“Time Really Does Fly Mom”
Posted By cowgirlblog on January 12, 2010
Out of the mouth’s of babes… my precious daughter Autumn spoke these words of truth at the tender age of eight as it’s reality settled in on her even as a child.
So, I stand here with my hat in my hands…so much water under the proverbial bridge since my first post. So much I could have and should have written about while it was still fresh. Alas, here it is winter…snow on the ground…cattle gone for this year, yet the memories linger and plans are in progress for the coming year.
Late last April most of the snow had melted away. Grape ceek started running and I opened irrigation head gates to start the water flowing over the thirsty ground. I know that each day of April that comes and goes has me one day closer to a full immersion in the work of the summer. For all practical purposes there is no spring here and no fall. It simply goes from winter to summer then back to winter. Any transition that might be called spring or fall is so fleeting as to nearly be missed.
I eagerly await a special group of guests who I am told are coming to work and to play! Girls (women, but we are all girls at heart) who have horses of their own back east and are ready for adventure on a western ranch! The coordinator of this happy intersection of women, work and adventure is college best friend and polo team mate Andrea. Other members of the group were her daughter Lindsey and friends Patti, Susan and Debbie. I plan our work goals and our play goals. The cattle won’t arrive till after they leave and the weather is a wild card with snow a distinct possibility.
We “rocked” and the weather was very kind to us! First the saddles and bridles got an overhaul of cleaning, oiling and repairs. All were rewarded with a pleasure ride through part of the ranch that afternoon. Next we attacked the overgrown and trashy willows in the Little Horse Pasture. Two days of chain saw work, raw labor and fire had the Little Horse Pasture looking like a park!
Each day was closed out with a horseback ride somewhere we had not been. Sunday it was unanimous to have a day of rest with a steak dinner and hot springs soak at Buena Vista… only a short 90 minute drive out of town.
I saved the best ride for the last day. Riding through the ranch, up to the National Forest and Crystal Falls, a favorite spot for me was beautiful and shrouded in ice. The Rainbow Trail still deep with icy snow on the northern slopes looked somewhat forbidding yet I wanted to lead us in a “round-trip” as I hate to follow the same trail home as I take out. I led my horse a couple hundred yards, struggling through the deep snow, trying to stay out from under him and nearly failing. Once to good ground I tied him and went back to get another horse. Susan went ahead to catch the horses as I tied the reins to their necks and sent them on their own down the trail the first horse had broken. We encountered a couple more spots like that and then headed off the mountain and back to the ranch on a “fresh trail”. It was soooo worth it.
This was the first time I ever had guests at this time of year and it was so rewarding and memorable for all…and we even got a ton of work done!
Happy Trails!
Elin