Four Country Gals

Part of our dream has been to have more than just dogs… we really would like to again have a horse or two.

Cindy was a really good rider, participating in barrel racing all through high school, and Bev helped her Grandfather a lot when he was raising “sulky horses”. For years, they’ve had to set aside the desire to own, train and ride horses.

But, they’ve got some hurdles. They don’t really know any one yet… and they sure don’t have a barn. Oh, and it’s still winter here… and they’ve got no idea when it will be spring.

Never mind, since Bev is in town regularly, she often stops by the local hardware store… Bracken’s. They have a “local ad board” where she finds a request for “horse rescue center volunteers”.

What the heck… they go check it out.

Cindy and Bev head into Enterprise to visit. That’s all, just visit… well, maybe we could volunteer some hours feeding and cleaning.

Turns out, the gal is starting a “Thoroughbred Horse Rescue Center” as her father-in-law and grandfather breed and raise Thoroughbreds for the racing industry. You know, only a very small percentage of horses ever actually make it to the track… so she’s thinking setting up a rescue would be a good idea.

Within days, it’s really winter again, and thoughts of horses are far from their minds. First, what to do with all this snow! It seems like no sooner is it here… then it is gone… and then back again.

From the middle of February, until the end of March, we’ve had at least four distinct snow storms, leaving as much as 8 inches or so each time. Even our birds are tiring of the routine. Poor little things, they’re just so cold.

Finally, with a 10-day dry stretch, they begin thinking again about the horses. Deena’s having a hard time getting volunteers and she’s thinking maybe it would be better to find “foster homes” for the “racing rejects”.

You know… we’ve got this old shed out along the north property line. Wonder if we could do anything with it? Wonder how much work it would take to modify it for a horse or two?

Oh boy, it’s full of tumbleweed. What’s with all this “heavy metal”? They must have kept something pretty big in here… cows maybe? Hey look… we’ve even got a frost-free hydrant. That will make things really easy… we can just hook up a hose and fill water barrels from here. No time to see if it’s operational, the ground’s still pretty frozen.

Hmm, even if we do get this area cleaned out, we don’t have a corral, or anything to make a corral. We’ll need posts, a way to dig the holes for the posts, fencing (including electric), and God only knows what else.

Electric fence? Now, that’s gonna be fun… we don’t have any power! Oh, wait, we’ve got plenty of sun… we’ll get a solar powered fence charger.

Mom’s recovery is slowed a bit, as she’s really battling depression. We’re not sure, but it’s possible the medication has contributed to the problem. So, it’s at least weekly trips to either Cedar City, or St. George for Dr’s appointments.

The weather holds… just cold and clear until the middle of February.

In the meantime, Coco “the pup” is busy exploring everything. She checks out the dishwasher (Geez, y’all sure left a lot of food on these dishes), and wood stove… oh, only as Cindy is removing the ashes and before she lays in the wood for the next fire.

The little stinker… she just thinks she’s so-o-o-o cute!

Bev has found a job!

When the girls lived on the island, Mom was real active in the Senior Center. Here, it means traveling to Enterprise (17 miles one way). Well, Bev just got a job driving the Iron County Senior Bus. It doesn’t pay worth beans, but it does provide a way to get to and from the Senior Center without burning personal fuel.

She’s so well-liked, that within just a couple weeks, she’s also working as a substitute driver for the Washington County Senior Bus.

Just when everyone is beginning to look forward to spring… wham!

The first REAL SNOW STORM!

The morning of February 19, 2006 the world (as we know it) is white. Oh, how beautiful.

And, within the week… it’s all gone again. Sure different from the island, where winter got there, and then stayed for months.

The gals (and Shawn) enjoy a quiet Christmas, celebrating by opening packages on Christmas eve. This year, it’s a little subdued as Mom is still recovering from the bout of diverticulitis and then depression.

Coco, the puppy is the “star of the show”, investigating every gift, and of course, all the wrapping paper.

Shawn has to catch the Las Vegas shuttle out of St George bright and early Christmas morning, so it’s up at “Oh God:thirty”, well before the sun comes up.

Leaving Mom home with most of the dogs, Bev, Cindy, Shawn, and Coco “the pup” pile into the Avalanche for the hour plus drive to St. George. All the way there, they’re a little concerned about whether or not the shuttle will actually be running on Christmas Day.

No problem, they arrive at about sun up (shortly after 7 AM) and hook up with the shuttle.

Their only regret is that there is no snow for Christmas.

Oh… but the very next morning, they awake to the first tease… a brief snow shower.

The ground has been frozen for some time now, so what little falls sticks immediately. Is it really winter here now?

With Shawn here for Christmas, and the weather holding nicely, it’s time to explore a little further than 10 miles in any direction.

Cindy and Shawn take the day to “go west” and see what they find. Now, I don’t know if they were looking for anything in particular, but heading west takes them to some interesting country.

Leaving the house and hooking up with Hwy 56 (just over 6 miles south), they head west, towards Nevada. About 20 miles west, they come upon the last town in Utah (0n Hwy 56), called Modena.

It’s pretty much a ghost town, except for the railroad crossing. There are still plenty of folks who live in the area… but Modena has next to nothing in the way of a business center.

Within seconds, they’re in Nevada, headed for Panaca, the oldest surving town in Eastern Nevada. When it comes time for us to have something to sell at a “Farmer’s Market”, this is the closest community.

Cindy says going from the desert of Utah into the “green” of forest in Nevada is as if you’ve gone through a wall.

Pioche is just a few miles north, so it’s off to explore the “Baddest Living Ghost Town” in the West. Would you believe they recorded 72 murders before the first person ever died of anything related to “natural causes”?

Shawn’s really interested in the wildlife and other than a few unidentifiable ducks, they see a couple of Golden Eagles. These magnificent birds are larger than the Bald Eagle and relatively abundant here in the winter time.

Once at Pioche, they discover it’s an old silver mining town. In fact it still has the ore buckets dangling from the overhead cable transport system.

These days, Pioche is part tourist town, part ghost town, and part home to folks who really enjoy dancing to their own drum beat.

It’s getting into November now, and the gals, remembering Ohio are looking for really cold and snowy weather.

They’ve got the fireplace ready. It’s even decorated for Christmas with a “frontier desert” motif. Along with the fireplace, they’ve laid in several cords of wood, as the fireplace will provide most of the “morning heat” and evening “stoke it really good” heat. Even though electric heat isn’t expensive here, they’re not real sure about the quality of their furnace/heat pump.

They can see snow in the really high mountains. That’s actually “Brian Head”, Utah’s most southerly ski resort. It’s situated south of Bryce Canyon and north of Zion National Park.

They even watch some really menacing stuff pass them by on the east. Around here, the main “weather” happens east of the nearest mountain range in what they call the “I-15 Corridor”. That’s where Cedar City is located… and they get an abundance of snow.

In the meantime, cold means it’s below freezing at night… sometimes way below as in barely above zero, and then bright and sunny during the daytime. Oh, and what makes it winter is the north wind.

When the wind comes from the north, especially the northeast, or even east, the wind chill is ferocious. Even the birds look for shelter where they can stay out of the wind.

Think they’re happy?

You bet! With Mom here, and the dogs, “Mindy, Missy, and Koda”, the family is nearly complete. They’ve even managed to get Shawn, Cindy’s son to come out for Christmas. Life is very good, indeed.