Trailing to The Mountain

I jumped out of my truck (after my little inter-state jaunt),
tended my garden,
then swung into the saddle to trail cows
up to their gorgeous mountain summer pasture.

This is midway.
The land below seems so far away.

And on the mountain, there’s nothing
but
the mountain.

It’s heavenly.

Trippinggggggg.

I went on a trip.

I hadn’t left Wyoming in four years.

I was apprehensive, wondering how I’d handle the hustle & bustle.

For these are my roads now:

These are my stoplights:

This is the only time I sit for any extended period:

And this is what I see:

Can you see it?

If I can spot this awesome little guy ~ less than 3 inches long and in full camo ~ from atop my moving horse, what would the bright signs and frenetic movement of the city do to my brain???

More later.

Right now I’m soaking up my kind of roads, my kind of stoplights, my Farmily, and all that is hidden.

Proficient Motorcycling

I just watched a guy pull a majorly dumb maneuver on his motorcycle. One that probably would have ruined his day, his bike, and his bod if he’d been unlucky enough to pull it in front of someone less motorcycley-inclined as I. I always watch out for riders, natch.

But this guy would have caused a major crash, all in the name of looking “cool” or “bad to the bone,” if the oncoming driver had been distracted, slow with reflexes, or speeding. (All of which are very common among drivers.) Dummy could’ve lost his life.

And so I feel compelled to share THE BEST book on riding in existence: Proficient Motorcycling. I read this cover-to-cover before my cross-country departure and I suggest anyone who rides do the same, and do it annually.

If you know someone who rides and you love them, give them this book. It’s straight up, no frills, easy to read. It’s graphic when it needs to be and empowering, too. It’s an education on technique, safety, and how not to be stupid (unintentionally or otherwise).

Seriously, guys like the one I encountered give riders a bad name. And after riding 6,000 miles on a 150cc scooter I can honestly say you can put safety first and have incredible amounts of fun and be truly “bad to the bone” all at the same time.

Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
.

I Like Lichen

A few glimpses of the patio I built!

Is Daisy Pregnant?

No. Last week, I woke up from a very vivid dream about Daisy cycling ~ everyone was mounting her ~ even Ranger (my horse) jumped the fence to get to her and mount her. GAH!

That day, Daisy and another steer were inseparable. (A steer is a castrated male. He cannot get her bred but he will try.) He stood by her side even while she was napping. She stood for him midmorning which meant she was not pregnant from our first attempt and had to be AI’ed that evening for it to take.

However, The Caterpillar was out of the country. In Ireland. And the other woman in his office who does AI was off that day. So it didn’t happen. None of this really bothers me ~ I’m holding the faith that delaying her pregnancy is part of some grand design to avoid her calving during a horrible Spring storm.

Now I am armed with a pattern (and this is precisely why I should have been tracking Daisy’s cycles for the past five months) and can predict her next cycle. The vet will be back in town. It’s on the books. We’ll see what happens!