Back on the Blog

by Laura Crum

I got back from my month long vacation this last weekend. Had a good time overall—but boy am I glad to be home. Traveling is always interesting, and I think it is very good for us, but it is tiring, especially the camper road trips that our family chooses. It was great to spend time with my husband’s family, and my son enjoyed snorkeling in the lakes; we all enjoyed river rafting in Colorado. We had some lovely camps in remote spots in Nevada and the California Mts. On the flip side, we had some rather intense experiences with thunderstorms, heat waves in the Midwest, and rivers in flood stage. Still, all in all, a fine trip.

Now I am back and slowly reconnecting with my home. It feels like I’ve been gone a long time. The garden is very overgrown and will take much work to get it back in shape. The horses are all doing well. My son and I rode Henry and Sunny yesterday. Just at the walk and trot in our riding ring, as we get them going again after a month off. Both horses were perfectly behaved, and Sunny was sound. Yay. I didn’t do a real soundness exam on him, but he walked out freely, trotted without a bob, and, best of all, walked relaxed and comfortably down the slope that leads from the riding ring to the barn, something he was certainly NOT able to do before I left on my trip. At that point he picked his way down that hill, and it was clearly uncomfortable for him. So he’s improved a lot, and at the moment is sound enough for the light trail riding I like to do. However, I’ll probably stick to walk/trot in the riding ring for awhile, as I figure out if he’s ready for more. Not to mention I’m not going to have time for a lot of horse activities for the next week or two. There is so much weeding and mowing to do in the garden—I hardly know where to start. I’m not going to have much horse time for awhile, any way.

Since I haven’t uploaded (or downloaded—I don’t know which way it goes) the photos of my trip yet, I thought I’d post the photos that I took with me on my travels, to remind me of my home. They were all taken in June, right before I left. So, below you see:

Roses on our porch pergola.

My favorite rambling rose, Treasure Trove.

Chickens in our barnyard.

My little trail horse, Sunny.

Our vegetable garden.

My husband, playing the pipes at our local cemetery on Memorial Day. Yes, he’s of Scottish descent and plays the bagpipes.

On another note, it looks as though the Equestrian Ink summer reading book giveaway has been a huge success. It will be my turn to participate in the giveaway this Saturday, and I have a surprise for all of you. So for those who are interested in winning a copy of one of my books, please check back this Saturday, August 6^th, when I will post my contest. I hope you all enter.

I’ll be reading blogs again soon, am interested to hear how everyone is doing. But must fit it in around reading the page proofs for my twelfth novel, which will be published this coming spring. Good wishes to everyone. Cheers--Laura