September

September brings such mixed emotions when you live in Northern Michigan. Its a wonderful time of year that usually boasts 70 degrees during the day and cool nights. It makes a person feel like nesting but offers the beautiful fall and wonderful riding time. Less bugs to pester me and the horse, plenty of warmth but perfect for jeans and a helmet. Horses are somewhat fresh but usually pretty well behaved by this time of year. September brings thoughts of bonfires and fall harvest, and hay rides. Cuddling up with your sweetie and lighting a fire. But..... its the "but "that will get you........

Soon it will be time to get out the heated buckets, and heated trough, cover all my flowers for their long winter nap, drag out the boots and bib overalls and the darn gloves. Soon I will have to put away the Kayak too. Its like saying good bye to a good friend. Then there will be the rainy season with its slippery muddy pasture and keeping an eye out for thrushy hooves.

Since I am somewhat of a fair weather friend to winter riding. I would like May and September weather to be year around. That would be perfect for me. Actually this summer has been a lot like May spring weather. Cool and even a bit rainy at times. Oh I wouldn't mind some snow for Christmas and New Years but other than that I can do without the extra clothes the short daylight hours and the worry about sub zero nights. I down hill ski but my love for that does not parallel my love for the grass and leaves and the spring and fall weather riding. Its more like something to keep my mind occupied so I don't think about warmer weather.

We Michiganders seem to be fickle. We like the Spring Summer and Fall for all its worth but Winter only gets half our heart. We like it when it firsts snows and pretty much enjoy it right into the end of January, but come the middle of February we are starting to get Cabin Fever. We start thinking about planting gardens summer riding and maybe getting away someplace warm for a couple of weeks. We need to alleviate the pain of the dark dreary days and bone chilling cold that often comes the end of February and March so we make plans to run away.

Oh, dont let me mislead you. Mother Nature will give us a break occasionally, she will offer up a day or two of sunshine and warm temps. Just enough to tease us into thinking spring is just around the corner. But she can be ruthless she will come back with a vengeance bringing full plate of sinister laughs and another 8" of blowing snow. Ughhh!!!

But then one day the trumpets sound and I wake up to realize the sun is shining and the temps are warm and I know Spring has finally arrived. My dear old friend is back. Hurray! Hurray! Before long the days are longer and the evenings are warmer, I hear the birds singing and see the Robins arrive home. Old Man winter is suddenly just a past memory, almost so much so that its hard to even imagine Winter had ever been here. How short our human memory.

We Michiganders, are like those pearl divers that jump in the water full knowing that the long deep dive will deplete their energy, they will have to hold their breath as the descend deeper and deeper but they live for the exhilaration and joy when they arrive back on the surface with that Pearl larger than any other they have ever found.

For me Spring Summer and Fall is my Pearl. Winter is the dive, the price I pay to live in Gods Country.