Along for the ride:

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Eye-Balls, Golf-Balls, Equestrian Egg and Spoon Race.

I have had a very satisfactory weekend. I started yesterday by turning off house and cell phone and ignoring an email from a client who hasn't given any sign of life for several weeks and suddenly thought it would be convenient to meet on a Saturday.
I went early to Curves, exercise club for women, that I had put on hold in favor of Foster-dog walking and training for months. I like the variety of working different muscle groups. I like the friendly atmosphere and I liked that my new shoes seemed to help rather than aggravate my gimpy toes.
All pink in the face and a-buzz with blood circulating in temporarily neglected body parts, I stopped in at the best veggie store you could wish for, which is in the same group of businesses. Ultra fresh produce, great bread, cheese and all kinds of hams and sausages to inspire the lunch menu. The Mexican family that took over this shop last year have worked their asses off and seen amazing results. They've just pushed through the wall into the space next door and there is always a line, despite running four cash registers. It's so great to see people do well.
My garden has been calling to me, in desperate need of tidy-up and prepping for the next season. All summer long my front door, garage driveway and entry patio/walkway are in the deep shade of two silk trees. As those leaves begin to fall it transforms into a full-sun area. The afternoon sun is at a long low angle and powers into that otherwise shady space, until it dips behind the hillside.
Most of my plantings there are in pots and containers of different sizes. I have a dolly that I can use to move them around, depending on what is in bloom or what needs more or less light. The nasturtiums are appearing, showing their umbrella leaves and a few bright blooms. The first of the paper-white narcissi are in bud like mini-cousins to the equally fragrant Hawaiian Ginger plants. Geraniums cheer in red, pink and coral and I threw in a few pansies and iceland poppies to fill any gaps and dug out an unhappy fuchsia to plant a wisteria vine in its place. Whew! I hadn't realized how overgrown that had all become. I was able to tame it all in one eight hour session. There was lunch and a short nap somewhere in the middle but I didn't have to stop for any dog-walking so I was more productive and had more energy left to get the job done.
Sunday morning is the highlight of my week. My riding class is small. We are three or four "mature" women in the 9 am class. We get there early enough to bring horses in from the paddock and groom and tack up our own mounts. The class varies from dressage to small jumping courses and I've been getting to know the different horses and my class mates.
Today our teacher showed up in a unicorn hat and wanted us to play games, in honor of Halloween. Bending poles (slalom) with candies to be picked up at one end and then tossed into a bucket at speed at the other before crossing the finish line. I was far enough ahead that I was able to halt my, rather tall, horse and drop the candy vertically so that it actually went into the bucket and then gallop home. An accidental win as there is not a competitive bone in my body where games are concerned. I was trying for good style and balance rather than resembling an elbow-flapping banshee that might inspire a Thelwell cartoon entitled "Mad Old Women on Horseback".
Next we were given plastic spoons and golf balls with eyes painted on them, the goal being to ride around until the last "eye-ball" hit the dirt. The dry-run quickly had us all holding empty spoons. We tried harder at our second attempt. Two of us made it through walk, two-point position, posting trot and even sitting trot. Canter transition foiled both of us simultaneously. It was fun, in a juvenile kind of way. I look forward to resumption of our more mundane curriculum next week.
Lunch was salad, followed by stir-fried zucchinis/courgettes, from my veggie merchant, and an omelette made with free-range eggs we bought at the farm.
No major plans or obligations this afternoon. A little catch-up reading blogs I've missed and an otherwise tranquil (read lazy) afternoon and evening, before being swept away in the Monday Morning Maelstrom.


25 comments:

  1. What fun exercises in honor of Halloween! Too bad there's no video to watch here; I'd love to see you in action. However, you've described it well, and I can kind of imagine it. Very glad to hear that the shoes are helpful, and that you are able to be active.

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  2. Your riding instructor sounds like a bit of fun and what a lovely weekend you've had. I wish you many more. Best of luck with those arthritic toes. As someone with arthritis, you have my sympathy.

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  3. Sounds like you had fun playing games on horseback this Halloween, but the biggest game of all would be tricking me into climbing up onto one. Pity that poor horse!

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  4. Sounds like a perfect way to spend a day ! Especially ignoring the e-mail in order to do what you felt like doing, and not what someone else felt like having you do... bravo !

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  5. Halloween gets everywhere. I'm surprised they didn't get you trick or treating on horseback.

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  6. Just what you needed ! Though when I first read eye-balls , I thought of popping and had visions of you having taken up weight lifting .
    Your garden sounds glorious and very cleverly planned.
    Good Luck with finding the perfect shoe for your poor toes .Once you do , life will be much easier . Otherwise you'll just have to go everywhere on horseback .....

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  7. This is the sort of day, that were I a gardener, equestrian, epicurian, foster-dog mom, and a sought-after home space artist, I would have been deeply happy with.
    Since I am none of those things, I can only be happy for you.
    Nice to see that you had some totally silly fun!!

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  8. What a wonderful day!! Much better than here in cold NJ where the snow knocked out my power for a day. I am jealous! *G*

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  9. I love the way you got off to a great start with the silencing of the phones! Yippee!!! Your veggie market sounds like "Growers' Direct" down in Orange County. Congratulations on a weekend tailored just for you. I'm really pleased that you managed to steal that bit of fire from the gawds! Happy Halloween!

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  10. sounds like you've been having a good time anyways

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  11. Kerry, I'm already not "shaped" to look dignified on horseback. More pumpkin than skeleton, to stay with the Halloween theme. I'd have felt inclined to shoot anyone with a camera:)
    e, She's young and from Santa Cruz. They have real live goblins down there.

    Stephen, I can't imagine a life without some horsing around.

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  12. S&S, I've let the garden slide a bit. It's a solitary pursuit and I have turned back towards things where I can interact with people, albeit horsey or doggie ones.

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  13. Owen, I hope you are not pining for your U.S. Halloween traditions. My most memorable English Halloween was one where I wore new shoes with high heels. When I finally hobbled home and took them off, I found they were two different sizes. No wonder they hurt!

    Steve, at least your son already has a doggie hat disguise.

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  14. Deborah, It would be a boring world if everyone shared the same interests.

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  15. Jean, We all saw pictures of your snow and the downed trees and power lines. I had visions of you huddled with your horses to keep warm. We do feel lucky in comparison.

    Ms.P. Thanks for your good wishes. Being with other horse people is like returning to my native land and mother tongue.

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  16. Pixie, I was surprised how much "good time" I packed into a day and a half. I was a bit lost yesterday afternoon. I didn't know what to do next. It seemed a shame to be indoors.

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  17. I truly need to get over my fear of horses. It's their heads that scare me. Isn't that just ridiculous? Their heads just seem so....huge.

    I had a "psychic" tell me once that my fear of horses went back to a past life where I was thrown and then stomped on by a horse. Well, boy howdy.

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  18. Oh the pony games sound hilarious.... I am competitive so totally can relate to the mental pic of a Thelwell cartoon entitled "Mad Old Women on Horseback"

    The planting scheme sounds great - my nasturtiums (and many other plants) are just about to be murdered by frost I fear.

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  19. I loved the wonderful storytelling of this post. Made me want to live that same day in my own lifetime! Again, I am so impressed that you ride and take lessons...and am thrilled to read that the shoes are working some magic. Yea!

    As you know, we have one Silk Tree, and I too am interested in the change when it loses foliage for winter. Right now that has not happened yet and the Annas Hummingbirds are still living in it. They stay in this valley all winter if fed, which I intend to do for a second winter. This year I am going to pay more attention to see if I can figure out what tree they move to after the Silk Tree is just wood.

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  20. Lou, I will forever prefer the "Graceful Loser" spot.

    Lydia, we have hummers all year round, funny little territorial birds buzzing in like Luftwaffe if anyone gets too close. My ride yesterday was more traditional and much more satisfying.

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  21. I like your weekend and the skillful way you've described it.
    I'm all in favor of the activities mentioned: exercising, gardening, playing Halloween games, riding horses, etc..

    I wish you many successful weekends like this one!

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  22. Duta, Thank You and I always enjoy your posts of your travels.

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  23. Weekends could be the most beautiful day in my life. Time to go relaxation. :)

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  24. Let me say right away: you deserve a lovely lazy (? not so lazy) day where you do what you enjoy best. you so often seem to be at full stretch, working flat-out at all sorts of tasks.

    Make others wait for a change!

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  25. Friko, Thank you. I have been applying myself to fitting in some things that nourish my soul. For a while there, I had forgotten about that.

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