It’s the ongoing saga. The other day I mentioned to my sister Eleanor that I am in the one percent – not the one percent that has all the money, but rather the one percent that has had considerable good fortune. She said “knock on wood.” This scared me because it made me think that my upright dominos might topple. I hope not, but if this does happen, I don’t want to regret my not being appreciative.

When people visit, I see this place through their eyes. This happened yesterday when Judy and Brian were here. They could tell how much hard work we (I love we, actually Pete) put into this place and were very impressed. And it is now at the point in which we are physically comfortable here. Yes, there are still some major projects to be done; for instance, all the cabins need to be varnished. But we do have our hay, wood, berry, and propane act together.

Right now I’m riding on Pete’s culinary shirttails. He’s been on a bread/bagel/homemade tortilla baking binge for some time – and is now learning about the finer points of making sourdough bread. He also makes yogurt and peanut butter. This takes considerable time, time that he’d rather be spending doing something else.

A good portion of his remaining time has been spent gardening. We are now seeing the fruits of his efforts unfold. Tonight I was out picking raspberries. And the broccoli is the best looking and tastiest to grace our property.

Pete watering the peas

And there are the animals. Shadow, who I call Sub Pedi (Latin for underfoot) is a smart, brave, and very loving puppy. She’s still not housebroken, but she’s getting close. Come mid-August we are going to take her to puppy class. This will be an opportunity for me to learn more about dog and clicker training.

The horses are all doing very well. We are still working on Tyra’s saddle fit problem, but we’re closing in on it. Mr. Tinni is 31 and looking very good. The goats are fine although Buckwheat is getting fat. And every so often Thelma or Louise lay an egg.

I recently lamented about the fact that I didn’t have anyone to ride or talk horses with. This is changing. My friend Terri, who’s horse is in California, has been coming over regularly. I have my fingers crossed that she will continue to come over when she gets back.

And today, I taught a class over at Saddle Up Arena. The four students are trail riders and very committed to becoming better riders. The lesson started out in a very formal fashion, with everyone learning in lock step about breathing. Then things fell apart in a good way. I began to see that everyone had differing concerns and began addressing them – using obstacles, poles, cones, targets included. What I learned was, most importantly, keep things fun.

I have my fingers crossed that all four will continue to take lessons with me and that we start trail riding together in the not so distant future.

So yeah, I am the woman who has everything. And I am not going to add the word almost.

Next: 213. 3/3/20: Ryder has a Conversation with Shadow