Another Rolling Red Horse

  

Nearly one year ago, something remarkable happened that I will never forget. I came face to face with A Boy Named Ruby. 

Last week, I had a similar encounter with yet another red horse. I have given him the name 

Cimarrón.

Here is a moment by moment procession of our “join up.”

Cimarrón and all his beauties. 

 

As his band moves on, Cimarrón lays down. 

I am less than twenty feet from this stallion. 

The roll.

The shake.

The look.

He does a slight frolic dance and mane toss.

Catching up with his band.

I watch as they all walk away. 

I bow my head in gratitude. 

Experiences like these make my life richer.    

It’s like I’m in a snow globe

Pretty, isn’t it? 

It’s also zero degrees. 

While watching the Olympics on T.V last night, all the girl’s doing Big Air crazy tricks on their snowboards, our temperature dropped to 3 below. It was snowing. The sky was yellow. I slept with the blinds open because it was just so eerie and beautiful.

There’s a mighty blizzard going on outside. It’s a whiteout. The wind is blowing heavy and fast. It is thick with whirling snowflakes, gusting and churning in circles. I look out every window and see bright white. I count 16 inches of snow. Tonight it is expected to turn bitterly cold. Like -12 below. Who likes that?! 

The bird feeder is swinging. 

I wanted to go to my girlfiriend, NaNá’s Spinning class with Chad but the Y is closed due to the storm. Before we heard that they were not going to be open today, she had sent a notice out for us “Spinners” to either get to class by ski or dog sled. (Or by Subaru).

I feel stranded. 

I feel cooped up! 

But, I have my cats. I’ve got a couple of letters to write. I can finish reading an amazing Monty Roberts book, 

SHY BOY: THE HORSE THAT CAME IN FROM THE WILD. 

And look at these vintage SW Art and Arizona Highways magazines. The Friends of the Library staff gave me a huge box full of very, very old Arizona Highway’s that come in their own Native American decorative binder. They knew I would be thrilled. It’s a perfect retirement gift. They know I’m planning a roadtrip to Arizona and New Mexico in May.

While the snowstorm keeps me inside I have time to linger with stories from my beloved Desert. Articles and old colorful photographs of ancient pueblos, mud dwellings and River People. I love to read about basket weavers and pottery makers; I’m fascinated by the Anasazi people of Chaco Canyon.

Today I stare at pictures of New Mexico skies. Arts and crafts women of the desert Southwest wearing turquoise around their necks and silver bracelets up their arms drinking cactus juice with big, big smiles. 

And Navajo ponies in red Arizona canyons. 

I want to be there now.