August: The “Thick Paw of My Life”

August

When the blackberries hang
swollen in the woods, in the brambles
nobody owns, I spend

all day among the high
branches, reaching
my ripped arms, thinking

of nothing, cramming
the black honey of summer
into my mouth; all day my body

accepts what it is. In the dark
creeks that run by there is
this thick paw of my life darting among

the black bells, the leaves; there is
this happy tongue. (Mary Oliver)

I did not make it out on a Monday beat-the-heat trail ride. During our weekend water excursions our trailer connection developed an issue and a warning light came on, shutting down other aspects of the truck. So, Monday morning brought a trip to the dealership to get it fixed. (It was a loose wire.)

Since it was a blazing hot day here in the Northwest, I was okay with that. 

I’m not a summer person, but this has been a fun-filled August. Until this week it has been relatively mild and smoke free. (They are predicting smoke from Oregon coming in today though, ugh). 

I realize I haven’t shared photos of myself much, so here is one from Sunday (a selfie) and you can see my husband’s head in my sunglasses. We took the waverunners up to Metaline Falls and checked out four waterfalls, one of them being the magnificent Peewee Falls. 

This next photo was Friday on Lake Roosevelt by Whitestone Rock. We call our waverunners Seahorse 1 and Seahorse 2. Haha. 

Another fun August development is the maturing of our grandson. He is now able to join us at restaurants and converse. He can even order his own food and show appreciation to the staff. He is developing impeccable manners. So, that means we get to stop and eat after all our adventures. You know, do grownup stuff. 

Here he is trying fried pickles in Davenport, WA after our Lake Roosevelt trip. 

He has loved our water adventures. When we’re all together we call ourselves the Four Musketeers, and speaking of four…he will turn four in October. I’ve always called that the golden year. It kind of all comes together and they can do so much more for themselves. 

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I was thinking about my last lesson with Tweed, trotting downhill, and realize how wise it was for my trainer to concentrate on that since, on past trail rides, Tweed has picked up speed downhill to catch up with a lead horse. There were 3 things she wanted to accomplish: 

1. His balance and attention.

2. Checking his speed without pulling on the reins.

3. Exposure to what it feels like to carry himself at a different gait, in case he does it organically on a ride. When they pick up another gait their energy can come up, too, causing you to lose your connection. 

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So, here’s to August 2025 and all the blessings it has opened up to us. 

(Random August happenings)

Metaline Falls 

Peewee Falls

Lake Roosevelt 

My barn garden

The summer “volunteers”

A trail ride