. . . I have attempted today to write this dispatch several times. Odd, just too many beginnings. Usually I go at it once and that it that. I go by what Peter Elbow once said, that you have to like what you write in order to get words on the page. Otherwise, you self-censor. This is what I was doing today. No, it was more like hold the presses!

The connection is that everything that occurred today was related to one momentous event. This is what it was. I had been corresponding with Kathy Lockerbie in WA for some time about our purchasing her filly, Tyra. Today after talking about this with Pete, I told her yes, we would like to do this

It continues to sound like a good fit. As Kathy said “If you like a curious, confident horse who is in your pocket unless you tell her to go away, you will like her very much.” My response to this was that we already have two who are like this. (And as an aside, Tinni gets a bit more like this every day). Pete and I decided that we’ll call the three divas Thing 1, Thing 2, and Thing 3. Seems most fitting. And three is a good number.

Pete’s question, prior to my saying yes to Kathy was “Do we really need another horse?” I immediately said yes, knowing full well that the answer to this question is no. Really, three is enough. And yet, we do need another horse. We’ll continue to use Mr. T for light riding. Problem is, Pete and I both do more than light riding. We are anything but so-called weekend warriors.

Yesterday we did the Spike Fork Loop and after, I went to Grizzly Camp. And today we climbed the bench and after I did our trail loop. Mr. T did well on both rides; however, he won’t be able to do what he did yesterday and today, indefinitely.

Tyra will be three when she gets here. Young horses are good investments because then you have many riding years ahead. Also, in our case, our horses might be more accepting of the newcomer because she will seem like less of a threat to the social order. I suspect that how she’s received is going to be dependent upon how we introduce her to the others. We’ll figure this out over the course of the winter.

We’ll also have to give some thought as to how we’re going to get her here. I’m thinking that perhaps I’ll meet up with Vickie in WA in the spring, and we’ll both trailer her back here. This will be dependent upon how many horses Vickie brings back with her.

Pasturage. Need more. Have more. The area that was fenced in last spring, down the road, that’ll do. In preparation for our again having four horses, I went there today and began to scythe the fenceline.

What were the odds of this? My scythe, specially made for me -- the blade became loose, was wobbly when I swung the implement. Pete magically appeared, looked closely at it, took a hoofpick out of the pocket of his Carhartts, and tightened the loose screw. I mean, he used the blunt end of A HOOFPICK. I could not believe it. I don’t think that he could either, though he pretended that he did believe it, as in, all in a day’s work.

I am going to spend an hour or two a day (if I can) working on clearing the pasture – there is a lot of cow parsnip that will need to be cut down.

The horse. Going to have to find work – got options. I will earn the money to pay for Thing Three.

Next: 158. 6/15/15: It’s a Scorche