stablehandsuzanne

so, i can't just take my kid to lessons and drive away. no. i have to get involved.

my girl's instructor needs help on saturdays mucking out stalls and feeding.

i volunteer, because manual labor really works for me and it's cheaper than therapy. plus, i get to see bucky.

i spent a great deal of time with him today. he puts his big velvet lips on my cheek and breathes. fogging up my glasses.

the black stallion who shares a paddock with him, kept trying to run him off. but i wouldn't stand for it. i love a black stallion as much as the next guy, but, i love bucky. i kept looking at bucky and rubbing his neck and chest, and finally the black stallion gave up and walked away.

after trying many times to run bucky off, i would not stand for it. i could not. just because you're big and stunning doesn't give you the right to claim me and my attention. no sir.

so my girl's instructor wants to give me free riding lessons for all the work i'll be doing.

sure,

i say, as my girl is standing there smiling and grinning. i figure, i have to learn it all.

i walked out into the paddock and retrieved velvet who is usually tricksy when being brought in to work, but she let me walk right up and clip a lead onto her. i didn't think through maneuvering her out the gate, and the other two horses had a better angle on escape than velvet and i, but we averted disaster, and all ends well.

i went to work and ended up staying till 11, i got giddy and kind of delirious toward the end. i still have to pack for this weekend, i spent all my "free" time this week cleaning my disaster of an apartment. which hits the skids on a regular basis.

i'm looking forward to a more hands on relationship with my girl's instructor's horses. we'll be responsible for mucking and feeding and generally handling the day's business on saturdays.

my girl needs to learn these things, as do i. i told her instructor,

this is a safe learning environment.

and her horses are very well behaved, plus, i get to see bucky. did i mention that?

beautiful bucky. he does good things for my soul. and i haven't felt free to love anything in a very long time. i've just been too sad. perhaps this is a new day for me.

ice and snow headed our way, we're off for a road trip. i better get packing because i need some rest eventually.

but there is nothing like the feeling of a body tired from a good day's work. it helps calm my mind, keeping busy. and so i do.

peace.