Parting is such sweet sorrow

We did some big cleaning out last weekend. I feel good, and bad about it. I blogged about getting rid of Mom's chair. I didn't mention the other big sacrifice - my chaps.

When I was in junior high and high school I was lucky enough to be a horse girl. Mom and Dad bought me Frosty, a white/gray mare, and I later upgraded (with some angst as I loved that old gal) to Jack, a young quarterhorse gelding (that term means no nuts for you non-livestock folks). I was in 4-H, but also traveled around to other area horse shows in Southwest Iowa (Anita, Audubon, Griswold, Cumberland - once we even went to the Block and Bridle show at the fairgrounds) with Wayne and Sally (his daughter) Rodgers.

I showed my horse in the heyday of that activity! There were often updwards of 40 contestants in Western Pleasure classes. They'd have to split the class up to - and more often than not, Jack and I ended up being an also-ran. But a few times I got a nice ribbon. To be dressed for success in the show ring, I had to have the right equipment.

So for Christmas one year Mom bought me the coolest rust colored suede chaps - with fringe on 'em. They went with my beautiful blanket that went under my saddle - the tooled saddle I got in Cumberland for a birthday gift. Yep - you might say I was spoiled. (I parted with the saddle in the '80's - only agreeing to sell it to someone I liked.) I sold my horse Jack the year I left Atlantic for ISU - but was lucky he stayed right in Atlantic.

I'd carted the chaps with me since the '80's when I packed them away in my college trunk. Along with my wool LMB embroidered (my pre-marriage) sweater. Tis week they both went to the Re-Run Shop - used clothing etc. store run by the Catholic Church in Creston. They also got my "Les" tooled western belt. Damn I was proud of that thing and the big 'ol belt buckle! I hope there is another Les out there looking for a cool belt. (I was too cheap to pay for my whole name to be tooled...).

My new attitude tells me - someone should be using this stuff. It's time to quit hanging onto the so many things for sentimental reasons.

Paul tried to talk me into putting them on one last time. You bet he did. Nice try Pablo! But I was in cleanup mode. In a weak moment Paul even decided to give up his Brett Favre jerseys.

Gone Baby Gone. That's the way it's going to be. I'm not sticking my kids with going through this stuff someday. Not all of it anyway.

Tomorrow - if it's rainy. Onto the downstairs closet!

Frosty greeted me tonight

Last year's frozen car sicle! Yikes - please don't let this happen again!

We had our first blizzard of the season. I'm trying not to complain because complain just last year (wavy lines...the way back machine) Joan, Krissy and I were snowed in one day. It was a terrible storm! And we watched "Fly Away Home" where the girl has to teach the lil ducks to fly south. (insert tears)

Then Joan got the snowblower going and I thought she was going to do the whole neighborhood including the street! Krissy and I helped with the shoveling. It was cold and windy. Damn we went through a lot of ice melt last winter. Another time my car was so iced over I couldn't get it open, so I worked at Joan's that day too! Finally about noon I was able to break open the tailgate and start shattering the ice layer.

I didn't think we got much snow in Creston during this storm, so I was surprised last night when Paul and I picked up Deb to attend the Southwestern Community College Christmas Concert. There were several inches of snow in town! At our house, the wind sent it all flying down the street to Nancy Anthony's evidently!

Breakfast with the homegirls was fun as usual this a.m. I spent the weekend trying to eat a lot - to bulk up for my Weight Watchers weigh in today. I signed up at work - it's pretty pricey - $180 for 15 weeks, for their new Points Plus program. I get my online sign up info next week. There are 15 of us DNR folks, at least folks meeting at the Wallace Building at lunchtime each Monday. You must be at least 5 lb over weight to qualify for the program - I had several people at work say, "you won't qualify!" Ha! I was more than 10 lb over the weight they list for my height. I guess they didn't account for my bone structure!

I haven't really adopted this thing whole hog (oops shouldn't use food references). I need to read the pamphlet the gave us - the Weekly Reader. Just like back in my Washington Elementary School days! Good 'ol Weekly Reader (I thought it was Reekly Reader, until I learned to read and discovered what it said). There are some good recipes - that's my goal, to learn to cook with fresh veggies and eat real food. Of course tonight I drove thru McDonald's for a salad...and when I got to Joan's - Frosty greeted me like an old friend in the yard. Joan put him up over the weekend. Yay!

Alfalfa

Me in the only size 2 pants I ever wore with Frosty. That's Wayne in the background.

I walked for over an hour this morning. It was a beautiful day, and towards the end of my route, trotting down Cottonwood I smelled it. Fresh mown alfalfa. Nothing like it! It took me back to my days of owning a horse.

After my wonderful summer at Camp Cheley in Estes Park, CO, my parents gave me a horse for my birthday - a dream come true! I was so fortunate that my buddy Sal had parents (mainly her Dad Wayne) who "did" horses. He agreed to help look for a horse that would be right for a novice like me.

Her name was Frosty, and she was a 10 year old grey mostly quarter horse mare. We bought her from a family in Yale, Iowa. Wayne pulled his trailer up to get her and I rode along, ready to explode the whole way. My own horse!

Back then we all kept our horses (since we lived in town, and my dad was in ladies underwear) at the old Cass County Fairgrounds right off highway 6. To get there you had to take the gravel road right near a small filling station, and at the curve was a building Candace's Dad kept his Frito Lay stock. I'd see him there often, as I went to feed Frosty each evening.

In the mornings I was lucky that a retired guy named Dean agreed to feed Frosty and the Rodgers' horses. Frosty's stall had a small outdoor run, so she could get fresh air during good weather. There was also a ring we could exercise them in and a small field we could turn the horses out in to graze. It was pretty nice!

I learned a lot from Frosty, who could be a grumpy old bitch. Hmmm maybe that's where I got it! She was steady as a rock (and trotted like a jack hammer...). She had a lumpy neck and wasn't a real showy gal. Upon her back I could ride along the beautiful Iowa countryside - where Atlantic Plaza and HyVee are now, down the dirt lane along the Nishna Botna River. Good therapy for a teen girl not happy about growing up.

I also learned a great deal hanging out at the "Barn". There was a guy named Tony who kept horses in a different building who had a beagle who had pups. The dog was nervous about letting a stranger up close to the puppies, so I learned to first sit and just get her used to my presence. As the days went on I crept closer to the cute balls 'o fur, and after a couple weeks I was allowed to touch them.

We also had a barn tomcat I called "Bumps" as his head was truly lumpy, and he had half an ear torn off. Other feral cats lived in the area. I had a great time exploring the old barns - one time Sal and I forced our way into what had been the Fair Office. It contained old calendars and fair info from a much earlier era. I dug an old liquor bottle out of the dirt floor in our barn. And I was lucky that my saddle wasn't stolen when the others were taken from our tack room. Mine had been at the saddle shop being repaired.

I learned how much personality each horse has, and how they make such friendships with each other. I had Frosty a couple years and her former family contacted us - they wanted her back! But they had a nice 3 year old gelding they thought I might like. I burst into tears at the thought of losing Frosty, but I sure wanted a new challenge, a true registered quarter horse. More about Jack next...