You never know. Pete and I were up before sunrise because we had a full day ahead of us. We had people coming over to do some horse/human body awareness and then go for a trail ride. So we had to finish putting in the fencing in the Playground of Higher Learning. I had to also clean up the area. And as always, the animals needed to be tended to.

It’s been raining a lot lately—I expected more of the same today but was surprised by the fact that it started to, and continued to be a bright, sunny day. What were the odds of that?

Dan and Heather and Deb with her posse all arrived at about 10:30 a.m. I sent Heather out on a trail ride with the posse – and Dan and I watched a Project

Proprius video. I wanted Dan to watch this because I needed one person to have a context when we played out in the playground. It is a wonderful video, narrated by Steiner, and centers on him doing mat work with a horse. Right before we watched it, Laura Dirksen, who was with me in the Bones for Life class, came with an exchange student named Laura. So they watched the video too.

We then went out into the playground where I asked both Tyra and Hrimmi chase the bag on a lunge whip, stand on the mat, and do crunches. Dan played with Hrimmi. They obliged. I’m not seeing big movements with them, but I am getting this sense that their posture is improving.

As we were doing this the posse and Heather returned. We did the body awareness session down by the driveway, which sort of messed things up for me because I had all the equipment, i.e., poles, mats, and lunge lines with bags on them up in the playground. Since she was there, I had Laura give me a hand.

It went just fine – I tend to be more conversational and freewheeling than Shari, my Bones for Life teacher. Deb brought teenage girls with her who were full of energy so the olders could see that the youngers were mobile and flexible, and perhaps take heart from this.

After, we went back to the playground and there played with Rio, Heather’s horse. He was quiet, somewhat laid back. Most significant was the fact that he spent time on the floor mats. Heather didn’t see the video, so she did not have a context for this play, or a sense of its inherent value. I think she did get a bit more out of Dan’s session – he did body work with Rio.

After, Heather joined both Lauras, Pete and I for a quick trail ride. I had to walk Tyra because she was so flighty. The ride (thankfully) was without incident.

For a while, Pete and I worried about whether anyone would show up for our scheduled barbecue. Bill did, and Dan with his wife Renee. We had shish kabobs, and for desert, Pete’s cheesecake.

We concluded the day by taking Tinni (who has been coughing) and Raudi for a walk around the loop. I attempted to align my footfalls with Raudi at the walk and trot. I think this is why she did not get away from me. Maybe, finally, after 14 years, I am figuring this out.

Next: 258. 9/18/17: Go, go, go