{"id":57573,"date":"2014-02-14T05:10:55","date_gmt":"2014-02-14T12:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wend.ca\/?p=57573"},"modified":"2021-12-29T21:13:45","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T02:13:45","slug":"artie-valentine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=57573","title":{"rendered":"Artie the Valentine"},"content":{"rendered":"

California is in the midst of a drought<\/a> that has no end in sight. Some blame hydraulic fracking while others say this is a normal part of California’s climate cycle.<\/p>\n

Either way, in the year I have been in SF, the first good drenching rainfall that I experienced was last weekend. At the tail end of it, la Ni\u00f1a<\/em> started a week of riding lessons at Webb Ranch.<\/p>\n

After a couple of days of rain, mud took over Portola Valley and like we were in the midst of a snowstorm, tractors were out at the Ranch pushing mud around into small mud-banks on Monday. We couldn’t step anywhere without being ankle-deep in muck; dirt took over every aspect of our lives. I had visions of one of the opening scenes from the movie Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang<\/a> where the kids built mud-men and worked hard in the “land of poo.” <\/p>\n

After 5-days the mud passed, but for all these days, la Nina<\/em> spent time with Artie the Horse… getting dirty and discovering every nook and cranny at Webb Ranch together. I guess you can say that my child spent Valentine’s week with her love: Artie (wearing the jacket in the gallery). <\/p>\n

With Artie, she began beginner jumping, progressed in Western and English riding, and continued to work on her canter and trot in the arena. Also, Artie *apparently* has a smooth gait that makes him easy to ride bareback. When not riding, she worked hard at grooming and feeding the horses. <\/p>\n

She also discovered some new loves: Cowboy the Horse, Willow the Mare (#3-#4 in the gallery), the kitten that lives on the roof of the office, Lily the Sheep who likes to jump in the air when being chased (#12), and Genny the Donkey (#13-#14), who is very friendly and extremely soft. <\/p>\n

For an animal lover and future veterinarian OR animal rights lawyer (her current career choices), Valentine’s week was heaven. <\/p>\n