The other morning I had gotten up early to see off my husband and son, and decided to go back to bed for just a little bit... just because I could. After a few minutes of slumber, my parents called and my mom gave me the bad news that an old friend of mine, JM, had died. The obituary she'd read was short and generic, so I called his mother in a little bit of denial and she confirmed that he had passed in late May, likely from an accidental overdose of medication.
We'd been friends and neighbors in junior high and high school (I'd had a crush on him when I was about 15 and he was 14), and then he'd befriended me again in college when he transferred to my school. JM was smart and good-looking but socially awkward in early adulthood, and I found out several years later that he had been diagnosed with a serious mental illness and was living out of state with his parents. I hadn't heard from him for about 20 years when he wrote to me out of the blue about a year and a half ago, and we corresponded by handwritten letters every few weeks during that time.
We wrote about our pets (he especially liked cats), and he expounded about how much he enjoyed living in Florida, "paradise." I told him about our farm life, and sent him pictures of our chickens, cats, and alpacas. He sent me a photo of our old house, and we reminisced about "the good ole days". I sent him a postcard the day we headed for Florida this spring with my cell number, and told him to give us a call if he wanted to get together since we would be near his home. He called, and my husband, daughter and I met him for lunch. Still friendly and funny, we were mutually glad to see each other and we had a really good visit.
Hearing the news that just six weeks after I'd seen him JM was gone, especially on the heels of another close friend's inexplicable suicide, filled me with sadness. I started to lay my head back on the pillow, but instead jumped out of bed and literally shouted, "CARPE DIEM" (Seize the Day!). I was overwhelmed with a wave of gratitude for my own life and truly felt that I should not waste a minute feeling sad!
I heard this song later that day, and it has been swirling in my head ever since:
Somehow it seems connected to my feelings about losing my old friend, but it is also now linked in my mind to our expedition yesterday, one of the absolute BEST days I've ever had riding and sharing with my girlfriends.
"I know a place where we can go, still untouched by men... We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by, the tall grass waving in the wind".... That's where we went, or at least it seemed like it at Red Hill in Livingston, KY and the Daniel Boone National Forest. I know that only MB and Marti (and our 3 horses) can truly understand what a special day it was....
The challenge of the rugged trails (indescribably scary in spots, sloppy-muddy in others), the amazing conversations and laughter, the beauty of the surroundings, and the awe and appreciation we held for our sure-footed horses.... all contributed to an especially gratitude-filled, happy day. AND, to top it off, we FINALLY found Moonbow Rock, a natural arch which we had sought in every prior ride at Red Hill and never could find. (We had begun to doubt it's existence). And we didn't get lost like on
last year's epic ride there with my daughter.
So, well into my middle years and having survived longer than some who were precious to me, I am attempting to find meaning and connectedness in the people, places, and experiences in my life. I am trying to see beauty and significance in the small and large events. I felt drawn to this plant I spotted by Moonbow Rock... which I realized today symbolizes the love and connectedness I have with Marti, MB, and our horses.
And yes, once again, I do know how very lucky I am.....
Truly, I have been doing some fibery stuff lately and will post soon. In the meantime, enjoy these "artsy" photos taken on yet another marvelous ride, this time back at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill where I went riding with Marti, my husband, and daughter.
We stayed in her brand-new cabin, and it was just perfect for the five of us, with a bathroom, reading nook, small kitchen, and a cozy gas fireplace.
There's been so much going on this past month that I'd have loved to blog about (and some I still will, like the felting class I took in Michigan), but time has made it nearly impossible. The month ended on a great note with a ride at the Kentucky Horse Park which was a fundraiser for Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH).
So, how do you make fangs for a horse? Mirian sewed and stuffed some white fabric and painted blood on the tips, hanging them from Gringo's halter with safety pins. Realistic, maybe not but funny? YES!
Of course she had fangs, too.
She also decided to put mascara on her horse... Gringo is almost as long-suffering as our cat Sushi when it comes to being dressed up! He had his mane and tale painted pink, and had fake blood applied around his face.
Our friend Martha rode my horse Sunday, and painted a broomstick on him to go along with her witch costume.
MB was a skeleton, and her horse wore the mask.
I rode Paul's horse Strawberry- she was a spider web (with a few captured flies painted on her rump) and I went as a spider. I had to abandon my extraneous legs when she started jumping around with excitement in an open cornfield and the legs were thumping on her, and I was afraid that the spider web was doing nothing to help me stick in the saddle! We rode through harvested fields and beside old barns, then back onto the beautiful horse park grounds.
It was the first time we'd ever gotten to ride our own horses over the beautiful cross country course, and we had a new appreciation for the height and breadth of the huge fences!
We had our lunch on one of the jumps, and of course enjoyed a bit of red to celebrate the gorgeous fall day.
MB and Marti and I headed out to Shaker Village on the first day of fall, though the weather was a far cry from"fall-ish" at 94 degrees! We've ridden the trails of Shaker Village before, but were especially drawn there this time because the United States Equestrian Team's Endurance Team has been training there and we hoped to watch a bit.
We didn't get to see much training going on, as apparently this last week before the competition the team mostly just tries to maintain fitness, letting the horses rest up for their 100 mile ride against other mostly Arabian horses and riders from around the world! I'm excited that I'll be volunteering on Endurance Day (Sunday), and hope to have more to report. Yeah, there's going to be a lot of horse activity on this site for a while with the World Equestrian Games countdown at just one more day!
They couldn't have picked a nicer place to train, as the trails of Shaker Village are just beautiful! As always, the best parts were being with my good friends and my favorite mount, Sunday.
We always enjoy telling lots of good secrets and stories...
lunch and fellowship....
a few good canters...
meeting other horse lovers out on the trail...
cooling off in the creek (though there wasn't much flowing water to be found since it's soooo dry)
and giving my sweet boy Sunday a kiss on his soft nose from time to time. It was a hard day to beat!
This was one of those days where I was filled with the abundance of Kentucky's beauty from beginning to end.
It started with a simple spider web that I noticed while I was letting our chickens out of their coop for the first time in ages.
Then the chickens themselves in the morning light were showing their vivid color and joy for life.
I was fortunate enough to get to go trail riding (again!), this time with my sweet friend Karen, at Cave Run Lake. We rode along the Stoney Cove Trail, and our relaxing jaunt was beautiful at every turn.
My evening ended with a scooter ride with my fun husband, and we rode up scenic Old Frankfort Pike for dinner in Midway. The ride back was breathtaking as we traveled along a forgotten lane lined with stone walls and horse-filled pastures bathed in the evening light.
