Breakup is here. The water in the horse pen in puddling up. The old manure is appearing, bits and pieces, remnants of the winter storms. Warm in the afternoon, me wearing my now ratty knot sweater Pete gave me, and my barn coat.

I didn’t go riding. Instead, I brushed all the horses, very thoroughly. I tied each one individually at the hitching post, gave them some hay, and did a fairly thorough job on them all, particularly Hrimmi. The first horse that gets groomed is the one who I spend the most time on. Or should it be, the horse I spend the most time on is the one that gets groomed the most. Yes, that’s better.

It’s calming for me, to brush them.

Millie riding Hjelma

Well, it took considerable doing, but as I was grooming the horses, I committed to our doing a month long horse trek. The board members and volunteers are going to have to step up to the plate, and they will. And undoubtedly, Pete and I will be more appreciated upon our return. As it is now, I feel as though both of us are being taken for granted.

I thought somehow it got this way. I just kept doing what needed to be done, and created a project that required more volunteers and board members than we were able to recruit. Now there is more to do than I can do. My animals are suffering the consequences.

I have to reprioritize. I do need to figure out, timewise, how I might both spend time working and playing; although here there is seldom any playing going on.

I heard from my friend Mary Sackinger who lives in Fairbanks. She’s purchasing Hjelma, the English translation of her Icelandic name being Helmet. She was, before her previous owner, owned by Millie Carney, who is Brandi’s daughter. Brandi was one of my best friends, that is until her marriage to Mark Carney broke up. It was a real loss. But I did remain friends with Millie. Millie sold Hjelma when her career interests took precedence.

Millie will be pleased to find out that Mary has purchased Hjelma.

I often wonder about Jokla, who previously was owned by Dick and Maryann Stoffel. I was the first person to back her. She was a high energy horse under saddle. Jokla was the daughter of Karmen, and Hjelma may also have been her daughter. These were all big boned mares with large heads. My mares are much smaller and fine boned, although Hrimmi does have some size to her.

My horse wish list remains. I’d like a place with pasturage for them. I still dream about owning the Crawford’s old place, where Raudi and I spent a winter together. I’d like to put in track fencing, so they could roam and forage. And I’d like for us to own haying equipment so that we might bale our own hay.

Dreaming big is really important. Lose this ability and there is no reason to keep going.

Next: 103. 4/14/24: Raudi’s 21st Birthday