Since The Morning Light

Since The Morning Light

She stands out in the corral, her pretty face silhouetted against the rising sun, hanging her head over the gate as if she's watching over me. 
A little girl with bouncing curls once dangled and hung from the mare's long and tangled mane. 
She nickers me 'good morning'.
Her soft, dark eyes watch and see and take notice to everything and her pent up wisdom of cattle is lingering just behind them. 
She packs a silver moon bit and the little girl assumes she hung it and the stars. 
When branding season rolled around, she drug the soggy calves with ease and stood off in the corner peacefully.
Upon her back, Ol' Glory whipped and flew and she sent chills sneaking down your spine.
She nickers a sweet 'good night'... and I thank God all horses go to heaven, cause she's been buckin and runnin like a colt again, since the morning light. 

For anyone who has ever lost a good ol' horse and everyone who will.
In honor of a great friend, a good horse and a sweet little girl.

Luvs,
- Gussie

B is for: Boots, Braids and Big Loops Blog!!!

A is for: Adrian Buckaroogirl, All The Pretty Horses and Armitas

B is for: Buckaroos, Bits, Bridles, Boots, Books, Braids, Buckaroo Barbie's and Buckin Horses

C is for: Conchos, Chaps, Curls and Cute, Crazy Calves 

D is for: Dave Stamey, Dallies and Dust

E is for: Evanston (closest big town to our FAVORITE place!) and green Eyes

F is for: Fires and Fun (Which by the way, go hand in hand) and Fancy Loops, oh yeah and Flowers

G is for: Gray Horses <3

H is for: Hats and Hotels and Hackamores

I is for: Irons - hot branding irons

J is for: Jingling Spurs and Jesus

K is for: Kicka$$ and Kisses

L is for: Love, Lipstick, Leather and Lonesome Dove

M is for: Mule Hide, Moccasins and Mirrors

N is for: Nylon Ropes and Nevada

O is for: Open Spaces

P is for: Palominos and Pearls!

Q is for: Quarter Horses

R is for: Riatas, Red, Ranches, Ropes and Rotten SOB's

S is for: Santa Barbara Bits, Spurs, Silver, Spook, Spade, Saddles, Sissies and Smiles

T is for: Talking...lots... Tall Tales and Trailers

U is for: Understanding and Unbroke caballos

V is for: Big, Pretty Valleys and old time Vaqueros

W if for: Will James, Wyoming, Wild Rags and White pearl snapped shirts

X is for: "Xquisite" and "Xcellent!"

Y is for: Yellow Sunflowers and the poor Yuppies 

Z is for: Zebra Striped Duns

The Buckaroo Alphabet... Or at least the one Krick and I made up :) and some minor help from little Zane. 

Goodnight!! 

Luvs, 

Gussie and Kricket (-yes KRICKET!!!!)

Ooh Ooh and P.S. Funny Quote:

"You have to slay a few dragons to find the prince."

      ~A seemingly wise teenage buckaroo boy.

Up In The Flat Top Country

Up In The Flat Top Country

The night sets over the mountain land.

The grass sways slowly and the stars smile over the hobbled horses.
The breeze shivers, I stand rocking from the ball of my feet to my heels holding a warm coffee cup with icy fingers.
The spring down off the hill bubbles from the ground, I can hear it over the horses cropping up near the rim of the Pines.
The meadow, mellow gold in the dim light waves back and forth then breaks into a clump of Aspens.
It's quiet up on the flats, the night creatures make distant chatter, the fire crackles in camp, the coffee percolates.
I close my eyes and lay my head back in the meadow flowers and grass, my mind pictures pack horses trailing single file up the mountainside, braids unraveling in the wind, sun making skin glow golden in the high flat top meadows.
The sun rises over the peak, the fire still the first light, heating the morning. 
Standing cold, bundled in the dim fire light, I wander down to the high-line, unhobble the horses. 
Set atop a fading gray, bareback, leading pally and sorrel behind down on to the spring and let 'em water. 
Leaned forward, legs wrapped around, merely an extension of the gray, I ride back to camp and hobble the caballos out for the morning and stand leaning against a stripped pine, I watch 'em graze and sip hot coffee.
Hail like rock salt spits from the clouds in a mid morning shower then the sun runs it off the mountain top.
The day passes quiet, I watch the horses, their curiosity leads 'em past the pines and almost out of sight. 
I climb on one, lead 'em back and hobble 'em out again.
The chipmunks chatter, a pointer pup hangs around camp and bums chunks of grouse meat off me. 
Will James tells me about ol' Smokey and my pen etches my own story on wrinkled paper. 
A grouse hen clucks to her chicks, the ponies nicker when they look up to see me, Sage trots at my feet, her pretty masked face lookin up at me and my heart smiles in the flat top country and I could live here forever. 

I wrote this about a place in Colorado. Beautiful. Once you get on top it's just big parks and pretty meadows. I went up with dad a couple years ago for 5 days and stayed in camp watching the horses while he was hunting grouse. Hobbling horses, taking naps, riding anywhere and everywhere with only halters and barebacked caballos. Nothing like it.

A bad picture, taken off a phone. But I don't care how bad of quality it is, I am very thankful I took this picture because, little Sage was a great dog and we all miss her very much!

Where is your dream country? 

Hugs! 

Gussie!!