Finally! I got in the door!

It's been impossible to update this lj for days--between system problems and denial-of-service attacks. (Yes, I run Windows. Yes, I run virus protection. No, I am not sending legions of zombies against this system. I don't Do horror.)

It's been a busy week. Finished second draft to date and sent it out Sunday. Monday I had to do Web promo for LUNA--they have a boffo website, and authors have to provide photo, extended bio ("Lipizzan breeder living near Tucson" is not sufficient), author interview, how-to article for the Writing Fantasy page, and text and image bits for the page on their book. Lots of stuff, kept me going all day. Then in September I'll do a chat for the book. And must remember to check in on the boards for the various discussions thereof.

Now I'm back to the two first drafts. And as always, riding and working ponies. Yesterday morning was a bit sad: one of the barn bunnies somehow jumped into a water barrel, and I did not get there in time. I buried it out on the uncleared acre. The rest of the gang are as ubiquitous as ever, and there are at least three thriving quail families, including one with a dozen half-grown chicks--which is quite a feat. That breeding pair raises large families year after year, and always manages to keep at least ten of them alive into adulthood. As quail go, I'd say they were pretty bright.

I hit a bit of a wall with Pook over the weekend, realized I was not wanting to ride him because I was so afraid I'd make a mistake. That way lies total wimpitude and horse on pasture-potato patrol. So I decided it's time to pull him out of lessons for a bit, and Just Ride The Damn Horse.

As soon as I made this decision, of course, riding him started being fun again. And the mistake count went 'way down. And we started making perceptible progress with his trot work. He's quite happy with the whole thing, and after every ride he wants to go Exploring. He'll take me right out to the road and head on down it, with pauses to check the mesquite trees, because the Treats-on-Trees are getting ripe. He's been waiting all winter and all spring for those. He loves Treats-on-Trees.

The monsoons have pulled back--a classic late-June tease. It's dry again, though not dragon-dry, and hot, but not terribly hot. It's really quite lovely. This morning's ride on Capria went until 10 o'clock without mutual meltdown. We headed out--and keed insisted on coming, too. He wouldn't even eat his breakfast. He tried to get me to saddle him, then when that failed, he parked right outside the grooming area. He'd go eat a bit, drink a bit, then hustle back. "Don't forget me, Mom!" As if.

Weird Bird Alert, and Good Ride

There was a flock of unusual birds in the arena tonight--four of the coloring below, and one greyish-black one (female)? Couldn't find them in the bird books. Must discover that they were. They were about the size of grackles--same sort of tail, and black bodies. Vivid yellow throats and chests that made me think the yellow-headed blackbirds had blown in again--they always arrive with the monsoon (which is teasing but nowhere near us at the moment). But then I saw the heads and they were sort of grackle-y and sort of mynah-bird-y--with a dark hood, a yellow-grey stripe above the eyes, another dark stripe, then the yellow breast and throat.

They looked like a Frankenstein combo of a boat-tailed grackle, a yellow-headed blackbird, and a mutant cactus wren. And there wasn't just one--it was a flock.

Was most strange.

The weird birds flew off and the troops got their dinner, then da Pook got a ride. Happy Pook! Two rides in a row! And lo and behold, my persistent left-hip problem was nearly nonexistent. We were riding over poles, and working on balance in trot, putting it together piece by piece. How smart is this guy? I said multiple times, "Let's trot to this spot," and he would do so. His transitions were as balanced as I've ever seen them, and his trot is starting to allow me to balance it--up to now he's been a bit recalcitrant about letting me mess with him.

I think I was more relaxed through the hips, but I can't figure out how I managed that. I would like to reproduce it every time I ride. Please god. Mother Ship. Whoever.

So, a good evening, though I've been in work-avoidance mode and I must snap out of it.

Sidebar: This afternoon while I was staring at the computer screen, waiting for words to magically appear, one of the movie channels had The Horse Whisperer on. Classic macho wish-fulfillment Hollywood crap. Love the subtext of horses being huge, scary, and inscrutable. Definitely not the attitude of a horse person. Was particularly enthralled by the transformation of the tall, all-red Appendix QH with the tiny star into a blond-tailed, blaze-faced hunter pony on the show video. "It's not in closeup, nobody will notice!" No, nobody will notice a huge white blaze in front-row center. And ye gods--that rope the horse and make him lie down trick is such a massive no-no for intelligent, self-willed horses that it's right off the scale. Want to fry a Lipizzan into the next continuum? Do that to him. As for the human element, I Much prefer Sam Neill to Old Wrinkly Guy Redford, so Skinny Big-Eyed Frigidaire can have Redford. I'll take Sam.

What, me opinionated?



Update, later (and after several pages, go me}: I think I found the bird . Was a yellow-headed blackbird after all--probably a flock of females keeping company with one of the cowbirds. Funny, the yellowheads I've seen have been all yellow on top. Interesting.