There’s an unusual amount of traffic heading up my road today.

I’d already been to Darling’s room once, encouraging her to climb out of bed and get ready for school.  This was round two…

“YES!”

…so why was I getting such an enthusiastic response from my half asleep teen buried deep beneath layers of blankets and pillows?

Because I just informed her that school is  closed due to flooding, that’s why.

Our mounds of white mud are melting away, creating havoc when combined with the torrential rains that have joined the warming weather.  I heard the rain pounding down all night long and knew I’d wake up to flooded stalls this morning.  The snow was so deep that it was at a higher elevation than the barn, and as the packed snow and ice melts, it has no choice but to run directly into the bedrooms of my horses.  And so I shall have quite the mess to clean up.

Had it not been for City Boy’s phone call, I’d not have known school was closed.  I’d have shuffled Darling out the door and left her waiting for the bus in the pouring rain.   Eventually she’d have come home looking like a drowned rat.  City Boy had been on his way home from work when he heard the news on his radio.  Just as he was calling me, he came across a road closed sign and had to make a detour (which explains the traffic in front of my house this morning.)  When he finally made it home, he informed me that our road, too, is flooding.

Of course, there’s nothing like a good natural disaster to get me out with my camera!

It doesn’t appear all too impressive here, although if our road has this much water, I’m certain the river will be great fun to photograph.  I’d best get Darling up so she doesn’t miss the excitement!

Today is Darling’s birthday.  She’s 15.  She’s also still in bed, the lazy birthday bum!

I looked at Geek Boy this morning and said, “Do you know that Darling could go get her driver’s permit today?”

He looked horrified, “No…that wouldn’t be good.  I’ve seen her drive in video games.”

I laughed, “I’ve seen her push shopping carts!”

We both laughed…

Darling will not be getting her permit today, or any day soon.  Thankfully, she’s not in a rush to drive all her friends around, and with the snow and ice on the ground she can surely use that as an excuse for not wanting to rush it.

And why drive when you can ride?  Snooping around Darling’s videos I found this one that she shot of herself and Sandy.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did…

…and Darling, if you’re reading this…you’re one cool kid!  Happy Birthday, Darling!

It’s everywhere. That light, fluffy and deceptively alluring objectionable white stuff has covered my world and created once more a Winter Wonderland. Wonder, as in wondering why the heck am I not living where global warming is having a greater effect???

Over the course of the past week we’ve managed to collect at least 18″ of the dreadful four letter S word, with temps plummeting into the single digits here in the valley, lower still once you head into Little Canada (north county) where the wind blows.

This morning after feeding hungry horses and sheep, I grabbed my camera and took a few photos in the pre-dawn moments. Despite the cold, I was determined to capture the horror of my situation here and share it with you.

Darling’s mind has completely gone. Snow madness, I suspect. I came inside and found her editing a video she’d shot of herself riding Sandy out in the snow…she had her arms stretched out like she was an airplane as he jogged in circles.

“What the heck are you doing?” I demanded in my best mother voice.

“I figure this is the time to try riding with no hands; the landing’s got to be softer!”

Kids!

I am currently training a new horse for the Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover!  If  you’d like to keep up with what Darling and I are doing on a more regular basis, please visit the Mustang Diaries.

I went to make my morning hot chocolate…and my can is nigh empty!  Not nearly enough for even half a cup!  Oh…how could I have been so distracted as to not refill my chocolate…   How will I function today?  The horses are just darned lucky I managed to stumble out to them in the dark and feed prior to being deprived of my morning’s blood transfusion…

Hey, look! A Snickers bar!  Guess that’ll have to do for now…

Last week Darling and I drove down to Burns, Oregon, where I picked up my new Mustang Makeover competition horse.  It was lovely.  The sky was blue.  There was no mud.  Sure, it was a bit chilly, but it was better than the mud that oozes through the holes in a farm diva’s boots back home.

While there we took a drive with a friend up to the Steens Mountains where we were blessed to come upon a large herd of horses.  Wild horses.  No fences…just thousands and thousands of acres.   It was a desperate horsewife’s dream, to be surrounded by mustangs so close you could nearly touch them.  And yes, I do mean we were that close!  And yes, I do mean wild!  But we were quiet, not disruptive, and while the older stallions watched with suspicion from the top of the ridge, the younger horses stuck to their guns and continued to graze peacefully while we lustfully filled our cameras with images of this oh-so-amazing experience.

Back home, however, the skies are nothing like they were in Burns.  They are gray and dripping and dreary and threatening to snow on us.  They have created mud that sucks even my beloved muck boots from my feet when I go outside to work the horses.

Yesterday I was working with the new boy, Steve Holt!, and once finished I found I’d gained 20 lbs from the mud that was now caked on my jeans and sweatshirt.  I got the brainy idea that I should grab Darling’s little camera and video myself.  But when I played it back,  I looked stupid.  Not the normal embarrassing stupid that I normally look like…I haven’t got an issue with that…I was just totally dorky!  I couldn’t figure out how to delete the video, though, and wouldn’t you know that Darling found it?  And she’s threatening me with it!

“I’m  going to call it, The Stupid Things My Mother Does,” she said with an evil grin as she ran off with my embarrassing moments.   Some gratitude from the kid who gave me stretch marks, or who’s most embarrassing video of her I deleted for all eternity.  Now I’m wishing I’d kept it so that I had something to blackmail her with!

]]> http://carpentercreek.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/blackmail/feed/ 2 desperatehorsewife http://carpentercreek.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/who-knew/ http://carpentercreek.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/who-knew/#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:23:46 +0000 desperatehorsewife http://carpentercreek.wordpress.com/?p=731 ]]>

Did you know?

If so…why didn’t you tell me about this wonderful little spot on the net?

I was minding my own business, fiddling around with photobucket, when I spotted an ad for turning photos into puzzles. I made a mental note because I was thinking of creating one as a Christmas gift. Turns out I should have used a sticky note, because my mental note seems to have slipped away and is now under the mental couch, or maybe behind the mental fridge? All I know for sure is that it’s no longer where I can read it and I’ve been unable to figure out how to make that photo puzzle. I searched all over the Photobucket site to no avail.

However…I did stumble across this tiny, obscure little tidbit called Scrapblog.

Oh.

My.

Word!!!

Could it be that for once my mental lapse has actually provided me with something utterly delightful? Indeed, that would seem to be the case. I played and played and played some more, and before I knew it, two days had gone by, the horses were outside hollering for feed, the sheep were crying for grain and City Boy…well…I’m not sure where he is.

My Work of Scrapblog Art

I wish I could post the actual ‘book’, but for whatever reason WordPress has decided I shouldn’tne does not argue with WordPress…  Should you want to give this a try for yourself (and I’m sure you’ll be much better at it than I), visit Scrapblog!

Quiet Storm and Stephanie

Last year about this time, Darling and I were preparing ourselves for the heartbreak of a lifetime…we’d sold Quiet Storm. Stephanie came to pick her up in early December. I think I cried more than Darling. The only saving grace of the day was, of all things, the snow. It was keeping my face just wet enough that it hid my tears. I cried for a month, quietly, silently, hiding from Darling so she wouldn’t see. Darling dealt with her grief through writing. Eventually, though, the pain eased and life went on…

Until Molalla. We were just a week from leaving when we received word from Stephanie that her income was dwindling and there just wasn’t enough money to care properly for Quiet Storm…and could I possibly take her back? Half elated, half dreading, I said yes. City Boy would not be happy, I knew, but what else could I do? Horses aren’t selling well right now, and Storm…she’s special. I couldn’t just let her slip away into just anyone’s hands, so home she came with 3 other mustangs which were here for gentling.

Quiet Storm hadn’t changed. She was still small, still the bottom of the pecking order, and still trying to walk on your toes. Darling and I saddled her up and we went for a ride, me on Jet, she on Quiet Storm. All went well.

As suspected, City Boy was less than thrilled over the turn of events. While he likes Storm, she made mustang #8 out in our tiny field. I made a half hearted promise to find her a new home while secretly longing for her to be able to stay with us forever…

Is she not just the most adorable little pony you’ve seen?

I spent the summer playing with and gentling the other mustangs. What I didn’t do is put much effort into finding a home for our little mustang. Now and then I’d speak with someone about her, but things never worked out. Finally, in October, I decided I just needed to bite the bullet and let her go. Darling had her new horse, Dude, and in all honesty there just wasn’t room for her in the barn.

But you’ll never believe what happened next…

Okay, so the mail comes and in it is an envelope addressed to me.  Return address?  Las Vegas, NV.  I open it up and it’s a hand written card from Mindy, who works at Diablo’s thanking me for my visit.

What visit?  Did I miss something?  Was there drinking and partying and a romantic entanglement and I’ve just forgotten?

And if I did visit…I thought what happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas!

It’s a good thing my husband isn’t one of those guys who’s obscenely suspicious or jealous…or travels for his job and is left wondering how I spend my time whilst he’s away.

I’m contemplating sending the card back, along with my own handwritten note telling how that trip was confidential, and now my husband suspects foul play…and that he’s accusing me of having some torrid affair and my marriage is doomed and I’ll be living on the streets now, trying to make a living as a horizontal working girl.

Perhaps you’d care to share how you think my life has taken a turn for the worse as a result of Mindy’s thank you note?

2 Horses, with “Is there anything stuck in my teeth?” Congrats!  You’ll need to email me your mailing info so I can get your prize to you.

Darling and Dude Lee Doright