Not much to say

I am caught in a stuggle... being a competitive rider and paying for participation. Sometimes the paying part is challenging since the job I count on for funding has high demands. The past 2 weeks I have worked over time and then some. I love my job but its demand can be grueling so when I finally sign off at the end of the day there is just nothing left. I try to count my blessings on a daily basis but balance this against what I feel like I am missing out on -- that is Blu. We are not making the progress I would like and I know that has everything to do with me not having the energy after a 10-11 hour workday. Every day is the same -- get up, let the dogs out/ feed the dogs, grab breakfast and head to work; sit at the computer, talk on the phone until the batteries on 3 of your cordless phones are dead (even with constant rotation) for 11 hours, finish prioritized paper work and then call it a day. Where is my energy to travel to the barn, groom/ saddle my horse, revel in the glorious ride, clean up and travel home after the drudgeries of servitude?

Here it is clean and simple... life is not easy. I like many others have to pay a dear price to participate. We are the lucky ones... we value those moments and are fully invested in the thrill they provide. So that being the case there is a life lesson is this dilemma -- suck it up and make the most of your life circumstances because before you know it, you will be in a position where your complaints of today seem trivial in nature. Celebrate today!

Good bye to an old friend...

One of Blu's first friends in MA was a beautiful Hannoverian mare named Flaine. She was a beauty with PSG training. Most of all she was the kind and faithful partner for my friend Sandra. No matter what she was asked she was cool calm and collected. She cared for my friend and my friend adored her. She spent 10 of her 18 years with Sandra and was pampered like she deserved to be. While Flaine gave her all, there was also a steep price for Sandra to pay. Flaine had an ongoing gastro intestinal disorder that caused frequent colic episodes, special diets and supplements and multiple surgeries. Flaine finally succumbed with dignity this past weekend and was laid to rest in the bucolic fields of Orchard Hills Equestrian Center. She was 18 years old.

Saying good-bye is not easy but it is a reminder of just how lucky we are each and every day to share our lives with such wonderful giving and devoted creatures. Good-bye Ms. Flaine. You will never be forgotten. Your gifts live on!