101 Years Ago--They Saw It Comin'--A Sunday Digression

Was ridin' down a-past his place,

An' then I thinks I'll 'low

To sort o' pass the time o'day

An' speak a friendly "how."

He's mussin' 'round there in the mud,

A little dam he's got'

He 'lows to make a cacti flat

Into a garden spot.

I says to him the land's no good,

Fer farmin' she don't win,

But all he does is slop around,

An' kind o' funny grin.

I says the land's jes' useful fer

Some cows to raise an' range,

But he jes' grins an' hollers back,

"There's goin' to be a change."

He's mussin' 'round there in the mud,

A little dam he's got;

He 'lows to make a cacti flat

Into a garden spot.

"The Irrigator", from "Cowboy Lyrics" by Robert V. Carr, 1908.

Robinson Flat Tall Pines

The trees at Robinson Flat are tall; sometimes it seems as if my aspirations are as far away as the tops of those trees. Other times, though, my goals appear to be logical conclusions of my life. Those are the times I'm filled with confidence. I think, you ride the Tevis the same way you eat an elephant--one bit at a time (metaphorically speaking, since I'm a vegetarian).

The Journey is the Goal

Bruce Weary's comments about his Tevis completion really resonate with me: "If we set any example through all of this, it should be that, though finishing was very sweet, growth is in the striving, and preparing for and ridingthe Tevis trail is one of the most challenging and rewarding things one can do in this life, on horseback or otherwise."

Truly, the journey is the goal.

If the panties fit . . . wear them!

Well, now it's post-Tevis Tuesday. I touched my Tevis horse yesterday. "Hope" told me he wants to get back on the trail! So, perhaps this week we'll make a trotting start at it! I have to get my teen daughter/training partner on the same page . . . .

It's post-Tevis Monday.

After returning from watching the Tevis, yet again, I am determined to set the 2010 Tevis Cup Ride as my goal. With 364 days to prepare I certainly should be able to get there. There is no reason for failure to at least start--I have a suitable horse, suitable training ride areas nearby, suitable moral support from friends and family, and a flexible work schedule with (just) enough disposable income. So, a list of things which must happen in the next 12 months is what I need now.

I am a goal-setting person who does not enjoy huffing, puffing, and sweating for its own sake. To get me up, I need a goal. And, the only physical activities which seem to provide a greater amount of enjoyment compared with the level of exertion, involve horses. In other words, if horses are not involved, I'd just as soon read a good book. So, I have rather a challenge to get into the kind of physical shape which the Tevis demands. But, without the challenge of the Tevis, I might just sink into a blob eventually. So, perhaps, subconsciously I've chosen such a goal out of recognition that the quality of life in later years depends a great deal on one's physical condition.