This is the way it’s always been, ever since I can remember. My parents took my interest semi-seriously. I got to ride once in a while and got lessons once in a while. Alas, they lacked interest and money to support my habit.

I opened a door by going on and getting my Associates Degree in Light Horse Management. No other doors opened for me, so my life went in other directions. The gene, I have it. It resurfaced in Butte, Montana, and so I pushed the door open a bit there, then all the way open when we settled back in Alaska.

Pete was instrumental in pushing the door way open. I got horses and led a very horsey life for a number of years. I also had horsey friends. The horsey friends, most of them, moved. And I took on the book project. I would not say that my horses are languishing, but they have not been the center of my life for some time.

I have resumed making them the center of my life. Yesterday I went riding. And today I went riding. I took Hrimmi and the dogs out on the trails. I realized that I need to be very centered when riding Hrimmi. I was actually somewhat focused today – I worked on doing things that motivated her to move when I stopped.

Hrimmi is sometimes slow to respond. I think she takes the time to think about what she’s being asked. I just have to be very deliberate. Now I do not know if our summer road riding helped, or if the absence of grass is making her more attentive to my cues. Most likely it’s both.

The important thing is that I am thinking horse, and thus throwing the door open again. This is good.

I did pay the price, in that I didn’t have enough time to get ready to go to town and therefore had a hard time getting myself in gear and my gear in hand. I accepted this as just the way it was.

Tomorrow I will clean up Tyra who still has the splats. And I will take her for a morning walk. Every day, I am going to attempt to do something with my wonderful mares.

Finally, the book project is acquiring a life of its own. I am no longer breast feeding it. The new volunteer coordinator, Lawrence, is eager to do a good job and we are working together. In time, he will be able to do my job, which will become his job.

I also had my weekly math lesson today. Skye is a good teacher. He loves to teach, and he loves to do math, at all levels. We both did a simple word problem today, and he did it one way and I did it another, and we both came up with the correct answer.

I have yet to hit a math block. Today, I thought some about my struggles and my teachers must have had in working with me. Well, if the math had something to do with horses, I might have embraced it.

I am now where I am, and I’m moving forward. There’s to be no going back.

Next: 298. 11/4/25: Eh