Tales From the Pasture

Another Monday - that is a good thing if you think about it.  I mean hello if we did not have this Monday then that would mean something a bit unhappy.  Go ahead celebrate it by drinking coffee all day!

Yes, I will be doing that.  However, my reasoning is due to the fact that I have one tonsil swollen to the size of a ping pong ball.  This is all thanks to working in straw all day yesterday.  One thing I have noticed since getting into my thirties is that my allergies have became a bit more sensitive than ever before.

I was the kid who could roll in poison ivy or oak and never be affected.

Cut grass, hay, ragweed, pollen, and straw did not bother me in the least.

Now...

Forget it.

I saw a large vine of poison oak wrapped around an oak tree in our yard and I literally shuddered.  It crossed my mind that this could be the year I look at it and it jumps on me.

Ain't nobody got time for that.

**
Last week at riding lessons my daughter rode the horse.  She did it - no crying, no real fear, she just mounted up and let him walk her about the ring.  It was a proud mama moment if there has ever been one!

It started with eight steps on their own, no trainer holding a lead rope, then went to fourteen steps.  Eventually, the went up to 40 steps and then it didn't matter how many steps.  She was in the saddle smiling.

For thirty minutes, Pax gently took my C around the ring to spell words (letters sporadically placed on the fencing).

Confidence built!

This week we're skipping the lesson so she can start fresh in May.  If I said that horseback riding lessons were affordable I would be lying.  Mama has to reformulate the budget to accommodate $150 for lessons.

I could just say we have to stop but I won't do that.

There is so much more going on when my child is in the saddle than just learning to ride a horse.  She's building confidence in herself that no person can ever instill in her.  She's learning that she can do anything she, herself, puts her mind to.

We are looking forward to seeing her growth next month.