Four Country Gals

With the stable and corral finished, it’s time to move the little “foster horses” north from Enterprise to Beryl.

Dusty and Kid are just yearlings who either will never see the race track, or who need a temporary home until time to go to the trainer.

In Dusty’s case, he’ll never see the track as he has a slightly crooked cannon bone on his right front leg. He still needs love, and training, and he can become a very good pleasure riding horse, just not a race horse.

Kid is “track material”, but not ready to go to the trainer for a while. Cindy and Bev will nurture him and Dusty will provide other “horse company”.

What are the goals? Since Dusty will be here “long-term”, Cindy will work with him, and eventually saddle and ride him. She’s never done this, so the two of them will be learning together.

Kid is “just visiting”, so he’ll be loved and nurtured, but not trained. That is a job for the professional trainer.

As you can see, Dusty really admires his new keepers. Both Cindy and Bev are taking an active role in socializing him.

He’s got his issues. Some days, he’s a brat. Some days, he’s pushy. Some days, well… he’s just a total love… not the least bit well-behaved, but a total love.

Well, everyone (but Cindy and Bev) know that sheep are “flock or herd” animals. One lamb amongst a pack of dogs has serious identity problems. Not to mention a lamb that started life sleeping in “Grandma’s” bed.

What to do? Get more bummers! It seems there’s an ample supply this year.

So, they go from “Paco”, the lone lamb… to a small flock, adding “Taco” and “Wooly”. Now, the new guys don’t get near the treatment Paco got. They’re confined to dog crates at night, and outside in the back yard just as soon as possible.

The weather is quite agreeable, and with three of them, there’s safety in numbers. Especially with a pack of dogs who believe their lot in life is to eat, play, and sleep.

The back yard has some “edibles”, that really have to go away before any landscaping can be done, so the little lambs are sort of “earning their keep”. The little “kids” get a shelter, so they can escape the hot, summer sun.

No thoughts yet as to what happens when they grow up…

After carefully evaluating the situation with the shed on the north property line, and discussions with Deena, they realize horses have a future here. Just as soon as Cindy and Bev can get the barn ready, they’ll have two foster horses.

Time to get to work…

They’ve got “heavy metal” to move, tons of tumbleweed to liberate, and at least a foot or more of sand to dig out. That doesn’t count the petrified cow manure that will remain… need a jackhammer to bust that out.

Deena agrees to help with the corral. Her father-in-law has a bunch of railroad ties that he’ll let them have and if they’ll help clean up his place, they can have all the old fencing. They’ll tack that up to help secure the corral.

With Deena (and Chase) on the tractor with the big auger, they dig post holes, set the posts and make a corral.

Thankfully, both Cindy and Bev are pretty handy with hammers and saws. Soon they have both a combined feed and tack area as well as a nice big stall for the horses, as well as a secure corral.

Now, while they’re out there working, another neighbor happens by… Dixie. She lives “over there”, smack in the middle of “mile square”. During the course of the conversation, she mentions she has sheep, as well as horses, and is currently helping out with lambing season at a nearby sheep ranch.

Cindy, in a moment of exuberance, says… “Oh, a lamb, I’d love to have a lamb”.

Well, not a half-hour passes and here comes Dixie with a 3-day-old “bummer”.

Aye-yi-yi… be careful what you wish for, the horse stable isn’t quite finished and now we have a lamb, too. Where we gonna put it? It’s too little to live outside. Besides, it has to be fed every few hours.

“Oh, Maw-w-wm! We’ve got just the thing for you. We’ll feed him, if you’ll love him.

And so, Taco became a “house pet”. Mom even wraps him in a towel, puts him in her bed and sleeps with him for the first week of his life. After that, he learns to sleep in a dog kennel in the hallway.

It takes about a week to get him to sleep clear through the night, taking his bottle in the morning and then a couple times during the day, and finally just before bed time.

Luckily, the dogs get along well with him. Koda is just sure he’s her new personal play toy.

Little do the dogs know what’s coming…

Part of our dream has been to have more than just dogs… we really would like to again have a horse or two.

Cindy was a really good rider, participating in barrel racing all through high school, and Bev helped her Grandfather a lot when he was raising “sulky horses”. For years, they’ve had to set aside the desire to own, train and ride horses.

But, they’ve got some hurdles. They don’t really know any one yet… and they sure don’t have a barn. Oh, and it’s still winter here… and they’ve got no idea when it will be spring.

Never mind, since Bev is in town regularly, she often stops by the local hardware store… Bracken’s. They have a “local ad board” where she finds a request for “horse rescue center volunteers”.

What the heck… they go check it out.

Cindy and Bev head into Enterprise to visit. That’s all, just visit… well, maybe we could volunteer some hours feeding and cleaning.

Turns out, the gal is starting a “Thoroughbred Horse Rescue Center” as her father-in-law and grandfather breed and raise Thoroughbreds for the racing industry. You know, only a very small percentage of horses ever actually make it to the track… so she’s thinking setting up a rescue would be a good idea.

Within days, it’s really winter again, and thoughts of horses are far from their minds. First, what to do with all this snow! It seems like no sooner is it here… then it is gone… and then back again.

From the middle of February, until the end of March, we’ve had at least four distinct snow storms, leaving as much as 8 inches or so each time. Even our birds are tiring of the routine. Poor little things, they’re just so cold.

Finally, with a 10-day dry stretch, they begin thinking again about the horses. Deena’s having a hard time getting volunteers and she’s thinking maybe it would be better to find “foster homes” for the “racing rejects”.

You know… we’ve got this old shed out along the north property line. Wonder if we could do anything with it? Wonder how much work it would take to modify it for a horse or two?

Oh boy, it’s full of tumbleweed. What’s with all this “heavy metal”? They must have kept something pretty big in here… cows maybe? Hey look… we’ve even got a frost-free hydrant. That will make things really easy… we can just hook up a hose and fill water barrels from here. No time to see if it’s operational, the ground’s still pretty frozen.

Hmm, even if we do get this area cleaned out, we don’t have a corral, or anything to make a corral. We’ll need posts, a way to dig the holes for the posts, fencing (including electric), and God only knows what else.

Electric fence? Now, that’s gonna be fun… we don’t have any power! Oh, wait, we’ve got plenty of sun… we’ll get a solar powered fence charger.

Mom’s recovery is slowed a bit, as she’s really battling depression. We’re not sure, but it’s possible the medication has contributed to the problem. So, it’s at least weekly trips to either Cedar City, or St. George for Dr’s appointments.

The weather holds… just cold and clear until the middle of February.

In the meantime, Coco “the pup” is busy exploring everything. She checks out the dishwasher (Geez, y’all sure left a lot of food on these dishes), and wood stove… oh, only as Cindy is removing the ashes and before she lays in the wood for the next fire.

The little stinker… she just thinks she’s so-o-o-o cute!

Bev has found a job!

When the girls lived on the island, Mom was real active in the Senior Center. Here, it means traveling to Enterprise (17 miles one way). Well, Bev just got a job driving the Iron County Senior Bus. It doesn’t pay worth beans, but it does provide a way to get to and from the Senior Center without burning personal fuel.

She’s so well-liked, that within just a couple weeks, she’s also working as a substitute driver for the Washington County Senior Bus.

Just when everyone is beginning to look forward to spring… wham!

The first REAL SNOW STORM!

The morning of February 19, 2006 the world (as we know it) is white. Oh, how beautiful.

And, within the week… it’s all gone again. Sure different from the island, where winter got there, and then stayed for months.

The gals (and Shawn) enjoy a quiet Christmas, celebrating by opening packages on Christmas eve. This year, it’s a little subdued as Mom is still recovering from the bout of diverticulitis and then depression.

Coco, the puppy is the “star of the show”, investigating every gift, and of course, all the wrapping paper.

Shawn has to catch the Las Vegas shuttle out of St George bright and early Christmas morning, so it’s up at “Oh God:thirty”, well before the sun comes up.

Leaving Mom home with most of the dogs, Bev, Cindy, Shawn, and Coco “the pup” pile into the Avalanche for the hour plus drive to St. George. All the way there, they’re a little concerned about whether or not the shuttle will actually be running on Christmas Day.

No problem, they arrive at about sun up (shortly after 7 AM) and hook up with the shuttle.

Their only regret is that there is no snow for Christmas.

Oh… but the very next morning, they awake to the first tease… a brief snow shower.

The ground has been frozen for some time now, so what little falls sticks immediately. Is it really winter here now?

With Shawn here for Christmas, and the weather holding nicely, it’s time to explore a little further than 10 miles in any direction.

Cindy and Shawn take the day to “go west” and see what they find. Now, I don’t know if they were looking for anything in particular, but heading west takes them to some interesting country.

Leaving the house and hooking up with Hwy 56 (just over 6 miles south), they head west, towards Nevada. About 20 miles west, they come upon the last town in Utah (0n Hwy 56), called Modena.

It’s pretty much a ghost town, except for the railroad crossing. There are still plenty of folks who live in the area… but Modena has next to nothing in the way of a business center.

Within seconds, they’re in Nevada, headed for Panaca, the oldest surving town in Eastern Nevada. When it comes time for us to have something to sell at a “Farmer’s Market”, this is the closest community.

Cindy says going from the desert of Utah into the “green” of forest in Nevada is as if you’ve gone through a wall.

Pioche is just a few miles north, so it’s off to explore the “Baddest Living Ghost Town” in the West. Would you believe they recorded 72 murders before the first person ever died of anything related to “natural causes”?

Shawn’s really interested in the wildlife and other than a few unidentifiable ducks, they see a couple of Golden Eagles. These magnificent birds are larger than the Bald Eagle and relatively abundant here in the winter time.

Once at Pioche, they discover it’s an old silver mining town. In fact it still has the ore buckets dangling from the overhead cable transport system.

These days, Pioche is part tourist town, part ghost town, and part home to folks who really enjoy dancing to their own drum beat.

I mentioned that Cindy and Bev had found the perfect Christmas gift… a little Chocolate Lab puppy!

Mom named her “Coco”… aka “Little Brown Bug”.

What a cutie-pie. She has great big brown eyes and a big brown nose. Her head looks way too big for her little wrinkly body.

Missie, the “old gal” has taken up the grandmotherly duty of teaching Coco the “rules of the house”. This is what you do, and when you do it. No, you don’t do that!

You’ll hear a lot more about Coco as she grows up… and about the rest of our pack, too. They truly are part of the family.

Life is very good indeed… all the way through Thanksgiving and until the morning of December 11.

Mom wakes up not feeling her usual perky self. She’s got an upset stomach that’s getting worse as the morning goes on.

Teasingly, Bev says, “If you’re not better in an hour, I’m calling the squad (cop talk for emergency services)!”

And Mom replies… “Don’t think you’d better wait for the full hour”

With that, both Bev and Cindy spring into action. They call 911 and begin moving furniture so the EMT’s can get the gurney to Mom’s room. Let’s see, if they bring the gurney in the front door, they can go out the sliding door, and make the turn on the patio, then come in the back door with a straight shot into Mom’s room.

Within about 15 minutes, the squad arrives, and loads Mom up for the 45 minute trip to Cedar City. Bev and Cindy follow in the Avalanche. No one knows for sure what Mom’s problem is… but they all agree, she’s feeling pretty badly to agree to a ride in the ambulance.

One thing about Utah, and health care. These folks know how to take care of you… Bedside manners are tops. Even in the emergency room, the empathy oozes. Health care is a most important aspect of the “good life” in Utah.

Now, this a Sunday, so you wouldn’t expect much news about any conditions. But again, because it’s Utah, and health care is awesome, Mom is diagnosed with diverticulitis. She’s spending several days in the hospital until the Dr’s can get the infection under control.

Here it is… Christmas season, and Mom’s in the hospital. No time to slow down…

Besides making nearly daily trips to Cedar City, Bev and Cindy are readying the house for Christmas. That means shopping for presents and also meeting Shawn when he arrives.

Mom’s always hard to shop for, but this year, it’s a bit of a “no-brainer”. Earlier this year, on the way to Utah, the girls had lost “Bree”, having to euthanize her at the start of the move.

They’d be replacing her with a spunky little “brown bug”. Looking around, they found a family in Cedar City who had a Chocolate Lab puppy up for a “rescue adoption”. Perfect! She’ll do just fine with the Black Lab, the other “old gal” Chocolate Lab, and Koda, the shepherd-husky cross.

So, on Dec 17, nearly a week after Mom has gone to the hospital, Bev and Cindy visit the folks with the Chocolate Lab. Yes… they’ll take that one. How soon can they pick her up?

It’s now just a week before Christmas and time to go get Shawn. He’s making things easier by flying into ‘Vegas and then taking the shuttle into St. George. That means Bev and Cindy will go get him, then pick up the puppy, and then visit Mom.

“How well do we have to hide a puppy to get into Mom’s room”, Cindy asks.

“Puppy? How small… oh really… Yes, by all means. The puppy is welcome in her room.”

With only two days to spare, Mom is finally released from the hospital only to spend the next 10 days pretty much in bed, suffering from a bout of depression.

It’s getting into November now, and the gals, remembering Ohio are looking for really cold and snowy weather.

They’ve got the fireplace ready. It’s even decorated for Christmas with a “frontier desert” motif. Along with the fireplace, they’ve laid in several cords of wood, as the fireplace will provide most of the “morning heat” and evening “stoke it really good” heat. Even though electric heat isn’t expensive here, they’re not real sure about the quality of their furnace/heat pump.

They can see snow in the really high mountains. That’s actually “Brian Head”, Utah’s most southerly ski resort. It’s situated south of Bryce Canyon and north of Zion National Park.

They even watch some really menacing stuff pass them by on the east. Around here, the main “weather” happens east of the nearest mountain range in what they call the “I-15 Corridor”. That’s where Cedar City is located… and they get an abundance of snow.

In the meantime, cold means it’s below freezing at night… sometimes way below as in barely above zero, and then bright and sunny during the daytime. Oh, and what makes it winter is the north wind.

When the wind comes from the north, especially the northeast, or even east, the wind chill is ferocious. Even the birds look for shelter where they can stay out of the wind.

Think they’re happy?

You bet! With Mom here, and the dogs, “Mindy, Missy, and Koda”, the family is nearly complete. They’ve even managed to get Shawn, Cindy’s son to come out for Christmas. Life is very good, indeed.