Loud Rumbles - Sweet Smells~

 The thunder rumbled & rain came down!  Then, this afternoon the sun broke through & the humidity went sky high!  But oh the smell!  The air was rich with the fragrance of all the honeysuckle & locust tree blooms!

From the deck~

Butch & I spent yesterday in Omaha.  Tests, tests & more tests.  My visit to a second Retinal Specialist confirmed the diagnosis of the first.  I'll be visiting him monthly.  I'm told the likelihood of any improvement is slim at best.  Changes in the eye will continue.

Jack-in-the-pulpit

I am atypical for this to have occurred.  My test results were all fine.  No health issues, a healthy lifestyle etc.  The Why may never be determined.  Dr. Angle said to consider it a blessing, because if it hadn't entered the eye - my brain would have been next.  When I consider the helmets I've broken, the falls I've taken & close calls I've survived.  It is difficult for me to comprehend being struck so suddenly & without warning.

Honeysuckle~

Again, many thanks to the friends who have called, texted, emailed, messaged.  All the ways of communication we now enjoy.  Your prayers have strengthened me.  With time, my brain will adjust to the changes & I may hardly notice any difference.  I've been thinking about faith in the last few months, as two good friends struggled with serious health issues.  Faith is easy to have when things are fine, the test comes when they're not.  Now - It's me being put to the test.

The swing~

I'm taking one of my favorite pieces of advice.  It was shared by my long time amigo & mentor after my serious accident in 2003; "Forward Motion saves your beehind!" (The sanitized version.) The trick is to just keep moving forward. I plan to be back in Farah's saddle as soon as the heat & humidity subside!

On Our Own~

I woke late, not that I've ever been a morning person...  But - I was determined to get Farah out.  Even with the later than usual start - we were on the road for Waubonsie before 1 p.m.  Traffic was as light & fast moving as usual on I-29.

Hot Sun to cool shade!

After last Friday's jaunt to Indian Caves, Waubonsie seemed close.  I'd called to see if the trails were open, not sure if they would be after the weekend rain.  No one was there when we pulled in.  The trails were perfect, dry without dust, but the day was very warm.

Heading down~

Very Warm for me is probably 80's - the humidity wasn't heavy at all. With most of the ride in the woods, I was thankful for the shade.   I decided to let Farah set the pace.  She was walking along at 4 mph. before we came to the first of the hills.

Blackberry?

We slid on the down hill & galloped up!  Farah remembered the steep hills & attacked them full on.  I'm thankful, there are these few places, with enough hills she can enjoy.  The climbs are almost effortless for her now.  Ms. Farah who up until this time has had total distain for any type of berry - today tried to bite off a clump of green ones!

More down~

We followed Roxi's directions & recognized the turns from her training loops.  After driving so far - I always feel like we need to get in what miles we can - to justify the trip.  

Tree cut out of the trail~

Finally, the log that had been blocking this trail was cut away!  Volunteers aren't allowed out on the trails with power equipment.  We're trying to schedule a chainsaw safety class for our BCH group.  A requirement to use the equipment in the park.

Too hazy for the view~

We finished the first set of two loops in 1-1/2 hours.  Pretty slow, stopping to graze & take photos, but pleasant.  The Jack-in-the-Pulpit below is the largest I've seen to date!  It had to be over a foot tall!  There were many along certain sections of the trail.  I didn't see any ferns yet though.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Back in camp, Farah drank a full bucket of water & I finished off the few nuts I'd brought.  I filled my water bottle, took another electrolyte & away we went again.   Being out on our own, we finally got the feel of the trails.  We were warmed up & moving out, spooking a doe with a brand new fawn.  The doe took off into the woods, but the fawn ran as fast as he could up the trail!  All spindly legs :-)

The way out~

The second 5-mile set of loops we cut the time in half.  We had fun!   It's amazing to me we did 1,700+ in elevation gain in ten-miles!  If someone had to design a ten-mile endurance training track - this would be it.  No water crossings though :-)

A good roll!

I'd brought shampoo & everything I needed to give Farah a decent bath - her first in forever...  I got soaked & it felt so good :-)  Next in our usual routine - grazing time.  After that - the roll - 1,100 lbs. of muscle mare - who flipped herself back & forth three times!  

Right side up!

I actually felt really decent after our ride.  Farah is getting now, what I'd wanted her to have for the past few years, an opportunity to condition with other fast horses.  The miles & miles on our own gave her an amazing base, but I've always liked to toss in some speed work & competition too.  Having a riding partner is such a help if you want to build an athlete.  It's great for the rider too!  

Signs of Spring~

It's finally warming up! The weekend was beautiful, if very warm, at least for us! We worked outside most of both days. Butch dug an old rose bush out of Clara's yard & in return Lloyd gave us three tomato starts! They went right into the ground when we got home. He also planted three zucchini plants - I'm pretty sure I'll have plenty of produce to make Zucchini relish!
We were sitting out on the back deck later than usual last evening - it was cooling down - dusk was upon us & suddenly I saw what I thought was a flash light - on the far side of the creek? Just a second later it had moved faster than anyone on foot could have! Was I seeing things? I asked Butch if he saw something & yes he did! Lightning Bugs! I was so excited - it was like a gift that you never expect to get - but appears as if by magic!

Iowa Firefly~

Even Nika saw them & of course - started barking! She was running from one side of the yard to the other - trying to figure out what was going on :-) After doing a lot more reading on the subject - I'm sending a letter to our power company - to ask what they can do about the street light that is oh so much brighter than we need. To actually still have this colony living here at the edge of town is so wonderful. It would help if that light could be dimmed - giving the Firefly's a better chance of communicating. The light show lasted most of an hour - one coming within a few feet of our deck!

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

This morning & went out for my usual walk along the creek & noticed these large leaves, actually similar to a Trillium. Closer inspection revealed it to be one of the wildflowers that I tried for years to establish in the Homestead Woods, Jack-in-the-Pulpit! There were two areas where they seem to be flourishing in the dappled shade.

A true beauty~

Butch weed-whacked the whole area along our side of the creek & I've been knocking things down, such as the Stinging Nettles that you can see coming up around the wildflower. I think that getting all the grasses down, gave the flowers a chance to really flourish! Now, I'm going to get little flags to mark their location - so we won't disturb the bulbs.

The part of Twinkle Creek that we border has been missed by the usual burning, trashing, dumping etc., that I've seen has happened so many other places.  Not that I don't pick up at least a couple pieces of trash on every walk.  Gradually though - I hope to enhance as much a much of the area, as I can~