Snow Ride

Saturday, February 09, 2019

As promised by the weatherperson, last night delivered more snow, not out of the blue, but heavier than the nearly invisible flakes that all day yesterday fell lightly and melted quickly. We’re into our second or third weeks of on-and-off snowing. By now, we’ve adjusted our routines accordingly, freeing a little time for reflecting. I did so yesterday by sinking into a deep comfortable chair near Peaches’ cage and with him staring out a picture window. There’s no telling what Peaches might be thinking, especially when he’s as quiet as he was. We simply vegged out together.

My horses visible down the slope were eating. Pimmy was on her way from Rosie’s pile where she’d been mooching, toward Sunni’s to see if the younger horse had anything more appealing. Suddenly, something began to bug me. Here, I’m sitting inside, while outside little snows have created good conditions for horseback riding. The warm weather between snows has melted earlier snows, freeing horse trails of icy-slick stretches. Meanwhile, this winter, I’ve been nursing a bum knee, am awaiting surgery, and can’t ride. I sighed and sank back into my chair letting my mind drift off toward snowy rides.

First to my mind, a huge white landscape with Conifer greens peeking from beneath whipped cream. Next, the unique soft-thuddings of hooves. And then, I remembered a sort of saddle sense, or the feeling of oneness between separate beings that are alive, co-dependent, mutually trusting. My horse sometimes snorting and high-stepping will at a touch trot or canter. Riding in this beautiful open and brisk landscape, is made safest by traveling on well-known paths. This avoids “dangers of the disappeared”, such as big holes, sudden drop-offs, large rocks, and vicious barbed wire.

I like how our brains interweave reality, fantasy, and dreams, making the experiences feel simultaneous. I have occasional uncertain moments about which world I’m in. Yesterday, for example, while beside the silent bird and our picture window, remembering with my eyes closed. My dreams were nearly as good as being in the Ochoco Mountains on Sunni or Rosie along our favorite well-trodden paths. These horses, full sisters, are very alike, so why ride both? I think on various terrains each may feel slightly different. Changeability, another beautiful element of dreaming, means that I may ride on all sorts of trails, in various terrains, whenever, and on any horse I wish.

Dear Readers, have a wonderful day. Diana