Is it finally over?

Though I prefer the discomforts of winter to those of summer, this winter has been extremely tough on us all. I just wonder at what age enough is enough. At our farm we have been dealing with Czardas' ruptured tendon, Tim and Junebug have hoof abscesses, Belle has an injured knee, and on the day that I broke my wrist from a fall on the ice, Faith injured her right eye rather severely. One of my friends was savaged by her stallion who ripped off her scalp and one of her ears. Yipes!!! One friend is trying a riding program while caring for 17 horses and her grandchild, while another is almost in the same fix.

My wise friend Cathy S. said to me one day, "You know, Nina, it's okay to give yourself permission to quit." She herself runs an extensive lessons program and houses around 25 horses.

This year I feel very, very old. I look old, too.

As I write this while sitting in my truck at the farm, I rejoice because I can actually see mud in the driveway. I could just kiss it!! There is still two feet of snow and too much ice most days to put horses out. They don't ever want to go out anymore.

I guess maybe I complain too much, but the only day I've had off in seven years is the one I spend in the emergency room three months ago with my broken wrist. It was like a vacation.

It is amazing the things I learned to do with one hand.

I, as well as my other old horse women friends (we are all between 60 and 70 years old), will just go on because we have to.

Many thanks to all of my new friends who rallied to the cause to help me. People are good. I love you.

Please don't forget us - we still need money to run Eye of the Storm, we can't do this without your help.

p.s. We have six aracuna bantam hens who each lay a different color egg! I find that to be just magical!! They are really cute, too.