The Horse with White Eyelashes

 On this Memorial Day, please take a moment to remember a sweet old horse who served his state with honor, and in retirement touched many hearts. Old bones and a weak heart took Apache Kid from us Sunday 5/25/14.  We were with him and he was crunching carrots till the end

 When he became a part of my life I had no idea what an incredible personality he had.  He would bat those big while eyelashes and you would naturally give him a carrot or apple treat or lime flavored Dorito. He was curious about everything, he would roam the yard and put is nose in very pot & box & doghouse he came across. He was afraid of nothing and accepting of everyone.

             I know he was just an old horse, but he was my very best friend and a really great listener and I'm so

 honored he let me be a part of his life, even for just a little while.

"I once spent my days under saddle and spur
A good tool and companion we old cowponies were.
Now the campfires gone silent,
The days are lonely and long,
What's an old cowpony to do
When all the cowboys are gone."

Good-by Old Friend.

It takes a village

It takes a village…  I’ll admit when Hillary Clinton first published a book with that title about how it takes more than parents to raise children I thought it was kind of stupid.  My parents raised me just fine, all by themselves and without the benefit of all the life saving devices we have now, like helmets, seat belts and gluten free pizza dough.

Obviously, I wasn’t considering all the teachers, coaches, friends and grandparents who helped shape my life and, thanks to them and many more, my life has shaped up pretty well. As most of you know I’m the video production supervisor for Arizona Game and Fish and it’s a job that takes me all over the state in pursuit of stories about wildlife, habitat and fun outdoor recreation for the Arizona Wildlife Views television show.  Pretty cool gig, if I say so myself, but the only way I can travel for days at a time is with the help of my village of friends and caregivers.  As I begin to write this I’m in Lake Havasu City and good friend Linda is keeping Dixie, my beloved Golden Retriever,

my good neighbor Jerry is taking care of Harry, my beloved tabby

and New River friends Laura & Patti & Jim are caring for my latest beloved, an old horse named Apache Kid.

It’s only because of the exceptional care these people bestow on my animals that I have the peace of mind to travel as much as I do.  I consider my pets like my children and having their lives as uninterrupted as possible is very important to me. So I just want to say “thank you” even though you deserve words more grand and with much greater depth than those, they’ll have to do.  So, Thank You for letting us be part of such a really cool and caring village.