Lullabies for Horses

I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought I'd write about my day, because it was one of those quiet, rare treasures.

I started off by eating what has become my regular breakfast -- Honey Bunches of Oats with a big handful of organic blueberries on top. I've been eating them every day for over two weeks now and swear I can feel the antioxidants helping me. It's probably all in my head, but still.

Then I went to my first intermediate ukulele lesson at the local senior center. My two friends from the beginners class and I bunched up in the corner, looking at all the others who had been in the intermediate class for God knows how long. We felt so inadequate, and they all seemed to know each other and were having fun chatting after the two week break between classes.

We shuffled into the library, where our lessons are, and helped set up. We were used to having a class of 4 -- now it is at least 20! But with so many playing and singing at once, our John Denver songs sounded pretty good!

I'm the only one in the room with color in my hair, but I adore it. My grandparents are gone except for my paternal grandmother who lives with us, and I help take care of her. But there is something very comforting about being in the company of other elderly people, as well. Most people my age don't get the chance to interact with older people on a day to day basis, much less talk with them, and that is a huge shame. I truly believe we would be a better society if more respect was paid to our elders and the wisdom and life lessons they can share.

After I got home, I helped my grandma by cleaning for her -- dusting, vacuuming, washing the floor, washing dishes, doing laundry -- listening to her stories from when she was young. She tends to remember those most vividly. She told me of how my father was born.

She was married when she was 21, so she must have been pregnant around 22 or 23. At 25, am I lacking or what? I can't even see myself getting married... ever. She had eaten cantelope and started to feel like her stomach was upset. She threw up, and after that she felt a little better, so she thought it was just indigestion. She was sitting on the porch when a woman she was lifelong friends with (from elementary school to the day she died) stopped by with her husband. They figured out that she was going into labor and called my grandpa, letting him know that they were taking her to the hospital.

I was pretty hungry after that, so I made lunch. I'm usually either to hungry or too lazy to put any effort into food preparation (unless it's a dessert in which case I go all out) but today I actually took the time to put mustard and mayo on the bread (I usually just slap the meat and cheese and lettuce in the sandwich then eat it) before I layered a slice of swiss cheese, a slice of pepperjack cheese, two slices of turkey meat, and fresh, home-grown sprouts. I mixed up some chocolate milk and grabbed and handful of pita chips and was done!

I set my lunch on the table outside, glancing around to make sure Chee Chee was nowhere in sight, then dashed back inside to quickly change out of my jeans and into shorts since it was in the low 70s. You can probably guess what happened next. I ran back out to find that Comanche had slunk out of nowhere and was eating my sandwich. "He even at the sprouts!" I shouted to my mom when she asked what I was screaming about as I watched him murder my lunch. "He doesn't even like vegetables and he ate the sprouts!"

I marched back inside and made another sandwich. But of course you know that the best sandwich in the world was the one Chee Chee ate. I went back out to eat it and Cheech had the gall to sit and beg with his adorable eyes, looking as if he hadn't eaten in months. He's one of the best liar's I've ever met.

I then read part of a book for homework, sharing the sun on the deck with my mom. Though I live at home, I don't always feel like I get enough time with her without something needing to be rushed off and done, so it was pleasant to just sit and enjoy each other's company. But there were three others I feel I don't get to spend time with often enough...

I headed down to the barn and sat on an overturned bucket in Mickey's stall. When we spend time with our horses, it's usually when we're riding or preparing to ride or cleaning their stalls. We don't often just hang out, which is sad. I'm going to make an effort to do it more often. Mickey gives the best hugs in the world. I wrap my arms around him and am flooded with peace blossoming within. Though we didn't buy him until I was 3 or so, I can't remember life without Mickey, my big brother. I've known him longer than I've known any animal and he always lifts my heart.

I read a good chunk of my book, Writing Down the Bones, Mickey stood beside me, his head and eyes drooping as he relxed in the small patches of sun on his back. Houdini reached over the fence from his stall, occassionally nipping the top of my head, wanting a reaction out of me, the curious, playful, intelligent brat. His momma Sparrow would come and go, losing interest in me then regaining it.

At one point I glanced over at Mickey and noticed green drool danging from his lip. I smirked and scratched his cheek and he started -- apparently he was beginning to doze. He smacked his lips and swallowed the drool.

A little while later I began to sing one of my favorite songs, a lullby in Swahilli, as I read. Mickey began to walk away on the second verse and I thought "my singing is that bad, bud?" But then he paused a foot or two from me and laid down. He rested his chin on the sand and perked his ears to me, his eyes drooping. I was singing him to sleep. I sang him to sleep.

It made me remember when I used to sit on the edge of his pipe corral and sing to him, and how he would rest his head in my lap, and how as I continued to sing he would let the full weight of his head fall into my lap, and I would squeal and shove him away because it was crushing me. Sweet, silly boy!

I nearly finished my book, though I was only supposed to read half for this week, then baked peanut butter cookies. I took some out to my grandma then went for a 30 minute run in the dusk. I was running atop my moonshadow by the end.

I ate dinner. I showered and washed my hair. I played the Sims on my sister's computer and had my Sim Teyla put on magic glasses to try to help her become better friends with Laura Cadman, my sister's Sim. For some reason the two hate each other. The glasses worked at first then backfired when Teyla tried to hug Cadman and was rejected. Ooops...

Then it was time for Stargate Atlantis! We watched "Critical Mass" -- the music in that episode is beautiful and the best Joel Goldsmith has ever done in Stargate. And I love Rachel Luttrell's voice. Definitely one of my very favorite episodes!

Cookies for dessert. Brushing and flossing. Checking e-mails and updating the blog while chatting with Padfoot. Life! Beautiful life!

I think this post is more for "me," but if anyone else read it, I hope they enjoyed it, as well.