Post by succubusdream on Nov 25, 2010 16:38:07 GMT -8
Shari gazed, transfixed by the amazing view of her Cle Elms ranch. Fresh, pearl white snow blanketed Lookout Mountain. The hundred-year-old house creaked its early morning groans as the phone jingled her senses to attention. It was Carl, one of three elderly ranchers living on neighboring properties. They always called early to check on her, her son Beau, and the livestock.
After chatting for a few minutes, she gently set the phone back on the receiver. Those men could be so hilarious sometimes. It baffled her where they got the energy to keep at life as if they were twenty. Smiling to herself, she quickly got out of bed, still in her pajamas, and went downstairs to get the fire going. The tiles chilled the soles of her feet as she made her way across the basement to the wood stack. Thankful for having dry wood and good kindling, Shari tossed a few logs in the stove. The fire started very quickly, moving a little bit of warmth through the house. Straightening to her full height, Shari went up the stairs into the kitchen to watch the local weather report and whip up some breakfast. Scrambled eggs and toast were prepared to perfection in ten minutes for Beau and herself. Coffee simmered on the machine, tempting her to indulge herself for a few peaceful minutes. Shaking her head, she turned and walked to the beige couch, sat by her son's side and gently woke him with a small nudge on his shoulder. A slight groan escaped his throat as he rolled over onto his back. His little arms stretched over his head and if by some repeating miracle, tiny pupils narrowed into focus then smiled up at her.
He was two years old and had cerebral palsy. She always thought of him as the little light of her life. No matter what she did, he would remain by her side, cheering her on, helping when he could, without thought of his restrictions.
***
Layers of sweaters, a jacket and a pair of sturdy waterproof shoes set her up for the long morning work to take care of the animals and the ranch. The walkway between the barn and the snow was still undisturbed as she made her way to the barn. The solid ground under her feet in the barn felt welcoming after the slippery ice underneath the snow. The horses were already calling for their breakfast.
Hurrying around the barn, she tossed a good amount of hay to the horses. She checked each of them for any signs of illness or injury while she gave them vitamin enriched grain and fresh water. Next she loaded the slightly rusted ford pick-up with about a ton or two of hay and hopped in the driver’s seat. Beau gave her a huge grin as she coaxed the engine to life. She sighed in relief when it started and threw it in low gear when they got into the cow pastures. Once the truck was set, Shari climbed into the bed of the truck and began throwing hay one flake at a time to the gathering longhorns. Slowly the truck creped forward without a driver, sometimes slipping on the icy patches of snow. Beau sat in the passenger seat watching the morning sight of endless pastures, hundreds of cows feeding as sunlight radiated through the snowfilled clouds.
An hour later, the remaining hay patched the bed of the truck. Beau was fast asleep in the seat. Shari quietly climbed behind the steering wheel once again and carefully drove back to park the truck inside the barn. She still had to refresh the water troughs for the well bred longhorns. Coming slowly to a halt, she contemplated what to do with her son. Taking a glance at his unconscious form while she pondered whether to wake him up or not, she sighed, got out of the truck, picked Beau up and took him into the house. She easily laid him down on the couch and pulled a blanket over him. Straightening her back, she stole one last glance at Beau and went back outside to meet the chilled morning again.
The water for the cows froze over night, so it had to be broken up with an axe before replenishing it. Sometimes this only took a few minutes, but on the really cold nights such as the last one, the ice was several inches thick and it took a considerable effort and time to break it up. By the time she was finished, some layers of her clothes were hanging on the fence. Energized, warm and satisfied she made her way back to the barn to clean the horses' stalls.
***
The clock struck 11 a.m. when Shari finally pulled her head out of her thoughts. She was almost finished taking care of the horses. Putting away the equipment, she made her way back to the house. Hot soup, put together the night before, was already simmering in the crock pot. Shari stripped off layers of warmth in the entryway and pulled off her melting boots. Beau was already up when she walked into the living room. She quickly set the table and laid down two steaming bowls of minestrone soup. Beau slurped ferociously, as usual, and lunch motivated Shari for the afternoon ride, but not before she tided up a bit.
***
'One last wipe and I'm done', Shari mumbled to herself as she rinsed out the cloth and glanced at the counter top. She removed the rag from under the nozzle and squeezed out the excess water. Reluctantly stroking the granite, tattered washcloth in hand, she cupped her hand and pressed it to the cold stone. The remains of her effort to scrub the surface earlier was shoved over the edge and into her hand and tossed into the trash. She rinsed the cloth once again, laying it folded, damp and draped on the sink faucet. Stepping back, a small smile of satisfaction crawled to the edge of her mouth.
Bang! Shari jumped, adrenaline shot through her veins, her body automatically turning to see what had cause the ruckus. Beau had gotten up from the couch and walked to the stairs using the wall for support. He decided that the wall wasn't necessary and apparently tried to walk across the stairway entrance and just when he was about to touch the wall, he lost his balance and fell down, fracturing the glass cup that he released from his grasp in effort to break his fall. Shari strode over to her son and helped him up and asked him if he was ok.
"Yeah mommy", Beau responded. She smiled and gave him a hug.
"That’s my son" she whispered next to his ear. A quick squeeze later she released him and announced that they were going to go and ride Lefty that day. Beau gave the little thrilled smile and laugh that all two year olds' do. His mother scooped him up in a flash and took him to his room to dress him in his snow jacket, pants and boots.
When he was suited up, Shari gathered her own snow gear and methodically pulled each item on and secured them in their own unique fashion. Glancing in the full length mirror, she made sure she had everything, going through a standard list in her head.
"Mommy", Beau called.
"I'll be there in a sec." She replied, snatching her beige cowboy hat from the bed post as she lengthened her stride and made her way to her son.
He reached up into her arms’ and clutched her neck as she walked out of the house and into the barn. She gently set him down on a bail of straw so she could get Lefty from his stall. Shari snatched the halter and lead rope from the wooden door, unlatching and rolling it open in the process. The quarter horse eagerly bowed his head into the halter that she held out for him. Buckling the material, she guided him out to her son so he could hold the chestnut for a minute while she retrieved a grooming box and the tack.
Lefty was nuzzling Beau’s hair when she bounced out of the tack room with the saddle, pad, bridle and brushes in hand. Chuckling at the sight, she continued back over to her son. Setting the essentials down next to him, she asked him to hold Lefty for a little while long so she could get him ready to ride. Beau gave a slight nod in response, already donating his attention to the horse in front of him.
She curried and brushed until dandruff dusted the ground, leaving shiny brown fur in its place. Next, she picked out the mud brush and cleaned Lefty’s legs and hooves as best she could, then felt for any heat or swelling to make sure he wasn’t injured.
Tossing the brush back, Shari hauled the western saddle and pad onto Lefty’s back, adjusted the position and synched the girth. She glanced around the barn, spotted an axe she had left in a dark corner, retrieved it and strapped on the saddle. The bridle was in place within a minute, setting Beau in the saddle soon after, and led them out of the barn where she hopped on behind her son.
She directed her horse down a long narrow trail which slowly descended the hill. Beau was chatting up a storm about the birds he saw, frequently looking up at her to see if she was listening. She smiled back at him and asked him a question or two when he would stop rambling to observe his surroundings.
When they got to the bottom of the valley, the trees had thinned out and the pond was in sight. It was glazed over with what looked like several inches of ice. Shari asked Lefty to pick up his pace with a slight rotation of her hips, springing him in to an incredibly slow imitation of a trot. Beau bounced up and down with each stride, his head bumping into her sternum gently.
As the pond drew near, animal tracks could be seen imbedded in the snow. Bear, cougar, elk and rabbit prints made a line straight to the ice-covered pond. Water must have not been accessible because the impressions indicated that the animals circled around the edge and turned away. Shari slowed Lefty down to a lazy walk as the brim of the ice neared his hooves. He sensed the edge of the solid sheet and wearily stepped forward onto a shallow portion of it.
“Good, boy” Shari praised and encouraged him to take one more small pace. Beau leaned over the pommel and patted Lefty’s neck as his hooves trusted her request. A small crack followed the weight distribution and she backed him up a bit so she could examine the mark.
“Beau, can you hang on to Lefty for a minute by yourself for me?”
“Yeah” he squealed and grabbed the reins with one hand, keeping the other on the pommel. Shari dismounted and untied the axe from the saddle. A chill built up around her feet as she trudged back to the ice. She lifted the sharp metal high and slammed in down on the crack, breaking the barrier between water and air. Swinging it a few more methodical times, she managed to fracture a chunk out and pull it out of the liquid. Glancing at her work, she saw that it wasn’t nearly big enough for all the animals to drink out of before it froze again, so she cut into the ice as far as she could all around the pond, dragging out pieces here and there as she went. When she finished, there was an island of ice left in the center.
She looked back at her son. Lefty was ten yards away, munching on frozen grass that he had uncovered with his hooves with Beau’s attention was fixed on him. She smiled at the concentration on his face.
“Beau?” He looked up. “Could you bring Lefty over here for me?”
He gave a little tug on the reins just like he had seen his mom do so many times before and tapped his feet against the saddle. Lefty pulled his head, took a few steps and stopped. Beau tapped him again, sending his steed into a comfortable toddle straight to Shari.
“Good job” she praised, refastened the axe behind the saddle and hopped back up. Beau gave the reins back and spotted a some birds drinking from the pond. She maneuvered back around the pond and started back to the trail. Just before they were going to enter the trail, she turned Lefty around so her son could get one last look at the pond.
A family of rabbits scampered away from the pond as a couple of elk watchfully tramped through the snow and took turns drinking their fill. It looked like one of them was pregnant. She beamed within herself, pleased that her hard work would give the pair a chance to live at least a little longer though the winter and hopefully make it to spring so the calf could be born.
Shari took a deep breath, it was time to turn homeward to feed the livestock again and take care of the horses one last time that day with her son.
After chatting for a few minutes, she gently set the phone back on the receiver. Those men could be so hilarious sometimes. It baffled her where they got the energy to keep at life as if they were twenty. Smiling to herself, she quickly got out of bed, still in her pajamas, and went downstairs to get the fire going. The tiles chilled the soles of her feet as she made her way across the basement to the wood stack. Thankful for having dry wood and good kindling, Shari tossed a few logs in the stove. The fire started very quickly, moving a little bit of warmth through the house. Straightening to her full height, Shari went up the stairs into the kitchen to watch the local weather report and whip up some breakfast. Scrambled eggs and toast were prepared to perfection in ten minutes for Beau and herself. Coffee simmered on the machine, tempting her to indulge herself for a few peaceful minutes. Shaking her head, she turned and walked to the beige couch, sat by her son's side and gently woke him with a small nudge on his shoulder. A slight groan escaped his throat as he rolled over onto his back. His little arms stretched over his head and if by some repeating miracle, tiny pupils narrowed into focus then smiled up at her.
He was two years old and had cerebral palsy. She always thought of him as the little light of her life. No matter what she did, he would remain by her side, cheering her on, helping when he could, without thought of his restrictions.
***
Layers of sweaters, a jacket and a pair of sturdy waterproof shoes set her up for the long morning work to take care of the animals and the ranch. The walkway between the barn and the snow was still undisturbed as she made her way to the barn. The solid ground under her feet in the barn felt welcoming after the slippery ice underneath the snow. The horses were already calling for their breakfast.
Hurrying around the barn, she tossed a good amount of hay to the horses. She checked each of them for any signs of illness or injury while she gave them vitamin enriched grain and fresh water. Next she loaded the slightly rusted ford pick-up with about a ton or two of hay and hopped in the driver’s seat. Beau gave her a huge grin as she coaxed the engine to life. She sighed in relief when it started and threw it in low gear when they got into the cow pastures. Once the truck was set, Shari climbed into the bed of the truck and began throwing hay one flake at a time to the gathering longhorns. Slowly the truck creped forward without a driver, sometimes slipping on the icy patches of snow. Beau sat in the passenger seat watching the morning sight of endless pastures, hundreds of cows feeding as sunlight radiated through the snowfilled clouds.
An hour later, the remaining hay patched the bed of the truck. Beau was fast asleep in the seat. Shari quietly climbed behind the steering wheel once again and carefully drove back to park the truck inside the barn. She still had to refresh the water troughs for the well bred longhorns. Coming slowly to a halt, she contemplated what to do with her son. Taking a glance at his unconscious form while she pondered whether to wake him up or not, she sighed, got out of the truck, picked Beau up and took him into the house. She easily laid him down on the couch and pulled a blanket over him. Straightening her back, she stole one last glance at Beau and went back outside to meet the chilled morning again.
The water for the cows froze over night, so it had to be broken up with an axe before replenishing it. Sometimes this only took a few minutes, but on the really cold nights such as the last one, the ice was several inches thick and it took a considerable effort and time to break it up. By the time she was finished, some layers of her clothes were hanging on the fence. Energized, warm and satisfied she made her way back to the barn to clean the horses' stalls.
***
The clock struck 11 a.m. when Shari finally pulled her head out of her thoughts. She was almost finished taking care of the horses. Putting away the equipment, she made her way back to the house. Hot soup, put together the night before, was already simmering in the crock pot. Shari stripped off layers of warmth in the entryway and pulled off her melting boots. Beau was already up when she walked into the living room. She quickly set the table and laid down two steaming bowls of minestrone soup. Beau slurped ferociously, as usual, and lunch motivated Shari for the afternoon ride, but not before she tided up a bit.
***
'One last wipe and I'm done', Shari mumbled to herself as she rinsed out the cloth and glanced at the counter top. She removed the rag from under the nozzle and squeezed out the excess water. Reluctantly stroking the granite, tattered washcloth in hand, she cupped her hand and pressed it to the cold stone. The remains of her effort to scrub the surface earlier was shoved over the edge and into her hand and tossed into the trash. She rinsed the cloth once again, laying it folded, damp and draped on the sink faucet. Stepping back, a small smile of satisfaction crawled to the edge of her mouth.
Bang! Shari jumped, adrenaline shot through her veins, her body automatically turning to see what had cause the ruckus. Beau had gotten up from the couch and walked to the stairs using the wall for support. He decided that the wall wasn't necessary and apparently tried to walk across the stairway entrance and just when he was about to touch the wall, he lost his balance and fell down, fracturing the glass cup that he released from his grasp in effort to break his fall. Shari strode over to her son and helped him up and asked him if he was ok.
"Yeah mommy", Beau responded. She smiled and gave him a hug.
"That’s my son" she whispered next to his ear. A quick squeeze later she released him and announced that they were going to go and ride Lefty that day. Beau gave the little thrilled smile and laugh that all two year olds' do. His mother scooped him up in a flash and took him to his room to dress him in his snow jacket, pants and boots.
When he was suited up, Shari gathered her own snow gear and methodically pulled each item on and secured them in their own unique fashion. Glancing in the full length mirror, she made sure she had everything, going through a standard list in her head.
"Mommy", Beau called.
"I'll be there in a sec." She replied, snatching her beige cowboy hat from the bed post as she lengthened her stride and made her way to her son.
He reached up into her arms’ and clutched her neck as she walked out of the house and into the barn. She gently set him down on a bail of straw so she could get Lefty from his stall. Shari snatched the halter and lead rope from the wooden door, unlatching and rolling it open in the process. The quarter horse eagerly bowed his head into the halter that she held out for him. Buckling the material, she guided him out to her son so he could hold the chestnut for a minute while she retrieved a grooming box and the tack.
Lefty was nuzzling Beau’s hair when she bounced out of the tack room with the saddle, pad, bridle and brushes in hand. Chuckling at the sight, she continued back over to her son. Setting the essentials down next to him, she asked him to hold Lefty for a little while long so she could get him ready to ride. Beau gave a slight nod in response, already donating his attention to the horse in front of him.
She curried and brushed until dandruff dusted the ground, leaving shiny brown fur in its place. Next, she picked out the mud brush and cleaned Lefty’s legs and hooves as best she could, then felt for any heat or swelling to make sure he wasn’t injured.
Tossing the brush back, Shari hauled the western saddle and pad onto Lefty’s back, adjusted the position and synched the girth. She glanced around the barn, spotted an axe she had left in a dark corner, retrieved it and strapped on the saddle. The bridle was in place within a minute, setting Beau in the saddle soon after, and led them out of the barn where she hopped on behind her son.
She directed her horse down a long narrow trail which slowly descended the hill. Beau was chatting up a storm about the birds he saw, frequently looking up at her to see if she was listening. She smiled back at him and asked him a question or two when he would stop rambling to observe his surroundings.
When they got to the bottom of the valley, the trees had thinned out and the pond was in sight. It was glazed over with what looked like several inches of ice. Shari asked Lefty to pick up his pace with a slight rotation of her hips, springing him in to an incredibly slow imitation of a trot. Beau bounced up and down with each stride, his head bumping into her sternum gently.
As the pond drew near, animal tracks could be seen imbedded in the snow. Bear, cougar, elk and rabbit prints made a line straight to the ice-covered pond. Water must have not been accessible because the impressions indicated that the animals circled around the edge and turned away. Shari slowed Lefty down to a lazy walk as the brim of the ice neared his hooves. He sensed the edge of the solid sheet and wearily stepped forward onto a shallow portion of it.
“Good, boy” Shari praised and encouraged him to take one more small pace. Beau leaned over the pommel and patted Lefty’s neck as his hooves trusted her request. A small crack followed the weight distribution and she backed him up a bit so she could examine the mark.
“Beau, can you hang on to Lefty for a minute by yourself for me?”
“Yeah” he squealed and grabbed the reins with one hand, keeping the other on the pommel. Shari dismounted and untied the axe from the saddle. A chill built up around her feet as she trudged back to the ice. She lifted the sharp metal high and slammed in down on the crack, breaking the barrier between water and air. Swinging it a few more methodical times, she managed to fracture a chunk out and pull it out of the liquid. Glancing at her work, she saw that it wasn’t nearly big enough for all the animals to drink out of before it froze again, so she cut into the ice as far as she could all around the pond, dragging out pieces here and there as she went. When she finished, there was an island of ice left in the center.
She looked back at her son. Lefty was ten yards away, munching on frozen grass that he had uncovered with his hooves with Beau’s attention was fixed on him. She smiled at the concentration on his face.
“Beau?” He looked up. “Could you bring Lefty over here for me?”
He gave a little tug on the reins just like he had seen his mom do so many times before and tapped his feet against the saddle. Lefty pulled his head, took a few steps and stopped. Beau tapped him again, sending his steed into a comfortable toddle straight to Shari.
“Good job” she praised, refastened the axe behind the saddle and hopped back up. Beau gave the reins back and spotted a some birds drinking from the pond. She maneuvered back around the pond and started back to the trail. Just before they were going to enter the trail, she turned Lefty around so her son could get one last look at the pond.
A family of rabbits scampered away from the pond as a couple of elk watchfully tramped through the snow and took turns drinking their fill. It looked like one of them was pregnant. She beamed within herself, pleased that her hard work would give the pair a chance to live at least a little longer though the winter and hopefully make it to spring so the calf could be born.
Shari took a deep breath, it was time to turn homeward to feed the livestock again and take care of the horses one last time that day with her son.