I try, in writing dispatches, to be upbeat because really, no one enjoys reading about someone’s supposed failings. And no one should walk away after reading something feeling down and out. Plus, being upbeat in dispatches is a good exercise for me. Yes, I feel like I too should after writing a dispatch, feeling joyful and elated. A dispatch should be a form of literary Prozac.

I am going to attempt here, to make a huge tangential connection.

Today we went to agility class. Pete worked with Shadow, under Claudia Sihler’s tutelage. The threesome did very well together, with Pete and Shadow, in concert, learning how to navigate a sequential course. Pete remained calm and consistent, and Shadow remained focused. I couldn’t help but think that he was the partner I always wanted to have, and she was the agility dog I always wanted to have.

All, including Claudia’s corrections, were couched in a positive manner.

If, I thought, we could all put a positive spin on our day-to-day doings, the world would be a better place. This is because, as we have learned from our experiences with viral transmission, we are all connected.

It just isn’t always possible. Right now, I am dealing with another’s cluelessness. And I am clueless as to how to put what has transpired in a positive light.

A few days ago, I walked the horses to, and then entered the Murphy Road Trailhead. There, I discovered that someone had put in an access trail that went from Murphy Road to our mounting area. Used to be that the mounting block, a tree stump, was surrounded by leafy vegetation. The horses would stand quietly, munching away, and the dogs would wait for their treats. I had to work fast because I foresaw that dogs and horses would now be able to walk out into the road.

I mounted up and began riding. Much to my dismay, a second partial trail was on my right. And, to add to this, the trail had been torn up by multiple ATV users.

I put two and two together. The one who opened up the trail had created a new access route for other ATVers who, not knowing, thought that our riding trail was a ATV trail that went somewhere.

I was not unaware of the consequences. Come hunting season, we’ll now see considerable traffic on our horse trails. They will, like the other trails, first become muddy, then become muddy and rutted.

Next: 220. 8/10/21: And at the end of a Long Day