EOW No. 37

Well whaddya know, it’s hot and dry in Texas.  While other states are looking forward to fall weather and the changing of the season, here it’s all about trying to just hold on for another few months.  The kiddos are back to school and traffic yet again busy in the mornings and afternoons again.  Is there something about natural change that gets one’s creative juices flowing?

It feels like the grocery store shelves are bursting with cherries, peaches, and nectarines.  A few weekends ago, my sister hosted a lunch get together at her house and I baked a peach pie for the occasion.  Maybe I’m feeling over confident about my pie baking skills but since it was such a success (fresh peaches all the way), I bought a cherry pitter and baked a cherry pie.  Since I bought 6 lbs of cherries, I also baked this cherry almond buckle from Sally’s Baking Addiction.  So good y’all - all of her recipes that I've tried are spot on.  Both desserts were a hit with the family.

Until this latest hot and dry spell, it seemed as though we were swarmed by mosquitoes in TX.  As a result of the plentiful rains, there were boundless numbers of puddles and the perfect breeding ground for the pesky critters.  I have been using the Kinfield golden hour bug spray which smells oh so good but have also recently tried Boogie insect repellent lotion and let me tell you, this stuff works.  I slather it on my legs every time we go on a “woods walk” with Bowie and haven’t gotten bitten once.  Bryan's mom and grandma tested it at a park in Michigan that was loaded with bugs and were able to stroll around while other people got chased out by the insects.  I even have a bottle out at the country club and have put it on my face, after getting bitten around the ears and neck in the spring.

And a spot of bright news, look who has summer dapples guys!  There are many moments that I question if what I am doing is right for the horses.  Are they living their best healthy life at the barn (less than 10 minutes from my house) with the current “turnout” situation?  They don’t get massive pastures to graze in and their herd situation is where they’re all close enough to hear and see each other but no touchies.  If you all recall, Mae was officially diagnosed with kissing spine in Spring 2022.  After going through what we did with Ryon years before and his arthritis, I really wanted to make sure that I didn’t end up riding her body into the ground at the age of 10.  Even though we ended up finding Ryon a soft landing spot, to this day I regret that we had so few riding years together.

A few months later, we brought her “brother” to Texas and she took a step back in formal training.  I’ve bragged about how she’s thrived since Dalton’s arrival - I’ve gotten so many compliments about her body condition and temperament in the last three years.  Keeping weight on both of my horses is a challenge but typically, as a thoroughbred at the end of a Texas summer, she has historically looked pretty rough.  She’ll have lost weight, her coat will be sunbleached, and her feet will be crumbling to pieces.  But look at her now, carrying more weight than this spring, a beautiful coat, and okay her feet could be better.  This tells me that we’re doing something right by her and is really one of my biggest wins this year.