Favorite Quotes

As I was out enjoying and my horse and the beautiful view of the Snake River today I was mulling through my mind where I was a year ago with Thunder. And I thought, wow! Have we come a long ways, I sure wouldn't have been out riding him all by myself! That took until last summer before i did that.

One of my favorite quotes after my "crash" is John Wayne's "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway." That quote just speaks volumes, and it hangs on the wall of my utility room so I see it every time I walk in the door. But it also assumes that you are getting on the horse, so my addition to that quote is "Real courage is being scared to death but riding the horse anyway."

A few more strides on the trail mixed with fleeting thoughts and I recalled how last fall at Owyhee some people thought it amazing that I had ridden this horse after all that we went through. Trot, trot, trot. Yeah, but I told myself so many people tried to DIScourage me from riding him that they almost had me believing that I couldn't. Thank God I had friends who ENcouraged me and told me that I COULD ride him! Truth was that I had to ride him. I had my doubts but when I thought of that "Courage"quote and John Wayne it was "I can do this!" Trot, trot, trot, ever notice how discourage and encourage both use the word COURAGE yet have such different meanings? It's so easy to influence people by the use of words. Lope, lope, trot, I would have missed out on so much fun had I not ridden him. John Wayne also said "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." Trot, trot, trot, Thunder and I have shared some great trail moments in the Owyhees and Sawtooths. Oh he's still a hot head and a handful, but we are working at it. Trot, trot, trot, and a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do too. So little time to ride compared to all the other things I have to do. OK Thunder we gotta make plans for this summer. And sometime I have to start riding your cousin too.

Thunder lopes along effortlessly through the sage and sand and the view of the Snake River is just gorgeous. Curlew are swirling overhead and whistling, they are upset at a hawk flying in their territory. The sky is dark to the south and looks like snow down by Three Fingers. The sandy road tracks down the hill with the amazing vista of farms mixed with wide open spaces on the other side of the river. Life is good, thanks for the ride Thunder!