Horsing Around

I have been around a lot of wonderful horses in my life, but I have to say Picky is quickly becoming my very favorite. Aside from just being a nice horse to ride with lots of go (Robert really likes to ride and rope off him too), he is just so wonderful around my little girl. He doesn't spook or jump around her, and seems very laid back regardless of her antics which the other horses generally don't like at all, especially when she's excited and jumping around. Picky doesn't get very impressed and just stands there and lets her run around, jump, pet him all over. I watch her like a hawk when she's around the horses period, and so far only have even more respect for this little pony. (Carter's dubbed her pink stick horse Picky in his honor) He's always curious what she is up to and will come over to check it out. I caught her the other day running up the driveway to pet him, in her bare feet. I about fainted. We are about ready to move the ponies out to the summer pastures which are a little less accessible to Carter rather than where they are right now which is in a pasture all around the house. Picky likes to come right up to the house and look in the windows to see what we are up to. Carter thinks it's so funny when he does this.


All last week the weather was cold and snowy so Sunday when the sun showed up, Carter figured we better go rock hunting. She gathered up her little wheelbarrow and off we went. Her idea of rock hunting to gather up all her "favorite" rocks which are basically any rock that catches her eye, and occasionally includes just plain scooping up gravel. She's so much fun right now and I sometimes wish I could freeze her right at this size. She is just getting into developing her imagination and comes up with the craziest stories and is so funny. (Yep, I'm a huge member of the Carter fan club!) Just when you think you love them as much as you possibly could, they do something so darn cute that you feel like you have to hold your chest to keep your heart from overflowing.


We probably spent an hour wandering around the hills, gathering up rocks, examining any interesting plants and looking for bugs with the horses following along to see what we were doing (hoping we had a horse cake or two hidden somewhere I'm sure) I had three million things that needed doing in the house, but none were as fun or important as just following Carter around and enjoying our day. Carter is showing Picky all the rocks we picked up on our walk.

We also found some of the first flowers of spring, Hood's Phlox, one of my favorites. They are a tough scrubby little plant that manages to bring some life to spring long before the other wild flowers are brave enough to peek out. I get so tired of all the blaw this time of year and am so ready for the green to come. It's so brief in Montana, three months if you are lucky, that you really need to appreciate it for the little time it's around.