This week was the start of our official season with the horses here. Guests arrived fairly uneventfully on Sunday. We (or more specifically, I) sweep, wash, and wax all of the floors in the lodge and in the four rooms above the lodge on Sunday mornings. My back was starting to bother me a bit as I was working on them, but I figured the pain would go away once I stopped. Come lunch time, by the time I had finished, my back was really bothering me. I was dreading having to mop one last cabin after lunchtime. I was just gathering my stuff up to head over to that cabin to finish the floors, and low and behold, the guests staying in that cabin had arrived an hour early! I wasn't sure what to do with that cabin in that situation, so I started running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find Phyllis to figure it out. Well, I couldn't find her, and so I ended up sprinting to that cabin ahead of them and trying to finish it up quickly even though the floor had only been swept. I dashed out just in the nick of time, and ran into Phyllis on the path back. By that time, my back was absolutely killing me and I had a mini-meltdown because it hurt so badly. So Phyllis and Jodey got me set up with an ice pack and some ibuprofen and sent me home for the rest of the afternoon. Not a great way to start the first week I suppose....
Monday didn't turn out to get better. My back was feeling relatively better (it's Thursday now and it's kind of back to hurting a bit more again), and the morning went fine, but the afternoon went a bit downhill. Laura, one of the wranglers, was leading a horse through a gate when a part of the saddle got hung up on the latch. In the tussle, Laura's hand got jammed somewhere and hurt her hand pretty badly. So off she went to the hosptial, chauffered by Ron. She ended up having broke her left index finger and needed stitches for a deep cut she had recieved. So that was a bit chaotic, and I ended up helping down at the corral for a bit so we could get the ride out down a person. That same day, Nancy, the cook, also cut her hand rather badly on a bad can opener. Not a grand day for injuries, or hands in particular. Very stressful day for everyone, but Tuesday would be better, right?
Tuesday morning started out just fine, thank goodness. The afternoon ride that day was to Bray's Cabin. I had some time off in the afternoon, so I was thinking of going. Laura was going along with Arlene as the wranglers for the ride, but Laura started feeling really poorly about a 1/4 of a mile in and turned back. So I got to play wrangler for the ride and was a bit stressed once again, worrying about Laura. We came back from the ride to find out that Nancy had been taken to the hospital. She suffers from Crohn's Disease (sp?) and was not doing well. So I hurridly helped to finish up unsaddling horses and ran up to the kitchen to take over some of Nancy's normal duties for preparing food for the cookouts we have on Tuesday nights. I warned the guests in advance that the presentation of food was certainly not up to par - but I tried. Things didn't run nearly as smoothly as they often do, but we were able to manage through the cookout just fine.
And of course, Tuesday night, just for a bit of last minute fun, the power went out! Jodey and I just looked at each other and started laughing at that point. Figures, doesn't it? Luckily the outage only lasted about 5 hours, and the guests didn't seem to mind playing games by candlelight and fireplace in the lodge.
The good news is, Wednesday and Thursday have been rather uneventful. As I mentioned, my back is still bothering me a bit, moreso today than it has been, but I'm thankful to have a more laid back day. Poor Phyllis, one of the owners, had been out of town (a rare occurrence) on Monday and Tuesday. I fear she'll never leave again for fear of what else could happen!
On another bright note, the guests here this week are quite nice overall. One woman here by herself is from London. I was chatting with her about my upcoming time in Ireland, and visiting London. She graciously has offered me a place to stay anytime I come to visit there. Emily - if you read this - that means we will likely have a place to stay in England now!
Anyway, I think that's the main news recently. I thought this week would go by quickly, but honestly it's been one of the longest of my life! We're hoping that since so much crazy stuff happened this week, the rest of the summer will be incident-free.
Until next time.....
Hannah
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Is it summer yet?
Okay, finally made it to the computer again! Things get so crazy around here sometimes, and when I find time off, I just don't have the energy or patience to get on the internet and create a blog! Sorry! I try though, I swear.
Anyway, this past week was really great. Our first official week with guests, although the first two weeks of the season are new sessions called "Wellness Weeks." This past week (the first week) we had just two guests in addition to the facilitator for the weeek. The guests were actually sisters, and first cousins to Arlene, one of the wranglers here. They were great fun and it was a really good week. I have some time off in the afternoons typically, and so I went on several hikes and did some other activities with the girls and Heidi, the facilitator, in my free time.
Thursday was the really exciting day of the week though. The horses (about 35 in all) are kept about 14 miles down the dirt-and-boulder road towards town over the winters. In order to bring them up to the ranch, they drive them on horseback up the road. I was really excited to hear from the owner, Phyllis, that I could go along and help if I wanted to. Of course I did, and so on Thursday morning we all headed down to get the horses. I ended up riding an 8-year-old bay gelding, Cal. Three people rode in the front, to try to set the pace and keep the horses from galloping the entire 14 miles. The other three people, including me, rode in back to drive the horses forward, keep them grouped, and return those to the herd that would wander off driveways or into the woods or whatever. Things got a little hairy at times, but that was to be expected considering the circumstances. None of the riders had ridden the horses before, and the horses hadn't been ridden since October. So add that to the fact that we are running other excited horses down the road, and you can't exactly expect your mount to be an angel. But everyone survived the little shenanigans that the horses pulled, and we all made it safely to the ranch. We even had two people taking pictures and videos from the back of the car driving in front, so I'll have to share those when I get home.
Since then I've kind of fallen in love with the horse I was riding, Cal. I'm not even really sure why I like him so well. He's a pretty horse, but he doesn't have that amazing of conformation, and he's not even that comfortable to ride (he paces instead of trotting). But he tries hard for you and he's careful about where he puts his feet (which is necessary on some of the trails around here like the one I took the other day with some others). It's just so hard to resist that cute face. Especially when he follows me around the pasture....
Anyway, I'm trying to think of what other news to share. Not too much going on this week. Just two guests this week as well. I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts. This coming Sunday marks the beginning of our first week of the real season with riding. I think we are booked our first week and all of those afterwards clear until the end of August (when I come home anyway). Should be fun though.
I guess that's about all I have. I miss everyone back home, and I hope everyone is enjoying their summers! We've had very cold temperatures here, with lots of rain and even some snow! I had my electric blanket turned on high last night! Hard to believe it's June....
Until next time!
Hannah (Montana)
Anyway, this past week was really great. Our first official week with guests, although the first two weeks of the season are new sessions called "Wellness Weeks." This past week (the first week) we had just two guests in addition to the facilitator for the weeek. The guests were actually sisters, and first cousins to Arlene, one of the wranglers here. They were great fun and it was a really good week. I have some time off in the afternoons typically, and so I went on several hikes and did some other activities with the girls and Heidi, the facilitator, in my free time.
Thursday was the really exciting day of the week though. The horses (about 35 in all) are kept about 14 miles down the dirt-and-boulder road towards town over the winters. In order to bring them up to the ranch, they drive them on horseback up the road. I was really excited to hear from the owner, Phyllis, that I could go along and help if I wanted to. Of course I did, and so on Thursday morning we all headed down to get the horses. I ended up riding an 8-year-old bay gelding, Cal. Three people rode in the front, to try to set the pace and keep the horses from galloping the entire 14 miles. The other three people, including me, rode in back to drive the horses forward, keep them grouped, and return those to the herd that would wander off driveways or into the woods or whatever. Things got a little hairy at times, but that was to be expected considering the circumstances. None of the riders had ridden the horses before, and the horses hadn't been ridden since October. So add that to the fact that we are running other excited horses down the road, and you can't exactly expect your mount to be an angel. But everyone survived the little shenanigans that the horses pulled, and we all made it safely to the ranch. We even had two people taking pictures and videos from the back of the car driving in front, so I'll have to share those when I get home.
Since then I've kind of fallen in love with the horse I was riding, Cal. I'm not even really sure why I like him so well. He's a pretty horse, but he doesn't have that amazing of conformation, and he's not even that comfortable to ride (he paces instead of trotting). But he tries hard for you and he's careful about where he puts his feet (which is necessary on some of the trails around here like the one I took the other day with some others). It's just so hard to resist that cute face. Especially when he follows me around the pasture....
Anyway, I'm trying to think of what other news to share. Not too much going on this week. Just two guests this week as well. I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts. This coming Sunday marks the beginning of our first week of the real season with riding. I think we are booked our first week and all of those afterwards clear until the end of August (when I come home anyway). Should be fun though.
I guess that's about all I have. I miss everyone back home, and I hope everyone is enjoying their summers! We've had very cold temperatures here, with lots of rain and even some snow! I had my electric blanket turned on high last night! Hard to believe it's June....
Until next time!
Hannah (Montana)
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