Sister A............Missing in Action..........

Part 1

It had been a while since I'd seen anything of Sister A at Frontier Park. In fact it's been so long I was beginning to worry something had happened to her. Having seen the woman day in and day out for months, this abrupt end to her presence seemed odd to me.

The woman's intrusions on my training sessions probably should have been irritating to me. Her lack of knowledge about horses but desire to be up close and personal with them certainly carried some element of risk. I was always worried she was going to get stepped on or even knocked down because of her loud presentation and large movements around horses she didn't understand.

Instead I had saw Sister A's visits as a needed break in my routine. Working alone has never been my favorite thing to do and there's always that safety issue when working horses by oneself. At least with Sister A around I knew there was someone to call for help if I got into trouble.

There was always the comedy factor whenever Sister A happened upon us. Her visits were always worthy of a laugh or two. I just never knew for sure what she would say or when she would pop up, let alone what she'd do around the horses.

There was a wide eyed innocence about Sister A's love of horses that I've not seen in a while and I'd never seen on an adult. Her belief that horses are God's gift somehow allayed any fears. She approached the horses with the same exuberance she approached her ministry with little, if any regard, for consequences. Sister A was on a mission in more than one way.

There were those horse people riding at the park who thought that Sister A was crazy. I'd seen that "screwy" hand signal on more than one occasion as a rider rolled her horse back into the opposite direction just to avoid contact with the woman.

There were also others who looked forward to Sister A's visits just as I did. Bright smiles and warm greetings came from riders who normally looked like grumpy bears to me. Sadness fled from worn tired faces at the sound of her voice. It was clear Sister A's work had some positive results.

I hadn't seen the woman anywhere around since just before I brought the homeless people home. Once they were gone and I'd realized how long they'd stayed I really began to worry about Sister A's absence from the park.

I found myself adjusting my schedule to be sure that I was riding during those times that Sister A normally runs. I'd hoped it was just a conflict in schedules causing us not to connect. Then I thought about asking some of the other park regulars if any had seen her.

One day before I'd gotten that done, I spied Sister A running down the side of the road. I was just coming back from my second interview at Fred Meyer and there was no way I could get home, load up horses and be back before she was gone so I turned into the park and waited for her.

To be continued....................



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The Face of Homeless.............a Departure.............

Part 1

We knew when our guests moved into our back yard that their stay here was to be limited. Still life got in the way and the time frames originally set in place were pushed beyond our original expectations. At no point did we consider that to be an inconvenience for us, although it probably wasn't how our guests wished things had gone except for one little blip that was a good thing.

The teenage girl staying here was accepted into a summer camp put on by the Y. I'm hoping that for the entire week that she was gone, she was able to put this current life situation behind her and actually do the things that kids should be doing in the summer time. That would be having fun with friends and being a kid. I know she certainly needed that break from life's rocky road.

The opportunity to go to camp had come up unexpectedly. It pushed a departure date from here to southern California back by a few days but it was certainly worth it for her to get the opportunity to have such an awesome experience. I never did get a chance to speak to her about her trip but her mom said she had a great time.

After her return, something else pushed the departure plans a bit although I hardly remember what it was. Dave nor I ever worried about this extended visit. I guess we never saw our guests as an inconvenience. I felt bad for them that life's bumps were still interfering with their plans but that didn't change the fact they were welcome here as long as need be.

It was actually during the Daffodil All Arabian Horse Summer Show that the first departure from our farm happened. I expected when I arrived home from move in day to find mother and daughter gone so we had some brief goodbyes as I was preparing for the horse show.

When I arrived home that evening, their car was here with the hood up and dad was gone. I don't even recall the mechanical specifics of the issues but dad was still working on those last minute issues with the car and that was all that really mattered. The trip was postponed but only a matter of hours.

The good part of the postponement was we got a chance for a more "proper" goodbye. That part was good but I could see the frustration taking it's toll and I was saddened by it. As much as I worried about what the future might hold, I understood their need to try to take some control of their lives. Moving back to familiar country would help them do that, I really hoped they'd have a safe journey and deeply wished there was more we could do to make things better.

By the time I got home from the horse show the second day, mother and daughter were indeed gone. I thought about them a lot during my horse show wondering how the trip was going and if they were safe. I even had a few flashbacks of my own trip down that road to California to met up with Jesse Saldana for my trip to Tulsa. I sure hoped they had a better experience than I did. I wouldn't wish that trip on anyone.

Over the next few days we got updates on their progress. They stopped for a few days to visit with an old friend before continuing the rest of the way down towards San Diego. I was relieved to hear they'd arrived safely and I know a little about how things are going.

Dad is still here living in our yard although he is worried about putting us out. We keep telling him he is welcome as long as need be. I believe he's hoping to join mother and daughter at the beginning of next month.

The teenage girl was able to begin her journey into high school on the first day of school as they had hoped. They have a roof over their heads but I believe it is a temporary situation. They are still looking for something more suitable. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that happens.......and it happens soon. There's nothing we'd like better than to know that things have really turned around for this family.


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The Face of Homeless..........a Little Collateral Benefit......

Part 1

I'd mentioned my first real concerns about what I might do with strange people living in my backyard had more to do with being embarrassed I might get caught fighting with Dave than anything having to do with our guests. Those thoughts were not just fleeting for me. I had real concerns about looking like a shrew because sometimes that's exactly how I feel.

Dave has never been particularly motivated about anything except his job. Being out of work for nearly two years now has taken its tole on his self esteem and his motivation. Having a normal conversation with the man to get my point across sometimes just isn't easy. With all the things there are to do around here, I've resorted to being that shrew more times than I care to count. It is not something I am proud of, it's also not something I have figured out how to avoid.

I talked to Dave about my concerns and he just laughed. He told me he would be on his best behavior so I didn't need to worry. Having heard promises about "his best behavior' before, I was worried. It turns out that I was not the only one that was worried about such issues.

I can imagine how stressful it must be to be homeless. I also know that stress is probably the number one reason that Dave and I fight. I hadn't even thought that our guests might be as concerned about fighting around us as we were about them. Yet that was exactly the case.

I think it was only the second day that this family was here that I confessed my concerns to J. The woman almost instantly laughed. Then she confessed she had the same concerns and those concerns had been the first thing she thought of when I first extended my invitation.

We both laughed maybe at ourselves and maybe at our personal situations. No one really likes to admit that there are things about their relationships that are not good, let alone to strangers.

We made a pact then and there on that spot. I would turn a blind ear to her fights with T and she would turn a blind ear to mine with Dave. I think we both giggled like a couple of school girls. We were both relieved not to have to worry about this anymore. At least it was out in the open and we knew we were on the same page. There was a high five thrown in at the end to cement our pact.

I think just talking about the situation relieved some of the stress for me. Dave did manage his best behavior for a while a least and maybe I figured out how to be a little more tolerant. Either way we've managed not to fight "much" with people living in our back yard and Dave actually managed to get a couple of things done that I've been begging for months. I doubt this new trend will carry through for long, however, winter is fast approaching and the list of things to wrap up is growing as we speak.

To be continued...................

The Face of Homeless......A Departure.....

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The Mule Skinner........but HOW Personal..........

Part 1

Legs is a good boy...........but he is a stallion, a stallion with a pretty darn strong libido. Breeding is his favorite activity. While his manners are pretty darn good, I couldn't risk him getting up close and personal with this molly.

I moved my hand up to block Legs from reaching back towards the mule. The look in his eye had changed ever so slightly and he was considering there might just be new possibilities in the day's activities. When the horse saw me hand, Legs immediately knew he'd been wrong about that thought. The stallion instantly backed away from the approaching molly.

The mule didn't like my hand coming up that close to her face. Her eye changed to from that look of "Hey! Baby, Baby!" as my friend, Bev, would say to one of "I'm getting the h*ll outta here!" The mule whirled around again and fled.

The mule skinner was still walking slowly in our direction. His body language didn't say anything about trying to control the mule's movements or line of travel. Still just his presence there turned this mule one more time. Then she stopped and looked at Legs and me for just a bit.

I could see her vacillating between coming to Legs again and fleeing to preserve her freedom. I think she knew if she approached Legs again her freedom would probably be lost. As the mule skinner finally got somewhere close, the mule whirled around again and raced off down the hill.

I heard the mule skinner say, "That's it............be a good girl.........go jump in your trailer......" I can't even tell you how disgusted I was at his naivete. This mule had nearly ended up on the killingest highway in the state and he was talking baby talk and expecting a response.

I'd seen this kind of mannerisms once before and I can tell you that person had no control over his horses. I suspected I was looking at the very same situation with this man. As I watched the mule run past her stock trailer on down into the back recesses of the park, all I could think was at least there wasn't a way out back there.

The mule skinner turned to follow her mumbling something about the latch on the gate at the far end of the small arena being broken. Before he went down the hill after the molly, he talked to some men now by the maintenance shop asking them if they worked there. Then he told them about his mules getting loose because of that gate before he went on down to catch the jenny.

As the mule skinner departed he waved his hand in the air my direction saying "oh ya.............thanks for your time........"

I remember thinking, "TIME, you're thanking me for my time....... fella, I just saved you ass...................." It looked to me like he had no idea what he'd been saved from. I felt sorry for those mules.

The mule skinner followed that jenny down into the back part of the park. By now there was no sight of her from my position. I went back to the arena to finish schooling my horse. I could see the other mule was now tied to the stock trailer. Before I got done schooling Legs the mule skinner was back in the small arena trying to drive mules and having them get loose and the maintenance guys were working on the gate.

This was an adventure I was glad to see over. I'm really glad that no one got hurt and I'm really proud of my horse. Legs did absolutely everything I asked of him and probably more. We were a great team and I still can't believe I asked him to herd mules..........of all things. I'm really glad neither of them brayed at him. Can you imagine what might have happened then.................

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The Mule Skinner.............Up Close and Personal.....

Part 1


The mule's ears darted back and forth between Legs and me as I ever so carefully reached my hand towards the loop on that halter. It was clear it didn't really know what to think. Who was the bigger threat.........or maybe who was more interesting........who knows for sure.

My mind raced with what I would do "if." What if I grabbed that loop and the mule tried to race off before I got the rein snapped to it? What if I did catch the mule and it just stood there? Would I try and lead it back to its trailer or would I stand there waiting for some kind of help? What if.................

As I got within a literal inch of the lope, the mule answered my many questions. It wheeled around and took off kicking out with both hind feet. I guess that attitude makes sense if you're an equine bent on having things your way. For me it just meant this wasn't over and what was coming next.

Well, as it went, the mule skinner was next on the agenda. As the mule raced away from me, the man materialized at the brink of the hill. The mule put on her brakes (Yes, by now I could tell I was dealing with a jenny) and turned back my direction.

I've never been one to get on a horse quickly or gracefully for that matter. Jumping on my horse to herd this mule was out of the question at this point. Instead I tried to herd her on the ground with Legs in tow.

Now this isn't something I would recommend. Trying to herd one horse while you're on foot leading another can really complicate things. As it was, Legs was paying such close attention to me that, most of the time, it was like he wasn't even there. He mirrored my actions and stayed pretty much out of my way. Not once did the horse stall or get ahead of me.

With the jenny now heading back our direction, I raised my hands up to form a barrier. As I raised my hands Legs moved off away from me side passing to the right, making the barrier even wider.

The mule looked at us and then looked around her for a means of escape. There were several cars parked off to our right and there were gaps between them wide enough to be a good escape route. The jenny turned to split between a couple of cars as I ducked around the front of the cars to cut her off.

Legs backed away from me never putting the slightest amount of pressure on the rein. The horse just moved enough out of my path to give me room to get where I needed. As I reached the midpoint of the first car, I threw my hand out towards the front of it. The movement was enough to cause a visual barrier for the mule and she turned back heading towards the asphalt roadway.

By now the mule skinner was talking to the jenny. "Hey! baby, go back to the trailer." is what I heard. I remember thinking we were in big trouble if he thought that was going to capture this mule. She didn't want anything to do with cooperation or getting caught.

Again the mule turned his direction. Just the sound of his voice was enough to turn her back mine. The mule was intently looking at Legs. I began to suspect that maybe, just maybe, this jenny was in heat.

If that was the case, Legs showed no signs of it. The stallion was clearly rolling my lead at each step. He was not thinking about breeding. He was thinking about this fun new game mom was playing.

The jenny actually took a few steps my direction. Then she took a couple me. Then she got close enough she tried to reach out and smell Legs.

To be continued............

But HOW Personal

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The Mule Skinner.......an Intervention.............

Part 1

As we headed around the arena I looked to see where the mules were. They were now on the hill but travelling at a medium trot. Legs and I travelling at a gallop were definitely out distancing them.

Just at the top of the hill, the roadway turns from gravel into asphalt. I worried about Legs sliding on that slick surface so I slowed him up before we actually hit the asphalt surface. The distance from that point to an interception of the mules was no more than a couple of horse lengths. Bringing Legs down to a trot would give us ample time to cut the two mules off.

It wasn't until this moment I wondered what my horse might think of the mules. To my knowledge the horse has never seen a mule before and I didn't know what he'd think of them running straight at him. Even as these thoughts ran through my head I moved Legs on up into the position to block the mules escape. Legs didn't falter. The horse did exactly as I asked.

The lead mule immediately put on the brakes when it saw Legs. The mule bringing up the rear turned around and headed back the direction it had come. The front mule just stood there looking for a moment. The mule's nostrils were flaring in the same manner I see stallions, and sometimes even mares check, out new arrivals. This mule was trying to determine if Legs was friend or foe.

My horse didn't seem to be rattled by any of this. Galloping out of the arena and through the parking lot is not something we've ever even come close to doing, let alone trying to herd any kind of animals. Legs did exactly as I asked and seemed to be paying particular attention to my requests. Not trusting him never crossed my mind. I figured I could do what ever I needed to get this situation under control.

There was still no sign of the mule skinner. Glancing around this area of the park, looking for someone who might be able to help. I didn't see anyone at all. I looked down a little farther to the park maintenance shop and there was no one there either. Legs and I were the only things in between Meridian with its horrendous traffic and this mule.

With the mule just standing there looking at us, I decided I would try to approach on foot. I figured if I tried to get closer with me in the saddle, I would probably drive the mule away. Legs and I would be "smaller" and less threatening with me on the ground. I wanted to get close enough to grab the end of the rope halter I could see exposed from underneath the bridle. I figured if I could do that, I would be home free.

Slowly I dismounted from Legs keeping my eyes on the mule the whole time. The mule just stood there watching intently. I could see tension in its body but that tension seemed to be stabilized. I continued watching to see if my actions were upping the pressure in any way.

The mule paid close attention to my actions but didn't move a hoof. Once off Legs I unsnapped the rein from the offside of his bridle. I figured if I could catch the mule, I could use the rein as a lead. That was the plan anyway.

I slowly edged forward towards the mule. I could see the mule's tension mounting but not enough for it to move. I watched closely to be sure I wasn't adding so much pressure the mule would spin around to leave. Legs followed my lead each step of the way.

I was really aware this mule was paying as much attention to Legs as it was to me. I figured that was probably a good sign. If the mule's attention was split between the two of us I might have a better chance of getting close enough to actually catch it.

The whole time I was approaching the mule I was trying to monitor what was going on behind it as well. I didn't want someone to walk onto this scene and affect what I was trying to accomplish.

Legs and I got to within an arm's length of the mule when I decided I should stop. Walking up any closer with a stallion in my other hand didn't seem like the right thing to do. Any further movement was going to have to be just from me. I reached out slowly with my left hand trying to get that lope on the rope halter.

To be continued...................

Up Close and Personal

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More Characters at the Park.........The Mule Skinner.....the Escape

Part 1

I learned a long time ago I really need to pay attention to that voice that tells me something is going to happen. Not often do I come out the other side to find that voice was wrong.

On this particular day, the voice was NOT wrong. Something startled me out of deep concentration. I don't know if it was a sound, some kind of motion or what. All I know is I looked up to see the two mules running free outside the little arena. They were on the far side making a beeline past the barns moving up the hill headed straight for the entrance to the park............and Meridian.

Last time I saw an official report Meridian was considered to be the most dangerous highway in the state, followed by the mountain highway, which just happens to be in my neighborhood too. It was getting close to noon time and traffic on the road is always heavy at that time of day.

I live right off of Meridian and have nightmares about the thought of a horse getting loose on that road. It happens sometimes and it rarely turns out well. Looking at these two mules heading in that direction made my heart race and my brain buzz. Those mules needed to be stopped before they got to the road.

The thought of these two mules running straight out of the park and into the busy Meridian traffic was appalling. I looked behind them for the mule skinner and saw no signs of him. Then I looked towards the road to see if there was anyone in the path of these mules that might be able to stop them. Unfortunately there was no one anywhere in that area.

Even if there had been people, the odds there might have been someone who understood the importance of stopping the mules, let alone having the skill to stop them, wasn't really good. At this point in time there was nothing or no one to prevent the mules from running out into the heavy traffic of Meridian.

I didn't even think twice about what I was going to do. I just went into a "fix it" mode and jumped into action with little thought about what I might be getting myself or my horse into.

I immediately turned my horse around and galloped him off towards the closest arena gate. Luckily the gate was open wide enough Legs and I could fit through easily without having to stop or slow down. Then I galloped Legs around the end of the arena and on up the hill towards the path the mules were travelling.

To be continued.......................

An Intervention

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More Characters at the Park.........The Mule Skinner

I never know what kind of equines I'm going to encounter at the park. Some days I get in and out of there seeing nary a soul. Other days it's a zoo with all shapes, sizes and colors of horses and riders. Some times there are already people working when I arrive and other times I start off by myself only to end up with a dozen horses still working when I leave.

One morning shortly after my backyard guests had moved in, I arrived at the park to see a lone truck parked in my usual spot right up close to the smaller warm-up pen. The trailer was an older stock type trailer and I could see critters inside. The truck's driver was still sitting behind the wheel so I didn't really now whether he was coming or going.

Still I went around and parked my rig on the opposite side of the parking lot. I wanted to utilize the perimeter fence as a barrier behind my horse since I couldn't park by the warm-up. It's not that Legs does anything naughty while tied to the horse trailer. It's just that I think making it a habit to use barriers is good since I mostly school young inexperienced horses.

I got out of my truck and the driver in the other rig was still just sitting there. I wondered what might be the reason but still kept myself on task. I unlocked my tack room, hung a bungee tie for Legs and put on my riding boots before getting Legs from the trailer.

By the time I was finished and led my horse out from behind the horse trailer, I could see two large mules tied to the stock trailer. They were already tacked up with some kind of pack rig, I believe. The man with them was doing something with one of the mules still tied to his trailer.

As I got closer to the arena with Legs, the man untied one of the mules heading for the smaller arena. I was curious about the type of rigging the mule was wearing but didn't really get close enough to even describe it other than it was on the body of the mule and looked like it went clear around it's backside. I did see the mule was wearing a bridle over a rope halter and it looked like the man had driving lines.

I took Legs over to our usual "mounting rock." I lined the horse up with the huge boulder before I stepped onto it. Then just as I went to step in place, Legs decided to turn to get a better look at that mule. A little swift discipline and Legs assumed the correct position and I climbed on board. We headed for the far end of the arena to go to work.

Throughout our warm-up I caught glimpses of the mule and the man working in the smaller arena. More than once I saw a mule running loose dragging those lines behind but I didn't really pay enough attention to be able to tell you what he was trying to accomplish with those mules nor do I know how they were managing to get loose.

I did see enough to think this was a wreck just waiting to happen. I wasn't sure what kind of a wreck but it did seem to me that this man didn't know all that much about what he was trying to do. As much as I tried to keep my focus on schooling my horse in the back of my mind was this nagging thought I needed to be on alert.

To be continued................

The Escape

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The Face of Homeless............Time with the Horses

Part 1

Other than those two incidents it didn't really look to me like our backyard guests were having much interaction with the horses. We do turnouts each day so they were pretty much surrounded by the horses during daylight hours but the horses seemed to be doing their thing while this family did theirs.

I'd offered to spend some time teaching S about the horses. I knew how much see loved animals after all her dad had thought she'd make a good apprentice. Even though her time her was going to be limited, I thought maybe we could take the focus off of being homeless and put it onto something more positive like the horses.

I'd planned on taking S into the stalls to help me work on brushing out manes and tails and spiffing them up a bit. J was wanting to take some pictures of the horses playing in the fields. All I could see was too long bridle paths and some matted manes that needed to be addressed before any kind of pics.

I figured doing some grooming would be a good way for S to meet some of my herd. It would also be a good way to learn a little bit about moving the horses around and keeping them in their space. There's nothing the horses like more than grooming even when they must stand still for the time it takes to detangle those matted manes.

The horses fidget just enough to teach someone new about how to keep them in check. It would be a good way for S to establish some kind of identity so she could start off on the right foot. With that done she might be able to help with turnouts on some of the more broke horses.

I wanted to work o this in the morning hours before things got heated up. It turned out however, that S was still sleeping each time I was ready to work with her. By the time I knew she was up, I was onto working inside on my computer. We never did get out to the barn together other than one trip to introduce her to Solidare's baby.

As it turns out S is painfully shy. If I could get her started in a conversation she would sustain it ok but getting her engaged was difficult. I'm sure she wasn't avoiding the horses but I think she was probably avoiding me. Now she's gone to camp for a week and she'll be leaving for CA soon after her return.

I did find out that she and her mom have been making regular trips to the barn. J even has a bruise on one arm to prove it. They were evidently grooming on Solidare's foal when he decided to groom back. The colt nipped her right on the inside vulnerable part of her arm. I cringed just thinking about it. That part always seems to be so tender.

J knew that she shouldn't have allowed the colt to groom on her. I think maybe because he is small she thought she'd probably be ok. When the colt did nip her J scolded him with her voice but that was the extent of the correction. She figured it was really her fault after all.

She did say the colt reacted immediately like he knew he'd done something wrong. I just hope the little varmint doesn't think he's gotten away with something. He's got such a big attitude the last think I need is him thinking he can do naughty things.

Still this misadventure hasn't swayed my guests from visiting the barns. I've never seen them out there but recently I've heard stories of their trips. So far there is just the one incident where anyone has gotten hurt and J seems to wear that bruise like it's some kind of badge of honor. I guess that's a good thing. It's pretty clear these people believe being around horses means things are probably going to happen and they are willing to take that risk.

To be continued..................

NOTE: The little monster looks fairly innocent in this picture but innocent is the last thing he is. LOL

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The Face of Homeless.............Another Breakout....

Part 1

Now that Solidare and her cohorts had a taste of freedom. They must have been looking for other chances to revisit the yard. It was only a couple of days later when they escaped again.

This time I was home and it was probably my fault. I'd let Solidare and her foal out when I got home from my daily ride. I'd also released Dare from her paddock next to Solidare's stall so she could join the duo in the front field.

That's my usual routine I do if I return home to find Solidare inside. I do it often enough you'd think I could remember all the steps in the process. I put Legs in his stall and give him some lunch. Then I turn Solidare and the colt loose before letting Dare go. Then I close the big gate and before I go back to the house, I close the small gate between the hay barn and the small barn by the house.

Well, at least that's the way it's supposed to go but I've been leaving out a step on more than one occasion. That's the part about closing that small gate between the hay barn and the small barn by the house. To be honest I can't remember when the last time was that I closed that small gate which is probably not a good thing.

The thing about that gate is it blocks off a narrow passage between those two barns. The walkway is probably four feet wide and twenty-four feet long. Lots of horses might be claustrophobic in such a narrow space but we take horses through it quite regularly.

The only ones that seem to worry about it are the young horses for the first time they see it. They can put a quite a fuss trying to avoid walking between those two buildings like that. Horses can really squirt out that other end on their first trip through. I guess that tells how snug it must feel but usually once they have gone through it they go more easily the second time.

Delilah is usually chained at the far end of that passageway. She is so used to horses coming through there she moves out of the way and sits waiting for them to pass. I doubt she would even stop a wayward horse coming down that aisle by itself.

That small gate being left open is how Solidare, her colt and Dare took their first adventure into the yard. The fact that Solidare and Dare made a break for it down that narrow path didn't surprise me. What did, was the fact the colt followed them. I've seen mares make their break for it down that aisle leaving bawling foals behind afraid to go through the narrow passage.

I imagine the colt must have thought twice about coming down that aisle but it sure hadn't stopped him. He didn't look any the worse for wear when I'd discovered him in the yard. Many a foal has broken out a sweat just thinking about going down that walkway wearing a halter and a lead. Never have I seen one begin the adventure without the conviction of some human behind the request.

Here we were a couple of days later and I'd forgotten that gate. It didn't take long for the horses to figure out they had access to the yard again. It was less than twenty minutes before the knock on my door telling me the horses had escaped again.

I knew immediately how they'd gotten out. More importantly I knew this time it had been my fault. It was a good thing that Dave and Lindsay were home but about now I was thinking I should be training my new guests in the fine art of catching loose horses.

To be continued...............


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The Face of Homeless.............The Capture...........

Part 1


I didn't expect that Solidare in her crippled state would do much harm to my guests but who knew what that colt might do if he got spooked or felt trapped. As for Dare the odds were she wouldn't do anything harmful except maybe to a dog if it decided to chase her. Looking at this situation, I was really glad we already had done our release of liability.

I left my horse trailer outside the gate coming inside thinking I was going to capture Solidare. Crippled or not the mare did not want to leave the lush grass of the yard, even if it is the same grass she has in her field. When the mare saw me coming her direction she moved away trying to avoid being caught. It's not that she could outrun me because there's just no way Solidare can do anything but walk still I had to work to catch her.

Solidare hasn't put up this kind of resistance in months. I had to actually get her cornered to capture her. I figured once I did that the others would follow. That's how it usually goes but then there's that law that always seems to be reminding me of its existence. Murphy joined us so the darn colt decided not to follow his mom. He was going to stay with his new side kick Dare.

Normally, Dare would be following along after Solidare. I can't even remember when she hasn't. She loves being turned out with her mother and she tends to stick very close to her but Murphy seemed to be influencing Dare as well. She wasn't bringing up the rear either. She snaked her neck at me and gave me that defiant, I'm cool and in charge flip of her head and headed the other direction. It was clear Dare's plan was to stay in the yard.

The colt followed Dare in hot pursuit. Moving at a trot they were heading up towards the house and the camping people in my back yard. Knowing that Dare is pretty darn brave I doubted the tent and gazebo were going to turn the mare back my direction.

Then, of course, there was Solidare. I didn't even have her safely in the field yet. I was leading the mare by her mane. When she saw the others escape, Solidare decided to join them. She tried to cut me off and slip out the gate before I could get it closed behind her. I had a full fledged rebellion in the works.

So here I am with non horsey people camping in my yard and three defiant horses wanting to squat there too. While Solidare couldn't escape me for long, I had to use my cell phone to call for reinforcements to catch the other two. My guests had no idea how to catch up loose horses and having them try would have probably turned things into a real zoo.

Dave and Lindsay were just coming down the road so they were close enough to actually be some real help. By the time they arrived I had Solidare captured again and Dave and Lindsay were able to push from behind to move Dare and the colt in the right direction.

Of course, neither went willing. There was more neck snaking and defiant head tossing from Dare and that darn colt kicked out a Lindsay but at least the were moving away from the campgrounds in my back yard into the direction of the barn and appropriate turnout.

Solidare was keeping tabs on what was going on behind her. I think she was looking for another chance to escape. This time, however, I managed to get her in through the gate where I released her. The silly mare tried to rush by me and head back out into the yard.

I cut her off watching for Dave's progress with Dare. As much as I wanted to block Solidare from leaving, I didn't want to cut off Dare's attempts to enter the field. I timed my withdrawal from the front of the gate to coincide with Dare getting close enough to block Solidare's escape.

Luckily for me Solidare wasn't quicker or she'd have managed to make her escape. I was able to get enough to the side to allow Dare to come through but I still had to be careful I didn't block the colt who was bringing up the rear.

It was clear Lindsay and Dave weren't in enough control of his movement to guarantee he would follow Dare. He was clearly looking for any opening to spin around and take off. I knew that naughty colt look on his face if it looked at all like I was in his way, he was going to cut and run.

I backed away from the opening and turned my head looking into the field while I instructed Dave and Lindsay to apply more pressure from behind. They closed up their ranks and extended their arms to shoo the two renegades into the field.

Even at that both Dare and this colt gave us attitude as the trotted into the field and Solidare was not far behind. We closed the gate behind the horses and watched the bucks and kicks that clearly said they were put out by the change in real estate. It's a good thing I love horses with attitude..........because I was getting plenty of it this day.

To be continued..................



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The Face of Homeless..........an Escape............

Part 1

After we had our new guests settled, there was one very important thing I wanted to be done. It's probably already obvious that I tend to trust people but this recent incident with the lawsuit tells me I need to be careful and protect myself. Just because I think that someone will not try to take advantage does not mean that will necessarily be the case.

Living on a farm with lots of critters has some inherent safety issues. Anyone who has horses understands what those might be. We, who love horses, tend to ignore those issues. We take them as a part of the territory. It's just understood that life with horses can have risks.

Washington state law recognizes that too. There are laws, RCW 4.24.530 and RCW 4.24.540, on the books limiting the liability of equine activities. As the owner of a breeding farm I should have a sign posted informing visitors of the law. I bought one but can't figure out where I put the thing.

Even if it was posted as required, I'm not sure it would cover people camping at my house. I have always been very much aware of the possibilities even before the events surrounding Faye and then Lindsay's accident Now with a lawsuit hijacking my life, the last thing I want is to be in a situation I could have prevented.

Knowing that horses can and have escaped around here, there's always the possibility that some can go wrong even if my guests tried to stay away from the horses.There was also the possibility that my guests might just explore life with horses on their own. With the number of young horses I have, someone might chose a youngster with only a smatter of manners to befriend putting themselves into a vulnerable situation.

While the odds were nothing bad would happen during their stay here, I needed to be smart and protect myself just in case it did. I also needed to get myself into the habit of putting things down on paper so I never get caught again. To get me started on the right track, J and I sat down and did a release of liability for all of them to sign.

A couple of days later as I was coming home from the park, I realized that Solidare and her foal were outside but nowhere to be seen in their normal turnout. As I pulled into my driveway, I saw exactly why that was. Solidare, her colt, and their sidekick, Dare, had escaped into the yard.

Normally, this would not have been anything stressful but with people camping in my yard it took on new meaning. Normally all I'd worry about would be the horses eating my flowers. They are particularly fond of my pansies I might add. Now I was worried about horses crashing into tents and mowing over people or their pets.

T appeared from out behind the house. He was aware the horses were in the yard but not really sure if that was good or bad. If I hadn't arrived home at that time, I'm not really sure what he'd have done. Even with me there, it was clear T wanted to be nowhere near these loose horses.

To be continued.....................



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The Face of Homeless............a Little Whine.......

Part 1

I was right that it would probably take most of my ride for Dave and T finally did have the gazebo set up. I remember that thing providing shade at my open house each year but now that I looked at it in the yard I wasn't quite so sure it was going to provide as much shade at this family was going to require.

We had a stretch of nice but hot weather coming our way. Being stuck outside without big trees for shade was going to be a problem. However, it looked like I was really the only one worried about that. They kept telling me not to worry they were fine so I put thoughts about ways to produce more shade on the back burner for a while.

The deck on the back of our house is partially covered. That's where the extra refrigerator is and the barbecue. I added a table there and then put some tables inside the gazebo. Throwing in a few chairs and they had much more covered living space than they'd seen in weeks.

After a couple of trips to their storage unit they had themselves all set up with a microwave, a toaster oven, some kind of hot plate, a tv and a couple of fans. They also brought dishes and pots and pans. They were as decked out as some of the most efficient campers I've ever seen.

Looking around at the space created for them, I felt a little more comfortable that this was an improvement in their lives. Even if it wasn't a long term fix, it would help get them through for the time being.

Their plan was to return to southern California. J has contacts there so she was thinking she might be more successful finding employment here. The family doesn't have the funds to begin the move now.

After the first of the month when T's VA benefits arrive, J and her daughter will make that move. T will stay here until the son, K, school term ends. Then they will join their family in California. That won't happen until the following month because they'll need T's next VA check to have funds for the second vehicle to make the trip.

I was relieved to hear this plan because I was really worried about what winter might be like for anyone homeless in this part of the country. My mind had already begun racing looking for solutions if they planned to stay here. I'm still going to worry about how their faring in southern CA but at least I know they'll be in a more moderate climate.

It was sometime the second day that I observed a strange cat. I knew they had the two dogs but if they told me about a cat it had not registered. I guess I couldn't imagine a cat hanging around when it's being moved all that much.

BUT then this is not just an ordinary cat. She seems to be very comfortable with the family's current lifestyle. She sticks right around close to the family and is not the least bit skittish about strangers. She decided immediately to adopt Lindsay, Dave and me into her family.

The farthest I've seen her is in my front yard..........hunting snakes. I think the only reason she made it that far is because she'd already killed all the snakes in the back yard. Can't wait to see what she does when she figures out this place is well stocked with rodents too.

The only problem I have with this cat is she is not afraid of engines at all. If she's underneath my truck when I start it up, she will not vacate. If she does, she heads straight for underneath the horse trailer. I have visions of flattening her like a pancake because I have not seen her first.

T said not to worry because then he wouldn't have to worry about feeding her. That is NOT what I wanted to hear! I have already flattened one kitty with my rig and I still have nightmares about it. That was nearly twenty years ago. I cannot cope with the guilt of killing this girl's cat. She has enough on her plate as it is..............as do I. So for now, it takes a crew of at least to "cat watchers" to be sure it is safe for me to leave for the park.

To be continued...............






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The Face of Homeless..........Problem Solving..........

Part 1

One of the things that struck me as this family moved into my backyard was how very much we take for granted the little things. This volunteering of my backyard as a place of refuge for them didn't seem like much to me yet it was something huge to them.

As we sat there on the grass figuring out the best way to set things up, J began to cry. She thanked me profusely for saving her from the scrutiny of others and the fear someone might turn her in and she'd end up losing her child.

At first I was bewildered by this outpouring. I even said "Being homeless is not a crime. They can't take your kids away for that."

J responded "That might be what you think, but I can assure you, it is not the way others see it. I've already been threatened with being arrested for vagrancy if I return to ------ Park." The implications in her inflections made it clear J really was worried someone would take her child away from her thinking she might be unfit as a parent.

Just the thought tugs at my heart strings. It would be bad enough being homeless without having to look over your shoulder all the time worrying about those who might judge you and what they might do that could make your situation worse.

I have seen enough interactions between this family to know that love is very much at the core of this family's values. Caring for this child takes priority over all else. Their being homeless has nothing to do with their love or devotion to their children. Life's circumstances have not been kind and yet they are still working together as a family trying to get to the other side. How can anyone fault them for that?

I looked at the woman before me and the emotion that washed over her as she told me how important my gesture was to her. I could only wonder if I were in such a situation if I would have such grace.
Oh, how I wished I could fix this for them. I went to bed with this whole predicament churning around in my head. I knew I couldn't fix it but I wanted to do what I could to make sure their stay here was as comfortable as it could be under the circumstances. One of my top priorities was figuring out a way to provide them with more shade.

It was somewhere around 3 a.m. when it dawned on me. I have a gazebo I bought for use for my open house each year. It's six sided and has openings on three sides that can be zipped closed or tied open. It's made of fabric and folds all up small enough to fit in a case. When it's all folded up it's not too much bigger than a double sleeping bag.

When it's opened up it makes a room about 12 feet by 14 feet. We could set it up near the tent so hopefully it would provide some shade on the tent for part of the day and it could serve as another room for their living space.

Not quite so worried about shade now that I'd remembered the gazebo, I actually managed to get a few hours sleep before the sun woke me. The first thing I did was head for the barn looking for that gazebo.

Once it was located, I loaded my horse up and went off to the park to ride. I left Dave working with with the man (T because I already used S, dumb me) working on assembling the gazebo. I figured by they time they got through that with the extra set of hands I'd probably be done with my ride and we could move on with the rest of my plans to get this family set up as comfortably as possible under the circumstances.

To be continued...........................


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The Face of Homeless..........Moving In............

Part 1

It was only as I was actually leaving the park that I called Dave to let him know what I done. Per my usual when I've done something without consulting him first, I told Dave to prepare himself for my latest stunt.

After thirty plus years of marriage Dave is used to the surprises I can come up with sometimes. When I told him I'd invited a homeless family to camp in our back yard and that I needed him to mow the lawn so it would be ready for a tent all the man said was "OK." There were no weird inflections, no unspoken disapproval, just an agreement to mow the lawn.

When I did get into the house after unloading my horse, Dave had questions but they were the obvious ones. Who are these people, without any incriminating tone. Where did they come from? How come they're homeless? And of course, what time are they coming.

It was actually about 7:30 when J and her family arrived but she'd called me somewhere around 3:30 to let me know that would be the case. The time her son needed to be at work turned out later than she'd remembered so she was checking in to be sure the later time was still OK with me.

When they knocked on our front door, Dave answered it as I fled out the back door. I wanted to get them settled in without the added distraction of Delilah and Sugar and my hasty retreat made that possible. Dave ended up putting them in their crates so he could join me to welcome our guests.

I went around the back of the house around to the front door to find them still standing on the front porch. The man I'd only seen from a distance at the park turned out to be the same tall thin man I'd met those weeks ago.

I must admit that took me back just a bit. I had the impression that they were no longer married. I guess I just assumed that meant they were not a couple either. Still it bothered me just a bit that I hadn't realized it was him at the park.

I brushed that concern aside and set to showing them around. There was some debate about the best place to put the tent and talk about planting some trees for me.

There are not many trees on my farm because we had one fall down on our house in a wind storm soon after we'd first moved in so we'd taken out everything that was within distance of hitting a building and everything that was diseased. The end result was not much shade to place a tent.

I hadn't really thought about shade when I'd invited them. Now as the realization hit, I wondered what we could do to make sure they got relief from the sun. The tent was set up between two small oaks in the back yard but I spent most of the night worrying about creating more shade for them.

We have an extra refrigerator on our back deck that we use for overflow. I told our guests they were free to use that fridge and its freezer. Also our barbecue is on the deck and it has a burner off to one side. I made sure they knew they were welcome to use that as well. Up until now they'd only been buying what food they could consume at the time since they had no cold storage and no real ay to cook.

Dave showed the man (I'll call him T) where there was access to electricity. There was a source near where their van was parked and we ran a line to their tent. Then we left them to figure out the particulars since our trying to help only seemed to slow things down. ( Somehow that so reminded me of Dave and I trying to work together.)

I showed them where the bathroom was and, of course, we introduced them to Delilah and Sugar. Both dogs thought having people guests was great fun but they weren't too sure what to think of more dogs. My only concern was they'd mob them as they tried to enter or, for that matter, escape so I made sure Dave understood that both dogs needed to be crated overnight.

I should know better than just talking to Dave about that kind of request. What I should have done was get him to sign some kind of contract in blood. His precious Delilah was exempt from the crate for most of the night. Thankfully she didn't bite anyone or knock anyone down although I'm pretty sure she tried to lick all three of them to death.

To be continued...................


Problem Solving

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The Face of Homeless - Accepting the Invitation

Part 1

I'm pretty sure an invitation to camp in my back yard is not what J was expecting. She looked at me with a disbelieving look. Still, I could tell what I'd said wasn't registering. I gave her a minute for it to sink in. Then I told her I thought I could get my hands on a pretty big tent and there was a place we could put it in our backyard. It wouldn't be much but it would be more private than what they had now.

"Sure!...............Are you sure?..................Is this going to be ok with your family?.............Are you sure you don't want to talk to them first?" and probably a dozen other questions poured out of J's mouth.

I reassured J it would be fine, not to worry. Even though I hadn't spoken to Dave I didn't expect he would tell me "No." I knew he probably wouldn't believe what I had done this time but he would honor it. That's just the way Dave is.

J reminded me that they had dogs which I hadn't really considered but I figured if they were surviving ok at the park with them, they'd probably be ok at my house. We keep Delila and Sugar tied up when they're outside so they don't chase the horses or run off. J and her family keep their dogs tied too so all I asked was they clean up after them like they would at the park.

As I recall J also asked if we had an outhouse. I laughed imagining what that might be like living on wetlands. I told her they would have to settle for sharing our bathroom with us. Then J was worried about her multiple trips in the middle of the night so I told her we'd just leave the door unlocked and the light on. We would make it work.

J gave me her daughter's cell number so I could call her if anything came up which meant something more like if I changed my mind or my husband had a stroke. I gave her my numbers for the same reason. I also gave her the directions to get to my farm so we had the major details worked out.

The plan was they would be there sometime around 5. She needed to pick her son up from school and take him to his job. After that they'd head out our way. In the meantime Dave would have time to mow the lawn so there was a presentable place to put up that tent.

With that decision made, I went back to schooling Legs and J went up to talk to her partner. I hadn't gotten much done and heat was beginning to rise off the sand. Before I got finished, J hollered at me and told me that they had a tent in storage and they'd go pick that up so I didn't have to worry about finding one.

That was a good thing because there was no guarantee I'd be able to get a hold of my daughter to even borrow hers in a timely manner. Sometimes she works pretty late and she doesn't always return my calls right away. That was one less thing to worry about.

I took Legs back onto the trails and we rode there for about a half hour. My mind was still racing about the homeless family I'd just met and the little we had to offer. I could even imagine myself in their shoes but I wanted to do what we could to make things not feel quite so overwhelming to them.

Legs didn't seem to notice I was distracted. He was his usual self on the trails. The horse really likes watching the squirrels, rabbits and miscellaneous birds. As far as the horse was concerned, nothing much had changed.

For me, things had changed a lot. It's probably an odd thing to say when I post about my life on this blog nearly everyday but I'm a very private person. I've kept to myself most of my life and I really enjoy the distance between me and my neighbors. I haven't had to live close to other people in many many years. All I could think of was embarrassing myself fighting with Dave.

To be continued.....................

Moving In


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The Face of Homeless

Part 1

The woman standing in front of me was still talking but my mind raced with the discovery. I could hear her words even though my mind was going ninety miles an hour trying to comprehend what I'd she'd previously said.

My denial really wanted to kick in so I didn't have to deal with this situation. The thought of someone I'd just made a connection with turning out to be homeless just did NOT want to compute. Yet here this woman was with her daughter standing right in front of me explaining the circumstances that led to their family being homeless.

Even as the details unfolded my brain still wanted to deny such a thing was possible. Questions bounced around in my head even with answers right there. The distance between me and the word itself was trying to maintain against the barrage of truth before my eyes.

All the stereotypes of what homeless people should be just were not this situation. While I know that single mothers with children make up a considerable number in the homeless population, the idea of complete families being homeless just seemed to be too much.

Not that life cares about stereotypes or people's past or familial connections when it decides to jump up and bite someone. I know that from first hand experience. Bad things really can and do happen to good people.


There were no distinguishable clues like a shopping cart filled with personal belongings to give the secret away. No matted hair or mismatched articles of torn and tattered clothing. The woman and girl standing in front of me looked just like anyone else in the county park on a summer's day.

Listening to her talk , the woman (who I will refer to as J) told me it's been since the beginning of the month the family has been out on the street. They have been spending the daylight hours at Frontier Park until the park closes. Then the family has been sleeping in the parking lot of the nearest Wal-Mart since that chain has an unspoken rule about looking the other way for whoever might be sleeping overnight there.

Before that the family was living in HUD housing. They were there on an eight month lease which is typical of the set-up for HUD. According to the HUD requirements the lease is supposed to be offered on a continuing month to month basis from that point forward. However, Washington state law allows any month to month continuance to be cancelled with twenty days notice. Since the family could not afford the new lease being offered to them due to a rent increase, they had no choice but to vacate.

Sounds to me like the landlord has learned how to manipulate the HUD rules to make more money. In the meantime it is the vulnerable low income families who pay the price of the bureaucracy that allows such manipulations of the law to continue.

According to J, the landlord is also charging damages over and above what was real to the apartment. Those charges include new carpet when it is J's belief the carpet only needs to be cleaned. Considering the letter she sent them, threatening to bring a class action suit against them for their deceptive and exploitive practices it will be interesting to see if the family manages to get some of their deposit back and those additional charges dropped. In the meantime they have to worry about being homeless AND being sued. Talk about stress.

In the past J worked as a paralegal for many years raising her family until she decided to go back to school about eight years ago. She spent four years in school getting two degrees before she headed back to the work force looking for a job in her new profession.

Whether it was the declining economy or maybe some age discrimination with a fifty plus woman trying to begin working in a new field is unknown. However, finding a job in the new line of work has been unsuccessful.

Desperation can force us to do things we really are not inclined to do. Unable to utilize the new skills learned at UC Davis and Dartmouth, J tried going back to being a paralegal which she hates.

Her particular field is entertainment law and the greater Seattle area doesn't seem to hold much opportunity in that field either. Even though there's considerable growth in the entertainment industry in this state, it seems the legal eagles are still centered in southern California or New York so there's been no success there either.

The eighteen year old son (K) is attending Pierce College this summer. He's been accepted to Cambridge University to study diplomatic relations but unless he finds some kind of scholarship program or sponsor that's not going to happen. If there's not money for rent, there sure isn't money for universities abroad.

The now fourteen year old daughter (S) is severely dyslexic. School is difficult enough without adding being homeless on top of it. Kids can be cruel and S is a prime target for the cruelest of the cruel. She's susceptible to getting lost in the chaos that is currently her life.

The gentleman at the park with J is a disabled vet. The family is living off of his meager VA benefits and whatever the eighteen year old makes that he doesn't need for his schooling.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Here's a family of four, complete with pets, living on the street. Now the real question was what was I going to do about it.

I was struggling with the urge to do something and the fear they might not be what they seem. After this last episode that's resulted in this ugly lawsuit, I'm having real trouble trusting my intuition. The tug o' war going on in my head was a real beaut. The urge to do something won out...................I invited them to my home.............without even talking to Dave................

To be continued..............

Accepting the Invitation


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More on Characters at the Park.........Homeless......

Part 1

Since I don't really leave my farm much except to do something horse related, I'm not forced very often to think about such things as the homeless. I get exposed sometimes on trips into town where I might see someone at a freeway ramp holding a sign. There are those news stories that come up when the latest "Tent City" in Seattle is being forced to move yet again. Other news stories sometimes are about victims of other circumstances who happen to be homeless. All of these things stir my conscience.

It is one of those problems I want to fix but don't know how. I worry about donating to those people with their signs because I know from first hand experience they are not always sincere. I would hate to be feeding some one's drug habit or whatever else ulterior motive might be behind a scam so instead I donate to local food banks but not nearly often enough.

The thought of being homeless haunts me. It's been many long years since we had any kind of savings. Now with Dave out of work for going on two years and thirty horses to feed, sometimes I am nearing panic. I try not to think about the choices we will have to make once Dave's unemployment runs out. Feeding the horses or paying the mortgage can only mean one thing to me. I fear homelessness could be somewhere down the road.

Even before Dave's plant closed down, I had this fear of being homeless. Knowing we just were not making any progress on getting this horse business off the ground meant our savings would not be growing anytime soon. The best thing I could think of for those kinds of thoughts was to push them aside and keep on keeping on in the hope that my breeding business would eventually come through like it should with this quality of horse. Still those thoughts of being homeless have lingered in the back of my mind.

Maybe it's that fear that makes me so sensitive to the plight of the homeless. All I know is each time the reality about the homeless hits me in the face I want to do something but it's easy to forget about the ongoing reality of what a life being homeless must be when it's not right smack dab up there in my face. I can make my donation of conscience and get on with my life.

I guess that's because most of the time for me "homeless" is a faceless condition of someone unknown out there in the world. When I say out there, that's exactly what I mean. Homeless is something that happens somewhere else. It's doesn't happen in my little town. "Those" people are on TV in Seattle, Tacoma, New York and LA not in the little berg of Graham.

Without names or faces and maybe even that local connection, unfortunately, there's a distance that safely buffers my conscience. This reaction is probably pretty typical for the human condition but still, it is a fact that I am NOT proud of. If I had it within my power to fix the problems of the world, I most certainly would. Since I don't have that kind of power and no one really has enough resources to save all of the world's homeless, I can tell myself I am doing what I can.

Now, standing right in front of me with faces and names, right there in my own home town, I was confronted with homelessness on a much more personal level. The question was, what was I going to do about it?

To be continued...........................

The Face of Homeless

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More on Characters at the Park.....The Revelation

Part 1

The recongition of the girl's name was instantaneous. While an easily recognizable noun, it was not one I had ever heard used as a name. It has stuck in my head the very first time I heard it and I am not a person who remembers names well. Hearing it, now, in the park, there was not doubt in my mind that this was the tween I had been asked to consider working as an apprentice for me.

I looked from the girl back to her mother repeating her name. "This is the kid...........," I didn't even finish my sentence and the girl's mother was nodding her head in affirmation. That meant the woman knew who I was all along. I had been the only one in the dark about our previous connection.

That fact did not bother me at the time. It only made me more curious. I explained the stressors of the lawsuit had stopped me from acting on the gentleman's request. The mother nodded in understanding and our conversation turned to the red-headed child now standing at her mother's side, well, to the girl's interest in horses.

It turns out she has a limited experience with horses even though she loves them. From the sounds of it, the family has lived many places and in some of those places the girl has managed to take a few lessons but not enough to know much of anything.

Her mother told me how the first place they'd gone just turned her loose and expected her to figure things out on her own. Not only that but her hour lesson began when she arrived. She was expected to go outside, catch her horse and tack it up before she rode. Not that there's anything wrong with expecting the child to get her own horse ready but having that time as part of the lesson time when there was no one helping her understand what to do seems out of line to me.

The few times mother and daughter went to that place the girl did not ride more than about ten minutes. Most of her lesson time was spent trying to catch a lesson horse that did not want to be caught. Mom soon decided this was not the right place for them so they backed off for a while.

I can understand the mom's frustrations about no one teaching her child what to do. I also explained that even when someone does show you once or twice that doesn't meant what you've learned will work with all horses or even that horse on another day. Learning about horses is an ongoing process. There are some basics and then it's a hands on test from there on out.

Both mother and child nodded their heads in recognition of a concept they seemed to understand. While they haven't had much experience with horses, they've had enough to know what I said made sense.

It was also clear from our conversation that the child is not the only one with an interest in horses. As the mother described what she'd seen on cable with Clinton Anderson, I could tell that she hadn't just been watching to keep her daughter company. The woman had definitely taken in some valuable information about the instincts of horses even if she didn't know how to put those things to use.

The shade was fast disappearing as our conversation progressed. We moved a couple of times to keep ourselves out of the sunlight but it was clear if I was ever going to get finished working Legs, I needed to get on with it.

Wanting to understand when a good time to bring my papers over might be, I asked the woman what she was doing at the park. The answer I got was nothing like I expected and she didn't just blurt it out. The information was masked in a description of events that lead to only one conclusion...................homeless.................


To be continued.........................

Homeless

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More on Characters at the Park.....The Discovery

Part 1

I see lots of people come and go in the park when I ride. Some of those people turn out to be regulars. I get to know their faces, their patterns as they pass through my field of vision. Sometimes I say "hello" to those folks and sometimes they say "hello" to me. Others, it might be a nod of a head but with the regulars always it grows into some kind of acknowledgement "I see you each day."

After a while it feels like those people are friends when I don't even know their names. Funny how that happens. Just seeing the same faces over time leads to a comfort, a familiarity that takes down barriers. Maybe for me it's a reassurance I'm not alone in this world. All I know is that it gets to be there with those faces I see on a regular basis.

The weather was finally clearing up around here last week so I was actually getting some time to ride in the arena. I'd been riding in the arena Monday through Friday for a couple of weeks now. With that riding in the same place I was beginning to see some regulars to the park I hadn't really noticed before. They were those people who seem to congregate near the arena instead of those that roam the park I normally see on my trek back to the trails.

Among them was a middle age red-headed woman sitting up on the hill. I had seen her there several times over the last week or so. She seemed to be near the little snack trailer that's between the viewing stands. With the day camp going on, I thought maybe she was connected to that little shed even though I hadn't seen it open. I thought maybe it just opened up for lunch for the kids which was after I'd gone home.

Later, I learned the kids were gone before lunch time. Still it was my thought process on that day. I guess that goes to show how we can perceive something very far off base from what it really is. On this day, I thought maybe the red haired woman must be there with the little snack stand. Why else would she be in the park in that location for several days in a row?

The main arena at the park is absolutely huge. It's so big that for the 4-H horse shows it gets divided into half and they run it like it's really two rings. On sunny days in the mornings I like to ride at the far end from where I park my horse trailer. There's some shade there so I utilize it as much as I can. That way I don't get too hot, neither does my horse. Riding on that end put me down where I usually saw this woman.

With the problem I have with vision, I don't really see features all that well. For me to recognize someone from a distance is more to recognize size, shape, gender, sometimes coloring and over all mannerisms that set one person apart from another for me. Mostly it's a perception of what I think I'm looking at, if that makes any sense. So while I'd seen this person, I didn't really know what she looked like up close. I had seen enough of her to know that I was seeing the same person over and over but there is where my recognition ended.

It was on Wednesday that I noticed this woman moving her chair closer so she could watch me school my horse. As usual when I see people are particularly interested in what I am doing with a horse, I moved closer too and spoke to the woman. The woman moved from her chair to down by the rail so we could have a conversation. From there we ended up in a pretty lengthy discussion.

We started off talking about the weather and how we both have issues with the sun. From there it was on to me working Legs at the park. I guess it's only a natural progression when talking about horses for me to mention how many I have at home, all the usual stuff.

Since Legs is the only horse I've been working for a while now because of the legal work I have to deal with at home, I guess it only makes sense our conversation managed to make it's way to that subject too .Being without a lawyer is so much on my mind as I try to navigate my way through the legal system, pretty much flying by the seat of my pants. The words come falling out of my mouth before I even realize they're coming. Once out, they're a bit hard to ignore.

It turned out this woman was a paralegal so she began asking me all kinds of questions. Some I could answer and others I didn't have a clue. She invited me to bring my court documents down for her to take a look . She offered to help me sort through my mess so I could be sure I wasn't missing anything I needed to know.

I explained it's the deadlines that worry me. I know I'm not supposed to miss them but finding out what they actually are sometimes can be difficult. Then the procedures are next on my list of worries. Some are obvious, others, not so much. I think I get all the parts but understanding how they actually go together sometimes just isn't all that clear. The result, of course, is more added stress.

During the course of this conversation, the woman's red headed teenage daughter joined us on the rail. As the girl made her way towards us, the woman called her by name. As I heard the name flowing from the woman's lips, I recognized it instantly. This was the young girl whose name I had on a business card in my file. This was the daughter of the sad tall thin gentleman I'd met earlier in the year. But how could that be? Is the world really that small?

To be continued........................

The Revelation

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