Chapter 183
…and then there was snow. October finally brought the change in weather everyone looks forward to. The skiers and boarders will be salivating. There’s a different flavour in the air as I watch the finest snow fall softly this morning. The quiet of a freshly-covered land has a unique mystery, the mountains last night appeared to be smoking as the clouds roiled and tore, splitting and massing after a day of warmth and sunshine to make the dramatic switch to rain, sleet and snow overnight.
I had the great fortune to have the necessity to drive the 762 both Saturday ‘blizzard’ evenings. The first Saturday I was at least in the passenger seat as my companion muttered “I can’t see anything” to which I confirmed nor could I. The snow was suddenly coming thick and fast and reflecting the headlights’ brilliance made things very interesting, the road markings disappear, the bends in the road take on the flexibility of an irritated snake.
The second Saturday I had to drive from West Bragg Creek down to my place and back. Journey south was fine as I was racing the weather, but with a half hour stop almost an inch of snow accumulated on my car and my journey back north averaged about 40km or less on Hwy 762. Once I turned off onto the dogleg to Bragg it was easy driving again – what is it about that magical stretch of road that makes it so gloriously beautiful and varied, and equally traumatic to drive during more challenging weather? That particular configuration of hills and valleys, dips and expanding vistas obviously serves to funnel some extreme patches of weather into its path. One of the significant factors in my finally letting go of a Bragg Creek studio and doing my work from home instead.
My horse work is blooming. I am meeting wonderful four-legged personalities, having the grace of space and time to spend with them meeting them on a non-demanding, conversational level. Yesterday it took me at least half an hour to ‘catch’ a horse as I walked across a swath of deep tussocky grass taking care not to sproing an ankle on the way, talking with first one, then another horse, receiving their escort me to a third, and having a deep three-way conversation in the field before we even considered returning to the barn.
My girl, on the other hand, is experiencing some discomfort at the moment and expressing herself with rather grouchy faces, reluctant visits and outright protest. It distresses me that I cannot provide an instant fix, but we are working on it. She gets deeply offended if I enter the field and head towards someone else, will whinny from a distance with an expression of slight outrage that I should even consider talking to someone other than her. On occasion she will shun me if I come with two halters, waiting until she sees who else I ‘capture’ before she allows herself to join with us, but is still offended if she is not invited.
It’s an interesting time. Watching, listening, learning every day.
On the human side of things, equally entertaining as we share each other’s war- wounds, stories of day-to-day mishaps and near misses. I sport yet another colourful bruise, my friend has blisters on her foot from pouring boiling water on herself, my Dad is still struggling to heal a tiny, yet persistently annoying and ofttimes debilitating mystery injury after a whole year of diligent treatment. The joys of getting older…I guess significantly outweigh the alternative.
Get out there and keep doing what you’re doing!
Kat Dancer
bodymudra@gmail.com,
+1 415 525 2630 (ph/whatsapp)
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