Rodeo

It's amazing how time stands still when you are about to get hurt.  I can distinctly remember when I broke my nose at 10th grade basketball camp in Eastern Oregon.  Frame by frame I watched that elbow travel toward my then-perfect nose, and amazingly I had time to contemplate the lessons my dad gave me regarding self defense and a swift, effective, jab to an assailants nose, while praying this was not to be my end.  Flying off a horse is quite similar, and in fact the effect is enhanced now that I am almost 30, and not quite as limber or "bulletproof," as my 16 year old self once believed.  I have sure enjoyed my journey back into the horse world, and while it evokes many happy memories, it also brings back and illuminates the fragility of our own skulls, and the confidence it takes to climb on a 1200 pound animal.

It was a nice evening ride on the big Chief... we were joined by my neighbor, whom we encountered on the driveway.  We headed down the road to check out the goings on at a property down the way that has recently been purchased (a chunk of land I have coveted for some time due to it's size, terrain, and natural water feature).  Chief has been doing pretty good in the hills, and we have been building trust, but he gets a bit hot when he heads for home, and is built like an off the track Thoroughbred (which makes for an interesting combination).  After meandering through this property to check out it's creek and fence line, we turned for home, and Chief turned on his inner bronc.  I sat him well for a good turn, but he let out a strong kick, and I went sailing over his head.  As I flew through the air my inner voice was aflutter "I need to get my foot out of the stirrup..... shoot, I can't believe he launched me, I want another shot at staying on!...... Why did I use this saddle instead of my usual, I certainly would've stuck in that one.... Thank God for soft ground (this is soft ground right?)..... seems like I've been flying for a while, how's this landing going to be."   Then thud, all's quiet on the Eastern side.  One thing I've always been is a good lander, and I'd say I stuck this one with a 10 point landing, no structural damage, and a good story when I got back home.

There are many old adages regarding climbing back on the horse after he bucks you off, and it always amazes me how simple, yet how very complex that can be.  In this instance, I had no problem hopping right back on (once I caught my horse), but there are times when it's not so appealing.  Life changes a bit when you have little ones to tend to, and responsibilities to meet; suddenly flying off a horse is cause for alarm.  Don't count me out quite yet though, I'm already planning ways to improve this horse, or at least how to attach a bucking strap!

Grateful For Good Friends

 It's spring break for the Brown clan.  I completed this quarter on a strong note; it was one of the most challenging, but one of my best.  I feel like I am peaking at a great time, with entering the job market on the horizon.  My countdown is below 80 days!  It's a bit surreal; this has been more work than I ever imagined; a test of wills, work ethic, and desire (and a roller coaster of my dealings with these elements).  While I question what the heck I am doing nearly every day, I know how much I do love caring for people in deep moments, and can't think of a profession that is more up to the elbows in people lives.


 

This One's a Beauty

Home time sure is nice though, I mean amazingly nice.  Not having to stay up late doing homework, being able to focus on what's in front of me, and enjoy the scenery; such a nice reprieve from my hectic school schedule.  Cam has been able to get some work done on the house with our neighbor, and has finished several tables, one of which sold today, and the other which is going out at the end of the month. His latest table is gorgeous, and I think I'll be sad to see it leave!  He already has another order for a large custom piece that will be made from rustic/reworked wood (pretty sure I'll end up wanting that one too)!  It's pretty cool to see how these projects progress, and he's sure been doing well at it.  One of the families that lives close to us, had him do one with wood burned vines and leaves on the top; it turned out really cool. Thinking we may be needing a website fairly soon here, or a boutique..... (it was my childhood goal to run a cash register-- motivated from the beginning you can see).  All I can say is... I am not going to business school!

Several nights ago we packed up the trailer and camped up at Fish Lake.  It was gorgeous!!!  The Sinlahekin is really the area that started our fascination with Tonasket and the Pine Creek area where we bought, and it never fails to impress me.  The snow is finally MOSTLY melted, and the days are getting longer and sunnier.  We had a secluded spot right on the lake, and were the only people in the area.  The wind was blowing fairly hard when we arrived, but calmed right down, making for a peaceful night.  The kids were SO excited to be out camping, and to sleep in their bunks... which is very strange, because after you live in a 24' travel trailer for over two months, you really can't fathom EVER wanting to be in it again.  Remarkably though, it must be like pregnancy amnesia, and we all had silly smiles on our faces.  We hiked around, let the kids roam, and barbecued some delicious steaks and spuds before all sleeping like babies.

We woke, to a dead calm lake front view, the smell of camp fire on all of us, and a percolator ready for coffee.  I bought the kids some of those little boxes of sugar cereal to have in the trailer, for a treat because they never get cereal at home.... score another one for the trailer.  Before fixing breakfast we hiked around the area a bit and went in search of the sound of running water.  The snow melt has reorganized life around here, there is running water through field irrigation ditches, low meadows, and often times across our gravel roads.  It's bringing some life back to the dust and ashes left behind by an extremely dry summer and a fire filled fall.  Our hike took us a ways up the hillside, near the back road to Conconully.  The kids were troopers and excited to see where the water was coming from.  We ended halfway up the mountain, and at a beautiful waterfall.  I am so grateful for these moments of family exploration; I love seeing the kids enjoyment and their minds taking in the world around them.  They have a sense of pride too, when they can return and see how far their little legs have gone.


Back at home, we have done much of the same; getting outside, exploring places where snow is finally melted, and enjoying eachother (we even went to the big city of Omak for a movie).  Bear and I worked on Chief a bit today, and I'm glad to see his comfort zone is growing a bit.  We took a quad ride around the lake nearest us, and did a bit of exploring up there.  After dinner we set out for another walk around the property.  We still have a creek running through our meadow, and a small pond in between our property and the neighbors.  I got a kick out of seeing ducks in it!  It's like our geography has been mixed up; it wasn't that long ago we were marveling in how dry the dirt was several feet deep.  Unfortunately, most of our meadow/ravine area still looks like a war scene, and while grass is coming back in some areas, others are bare and rather dismal.  I'm hoping the moisture will help the grass re-seed to help bring our wildlife back in.  In the meantime though, we are enjoying following the rivers, and hoping, as I've mentioned this translates to a non-existent fire season.

We have talks of garden and orchard going on around here.  It's harder than you think to start with bare land, and plan out every aspect of your homestead.  Trees are a rather permanent feature, and we have to think ahead for water needs.  I'm liking the feel of things around here right now though--Cam's got a good thing going on, the kids are blooming into wonderful adventurers, I'm counting down days of school, and things seem to keep landing right side up.  Spring is a time for action!    

                 

The Rooster That Crowed No More

It was a peaceful evening on the ponderosa.  Blue skies, a soft breeze, and the long-awaited warmth of the sun beaming down on our faces.  The kids frolicking with the animals while Cam and I were tending to chores.  Positive energy buzzing through us all, as these are the moments when we feel like our dreams have come to fruition, we breathe deeply: inhale the views and exhale all worries.  We are really getting into a groove, when out of no where...... terror strikes.  The youngest member of  Team Brown, Kendyl, is pinned against the fence screaming in sheer terror at her assailant.... A one year old, prime time rooster, who's hackles are raised, chest is puffed, and mind is in pure attack mode.  A swift kick might send him spinning, but the three year old farm girl is paralyzed with fear, seeing her short life flash before her and reflected in the eyes of the prize fighter.  Out of no where comes Dad, flying around the corner on white steed with pitch fork in hand.  I scoop up the little one, and Dad attacks.  Blind fury might have described it well, the rooster ended in a pile of feathers, spurs relinquished, and dead as a door nail.  

And All That Was Left Was Feathers

Life with children, two legged or feathered is always interesting.  There always seems to be something to keep us up at night, make us laugh, or inspiring action.  For Cam, the sound of terror from our daughter, was enough to elicit a primitive protective response.  Lesson One: kids should know they are always safe in the realm of their parents/family--a safety net that envelopes them, an altruistic and consistent family structure that enables them to grow, explore, and simply be, without hesitation.  Having a rooster, and undoubtedly an ornery one, is one of childhood's rights of passage; yet we seek to teach to protect our little's members, which means we might eat a few more roosters until she comes of pitch fork bearing age.  Lesson Two: Make soup, harvest the bounty, waste not a young (ish) rooster.  After the killing spree, we talked it over a bit, and despite the multiple chores we had going on, we decided to butcher the rooster, as an example that it's simply unjust when one lives on the land to kill and throw away.  So, Cam butchered him up while the kids watched.  Kendyl collected some feathers for projects, and despite a few exclamations of nastiness, the kids tolerated the whole thing quite well.  **I must inject that while I was plenty excited to cook him up, be it age or brutality of killing, he tasted much like a well seasoned piece of rubber-- but the fruits of the lesson were hopefully a bit sweeter. **        

This was an interesting beginning to a long weekend in our neck of the woods.  I was happy to have a four day stretch off, and my dad was set to come over to check out the new horse, Chief,--- oh and help Cam out a bit with the house as well.  I was able to volunteer at Bear's school on Friday, which I always enjoy, and then it was truly the well deserved weekend.  After preschool, we got to work on the house, with a goal of setting all the floor joists.  Just as we were getting started we heard traffic on the drive, and the arrival of two more unexpected guests-- Cam's folks!  Like I've always said, people know when they come, unless it's the dead of winter, it's probably going to be a work weekend!  It brought back memories of the good 'ol days on Loomis Trail Road, which honestly seems like a project we just wrapped up.  Much of the same banter, and grumbling about measurements, techniques, things we would rather be doing.... Didn't we just finish building a house... and the like.  My job was to clear the foundation of rocks... and thus I was officially deemed "Rock Chucker," for the weekend, leaving me with sore arms and blistered hands!  I know this project rests primarily on the shoulders of Cam, but I'm rather excited for it myself, and it feels a bit different this go round.  We don't have a month old newborn, Cam's not maxed out at work, I'm on the downhill slide of school and better able to be good support, and we live in Eastern Washington!  Couldn't get much better than the view from our future front porch, in my opinion.

Not a Bad View!

The guys met their goals for the weekend, and did some on the job troubleshooting along the way.  We've had good food (minus the chewy 'ol rooster), and have all slept well at night.  My dad and me got up early Saturday and saddled up both horses to hit the trails.  We rode up past the lake near us, and traversed the snow to get on to another back road system near us.  Man, it felt good to be riding again together, I have many memories of riding as a child, and my dad just has a way with horses, as he does most things.  I'm getting used to this big old gelding, so it was nice to have someone to ride with, and felt so good that it was him!  We put our mounts through a good workout, with quite a grade going down the far side of a hill that takes you back out to the road a few miles down.  Dad, who was riding my mare, felt bad thinking she had a bit of a tender foot, and hiked with her all the way back up.  Meanwhile, I told Chief not to get any ideas looking at that setup, and kept him on his training plan.  I came back with a big smile on my face, and hopes for a lot more of that in the future.

Big Chief, Me, Vera and Riggs --Dad behind on Kit, the Wild Mustang

The weather has suited us quite nicely, bringing out me and the kids' freckles.  It's sure nice to see the sunshine and blue skies, and it's nice house building weather to boot.  We had a monsoon rainstorm last night, but it came after sleep and was nice out upon rising.  There is more water sitting around here than we have ever seen, which will hopefully help mitigate the fire season this year.  Next on the docket is to lay the floor panels on, and order up the framing package.  We have quite a substantial front/view wall, so the logistics of setting that is a big topic of conversation around here.  I've got a week and a half left of this quarter, and 93 days on my overall countdown.  Things are really shaping up!       

Tuesday Update:  Had an amazing spring day today.  Me and the kids woke, made coffee cake and headed to the lake with our "homework."  We are on letter V for Volcano, and Bear is really getting good at all his letters and sounds.  We hiked the mile up to Turtle Lake, had a snack and did our workbooks.  Headed home for some more work, snacks and nap time.  Double naps= outside/horse time for mom.  My neighbor gal and I had quite the ride Sunday night.  With all the runoff from the snow melt, many of our gravel roads now have small creeks running through them.  It's so strange to see in our usually dusty habitat.  What a ride!  And a good trust builder for my big guy and I.  Today's ride went well, and I'm getting used to being much higher in the sky than with my little mare.  After naps it was back to hiking.  The kids and I set off with some water balloons (Bear talked me into it), to our meadow, and heard the sound of a waterfall coming down the hillside.  Upon further exploring, we found quite the fall coming down by our neighbors spring.  Bear looked at me with wide eyes and said "WHERE does it come from????"  I am not one to squelch curiosity so up the hillside we went lugging the treasures we found in the burnt terrain along the way.  We hiked straight up and found the "source,"  which was several run off creeks coming down from the mountains.  Kendyl was encouraged when her brother exclaimed "B you have made it so far and you're just a little girl."  You could see her light up, and she didn't ask to be carried the rest of the day.    We arrived back home full of adventure, and not ready to stop.  So we asked Cam to pack up some wood, I grabbed some hot dogs and we headed to Fish Lake for a weenie roast and some more fresh air!  The kids watched a little otter play on the ice, and enjoyed hot dogs and smores.  I tell ya, life doesn't get much better than today.