Things You've Probably Never Done in One Day

I've been trying to balance writing, editing, and fun time. Lately, I've been a bit heavy on the work side, so on Wednesday, I took advantage of the cool weather and went to the barn. As I drove our truck there, I began thinking about how lucky I am.

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of having my own horse, but I never believed it would come true. I lived in the suburbs, not the country, and my parents aren't really animal people. They weren't going to buy me one. But when I became an adult, I went out and purchased my own!

Buying Darcy, an Arab x Saddlebred mare, changed my life. I met so many fun and interesting horse people, and I get to do a lot of things that many people don't get to do–or don't want to do. Either way, on Wednesday, I ended up doing a whole bunch of strange things and I got pictures.

Are trucks supposed to hiss like that?

I got to the barn to discover that our truck was in the process of overheating and turning the engine into a large hunk of useless metal. Goody. So I opened the hood and left it like this to cool down.

Yikes. Time to trim.

Then, I discovered that Darcy's hoof has a big chip out of it, so I whipped out the trimming tools and spent an hour fixing all her hooves. This involves standing underneath the horse, literally, and filing her nails while she sleeps. (If you are a hoof trimmer, don't worry. I'm working on fixing the heel flares.)

Diva Darcy: "Where's my peppermint?"

Finally, I got the chance to ride my Darcy girl, which was the reason I'd come in the first place. I was exhausted after giving her the manicure, but I threw on her bareback pad and went to the outdoor arena. Even after a trim, she was like riding a Cadillac.

It's what's for dinner.

Here are a couple of Darcy's pasture "friends." She lives on a working cattle ranch. These cows go on to be dinner for many people, so I try not to form any attachments to them. Being a diva, Darcy believes that cattle are so very beneath her, so she doesn't have to worry about forming attachments to any of them.

I like the skulls and flames particularly.

So then I got back to the truck, and the barn hand and his friend watch me futilely fill the radiator while the water leaks out the bottom. I had a split hose. So the friend, whose name I never got because of a language barrier, offered to fix it AND gave me his car to drive to get the part I needed.

This very nice man fixed my truck, and I was able to drive home without destroying the vehicle, which made my husband very happy. I'm making browines for my rescuers as a thank you. Happiness is a warm brownie, right Nancy Kelley?

So in one day, I tried to destroy a truck, stood under a sleeping horse, rode the most beautiful creature in the world, stared down a steer, and drove a pimpy Mustang. I'll bet you've never done all that one day!