Between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m.

What occurs late at night except thoughts? Piano music plays in the background, very softly, an empty wine glass on the table beside me, my dog sleeping beside me, my husband talking in his sleep in our bedroom, and in this half-hour my mind wanders to my life as it has thus far been lived. …

Leaving Childhood

When I was a child I thought old people were kind of different, but lovable. I wondered what it would feel like to be old, with leathery skin and scant hair. I am no longer a child; I am the old person, and I do hope I’m lovable. But I do find myself grumpy, not …

Buddy and Reo; Separation

Two days ago I went to visit Buddy. He was swatting flies away as he and his two companions stood in the shade of a large oak tree. I called to him, he looked, and then obviously did not think I was worth leaving the shade for, as he simply stood there and gazed at …

Big Changes

Here it is Friday, and I last rode on Sunday. Reo was a gentleman, we walked about the farm, tried a trot, and he was definitely dropping his head on right front leg contact. So, we walked and enjoyed a lovely Sunday afternoon. It always surprises me that so few people come to ride on …

Reo, Buddy, Me

Reo is definitely lame. After cleaning off three days of crusted mud that he managed to get over his entire body, in every crevice, I decided I was too tired to ride. I thought he should experience some interaction with me other than the good grooming, so I put the rope halter on him and …

HORSES, MOVING, DOGS, MONEY, and MORE

It had been a few days since I spent some time in the saddle, and I missed Reo. Last Wednesday called to me, as I had been wandering around the house, restless as usual. It was a wonderful day for riding, the rain had stopped, it was slightly breezy, and the air felt just damp …

Riding Reo; and Walmart

First things first: I vacuumed my home; I filled the bird feeders; I cursed at the robot that ran out of batteries and therefore didn’t get up all the dog hair under my bed; and then I said, “I’m going riding.” Thankfully, Reo was in the shed when I arrived, so no traipsing across the …

Other Things

I think just because I named this site about my horses doesn’t mean I can’t blog about other aspects of my life, which may or may not involve horses. This past weekend I did not see my two horses; however, I did buy senior feed for Buddy and, with the help of my husband, delivered …

Changing my site name

It is time to rename my blog site to something more relevant to my writing. So, mjm1942 has become PaintedAppy. The new title represents both horses: Reo the Paint, and Buddy the Appaloosa. Since both horses are aging and so am I, it seemed only right to acknowledge our limitations, but also our new adventures. …

Frustration

My husband uses my laptop.  He swears nothing changes when he uses it, but I can never find what I want when he returns it to me.   So, I’m ignorant about computers, I know.  I am, after all, 76 years old and technology is not my forte.   My forte is writing, riding, living without stress, …