Everything in the last 10 days is a blur—showing, clinics, lots of teaching, travelling, sales. I’m in dire need of some R&R, but there’s none in sight, so onward and upward.
My mom and I went to Florida last weekend for a whirlwind 24-hour trip—to see some horses for her and some barns available for the winter season. Found great options for both. I still need more research on barns, but we just finished vetting her horse, and all is well, so he’ll hit the road tomorrow and be here by this weekend. He is TOO CUTE. More on that later.
When I came home from Florida I discovered I had exactly no food in my house, but I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to go to the store, so I’ve been eating mac and cheese for almost every meal, including breakfast. Yikes.
In the meantime, I have two other students shopping, and one for sale, so there are horses and people coming and going constantly. The little guy I’ve got for sale is a superstar, so I’ve had someone out to try him almost every day this week, and more almost every day next week. He’s a little all-arounder, and everyone wants to see him jump, and since I jump like a fish out of water, this is more stress to my day. What if I fall off from my own ineptitude? And what if the potential buyer thinks that it’s the horse’s fault? (Which it could never be—this guy is Mr. Fabulous.)
More than usual lessons, since it’s been beautiful out and everyone is back to riding their horses again. Billy is also back in Virginia, which means travelling out to Middleburg twice a week to work with him. I don’t mind the trip one bit—it’s one of the highlights of my week—and I get on top of some of my call sheet during the drive out. But it does mean lots of coming and going.
And the usual amount of courting new clients, keeping my own horses under control (Fender and Ella are both going like gangbusters; Midge is trying, albeit feebly, to kill me), being understaffed, and having grass up to our eyeballs.
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AND I picked a terrible, terrible week to discover that hulu.com has the last five episodes of “Glee” available online, for free. I can hear you all laughing at me. Shut up. You don’t even know.
And to top it all off there’s a show this weekend, where seven of my students’ horses are going. I’ve got so many students interested in showing (hoorah!) that I had to split the season, half the local shows for me and my horses, and half for them and theirs. This is one of theirs, so I get to play coach, groom and vomit pail holder all weekend. Naturally, it will be 85* and thunderstorming. Terrific. At least I get to wear wellies and a floppy hat instead of fancy boots and white breeches.
This show is always the weekend of two major events: the Virginia Gold Cup, a day of very top-shelf steeplechase races, something I’ve wanted to see since I’ve been here and haven’t yet gotten to go because I’m always at the dang show; and the Kentucky Derby. The Derby we get to take part in, though, because every year the Hasslers throw a Derby-watching party in the barn aisle. With the change to digital cable we may have a problem this year, but Scott swears he’s got a plan, so I’m rolling with it.
Next weekend is the second of our Fix-A-Tests, but that’s pretty low-key, as is the rest of next week. Thank GOD! So I can catch up on laundry, go to the store and get some real food, and catch up on my office work… by which I mean catch up on the episodes of “Glee” that I’ve missed. The shame, the shame.
