Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Sometimes, this is all of the horses’ faces I see as they graze among the sage and saltbush and greasewood. But with the light on their fuzzy ears and rough manes, even that view is enough.

Puzzle accepts a nuzzle from Tesora. Young Puzzle acts as a good auntie for younger Tesora.

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Would ya’ll believe parts of the basin got snow yesterday? And not just the upper ridges. It didn’t last long, but it served to give the thirsty land a bit more moisture.

… and burrs in his mane.

His long, long mane – and his forelock – is all knotted up with burrs now. All the members of his band have been into them. Even so, how handsome is he?

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Good news: Disappointment Valley got some rain yesterday. What a relief.

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The area is Grand Central Station for hunters right now. Here’s a wish for safety for all visitors – and all residents.

‘Tis the season for the ponies to put on their winter coats. The days still are pretty warm, but nights have been down to freezing. The aspen are pretty well done, but Disappointment Valley still has a river of orange where cottonwoods line the creek.

Mama Chipeta can always be counted on to provide relief to “baby” Seneca.

Isn’t she just divine? Sweet Alegre with Houdini.

… is 67 years old today! 🙂

She is one of the most compassionate people I know. From a young age, inspired by a favorite uncle who was a doctor, she knew she wanted to be a nurse. An untold number of patients of all ages benefited from her calm approach to nursing them back to health. On the downside, when we were kids, my brother and I rarely got out of school for “illness”!

She’s the best cook/chef/baker I know. What’s my favorite food? Anything my mom makes! She’s a horsewoman, a dog lover, a gardener (and canner/preserver, following a long line of women in her family), a woman who sews, a planter and lover of trees, a chicken wrangler, the glue that binds our extended family, a farmer, a rancher, a mechanic’s helper, a veterinarian in a pinch, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a wife (and an Army wife at that), a mom, my best friend.

My mom is my role model, the woman I aspire to be.

I love you, Mom! Happy birthday! 🙂

Pretty bay Madison looks back toward her band during a pause in grazing. The greasewood in the foreground makes her look bashful, but she’s a big, bold girl.

On a recent evening in Spring Creek Basin, the horses in Comanche’s band were perfectly positioned on top of a hill against the lovely sunset. No rain, but the clouds were nice.

Handsome elder Bounce managed to find one golden bush in the basin behind which to nap (yes, that’s a human way of looking at it, but he was behind it when I got into position in front of it).

Autumn lingers in southwestern Colorado – in the light, in the dust (rain keeps passing around us), in the cottonwoods now flaming along the length of Disappointment Creek (which does not flow through Spring Creek Basin), in the horses’ coats, thickening.