Heh, heh

So, I never know what to say, and I got to thinking, why not dig out one of MY old journals...here, in edited form, my entry for this day in 1999, when Sarah was 17 years old.

Got up at 4:30 A.M. Walked 14 laps at track...Finally a whole week of walking--that hasn't happened in a while. Tired, though, because I got to bed at 11:00 p.m. (again) last night. I had to get Bob a juice box at 6:30 when his alarm went off and he couldn't get up. Sarah, Prairie and I went to the Whitesboro Rodeo at 8:00 p.m. Sarah rode Ranger in the Grand Entry, Prairie rode Honey and I rode Apache. Ranger reared straight up with Sarah, and once jumped sky high--he was a mess. Apache wasn't much better! We didn't get there early enough to ride beforehand to help acclimate them to the madness. But no one came off or got hurt so AMEN! The rodeo was great as usual. A nice South wind kept us comfortable, even with my long-sleeved white blouse (tucked in!) and my Sarah-made lined vest. A 17-year old girl (like Sarah!) rode a saddle bronc, though she didn't make the buzzer, and we were all thinkin', "Sarah could do THAT; she just did (on Ranger!)." After the rodeo there was a great fireworks display, then slack (more bull riding & barrel racing), and during that there was a dance. We watched some of the slack, then rode our horses around just enough to calm them slightly and make my legs quake (from fear). It was dark/bright lights/shadowy, which was scary, with big diesel rigs pulling out, with only parking lights on, people and horses everywhere. I was glad to get off. That Ranger; during the rodeo (while the horses were all tied up to the trailer) he chewed up the end of my right tug on my breast collar, and unbuckled it! Which I didn't notice in the dark; until we'd ridden into some light! We were parked as far away as you can get, in the North East corner, and no lights back there. But that's how incredibly crowded it was. My flashlight was dead, naturally. On the way home I finally had to make the girls start talking to me so I wouldn't fall asleep. Between Gainesville & Muenster my pickup started sputtering, like I was pumping the gas pedal. It kept jerking, especially when we went uphill. I said, Pray, girls! My pickup's dying! Well, it quit doing that off & on. Miraculously we made it onto Oak Street before it quit for good. We were stopped in front of Alvin & Joannie Hartman's house. Sarah said I should try starting it & going on, but that only resulted in us getting stopped in front of their driveway. Finally, it wouldn't start at all. We unloaded the horses and walked them home (except Prairie rode Honey bareback with only a halter & lead rope to guide Honey). We put them in the garden & turned them loose. I made Prairie go home right away, after first calling John & telling him that she was on her way. Then Sarah and I took Bob's pickup down the street to bring home all the tack and stuff. I filled a trash can full of water for the horses. Took my bath after Sarah and got to bed at 2:02 A.M.

Well, that was an exciting night! I remember I was pretty scared riding Apache that night. He sure has mellowed out over the past few years, and is now a much calmer ride. Ranger was only a 3-year old at the time, and I believe that that was his first rodeo. He, too has come a long way since then, thanks to Sarah's good training. Good times, good times.