Spring is here!

I made it home from California in time for the weekend. The temps were warm and sunny with the smell of spring in the air. The flowers are definitely behind this year. My daffodils are just starting to bloom and the forsythia is just coming out.

I am not the only one who is really thrilled with the nice weather. Izzy is lazing around on the deck in her chair and sitting out in the lawn. The other day she caught and ate a mouse. Nothing like a little fresh meat to help shed fur all over the house.

In Africa the daylight varies by only 15 minutes from winter to summer. They do not think about the Spring and Autumn Equinox since there is so little difference in the amount of light. The Mara is just below the equator so theoretically it would be the Autumn Equinox at this time of year but that was hard to tell by watching the animals. We saw vultures, zebra, hippos and tortoise breeding. Maybe they don't care what season it is? Anyway, we did come across this gorgeous zebra foal who did not appear to be very old.

So for the moment I am happy to be home. This is my favorite time of year, when the earth renews itself by putting forth a show of color, sweet smells and sounds. I can hear the peepers peeping as I sit here and type. Tomorrow I head out for a road trip and a clinic in Arkansas on the weekend. I am sure this year the flowers will still be here when I get home.

Cattails Saga Part 4

Now that they have put FLAT SURFACES TO LAY ON in the BELOW DEN they need to be trained again. HE WHO MUST PLAY WITH ME (HWMPWM) is a quick study. I summoned him to the LET ME IN DOOR by staring at him through the VISIBLE WALL high up in the BELOW DEN.

Now I have to train him to FEED ME, LET ME OUT, and PLAY WITH ME when he is in the BELOW DEN. This is trying as it takes persistence to get through to him, but I will succeed! I make my presence known in the BELOW DEN and complain until he gets the message.

It is nice to have HWMPWM living in BELOW DEN during SUN IS SHINING time. I have more control and can go out and in whenever I like now. However, I need to work on SHE WHO MUST GROOM ME (SWMGM). She is AWAY again. This is disrupting my FUR REMOVAL PROGRAM and I might wind up with BALLS OF FUR in my stomach. Well maybe I should deposit them on her SLEEPING PLACE so she knows how displeased I am that she is AWAY.

In the mean time at least I have HWMPWM to answer to my beck and call.

Signs of Spring

Here in Calistoga there are definitely signs of spring. Although there is frost on the rooftops in the morning the flowers are blooming, daffodils, lavender, rosemary and more. My flowers at home are not willing to stick their heads up yet! It has been such a long winter I am hoping everything has survived - especially my fig tree!

We have been doing a series of Awareness Through Movement lessons around the spine. It is very interesting to learn how one vertebra moves in relation to another and not necessarily in the direction I thought! As always I learn so much from working with Mia and Leora - and this is just the beginning of day 3! I am already thinking about how to incorporate these lessons into my teaching when I get home.

Cattails Saga Part 3

Let me ouuutttt!!!! Let me oouuutttt!!!!!

SHE WHO MUST GROOM ME (SWMGM) and HE WHO MUST PLAY WITH ME (HWMPWM) finally got home from the LONG AWAY TIME and let me go outside again and now this!!!!

I was only checking out the DARK HOLE to see if there were any MOVING TOYS THAT TASTE GOOD in there and suddenly it went very dark. I heard SWMGM and HWMPWM calling but it was warm and cozy here. There was a lovely fluffy COMFORTABLE SLEEPING PLACE in the DARK HOLE and I thought it would be nice to curl up and nap for a few minutes.

But then the LARGE LIVING BOX got very quiet. I knew they would come for me soon as it would be time to have more SOFT BIRD PARTS FROM A CAN soon. Now it is well past MID DAY MEAL and might even be time for EVENING SNACKS but still the LARGE LIVING BOX is quiet and I am trapped in this DARK HOLE!

But wait..... I think I hear HWMPWM. It is faint but it sounds like his voice. I must let him know where I am! "MEEEOOOWWWWW, MMMEEEEOOOOOWWW@@#%##!!". Why haven't you come for me sooner? Oh no, DARK HOLE suddenly filled with brightness and I am going to ..... this is very undignified..... tumble out!

Humph, well now HWMPWM had better give me extra dinner!

Time Zone Travel

I have been in 5 different time zones in a little over 6 weeks. This is getting confusing! Waking up at 3AM, falling asleep at 7PM trying to figure out when I can call the east coast from Europe and now California. Fortunately the internet is there day and night. no matter what time zone I am in.

I have arrived in Calistoga, CA to Mayacama Ranch and Retreat. This place is beautiful! Nestled in the hills of Northern California at about 2ooo ft. The views are terrific, the food is great - they pick the lettuce for the salads out of the garden behind the kitchen and the bed very comfortable, unlike the bed that bruised me in Mombasa!

I arrived a bit late yesterday for the first day of this segment of Mia Segal's Masters Training but quickly caught on to the lesson. It has to do with connecting the entire outer envelope of skin over the skull. I know it sounds strange but I can't wait to try this on a horse! I might have to go find one around here somewhere to test it out.

In the mean time we are coming to the finish line on the edits for the book before it goes to layout. Then I will have a bit of a break until it comes back from that phase. So we are almost there!

where have the days gone?

Been home almost 6 days.

Still waking up at 3am and falling asleep around 7pm.

Working furiously on the edits for the book.

No time for riding, or blogging for that matter.

Leaving Monday for 10 more days of workshop with Mia Segal, this time in California.

Maybe then I will have some time to post photos from Safari!

Home again, home again, jiggidy - jog!

After being gone for one month I am now back home. Izzy is delighted to see me and has been following me around to make sure I don't go too far. No worries there, my travels since Monday PM have been to the office in the basement, food on the first floor and sleep on the second. I finally went outside today as it was sunny and I needed to reconnect to the outside world.

My hibernation is not simply because I am depressed about no longer being in Africa on Safari. It is because my book has come back with edits, which have to be done by Friday! So it is forced march to the office but don't tell my publisher that I have been secretly looking at all the fabulous photos I took in Kenya. I will be posting some galleries soon. In the mean time I will put up a couple of teasers.

Off to bed now - at this tonight I made it till almost 10PM (last night it was 7PM). Let's hope I can sleep past 3AM!

Click on the images for larger size. The one on the left we are looking at elephants from horseback. The other is fording the river. This was supposed to be the dry season!