Donna Ridgway

When they arrived at the bar, Robert’s dad carried the coyote in, the guy paid him for it, and put the coyote in a cooler in the back room.

With no where else to go, the other horses jumped over me and I can remember looking up at their bellies and legs and counting them as they went by so I’d know when it was safe to get up.

When Robert heard me say, "Spiff it up", he had remaining orders flying through his mind, from the coyote episode. He thought I said, "Speed it up!"

Little Creek tunnel
Babbbling sounds,
Elk, deer, coyote, tracks abound.

Your soul knows the tune, but your mind
Could never write the notes
It’s you and God and the forest and the snow

The trees a mystical haven
My soul knows their ancient language
I love the stories they tell

Whirling and dancing-wondering what’s in store,
I give myself over to wind dancing!

Lucky was huffing and puffing, and covered with black swamp mud, so I sat on the edge of dry ground and let him rest for a while

He’d have me shift, up a gear, or down a gear, while in the middle of the hill and when I missed the gear, we’d shoot backward to the bottom….

When the grass settled, I was laying with my head downhill, my feet uphill and Mary Lou was on top of one of my left leg….

The cow had her head down, which put her directly under my horse, and the force of her charge took us all down in the middle of the road….

Knowing an animal trusts you to that degree is humbling. You know you’ve done nothing to deserve it, for you’ve placed him in danger of losing his life…..

She finally got the best of him, reared up and went over backward. I managed to jump free but went flying backward down the road, twisted my ankle and landed hard!