Am I awake?  Am I still asleep?  I've spent the last 1.5 weeks in a daze.  You'd think I'd learn to take a nap with the dog does but my body stubbornly refuses to learn that lesson.  Whereas Bryan's been able to stay home and nap with the dog, alas I'm back at work and desperately fighting to keep my eyes open.  I'm jealous that they get to pal around while I sit and stare blankly in front of a computer screen.

If I had things my way (particularly in my delirious state), I'd choose an early retirement to this ranch just north of Austin, Texas.  Set on 28 acres, there is a 3 br / 2.5 ba main house, separate living space over the garage, and also a 1000 sq ft cottage on property - enough space for you and your extended family / friends to stay awhile.  The house is fine, pet friendly, and very Hill Country with its limestone, but what really sold me on this property was the land and outbuildings.  There are so many trees around the very nice, new five stall horse barn with turnouts.  The property also backs up to the Lampasas River and has a hay meadow and creek running through it.  Could you maybe even start a business at home with horse boarding and dog sitting?  Or running an Airbnb out of the cottage?

Even though Leah of Confessions of a Dressage Barbie makes keeping her herd of ponies (and goats) at home look easy, I know it's not all that it's cracked out to be, especially since it's about to get blazing hot here in Texas.  Plus snakes.  And mosquitoes.  And fire ants (which I've already been attacked by in my home).  But how fun would it be to have a gang of horses and dogs running around outside, trailing on the property, and taking a cool dip in the river when it gets too hot out?  Or is keeping your animals at home not all that it's cracked up to be?

A girl continues to dream...

My mornings have always been imbued with a sense of calm and quiet, the deep breath before the chaos of the day.  It’s my time to ruminate and plan, the creative juices flowing just as the sun starts to rise.  I keep a pen and notebook on hand for these occasions.  Coffee is also a must, preferably espresso but anything will do.  Silence rules the morning, there’s plenty of time for talking throughout the rest of the day.

Now my mornings are filled with the sharp commands of “leave it!” or “no biting!” and carefully dancing around to make sure I don’t truck over a small body.  My pajama bottoms have tiny little holes, and my bedroom slippers have been banished to the hall closet.  There’s no easing into the day - the day jumps on your lap and greets you with all its energy and excitement.  Yes, another day for playing and for naps! but sadly not for me.

As I had hinted in my previous post, we added a new furry family member last Friday - meet Bowie everybody. 


His name is pronounced “Booey” and he’s named after Jim Bowie, defender of the Alamo.  He is a German Shorthaired Pointer and we picked him up from a breeder two hours south of Dallas who had a litter of eleven puppies (!).  We chose him because he was the pup who kept coming back to check us out over and over again, even though we were outside with plenty of distractions.  Bowie is in training (and I use the word “training” lightly) to be Bryan’s hunting buddy when he’s a bit bigger.  Currently he’s 8 weeks old, 11 lbs, and fully-grown will be between 55 - 70 lbs.


Every dog owner warns you - prior to getting a puppy - that you’re going to be sleep deprived, which is absolutely true.  The only thing that has saved our sanity so far is that we immediately started Bowie on a crate training schedule.  After waking up four times the first night, he usually only wakes up once a night to use the potty.  We have taught him to sit, stay, lay down, come here, and he’s also learning how to walk nicely on a leash.  Luckily Bryan is home for a few more days so he’s able to spend all day working with Bowie and getting him used to his new schedule.

Bowie’s favourite things are his squirrel toy, sticks, testing his boundaries, and sleeping on warm laps.  He hates when we take away his bed when he’s chewing on it, cold weather, being told “leave it” or “off”, and when we ignore his pleas to play at 4 am.

Watching TV together

I know a lot of you are pup owners and have more experience than I do so if you have any tips / tricks / things you like, please feel free to share them. 

Spring weather in Texas is always absurd in March and April.  Is it hot, is it cold?  Blankets on at night but then whipped off in the morning.  Flies and mosquitoes are starting to swarm while we’re still wearing light jackets, so it’s time to dig out the fly sheets again. 

Trail System / Poor Tecate's face is covered with bug bites from the turnout

In March, I did hit the trail for the first time in a very long time - not on Mae but on Tecate, the little chestnut quarab that we have at our barn.  He’s a brave little guy who was game to canter down the long stretches and jump fallen trees - really he’ll jump anything you point him at.  Sadly, Tecate is up for sale but I’m excited to see where he goes.  He’s going to win some rider a ton of ribbons, this is the same horse who won reserve champion at his first jumper show ever with a 13 year-old rider.

Can't stop laughing when I jump with Tecate

Because of all the traveling we did at the end of the month, I didn’t end up doing a ton of lessons in March but on the plus side, Mae spent a lot of time with my trainer.  We had our first jump lesson of the month last night and I was a bit anxious, as its been awhile since we’ve jumped together and you all remember that rodeo.  We did a quick, light warm up during which Mae was super lazy and relaxed (off to a good start).  To summarize the lesson in a word: WOW.  It was like riding a different horse. 

We started by trotting a respectable crossrail, which I eyed warily but she hopped over like it was no big deal.  It was the first moment EVER that I thought “maybe this horse has finally started to figure out this whole jumping thing.”  After trotting over it a few times, my trainer asked - why don’t you canter her over the jump? which we’ve only done once before as she tends to build on the energy of the canter and rocket off.  You guys, it was absolutely lovely.  She held a very nice, consistent canter that she kept up to the fence, and on the backend she didn’t run off like she has been.  After the jump, I held the outside rein back for a two count, released and it’s like her brain caught the cue and she immediately slowed her pace to back to the nice canter she had before the fence.  We ended up cantering and jumping a five jump course - all verticals including a line.  She came back to me every time I asked her to, and I didn’t ever feel like we were out of control.

We think there are a few keys to Mae's success this past month.  Firstly, the gag bit is working-ish, especially when I remember to keep my hands up.  It doesn’t really help with steering, but she listens to its cues and respects it more than she did the regular snaffle.  Secondly, my trainer said she’s been working gymnastics with her constantly and that’s really what’s made the biggest difference with her jumping.  Her form over fences still needs some work, but I love that she’s soft and adjustable on the flat.  We earned a round of applause and high fives after the lesson, and I’m so glad I didn’t quit on her prospects as a jumper.  She’s a little jumping bean now and everyone is excited to see how this mare progresses.

Mae is still continuing to fill out (I recently bought her a new girth) and I want to attribute part of that to the flaxseed we started her on two months ago.  Since we put her on it, her coat has gotten incredibly shiny and soft, and she’s been able to keep weight on and seen a noticeable increase of muscle in her hindquarters.  The 20 lb bag of Omega Horseshine that I ordered initially should last us at least another month, however I’ve already ordered another bag off SmartPak.  My trainer saw how well Mae was responding to it and has put all five of her horses on organic flaxseed that she finds at Sprouts.  It’s supposedly cheaper there but I haven’t confirmed it yet.

I’m very happy with Miss Mae and have so many thoughts about her volatile progress in the past year.  She turns six in a week and I’m finally optimistic about the grown horse that she’s turning into. 

I’m back from living out of suitcases for the last few weeks.  A few weekends ago, I left the sunny skies of London (believe it or not) and headed to the grey mistiness of the Pacific Northwest for Spring Break 2018!

Meeting my doggie nephew

Bryan and I picked up my sister, her boyfriend, and their pup Pudge in Portland and drove three hours south to Bend, Oregon, listening to every type of podcast in the car ride.  At my sister’s recommendation, we planned on skiing at Mt Bachelor, which is 30 minutes south of Bend.  Bend is a small Oregon town, known for its plenitude of breweries, good restaurants, and dog-friendliness.  The city is surrounded by hiking trails through the mountains; I’d love to go back in the summertime and explore the great outdoors there.

Even though it was spring break for Oregon schools, the mountain was only really crowded on the first day of skiing.  On the second day, the skies opened up enough for us to take the lift to the summit and ski down, which pretty much broke me down for the rest of the day.  Luckily, there was a beer tent set up in the middle of the mountain, where I could have sat sunken into a snowbank with a beer for the rest of the day. 


We booked a cute Airbnb cottage with a hot tub and firepit in the backyard, which we spent most of our time around.  The house was also in an extremely central location close to tons of restaurants and bars.  The four of us spent hours in the backyard chasing Pudge around while stoking the fire.  He was completely wiped out by the end of the trip (as were we).

The second part of the week, we drove from Dallas to Corpus Christi where Bryan’s parents rented a beach home for the month of March.  They’re officially winter Texans, this is their second year in a row spending part of the spring in Texas and have already booked the same rental for next year.  Crazy Coda bulked up 5 - 10 lbs during the month they were down in Texas, running endlessly up and down the beach, chasing waves and seagulls with her dog gang.  After the morning dog walk, we laid out by the pool and socialized with the rest of the retirees on vacation - which is my new goal for what I Want To Be When I Grow Up: Retired.  Even if the beach at Port Aransas isn’t the best, there’s something relaxing and calming about being by the ocean. 

With beach bum Coda

You’d think with all of the dog exposure we had over spring break that we’d be sick of them but it’s almost the opposite.  Does that mean there’s a pup in our future?  Anything can happen in 2018!

This past weekend

There is no such thing as spring break if you’re an adult, particularly if you are sans children.  Instead, there is one quiet week in the office during March, where all the working parents are out of town because of spring break.  There is one loud week at our townhouse because the college kids are on spring break and who cares if it’s a work night and people are sleeping? 

March is also a big birthday month - Bryan, his mom, my sister, and a slew of friends and coworkers.  Cakes must be eaten to celebrate.  Or pies (in the case of Bryan).  There are many toasts to a long, prosperous, and healthy life.  We’re going up to Oregon later to go skiing with Siri and meet her pup at long last (so maybe adults do get to have spring break).

Because Texas makes a very dramatic transition from winter to spring, suddenly everyone is outside, propelled by the warmer weather and longer daylight hours.  We pet all the dogs that we can on the trails.  There are people sunbathing by the pool already and grilling out in the evenings.  The grass has come back green everywhere except for our tiny front yard - time to throw down some grass seed.

The horses are shedding their winter coats.  It’s delightful to see their shiny backs lined up in the paddocks after months of seeing ripped, muddy blankets.  Mae has dapples on her neck only after three weeks of Omega Horseshine.  Her coat is so much softer as well.  The bugs have come back in a fury, so it’s fly spray time again.

Things that I’ve enjoyed this (start of) spring (again not compensated for any of these recommendations):


Jalapeno cheese bread - You know how typically with recipes you have to tweak them a bit to get them right?  Not with this one - this recipe is spot on, the perfect combination of spicy and cheesy.  I’ve already shared it with one fellow blogger and her loaf came out perfect.  Make it, eat it, rinse and repeat.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - I think this book technically qualifies as a YA read but don’t let that put you off, if you’re not into that genre.  The story is about a boy - a teenager really - whose mom is very sick and about the monster that comes to visit him.  It’s a quick read and one that takes you so many places and makes you feel all the feels in such a short period of time.  Having read other books by Patrick Ness, I think this one is my favourite.

Sourdough by Robin Sloan - You may be familiar with Robin Sloan because of his novel Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore (which I also loved).  This author thinks and writes very unique outside of the box, teetering on the edge of reality and then falling straight off the side.  This book is about food, sourdough bread, and technology, which is especially pertinent to me as I killed off the sourdough starter that I tried to nurture this fall.  If you like bread and the Bay Area, you’ll be sure to fall for this one.

From the Hobes website

Hobes - Social media advertising 100% works on me.  If you’re on IG, you might have had a pair of these flash up in a targeted ad.  I’m such a sucker for good leather flats and have been looking for my next pairs for quite some time now.  The Hobes boat shoes are my favourite spring shoe.  I already own two pairs (the metallic silver and beach pairs) and wear both pairs to work and also casually.  Unfortunately they don’t have arch support, however they are VERY soft and very light.  Think ballet slippers and dance your way into a pair of these.  I want the marigold pair next.

Brooding Dusk by Jess Purser

I joined an evening adult lesson on Thursday.  The horses had not gotten turnout in two weeks because of the constant rain.  There was also a piece of scrap metal in the middle of the busy street outside our barn that cars kept running over and rattling.  Plus our lesson was at dusk when the sun was setting in everyone’s eyes.  Sounds like a recipe for success right?

After warmups, everyone started the lesson by going over a tiny vertical.  My instructions were to trot up to it, give her a big release so she has her head, and ride the backside of the fence.  Our second time over the jump, Mae decided to turn into a bucking bronco.  She put her head down, hefted her backside up, and gave her best impression of what the Houston Rodeo is all about.  I stayed on (this new saddle guys) and turned her canter into a circle.  Seeing as how full of energy she was, I got off, tied up her reins, and let her full out gallop around the arena, sans rider.  The other riders have pretty steady mounts who are used to seeing everything, so they didn’t blink an eye at Mae’s baby racehorse antics.

After one riderless lap around, I climbed back on her and proceeded to go over the same fence again (in the same direction).  This time she didn’t try to buck but still felt like a launched rocket on the backside of the fence.  Instead of pulling her back from the canter into a trot, I collected it just a bit, found a deep seat in the saddle, and then rode her in a forward canter in a 20 meter circle after the jump.  When I felt the canter start to slow, I kept my leg on and we continued the canter.  The rationale behind this exercise is that it teaches her two things: 1) if she’s going to run, she will be asked to continue to run until I give her permission to stop and 2) it wears her out.

It was at this point that we had finally spent enough of her pent up energy and she was relaxed enough to even do a bending line without bolting on the backside.  We continued to follow each jump with a canter circle and downward transition to an active trot.  Mae still jumps in a gazelle-like fashion - all four feet in the air at once over the smallest jumps, which she jumps four feet over - but I hardly even notice.  The deep seat in the new saddle helps a lot.  My trainer also pulled my stirrups up two holes so that they feel like they’re underneath my armpits but it keeps my position consistent over jumps.  The big takeaway (and a lesson that I keep revisiting) is to focus on the ride before and after the fence - make sure she doesn’t have too much speed to the fence but also knows that we’re going to do the jump regardless of what her opinion is about it.

During the lesson, one of the other horses was full up on energy as well, dodging jumps and eventually dumping his rider.  More on this later and the different kinds of lessons that we have as adults.

This weekend, I took what we learned from the lesson on Thursday and put her over a succession of small jumps.  I also fitted her snaffle with a gag converter.  Mae did wonderfully, way less acting out on the back end of the fence.  The weather finally cleared up enough that the horses also got turnout this weekend, despite the mud, and some time outside to work out those wiggles.  I’m pleased as punch about our progress.  She’s fit, she’s listening, and we’re finally working together as a team.

Separately, I’ve also started Mae on flaxseed and taking her off corn oil, as I’ve finally done the research on why and what corn oil does for horses.  I’ve had her on Omega Horseshine for the past two weeks.  I don’t expect to see any results until a few weeks out but will be sure to let you guys know how she does with it.

This week, Bryan’s parents are in town on their way down to the coast for the month.  They’re now officially winter Texans - this is the second year in a row that they’ve escaped winter in Michigan (or what we know here in Texas as spring).  Bryan hasn’t seen his parents in the past eight months so the reunion is really nice and much needed for them. 

They also brought their new pup Coda down with them, so we’ve spent half the time entertaining the dog.  She met Mae for the first time last night, which was also her first time meeting a horse.  Coda was wary of all the horses, Mae didn’t care until she came up and sniffed her front legs, at which time Mae snorted as if to say - take care small pup, you’re getting too close.  Coincidentally, my nose has also started running since Coda took over the house which is odd as I’m not allergic to dogs (at least not to my knowledge).

Since we have house guests, Bryan and I also took it upon ourselves to break in the new air mattress, which promptly deflated three times the first night we used it.  Either it needs a longer break in period or it’s not so subtly telling us that we need to go on a diet.  I’ll post more later, if I ever manage to swim my way out of the deflated air mattress.