The last week or so, things have been happening between my brother and myself that have left me a little melancholy. When I get down in the doldrums like that, I try to think of all the things in my life that make me happy. My wife is always number one on that list, followed by my kids and my grandkids.
Here’s the rest of the list I that thought of last night.

 
1. Yesterday was the first really nice spring day of the year. So I spent some time doing a little ring work with my horse Mariah.
I am so lucky to live on a piece of property that can support horses. So many horse owners have to board their animals at stables miles away from their homes. I can look out of the window of my home and see my barn, my pastures, my riding ring, my three horses and my pony twenty-four hours a day.
Almost all trail rides begin in my back yard. I climb up on Mariah’s back just outside of my barn, ride her across a rural road, and then I can go for a trail ride through woods and meadows for hours without crossing another road.
When I am on her back, I feel like a king. I sit so high on such a proud, energetic animal (she’s a four-year-old.), and together, we have a great time!
Mariah is a lover. She really is. When she sees me, she whinnies and shakes her head up and down. (That’s an equine greeting to a friend.) When I walk the pasture, she comes up and greets me, and then walks behind me. If I stop, I get a gentle nudge in the back or the shoulder from a soft equine nose, letting me know that she is there.
Many folks who meet Mariah comment on how striking she is. She’s a beautiful Palomino Quarterhorse (registered as both) who stands a little over 15 hands. Her coat is the color of the sun, and her mane and tail are cream. And what makes her the most beautiful horse in the world is that she loves me.
Doing ring work with me, she tries so hard to please. Jumping barrels, standing to be saddled, responding to verbal and non-verbal signals, changing gaits - she is wonderful.
When I am teaching her a new command, she will stand there facing me and begin licking her lips, which is a signal that she is trying to understand. And she tries so hard!
At one point yesterday, I just let her run on her own around the ring. She ran and kicked and bucked with excitement out of sheer joy of being alive, and it did my heart good to see her so happy! At one point, she put her head out straight, lowered her shoulders and bolted like the wind for the far end of the ring. She then turned on a dime and raced back to me at full tilt. Somebody who didn’t know Mariah might have been frightened by this because she was bearing down on me at full gallop - all thirteen hundred pounds of her. But I wasn’t concerned. I trusted her. And, sure enough, she came to a sliding stop about ten feet in front of me. Then she slowly walked up to me with her patented, deep-throated, satisfied nicker and rubbed her head into my chest as I pet her neck.
I love this big girl so much!
2. I got the part in the play for which I auditioned . So now I am Martin Vanderhof (Grandpa) in the 1938 comedy, You Can’t Take It With You.
I love the part. Grandpa is a character who lives his life the way that he wants without regard to what others may think. He’s a gentle, loving, wise soul who lives by his convictions. He reminds me a lot of another character I played for a different theater group a few years back – Elwood P. Dowd in the play Harvey.
I’m excited. The play is funny, the character is wonderful, and rehearsals so far have been fun.
I love the theater!
 
3. Mary and I are heading down to Tennessee next week to visit her aunt on her farm just outside of Pulaski. Pulaski is about fifty miles north of the Alabama border. Mary’s late Uncle Hollis, who was never afraid to say exactly what was on his mind, once told me, "If you go to Alabama, remember to set your watch back one hour and fifty years!"
I love Tennessee in April. Can’t wait. I’ll spend my time walking the pastures, playing my dulcimer, learning my lines for the play, eating catfish, visiting with good people, writing, and just totally vegging out.
4. The weight loss/ exercise regimen that I wrote about in earlier posts is working well. It is a regimen that was worked out by my doctor and myself, and, thus far, my doctor is thrilled with the results as reflected in my recent blood work, and I am delighted that I have dropped almost 3 inches off of my waist. (I was never  fat but, there was a time when bending over to tie my shoes pinched.) 
I want to live forever!
There, I feel better now!
Thanks for listening!