Friday, May 18, 2018

peaceful critters

Happy Friday, everybody! Idk about you, but I'm looking forward to this weekend. Unfortunately the constant rainy conditions of late meant postponing this weekend's planned starter trial.... Which is disappointing but also, ya know, kinda ok.

I'm feeling very zen about a cancellation that has nothing to do with my own horse's health and well being lol. Like, 'Oh the weather's bad? Sure, fine, no biggie! So long as my horse is ok!!'

these are the tiniest freakin mice i've ever seen - like the size of the tip of my thumb. still destructive little f*ers tho!
So we're kinda cruisin. Which is nice. I mean, that's basically the normal plan with Charlie anyway, but it's always nice to have it validated by an unexpectedly clear schedule.

Honestly tho the show's postponement did create a bit of a struggle summoning motivation to drive 45min to an hour to the barn in rush hour traffic for a ride in the rain. I've been really pushing myself lately to do it tho. To make it happen.

To make the time for this activity that is so important to me.

back to boat shoes for Sir. and, naturally, he immediately sprung a few nails bc #whynot
Not because I'm trying to hold my nose to the grindstone, my feet to the fire, or anything like that. No no.

Rather, it's other elements of my life that have me feeling like I really need to keep the horsey routine going as a matter of self care. Like my job that has suddenly picked up in workload (a positive thing, for the record). Or the realization that I'll probably be moving house for the first time in a decade sometime this summer.

These are all good things - but they each consume insane volumes of my train of thought at any given moment. Without necessarily being, uh, relaxing or rewarding in the short term.


The moving thing in particular is interesting, bc it has me questioning a lot about how I view and value my day to day life. Things like neighborhood. I've been looking all over the city (you saw a few of my "view" options earlier this week) and have been reflecting on what each would be like on a day to day basis.

Getting out to the barn a lot has been clarifying in that matter. I typically use the barn to feel happy about things. To get that feeling of calm that can sometimes be missing from other environments.

And lately it's come into clear focus why the barn helps there. Like how in the course of a single ride I can see foxes, deer, and ground hogs. Three different species of songbirds in a single square meter of fence line (for those curious: red winged blackbird, blue bird, and this gorgeous little black capped thing I think was a chickadee). The resident hawks having it out noisily with their neighboring crows. Plus all those trilling frogs in the pond that spook poor Charlie.

damn tho, maryland is looking tropical lately haha. also the horse ain't bad either ;)
It's just....  ya know, a pretty wonderful way to pass an hour. Or 20min. Or whatever length of time I can give to it.

So I make the time. And it's worth it. And I always feel better for having sat on the horse.

There's always more work to be done, more tasks to prioritize and check off the list. More preparations to be made for future events. Sometimes tho it's just reeeally nice to sit back and listen to some frog song while hacking through a rainy jungle. Bc why not, right?

20 comments:

  1. The Maryland Jungle is upon us again! It's weird, this tangle of lush green is starting to feel like home to me. ❤️

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    1. Aw I’m glad to hear that ;) it’s really not such a bad state, I kinda like it myself lol <3

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  2. Ahhh the green tropical trail and frog songs soothe my soul!! Nothing better than trail riding through all of that jungle-like foliage!

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    1. Soul soothing is exactly right - it’s the perfect antidote to a long week!!!

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  3. There is something about nature that brings perspective and peace to life. It’s why we moved to the country and out of suburbia although some day way off in the future when we don’t want to care for all this land anymore I’d love to move to a big city where I wouldn’t need a car and could walk or take transportation everywhere. Good luck with the future move this summer!

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    1. Thanks! And Definitely agreed ! I love city living and having everything within walking distance for sure. But I’m finding that I still need that greenery and birdsong. So the brutalist intensity of downtown urbania probably isn’t for me - but something more of a “garden district” might fit the bill perfectly!

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  4. That is definitely such a lush, beautiful trail. I think that need for nature is why I am so torn about leaving an unsuitable boarding barn--once my farm sells I know I will need a connection to that peace I always found in my barnyard just being outdoors, seeing the wildlife (we have a fox and two rabbits who have eluded him that I see almost every day) and soaking in the loud silence of nature. It is my reboot, really. I hope you find a great neighborhood that gives you a city space that feeds the soul. :)

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    1. oh man, that loud silence of nature is deafening and i LIVE for it! definitely agreed that it's my reboot and one of the major reasons why time spent at the barn is so so so refreshing. and also feel ya on how unsettling it can be to have that feeling threatened by less than ideal circumstances... hopefully your boarding situation works out! and yea i've actually already settled on my neighborhood - and am basically staying put in the area that's been great for me these past few years lol.

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  5. I feel you. It's same how I feel around my parents' place. We have a resident bird who has 3 babies and made a nest over one of our lights. She dive bombs us sometimes but of course she's protecting her babies. We have countless rabbits and chipmunks and hairlees-ish ground squirrels around our place, and the birds and all the peaceful sounds make it so nice out there. It's definitely why I eventually want my own place with a bit of land so I can plop the horses there, ride, and have my own peaceful area. So glad you're enjoying the trails, and good luck on the moving and other things that are happening!

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    1. aw i kinda love getting to know all the local fauna and various critters that share our space <3 it takes that familiar feeling of "home sweet home" to a whole new level!

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  6. I definitely miss the conveniences of city living (or as close as you can get to a city out here in the middle of nowhere, haha), but coming home every day to our little slice of nature helps me keep things in check. So glad you have such a peaceful place to escape to and a good trail buddy in Charlie! ☺️

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    1. thanks i'm so grateful that charlie seems reasonably happy to wander around in the woods and indulge me haha. bc yea it's definitely important to stay grounded!

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  7. Very nice place to ride! We have California quail, which are super cute, but also wild turkeys which are so not cute! And banana slugs, which a lot of people hate but I think they're kind of cool. No foxes, but we do have coyotes - they usually look like scrawny mangy dogs.

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    1. aw i kinda love coyotes!!! we don't have many in this area right now but i've heard they're coming back a bit. and agreed that quail are the freakin cutest! i don't see them often but i <3 them!

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  8. this rain has to stop sometime right?? like seriously? I can't believe they cancelled Fair Hill!

    It is actually not raining at this very second which may be a first time in a week. LOL

    I have so many birds in my yard I am actually going to miss them all when i move. The woodpeckers esp i have a ton of them.....but i do agree going out to the barn is very relaxing too except the damn carpenter bees are just as annoying in the rain :) Sorry about your trial being canceled too!

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    1. yea i saw pics of fair hill's course and it was definitely wet. they cancelled jenny camp bc of the rain too and i'm totally bummed :( this rain tho.... it's been a LOT.

      also i love the woodpeckers too!!! they're so fun to hear, tho i can almost never actually find them with my eyes. i'm sure TN has really awesome birds too tho, but hopefully fewer bees!

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  9. Oh man, moving is so stressful. I don’t envy you. However I’m agreed about the zen and enjoying it when you can for as long as you can. Sorry about the cancelled show. Seems like April showers were a bit postponed this year!

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    1. yea i mean, that's basically the best we can do, right? and yea the weather this year has already been a little crazy. honestly it's been mostly very very nice - but the moments of, er, "less" nice have been very inconvenient!

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  10. So green! And yikes moving after having been put for a long time is going to be a bit maddening.

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    1. oh man, so maddening. it honestly was not the choice i would have liked to make even tho it's the right choice. siiiiiigh.....

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