Snowy Forest Road

I took Trooper and Abe out for a trail ride yesterday to Pack Forest. Pack Forest is an experimental forest run by Washington State University. There are hiking, biking, and horse riding trails there, really nice. Pack Forest is on Highway 7, past the junction with Highway 161, on the way to Mount Rainier after the cut-off to Eatonville, but before you get to Elbe.

There was snow along the way, but we were fortunate to have bare dry roads to travel on. This was the first time I had both the fellas out together by myself. I was hoping to ride Trooper and pony (lead)Abe.

The trainer taught them how to nicely pony last year, and the fellas want to be near each other, so I wasn't worried about it. I had to find a boulder to mount Trooper though. The saddle tends to slip over to the side. That happened twice. Finally, I got on with the saddle in the right place!

We were able to ride close enough to Abe to pick up his lead and get going. Believe you me, I didn't think that was a given! Part of the point of this trip was to get more comfortable about what we can do and handling what may come up.

I wish you could have seen the forest, the snow, and the beautiful views. The sun started to set, the clouds turned pink and we headed back to the trailer.

One word of advice, don't let your glasses fly off into the snow when it is starting to get dark! Must've had an angel on my shoulder, because I picked them out, just a thin line where the wire frame had sunk into the snow. Whew!

The fellas are so good, it's a pleasure riding out with them. They sure don't like water across the trail though! Note to self: Find a water crossing we can practice on when we are NOT in a hurry!

Trooper likes to eat snow, and so does Abe.

Tomorrow: More trail riding with friends, now how do you like that?

Happy Trails!

Auriel, Donkey Rider

What I want for Christmas

The Tacoma newspaper is running a series on the consequences of cheap goods from China. Yesterday, they talked about how cashmere sweaters are turning the China grasslands into dustlands. The goats who are the source of the cashmere wool are grazed on the grasslands. But there is so much profit in the wool, the grassland is over-grazed.

Goats and other livestock cannot be fed where this has happened, so herders who have had this way of life for time immemorial can no longer survive as herders - there is nothing for their herds to eat.

Today's newspaper is about deforestation. I haven't read it yet, but I scanned it and I get the picture. Something cheap and convenient for me is destruction across the sea.

The rate at which we are using resources collectively is alarming. The tragedy of the commons writ large - a planet-sized tragedy.

So what I want for Christmas is nothing. Or something I could make myself.

And then, thinking about this, I am awestruck by the amount of time and work it would take to make anything for myself. I knit a sweater, but it took more than a year. I kept putting it away because I am busy. And anyway, I bought the yarn. The yarn cost more than buying a sweater.

I have llama wool in bags in the garage. I haven't developed energy enough to deal with it. I thought it would be nice to make felt strips and then make that into a braided rug. I still think that would be fun.

So much easier to watch tv, go to the movies, forget about it.

I wish we could feed our basic needs locally in a sustainable way. That would be water, clean air, shelter, food, clothing, transportation, and medical care. I see some sectors trying to change: Organic food, green building, naturopathic medicine, local farm coops.

At the same time, housing developments are popping up all over the place. New strip malls with the same franchises you see in any city or town in the whole country are popping up.

I guess I'll just dream about making shoes (there's a workshop in Port Townsend) and knitting socks. Meanwhile, I need new socks and my significant other needs a flannel shirt, so it's off to REI and Sportsmen's Wharehouse! Aaaaaaargh!

We had a wonderful Christmas, mostly at church. Hope you all are well!

Merry Christmas!

Auriel

Donkey Endurance (Riding!)

Ok, you all, there is a sport called endurance riding in which a horse, and now sometimes a mule, races along a course that is 50 miles or 100 miles.

Here is a link to a photo of an intrepid Donkey and rider preparing for endurance riding:


by run4bear

I have a friend at work who runs races that are 100 miles! He says it started when a fellow was in a race where you partly rode a horse and partly "hoofed" it on your own two feet. The fellow's horse couldn't be ridden for the entire way, for some reason, and the intrepid fellow decided to "hoof" it on his own!

Ok, I thought I was wacko!

Just so's you know we can do things far beyond what we thought was reasonably possible...

I think ice cream marathons (after the fast) are more my speed!

Best,

Auriel