There once was a horse named Winning Colors. She won the Kentucky Derby. I just thought of a good name for one of her offspring – Fall Colors.

The fall colors differ radically. On the east coast, the hardwood leaves are various shades of red, green, orange, and yellow. Here, on the farthest west coast, the hardwood leaves are green and yellow. I remember coming back from one of our treks. It was October 4, 2013. The leaves were golden – the sight was every bit as spectacular as on the east coast. Same on the day I heard my father died, also in October 2013.

This year, the leaves right now are green-yellow. I do not know if they’ll fully turn color.

It’s hunting season right now. There have not been many hunters out on the local trails – but it doesn’t take many for the trail to become mired and rutted. I could not now ride out in the Moose Range.

I am working hard, in general, at remaining positive. I just wish others would do the same. A fellow who will go nameless came and picked up manure and dropped off buckets. This man was a shade of his former self. He used to have a bounce to his step, a sparkle in his eye, and was clean shaven. Now this individual was stepping stoop shouldered, in a lifeless fashion. His eyes had no luster, and he had grown a very scraggly beard.

He worked very fast because he had so much to do. He tossed the five gallon buckets on the pile – I cautioned him not to do this, that this would crack the buckets. He shrugged, finished what he was doing. I had let the horses out of the pen for their morning graze. He’d left the gate open, and they’d walked out by the side of the road.

I got a rope and some treats and brought them all back into the yard. Busy man stood up road, ready (perhaps) to shoo them back down the road. The most amazing thing of all was how just being with the horses was so calming. I right then realized how much I miss spending time with them.

I shut the gate. Busy man drove off. I’d given him his BLBP marching orders. Well, if he is too busy to give an assist, I will take on his work.

It was a good day – I had five volunteers give me an assist. Pete also did a great deal. He and Robert went to the fairgrounds and picked up the 12 newspaper boxes and got them back on their respective sites. Me, I sorted and categorized the 16 boxes of books that yesterday were donated to the BLBP by the Sutton Public Library.

Two teachers later came by with a total of 8 more boxes of children’s books – I also sorted these books and prepared them for cleaning.

It is now getting dark early. Two months and three weeks until the winter solstice. Maybe it will be a late winter.

Next: 242. 9/7/25: A Day at Home