Chasing Clouds~

I'm still far from competent when it comes to judging what the weather will do on any given day.  Starting out shiny bright, clouds moved in.  It would have been a good day to work in the yard, but I know the real heat will come & I won't ride then.  By the time I arrived at the farm, the clouds were again burned off by the heat of the mid-afternoon sun.

Grass, grass & more grass!

Leaving on what's become our favored west side of the farm, it surprised me to see the tiny shoots of corn already sprouting!  Such a light tinge of green against the dark soil.  The grass on the  greenway's is up to Farah's knees already!

Tiny green shoots of corn!

Our first break spot is at Keg Creek, there's shade & of course more grass!  I've given up tightening Farah's girth to the hole it goes, until after we've gone a couple miles.  It's not as though we have any mountains to climb & it's easier on my hands.

Keg Creek "Rapids" :-)

This section has old logs & trees in it.  You can just hear the tiniest sound of the current rushing over the debris.

Of course another "break"~

  To get in some fast trotting, we took the long way to the dirt road with a nice section that's pretty much flat. On the way, Farah stopped & sure enough - we spooked up our deer friends. We pretty much herded them from one side of the field to the other.

Herding deer~

I've noticed that most of the corn fields haven't been disked or planted yet.  Soy bean's must be a faster growing crop than corn - or they mature later in the season.  I'm going to have to ask.

Burrows~

Our last ride, Farah finally stepped into a hole with her right front leg.  With the grass so long, it's getting harder & harder to see them.  She dropped in, at least to her knee, but pulled her foot right on out the next stride.  Walking is the only safe speed.  Of course her walk is grand!  It's easy to understand why the gaited breeds developed on the large plantations.

Looping back~

At the dirt road, we trotted it four times, then galloped it twice.  All that got us 1-1/2 miles of speed work.  I'm so spoiled that we're still avoiding the gravel roads while we can.  A light haze almost obscured the windmill, but the humidity was blessedly lower today.

Sweet, sweet, smell!

As we looped the timber, a rich smell enveloped us!  The leaves almost look like a Laurel, so I have another tree/bush to identify!   Another beautiful May day - still staying ten degrees above what's been normal though.  I think that's why I enjoy the cooler weather so much!  A good clue as to where we came from :-)