fire and wood ~ 1 of 2

After 6 months of Koda's recommended stalling (plus bute and no hand-walking) we decided to try a different vet clinic. One that offers treatments our long-time clinic does not offer. Especially when we were given the same recommendation all over again. 

I mentioned in my last horse related post that our vet is retiring. It is a big deal in our horse circle of friends. We tried whatever vet was available when Hope had her mysterious issues last Fall. We thought the on-call vet did a good job with Hope. Although everything was run past our long time vet. However, we are less impressed with how the vet handled our Spring wellness visit. Especially Koda's lameness recheck. The follow-up took weeks and made it evident this will not be our replacement vet. 

We were in agreement that the original stall recommendation was appropriate for Koda's injury. For his sanity, we hand walked/grazed him a little. He has improved and his care should reflect it. With no end in sight, we, especially Koda, needed some hope. Something in addition to stall rest. Koda has handled his looong incarceration surprisingly well. However, Spring fostered a new level of unhappiness for him. In human emotions, Koda seemed depressed, frustrated and angry. Fecal Water showed up. He was more edgy. His ocassional bursts of sassy FU increased. He was calling out more. 

Endless months of 24/7 in a 12' x 12' stall is not good quality of life for a horse. 

When Western Medicine is lacking, it is time to try Eastern. I do not think we are being unrealistic with Koda's diagnosis. We have to advocate for our animals. 

Koda has had two Acupuncture treatments to date. Brad and I are both very happy to have a plan that ease's Koda's stall sentence. Even if the plan doesn't work. At least we are trying s.o.m.e.t.h.i.n.g. We know acupuncture won't necessarily heal his injuries, but it should at least help with pain.

I find Koda's acupuncture appointments fascinating!!! We like the vet's approach and are learning a lot. My needle shy husband cringes, but does see the positive effects first hand. There are only a couple certified acupuncture/chiro vets in our area. We feel fortunate to have a good one that services our area. 

After initial discussion, Koda is offered Lavender or Peppermint as choices. He went back and forth but seemed to favor Lavender. The vet then applied it along key meridians, where Qi (Chi) energy flows. Before inserting needles.

After essential oil is applied, thin pink tipped needles of various lengths are inserted into key locations. The needles stay in around 15 minutes. Some worked their way out, most are removed. Koda handled everything well and didn't even flinch. 

Koda being treated for lameness & digestive health.

The vet said Koda is a bit of a mystery to figure out. Yes, he is. Always. When I got the vets follow-up report, it stated Koda had a Fire and Wood constitution. There are tons of layers to Chinese Medicine. I do not pretend to know much of anything about it, but I do find it very interesting!! 

Of course I had to look it up. In part, Google said this about Fire/Wood constitutions:

Fire Constitution (The Charmer)

Energy & Traits: Fire types are charismatic, expressive, and emotionally open. They thrive on connection, warmth, and joy. When balanced, they are enthusiastic and loving; when imbalanced, they may struggle with emotional volatility, anxiety, or insomnia.

Wood Constitution (The Pioneer)

Energy & Traits: Known as the visionary or pioneer, Wood types are goal-oriented, decisive, and natural leaders. They value growth and forward movement. When balanced, they are confident and inspiring; when out of balance, they can become easily frustrated, irritable, or stubborn.

I think Koda is much more like the Fire vs Wood based on description above.

Vet recommendations are: taking daily notes of what movement seems to help/hurt. Hand walking with a goal of increasing (on his own) pace. More grooming to help move Qi. A follow-up around 3 weeks.

May 20 (9 secs)

We instantly noticed a softening in Koda's demeanor and think his mobility has improved some. His pace has increased for sure. He is reaching out more, taking less choppy steps. Yes, Koda is still lame. His digestive system (gas/manure) improved a little. Maybe. 

May 27 (19 secs)

Koda just seems happier overall.

May 29

I have dabbled in other Eastern practices for decades. Over the years, I have been on the brink of having acupuncture done on myself. I never ended up doing it. My injuries were resolved with PT. I am almost there again, as I continue seeking help for arthritis. It has been fun seeing Brad learn and be open to more new things. 

Have you experienced acupuncture yourself, or with your animals?

** Coming soon is part 2 of this topic. Covering a second appointment, recommended herbs, another horse getting treated etc.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! If you are not a mom ~ you have one!!

4.28.26

Many of our beloved mothers are no longer here on earth, but never far from our hearts. I miss mine every.single.day. When my mind weighs heavy, I sit on my mom's inscribed memorial bench and talk to her in Spanish. Which is getting pretty spotty. No tengo nadie con quién hablar en español.

4.30.26

Winter birch lit trees flank my mom's bench seasonally. They go into storage and get swapped out for teal clay flower pots. The pots are out now, but I haven't planted them yet. I have the plants, but am waiting for temps to stop dipping into the 30'sF. Soon. Very soon.

smells so sweet

My grandkids were out last weekend. The youngest one carries on our family name, passed down for five generations.

Aurora

My mom get's a lot of visitors, of the winged kind. 

Robin visiting on Mother's Day
5.10.26

Hope everyone has a wonderful and special memorable day!

another year another horse fair ~ 2 of 2

There is one thing that Midwest Horse Fair does every single year, and that is make me/us think deeply about our lives with horses. Many times, it is the clinicians that foster rooted thinking.

heading in on the cold day (Sunday)

Every year fair clinics are offered in many disciplines. Mostly the beginning stages of training or riding. Some years we watch just for fun, or to fill in-between time with whatever catches our attention. With an older herd, most clinics are not applicable to our horses.

Now we have Hope. I looked for something close to where she is at in her training and found it with Ryan Rose. A local WI trainer. I've never paid much attention to him. Throughout the three fair days, he presented a colt starting series and also some reining clinics. We could not attend on Saturday and watched the beginning and the end of his colt training series. It would have been nice to follow the whole series, but they always spread them out.

~~~

The horse Ryan did the colt starting demo with name was Pickles. Not his horse. He talked about the mare being left-brained, and not liking being told what to do. He pointed out many of Pickles signals. Ryan is really good at reading horses!

In uncomfortable situations, I learned when horses rub their faces on their legs they are releasing a stress hormone. There is an area on the side of their nose that gives them an endorphin release.

Laying the Foundation
4.17.26 (11 secs)

4.17.26 (22 secs)

He talked about letting horses commit to their mistakes and rewarding the slightest try. He briefly did a "Find your Herd" game with Pickles. I was busy watching, but found it on YouTube. It is a long one.

not my video (8 mins)

I also found it interesting he works side pass along the outside of the round pen, where horses feel less boxed in.  


~~~

Sunday's Clinic was Accepting a Rider. This was new to us:

Turn Face and Follow
4.19.26 (6 secs)

Hope is three and knows much of what was shared, both days. She is pretty much at "accepting the rider" stage. I get asked a lot, no I will not be getting on her back first ~ or anytime soon. Watching these clinics reinforced Hope's training to date, and gave Brad a couple new ideas. We plan to watch more of what Ryan has to share together. Maybe even try the paid Patreon thing.

Both of us really enjoyed watching Ryan Rose's clinics! He has a mindful approach, puts the horse first and is easy to understand. No showboating and a funny guy! The humor he sprinkles in makes watching and learning entertaining. 

~~~

Right after watching the above clinic, we hustled over to another building to watch Ryan compete in a Working Equitation Cattle Sorting Trial competition. The presenter was Adrienne Dymesich, also from WI. She is new to me/us. We liked her and will be watching for more from her. Adrienne train's, breeds and has an active family ranch with clinics.

Ryan is wearing the black hat

We missed seeing the winning group sort, a Chilean Horse Team. The Rose group took second. 

 4.19.26

This closed out MWHF 2026 for us. We headed home tired, with sore feet and happy hearts.

finished book ~ unfinished thoughts

After taking an extended break from reading books, I finally finished reading Sacred Spaces (SS). It was an easy read, full of good self-help type of information. Cover-to-cover. Yes it is geared towards interacting with horses, but applicable to all of types of thoughtful interactions.

The last chapter "Connecting all the Pieces" is helpful to tie concepts presented throughout the book, and where to find the building blocks. Some are still hard (for me) to grasp. I have tried many times to attempt the pre-visualization thing. Our horses just look at me confused, like "what are you doing?" or more like "why are you doing that?". Apparently some type of thought is being shared. Perhaps my head is just too busy. Either way, it is an interesting way to interact.

General concepts covered in SS mirror much of what is being shared through my rekindled yoga practice. Key word practice.

What can I say, The Art of Pause is everything.

The Epilogue touched home. As I continually process love, loss and life in general. The list of suggestions are really (really) good ones to revisit over-and-over, and strive to live by. I am thankful to have this book to support my horse interactions and unfinished thoughts.

~~~

"Each being on this earth, and earth itself, is made up of energy...energy can neither be created or destroyed. It can only change form."

3.31.26

horse hugs

What is it about horse hugs that makes them so special? 

An animal as stoic and large as a horse, choosing to softly wrap their head around you. And stay.

Even when hay is fed mid-hug a couple feet away

Even when you unwrap your arms and take a step back. Thinking they must prefer to eat.

Even then, they choose not to move. So, you re-hug and they gently re-wrap their head. Around you. With the right amount of contact around your neck, and upper back.

Over and over.

I was living in the moment and not counting, but my guess would be we held hugs 4 or 5 times.

Not a step was taken. Until I let go one last time. Departing with a kiss, and "go eat your hay sweetie".

the exact moment I knew she was joining our family
(2010)

choosing to be with our son, at what used to be the family farm
(2010)

She chose to take good care of me when I was broken back in 2017.

Brad with his sweet girl Cierra
(2023)

She is still choosing to take good care of me, with apparently what I needed.

Heartfelt hugs.

reflecting on more chapters

I have been pondering how to implement concepts presented in Sacred Spaces (SS). When and with whom. Before I even began reading the book, I started tuning in. I knew the general concept from reading Linda's blog. 

Pausing before haltering. Cracking open stalls, and waiting to see if anyone wanted to interact with me. Observing. Sending thoughts. Waiting. Sometimes using words. Nothing felt different to me, but it felt good. 

Some responses I got from our horses were humorous. Specifically Nemo's. He is our most sensitive horse. I've had non-horse people tell me when Nemo looks at you it is like talking to a person. Yep, that is 100% Nemo. 

I smiled when he looked at me with his expressive eyes and "said" What are you doing? Not now. Can't you see I am eating. Not good timing on my part, but chore time is when I interact the most with our horses.

Koda on the other hand left his hay to interact with me. More than once. Jaw drop. My poor boy is starved for anything in addition to his 3X a day stall service/jail release. Koda plays his Get Out of Jail Card whenever he can. Most days he has become lovey-dovey with everyone. Other days he oozes like a time bomb looking for something to set him off. For the most part, Koda is doing well while healing. Better than we thought he would. 3 long months into a year sentence, we are hopeful for his recovery.

Hope and Cierra are almost always game for human interaction. Most days, Harmony could care less. When she does choose to interact, it is sweet.

What is very different with SS are the focus steps. Broken down questions/exercises to help achieve focused imagery. Key word focused. Hard for a busy mind.

After reading a few more chapters, I tried simple imagery with Ms. Hope. From inside the house. In my mind it went something like: walking down to the gate, haltering (without shenanigans) and walking back into the barn. Tucking Hope into her stall and ending with some love pats. Well, it didn't happen as planned. Brad ended up with Hope. Not his fault. I could have declared I was getting Hope. This wasn't really a fair experiment anyways. Hope typically does all the things I imagined well with me. A better test would be imaging walking into her stall to scoop a freshly gifted pile, without ear pinning dislike. However, I am not there yet and neither is Hope.

I will continue loosely trying concepts learned from Chapter 4 "Imagine that..." and Chapter 5 "Clear the Air (waves) Intentions and Pre-Cues" in some way or another. I can't go all in right now, my mind and heart are elsewhere. Focus and attention have unexpectedly shifted.

The great thing about SS is how the information and exercises are organized. The author makes it very easy to revisit concepts and find sectioned advice for help/practice.

We are on the brink of warming up to high temp's around freezing. This past weekend, 22F and sunny felt like a Spring day. If only Mother Nature would turn down the fan.

Our horses just went back on full day turn out. Perhaps now I can work up to getting back in the saddle. Pent up horses is not a good place to start. That would give me additional chances to work with SS mindfulness. Meanwhile, I will read the second half of the book.

I will close with saying both SS Chapter 4 & 5 were very interesting. I mean, who doesn't want to play Make Believe ~ where there are no rules, just imagination.

Tank balancing Cierra on his nose
1.31.26

chapter three take-away

For some odd reason I am already stuck on Sacred Spaces. Perhaps better said IN Sacred Spaces. Chapter 3 to be specific. It is titled "The Thought-Full and Emotional Human". Ummm, yep that is me.

I know in part the reason I am stuck is because I am an over-thinker. Wondering if I missed something. For now, I am refraining from re-reading chapter three.

What the author calls Productive Contemplation (PC) is what I call Visualization mixed with Meditation. 

My whole head is full of visualization. I think in pictures. Not by choice, it is how I am wired. I am very visual and frequently work on:

• Keeping my minds thoughts/pictures positive

• Focusing on one thing at a time, or at least quieting the others

Out of respect for the author, I don't want to give away too much of the book. I am sure she would prefer you read it :) However, there are some horse loading/unloading PC examples given that are ruminating in my head. Especially because the stories/examples in the book are real. 

Condensed version: A women has a horse dropped off to haul and was told it doesn't load. Over night, she imagines the unknown horse loading/unloading. In the morning, it does without issue. 

Another women has always needed help loading/unloading her horse. Driving home from the clinic, she imagines her horse loading/unloading. She unloads it by herself without issue. 

Hmmm. 

Brad and I were discussing how this is possible, when the handlers are not even in the same space as the horse. Telepathic sounds a bit woo-woo to me. It does make sense that PC changes a persons perception, and therefore shifts approach. The horse is the receptor. My take-away is the change resides in the person, and therefore the horse is approached/asked differently.

The power of positive thinking is real.

our winter herd were not part of book discussion

(Hope, Harmony, Cierra and Nemo)
1.17.2026

There are other related factors presented in Chapter 3, but I will close with the books clear message: 

Behavior <> Emotions <> Thoughts <> Emotions <> Behavior.

creating mindful space

This Winter. This year. This life. Has got me thinking. More than usual, which is already a lot.

I finally finished reading a book a friend chose for me. It was a book from her old reading group that she thought I would like. It was witchy. Maybe she was trying to tell me something LOL! She wasn't, the recommendation was spurred for a different reason.

The Witch's Daughter flops around different centuries (1600-2007) with a lot of death and fantasy weirdness. Reading it started out slooow, with pages full of tiny type. About a third of the way through the book, I was all in. I just found out this book is part of a series. I may or may not read more of them. I am familiar with the main witches ('er characters) and reading it involves imagination.

Meanwhile, among a few other TBR books there was one that jumped the line. Waiting to be cracked open. Suspenseful. I try not to start one book before I finish another. You can guess which book jumped the line, Sacred Spaces. Mentioned previously here and stemming from the Beautiful Mustang blog. 

I promptly read the Preface, Intro and Chapter One with interest. It closes with packing these three things for the book journey:

"A Desire to Learn.

An Open Mind.

A Loving Heart."

I already have those packed! Although some might beg to differ. My intention is to read this book slowly. To pause. Not for lack of interest, but to make space. Something that will be difficult for me. My files are always full and over-flowing. Letting go is hard. At least for me. 

I started reading Chapter Two in the evening, aaand said "this is way to technical right now". Perhaps it was the distracting drone of the wha-wha-wha TV noise. Suffice it to say, my night time reading is better kept light.

The next morning, I re-read the pages between sips of coffee. Finished Chapter two...and whoa!! Where is the mind blown emoji when I need it?! Oh, here it is 🤯 found on my laptop scrolly. Needless to say, I will be re-reading "Getting on the Same Wavelength(s)" more than once! Being on the same wavelength is not only necessary, it is interesting.

I give the author a lot of credit for acknowledging that not everyone is into science/techy/brain stuff. She suggests those readers skim, and skip ahead. I already noticed, questions are posed for the reader to decide. Meanwhile, theories and information shared is backed up by studies/science. 

Which leads me to a segua into my past and why this brainy-mind stuff is so exciting for me. One of my favorite college memories was sitting in a Psychology lecture about the brain. Why people do what they do. I recall thinking "that is me" and "oh no, that is also me"...and that is why so and so does XYZ. It was then that I fell in love with Psychology.

I took two elective Psychology courses in college, and did very well under an amazing tough love instructor. I looked into switching my major (Applied Arts) so I could marry the things I loved. I wanted to help others through Art Therapy. Specifically children. However, it required a separate Art Therapy Masters. A field that was new-ish back in the day and not offered in the big-little city. As a single mother, it would have been difficult at best to travel to classes and achieve all the extra schooling. What really swayed me, was finding out that an Art Therapist might spend one hour a day actually working with kids/art. The rest is spent managing/paperwork. No thanks. I didn't need more managing roles in my life, or paperwork.

Back to the present. Where shifting mindset will be close to impossible for me. It requires me to:

"Hone my Senses.

Pay Attention to Messages from my Senses.

Gain Control over Thoughts and Emotions (aka Energy Signature)".

Easier typed than done. Reframing my awareness will no doubt be trial and a lot of error. A worthwhile time (and mind) investment. I have already started my accompanying reflection journal, and have the remaining chapters in Sacred Spaces to guide me. One by one. 

Nemo & Cierra and Jameson
1.14.26

  

land of wonders ~ september 1/2

September brings all the feels. Joy for glimmers of Fall and memories relived. The good, the sad and yes even the ugly. Of course, focus is honed in on good memories! It doesn't stop the other feelings from wafting in, then quickly releasing kicking out.

With that in mind, it was interesting to come across a heart shape. It mirrored my heightened processing on a key annual date/s. I had not come across a heart in nature for a long time. 

There will always be a hole in my heart.
9.5.25

Early September, unique woodland wonders slow down. It is no longer Summer but it is also not Fall. When the woods offer the same ol' views step after step, my focus turns to home garden delights.

first sign of Fall Crocus
9.6.25

It has been a banner year for the few Dahlia tubers I overwinter. They are loving our weather this year and gone blooming crazy! The flowers are huge and plentiful this year.

one plant tuber (4-6 yrs old?) 

close-up

I recently mentioned growing lavender. Below is a small harvest that made a cute little upside down drying bouquet. It doesn't take much. I have lavender bouquets hanging inside multiple spots. Mostly in front of mirrors. Have I ever told you I adore mirrors? Well, I do. I know, it sounds narcissistic. Totally not why. In fact, I dislike seeing my old self in mirrors. It is all about light reflections, different perspectives and the energy mirrors offer!

Anywho, I am saving my dried lavender bouquets for a future wreath and/or sachet. I cannot believe how long lavender holds scent!

9.6.25

Of course land walks continue, regardless of conditions. You never know when some oddity will show itself. I almost accidentally squashed the guy below, while heading down to the woods. He looks like something right out of a tropical jungle! 

9.9.25

Google ID'ed the odd looking fellow as a Douglas-fir Tussock moth ~or~ White-marked Tussock moth. Whatever it is, it was on a mission to get to the tree line.

After watching it morph for many weeks over the Summer, I was so delighted to see bright orange coral make a brief reappearance. However, it grew much smaller and was gone overnight.

9.13.25

Our potted barn blooms are so lush this year! Underneath a giant mound of Impatiens are two pots and four planted boots. Much larger than the photo depicts. They almost touch the bottom of the barn window. Amazing what a few four packs of tiny plants can turn into.

Our barn columns are flanked with hanging baskets. I fill them with traditional purple Wave petunias started indoors from seed, and one added contrast scented plant. The big bushy plant underneath is one potted Salvia, for my Hummer friends. They get huge!

When one walks in pines the view is commonly green branches and brown trunks. It doesn't matter what month the calendar says it is, there is always color!

We do have some hardwoods growing among our pines. Most struggle for light. Imagine my surprise to see bright red so early. One bendy branch had turned completely red. Only one branch. The rest of the tree's leaves are still green.

Red Maple
9.13.25

I couldn't quite catch the brilliance with my phone that I was seeing. I decided to let the mosquitos attack what wasn't covered and ducked behind the branch. Sorry hands. 

It was behind the tree branch that I saw brighter light...

love shines bright
9.13.25

epic garden delight

I thought my Butterfly Garden was a failure this year. Nature proved me wrong. Tall flowering plants took turns blooming throughout the Summer. Various winged wonders fluttered about occasionally, enjoying the grass flanked blooms. At times the wings chose grass over flowers. Not a surprise. Grass offers various needs. 

From a distance, I noticed what I thought were a cluster of larger butterflies. I wanted to take a closer look. Alas, I had two velcro Labradors with me. Sigh. It rarely works out to approach wild things with the two hooligans. The dogs always scare them away. Especially winged wonders!

About an hour later I returned. With my camera and without dogs. Much to my surprise, the flutterby's were still enjoying the garden! Now I only had one pesky loveable animal to thwart my efforts.

classic Leo wrap around

The cat who shall not be ignored got some needy attention. It is never enough and I had to ask him to pluueze leave me alone! I wanted to focus on this:

Monarchs and friends

trio of Monarchs

Leo obliged, but did not go far

Just like potato chips, I had a hard time choosing just one Monarch photo.

see four

and five

The many Monarchs and friends were very entertaining!

fluers and a fuzzy bee

I would have stayed longer, but was getting eaten alive by the latest crop of blood suckers. Leo and I headed back to the house/barn for cover. 

If I did have to chose one photo from this series, this would be it:

8.26.25

A fun reminder our Butterfly Garden does not need to be manicured to be an epic delight. 

swing towards spring

Most of yesterday was spent inside a snow globe.

the only thing moving was the snow

3.8.25 (11 secs)

Today is completely different, a swing towards spring.

Jameson turned 12 earlier this week. He instantly drops and rolls outside. Tank is not a roller. He is all about sticks. Big sticks. Slivers of sticks. Medium sticks. He never chews them. Tanks world is all about play, all of the time! Every season. No swing here.

I wonder if Bluebirds will use either of our two nesting boxes this season?

I removed the wads of aluminum blocking the entrances.

Our horses are loving the warming pre-spring sun.

The above South West corner is alway our last to swing towards Spring.

It is okay. 

I am not eager for tick and mosquito swatting season, paired with sweating season. My least favorite time of year. In fact, I love the changing of cooler seasons. The inbetween swings, and sayings. Like this one:

Wishing you all Blue Skies and Sunny Days.

the pause

Sometimes there are things you have to do that you would rather not do.

All the what-ifs create angst.

As I headed down our driveway yesterday, I paused. 

There is a lot to be said for pausing. It creates space for beautiful moments. 

I wished for more time, to linger in that space.

2/28/25

Looking through my truck window, I knew I didn't need it. 

I paused just long enough for Hope (and Brad) and my angst simply melted away.

day of love

A snowflakes shape evolves as it falls through the atmosphere.

Each one encounters slightly different temperature and humidity conditions.

Making it virtually impossible for two snowflakes to have the same exact structure.

Essentially, each snowflake has it's own "life story" based on it's journey through the air.

(borrowed & edited)

1.22.25
shared w/o computer wizardry
 (click for detail)

Just like each of you, a single snowflake is unique.

Enjoy your day filled with all kinds of love!

that kinda day

You know that rare glorious day that offers a much needed break from looong stretches of cold, followed by colder than frigid snowless weather?

The one beautiful day that also follows a warmer than usual forecast. Where just like the little train, you think you can finally walk the dogs without their back legs freezing up. Key word think.


Ohhh we still walk/ed through all of our January weather (except for the coldest two days) but lets just say walks get edited. More days pass and you still cannot take an enjoyable walk in the woods. The wind is blowing SO damn hard, that you can see it?? It is/was maddening!!

Well, this morning was that kinda day!!! A day where I feel deep gratitude for every (otherwise) ordinary thing my eyes see and that I do. Like hanging jeans outside for the first time this year.

It is after all, the little things in life.

bundled up at the start of walking & dreaming

1/29/25

For the past three years, I have planted some bare root Trillium each year. Hopefully they will eventually take enough to naturalize themselves along what I call our Enchanted Forest path. It runs along the bottom of our property. I might see my first bloom this year?!! Regardless, I plan to continue adding trillium in the Spring.

each flag represents either a white or red trillium

three different patches

our landscape is so brown right now

pop of color catches my eye

how on earth did the oaks hang onto their leaves?

Tank & Jameson

mother natures way of trimming trees

these unique (to me) cheery blooms are also still hanging around

that kinda day

In the further pasture: Cierra is at feeder & Nemo is soaking up the sun (see corner)

The three hungry Sallies are tick, tack, toe in a row at the feeder (Koda, Hope and Harmony)