Midweek Meditation: Ricardo the Goose

Ricardo the Goose drinks water from a red bucket.

Braiding Builds Muscles

Hands down the best hairdo for sorting and working cows on a windy day!

Ladies, thanks so much for sharing your morning moments with me last week on this post. So lovely to see the similarities and the differences….

Anyone got any wild or wonderful braiding techniques? Do share!

What I did above:
1) part hair in center
2) french braid down each side, braiding as far down to the tips as possible; secure with hairband.
3) take one braided tail and curve it up from your neck along the inside of the french braid of the other side. Spiral around- this depends on length of braids.
4) tuck the ends under and pin down on your head.
5) do the same in reverse with the other braid.

Essentially, the braid tails from the french braids are crossed in an X at the neck and spiraled around in opposite directions.
Hope this is clear! I just kind of invented it while fiddling.

And it’s a good arm workout, doing this to your own head!

The Horses: No.1

Houdini IS horse No.1; Boss, king, head honcho ~ it pulses from his very being. This is the horse who, the first time I rode him, tried to decapitate me by running under the low end of a power pole guy-wire and, once I was off balance from leaning sideways to avoid the wire, started bucking wildly until I flew off. Then he peed on me.

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Houdini is in his late 20’s, very old for a horse but strong and capable and he had always been Mike’s working horse. Sunshine, Houdini’s younger brother, is an angel but not fit for working ~ he refuses to go anywhere unless he’s following another horse.

Last summer, Houdini went blind in one eye. He spooked too much to ride after that, so Mike got another horse, Kota. Kota was cheap because nobody wanted him; he was young, green, and castrated late so he looks and acts very much like a stallion. Around that time, I was given a young mare, Flicka, by a neighbor who could no longer keep her.

Ranger, Kota, and Flicka became a tight little horse gang while Sunshine and Houdini remained a clique of two. But horses have a hierarchy within their herds, whatever the size, and Houdini, though the toughest, was the oldest and the most disadvantaged and he was beat up, pushed to the edge, and starved out as Kota, Flicka, and Ranger kept him from the hay.

Within weeks, Houdini was skin and bones. He was despondent and often stood alone, away from the others. I took it upon myself to get him back.

I moved him over with Daisy and Sir Baby where he could get special treatment and plenty of food. Horses have a natural air of superiority over cattle and Houdini immediately began bossing around Sir Baby, and nipping at him to keep him away from his food; Sir Baby idolized him in return. This did wonders for Houdini’s ego and general morale, and he regained his status as King of the corrals and looks better than he has in years. He has learned how to work with his blindness and is as comfortable when I’m on his blind side as the other.

Over in the other pasture, Sunshine became the one to be ostracised by The Younger Three. So, I brought him over to join the corral bunch as well ~ he and Houdini have spent their lives together, and deserve to remain together. They have the bulls to boss around and the best living conditions. Ranger, Flicka, and Kota run in the other pasture….. more about them, later.