"A Pony for your thoughts?"

I've been off line for a few days my friends, although I have managed to read all y'alls blogs everynight before going to bed! I'm still looking for a temporary job~ or something I like to do a lot- which led me to a local Regional Park- Tilden in the hills of Berzerkley. Yes, you read that right, I added a Z in there- because the town is full of certified nut jobs. (Of course if you live there, that doesn't mean YOU!) I wanted to find out if they had ever gotten a vendor for the pony ride. They had not. When you look at the pictures you'll see that the place is in disrepair, but not so bad that you couldn't fix it up easily. And that got me thinking about bringing the ponies back to the Park. So I have spent the last few days doing the research- crunching the numbers and so forth.
What I have found out is that I could start out small (no pun intended) and work into more ponies as the buisness made money.
But then I got to thinking further. .. I like my hobby. I've never wanted to make it anything more than that.(Not counting the few years when I was twelve and thought that being a jockey would be cool.)
If I decided to run the pony rides, I wouldn't have the time for my very own loveable boy- Desi. That would mean no horse shows! Gulp! I'm not setting the world on fire- but I do have a long term goal- to qualify for the Select Show. Next year will be my first attempt at qualifying.
Sooooo to make a long story short- I have decided not to bring the ponies back to Tilden. At least not yet. I'm going to continue to enjoy my very own personal pony ride. The job can wait.

Wild Horses

No, I don't actually have wild horses- WILD HORSES is the title of a book written by Jenny Oldfield. It is a part of The Horses of Half Moon Ranch series for middle grade readers.
The cover, unlike most other horse books is intriguing, and so I was drawn into the story of Kirstie Scott- a teen aged girl living in the mountains of Colorado.Her family owns and operated Half Moon Ranch- a Vacation Center. (I guess calling it a Dude Ranch is not PC). While leading a horse trek through their ridge a sudden storm causes a landslide. She ends up trapped alone in a canyon with a herd of wild horses whose leader- a beautiful stallion - has been injured by the falling rock. Cold, wet and alone, Kirstie must find a way out and find a way to help the stallion. As it turns out he is her salvation as well.

Kirstie is a feisty character, who won't take 'no' for an answer. She has a side kick- Lisa- who is sometimes the voice of reason. Together they make a dynamic duo.
The line drawings throughout the book are fresh and original, without being too sentimental.

I think that the author Jenny Oldfield 'gets' the horse thing- her descriptions of the horses and the terrain is beautifully written and spot on. Her English heritage comes through sometimes when she calls a halter a head collar, but other than that the story moves along quickly and has a satisfying resolution. If you have a horse crazy kid- aged 10-13 I think they would find this an enjoyable read.
WILD HORSES is printed by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. To order a copy for a child in your life you can e-mail Carrie Gellin at carrie.gellin@sourcebooks.com . At $5.99 they would make a great gift.

Cow girl day

Everyone wants ot be a Cowgirl for a day- even Pleasure Horse riders. So we went to visit D in the heart of California. Her ranch is great, the arena is spectacular to ride in, and when you're done riding she has a pool and spa too! Whew! It was a rough weekend for sure. Mischca,a Leagers Sandman bred gelding, had never seen a calf before, but he liked it like a fat kid likes cake. He wanted MORE! Linda had to really hold him back so he wouldn't run the darn things down. She had never rated a calf before, but she did a great job, and even managed to circle one up! Good Job Linda!
Desi is a Cow bred gelding out of a son of Peppy San Badger. He followed the calf, stopped and started when it did, but he never really locked on. We did it two days in row and he was as good as gold, following and all, but I guess I made the right decision to pull him out of reining and cowhorse training and start him in Trail classes. Those he likes! Any way it was fun to do something different this weekend, it keeps ole' Desi on his toes- letting him know that just because we get into the trailer we won't necessarily get out at a horse show.
Thanks to Dolittle Acres Ranch and the Big D!

Ahh, better now!

Thanks to some of you who posted! I'm over my "freak out"! Silly isn't it when you look at the scope of the world and all. What's a little measly ol' job? I was thinking about quitting anyway!
So, now it's to the task of getting a new job- erk! I haattteee the process! I've written a new resume and have a line on a few things including being an official at the local race track. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but I have all of the qualifications: I know horses, some spanish, I can look professional, I'm over 21, can pass a drug test and have no problem being in inclement weather. Whew! If any one knows what an Official at the track does, please clue me in, I havent actually sent the resume out yet!
Or I can go back to my old job- the one I had for seventeen years. They'd take me back I'm pretty sure. So things aren't so bleak after all. And in the meantime I'll finish the middle grade novel I'm working on and enjoy the pony, the grandson and my husband, in that order I might add!
Thanks gang! See I really AM better!

Damn! Now What!

I am going to spill a few things here now- things I haven't told my other friends yet. It's been a hell of a few months- my boss was in a bad car wreck and broke his back. Then his house caught fire and then our shop flooded. Yep! All this and more. I have kept his shop together, mopped up the flood waters and held his and his families hands. I've BEEN there! And today he let me go. Yep. Just like that- no more job for the Gun Goddess. I should have expected it I suppose, but does one ever suspect being thrown into the fire? I know he's not doing it from anger or anything, but the economy is bad, and he is hurting in more ways than I can imagine, and I am expensive to keep. So BYE BYE to me.

Don't tell me the God/ window thing, or that everything happens for a reason. I know all of that. I keep thinking that this is my opportunity to write full time. But the real self, the one that feeds the pony everyday, is going " HOLY SHIT! NOW WHAT!"

The Greatest Hubby in the World says not to worry, he'll help out. (((yikes))) he dosen't even know how much the horses cost! He's never had to know- I've always had a good job!
I'm a litttle freaked out! I'm a little bit anxious! It feels kind of like having a tooth pulled out with no novicain!
Thanks for listening dear friends. I'll be ok now. ... Really.....I will.

WE went to the Ocean today!

One of the best things about being a California Cowgirl is the California Beaches. Of course any body living North of San Francisco dosen't call it going to the beach, but going to the Coast. Why? Because there is very little sand and sun at the Northern End of the State- the terrain is rugged, windy and wild! Just like me!
It was the Queen Mum's birthday today (thats my mom) and she loves to go to Bodega Bay. For you that may not know- that is where Hitchcock filmed The Birds WAAAAAAYYYY back in the fifties. Of course it is much different now, but there are lots of birds still there- seagulls mostly.
The day was 80 degrees and not too windy- perfect for a country drive. Lunch at The Tides was wonderful. A nice way to end the busy weekend I've had.
I hope you all spent time with your loved ones too!