorry we never got your girls out to the barn.

RIP also to Carol's neighbor, Mike, that nice man with whom I walked lap during my visit last summer. He passed this morning after a short but intense battle with pancreatic cancer. I know Carol will miss him so much.

It's been such a hard month.

On Sunday, I had a not -terrible but also not-very-good ride on Sage. We worked through it, but by the time I dismounted, I was not feeling very optimistic about my ability to see her through this stage of training.

Because of that and the heat and everything, the last couple days have been grooming days with just a little in-hand work. I did not feel like I could handle another Sunday.

Today, Karen asked if I was going to ride. I said, no. I didn't have the spoons. Then - kind of inexplicably - I tacked her up, led into the ring and climbed aboard.

Sometimes it's like that.

Fortunately, Sage was as good as she could possibly be. I didn't stay on her long. I really need the win, and I was afraid I would jinx in. Still, I am just so glad I decided to ride her today.

This has been a hard month, but Sage has - mostly - made it better. Slowly but surely, she is turning into the horse I need.

Ap-polo-loosa

Once or twice every summer, a big group of polo ponies spends the night at my barn.

They arrive late and leave early, which means I usually miss them entirely.

Not this year!

Most of them look the way you'd expect polo ponies to look: athletic,

lean,

bald,

solid colored.

Hold on a second!

Two of these things are not like the others!

Mixed in with all the greys, bays and chestnuts was a very interesting pinto...

so pretty!

...and tied to the trailer was my favorite type of Appaloosa.

Hello, handsome!

We were told this one was a "bad boy."

Instead of going in the field with the others, he needed his own separate run.

That run ended up being near Sage.

Excellent.

Naturally, I spent some time with him,

drinking in his details...

and taking photos.

So many details!

So many photos!

Ours was a brief acquaintanceship, but I'm really glad I got to "meet" him.

I hope he comes back next year.

Wisconsin mish mosh

I've spent a lot of time roasting James for the packing disaster that defined the first part of our Wisconsin road trip. But, as bad as it was, all this was an annoyance rather than a catastrophe.

This could have been a catastrophe.

When we took the car off the trailer, we discovered that one of the pieces that holds the car in place had broken somewhere en route.

For reference, this is how it should look.

This could have been so terrible. We really dodged a bullet.

Kind of unexpectedly, I did get to see Tiffany on this trip. Her daughter, Julia, lives in Madison, and she and her husband, Paul, happened to be visiting. 

They stopped by the apartment briefly on Friday and filled James' still-empty refrigerator with a herd of Spotted Cows.

During the process of packing and unpacking, I found a cat harness and leash. 

James told me that Guppy wasn't a fan, but of course, I needed to see for myself.

For a moment or two, there was hope.

Eventually, however, she lay down and refused to move.

Something to work on next time I visit.

And there will be a next time!

I liked Madison, and I love my son. Despite the rough start - and the equally rough ending -  I'm so glad James asked me to help him move to Wisconsin. It was a pleasure spending time with him and his animals and helping him get started in his new life. Thank you, James. I miss you!