Update --

Well, I ended up NOT taking Arthur to the Cory Bourque Clinic last weekend and instead spent both days taking videos and pictures there instead.  Probably a mistake. Taking Arthur would have given me a definitive answer to the question of whether I can ever manage to deal with him.  But I'll tell you what, even if I could handle him -- and at this point, I don't think I'll ever trust him completely -- but even if I could, he's only 6 years old.  I didn't consider that when I bought him, but mules live a good 30 years, and often 40.  So when I go, someone else would have to take him, and by that time he would be older and even harder to deal with because I'm going to reach a point where I can't ride at all anymore before that many more years.  So . . .

I'm thinking I need to find an older horse NOW who is completely, totally, absolutely easy to deal with.  And small.  Like that "Fugly Horse of the Day" horse that Jan posted about on FaceBook today.  She would be PERFECT for me.

Or even a much older mule - but that doesn't seem likely.  There just aren't that many of them out there, and the ones who are old enough have probably belonged to whoever has them for decades and they probably don't want to lose them.  Of course I guess it's possible that THEY might check out and their aging mule might need a new home.  I guess that could happen.

Well, I'm keeping an eye on the possibilities.  But the problem is, if I find an appropriate steed while I still have Arthur, it would be difficult to manage since our barn has only three stalls.  (Sure is a nice barn, though!)

And speaking of the barn -- it's been painted inside now, and David is going to be putting up the stall liners this week!   I think.  He was going to get started on that today, but he didn't come by after all.  So I'm not sure just what's going to happen when. 

But right now, Mark and Bryan are running the electrical wiring and conduit.  Darned good thing Mark is an electrician or we'd probably be out some serious cash.  There are 4 light switches just inside the barn side door, 2 more switches inside the front barn door, still MORE switches just inside the door to the center stall hallway.  Then there are going to be electrical outlets all over the interior of the barn and in the hallway.  There's going to be a water heater and a refrigerator, to plug in.  Oh - and seriously bright lighting on the ceilings in each stall, in the center hall, in the tack room and the feed room.  AND -- ta da! . . . a heater/air-conditioner/dehumidifier!  Can't WAIT!  Since we've had David and Bryan both working regularly for us, there's been more progress around both the house and the barn over just the last couple months than over the last few YEARS! 

I try not to think too much (hey - not at ALL if I can help it!!) about the fact that I'll be pushing 80 in as many more years as we've been here at this place - which doesn't seem like long at all to me!  But once all this is done, we should be able to stay where we are for the rest of our lives WITHOUT having to do much additional maintenance anyway.

I hope.

Got an e-mail from Dale and Shirley today with their new address and phone numbers.  They have FINALLY gotten moved into the house they bought last year this time! I know it was a horrendous task, moving, after all those years in a single home, but that new house is SO wonderful.  I'll bet they're really happy there at last.  And that house next to theirs is still for sale.  I keep silently hoping that Wendy will break down and buy it, but (sigh) she probably won't.

Oh - as soon as I get enough time, I plan to post a bunch of the videos of that horse clinic last weekend on YouTube, but the videos are so large that it takes forever to upload them and I haven't had time yet.  Well - maybe I'll get to it by this weekend.  The clinic really was great.  I'm going to try using on both Arthur AND on Duke some of the ground work he insisted everyone at the clinic do with their horses.  It did seem to work wonders on a number of the horses who were there. 

This is Mike's horse, Dixie, thinking about going through what Cory calls the "car wash."

But in just a few minutes both Dixie and Digger were riding right through it - no problem.

And here they are riding through those things that scrape down the sides of the horses.

Here Jan's horse, Digger, is pushing around that giant ball.

Most of the videos I took have Jan and/or Mike in there with their horses, Digger and Dixie, who did wonderfully!  Cory kept saying how gaited horses are nervous and sensitive compared to "regular" horses, but I have to say that was NOT how those two seemed to behave.  They did really really well.  Torri's horse might have been a BIT better, but then she's been to several of his clinics before! No fair!

By the way, that covered arena and barn in the pictures above are at a place only about a mile and a half from us -- one of several big stables nearby.  I love that!

Well, tomorrow is Bosses' Day and I need to drop by the bakery on my way to work and pick up a bunch of doughnuts for our bosses' day breakfast (I do NOT cook), so I better get to bed so I can head out to work an hour early.