3... 2... 1...

And almost done. I teach my students today, tomorrow, and Friday. Three days, and then I am done teaching for 2020. This time of year is always a struggle. Kids are usually rambunctious in the days leading up to Christmas, although I am not seeing any of that behavior right now. I've actually read some things in the chats that have saddened me, things like my mom's not buying me anything for Christmas. 

So while the kiddos aren't bouncing off my classroom walls, there's still a lot to deal with. The reduced daylight hours also get me down. I am certain I suffer from some degree of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and working from home means I go outside a lot less often than when I am at my school site. Saddle Up Anyway, the words are live by, are the only thing getting me up and out to the ranch each day.

California's winter is still really just fall.

Even though I desperately wanted to curl up in front of the fire with a good book yesterday - I am currently reading F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, I pulled on my breeches, determined to ride. The Big Brown Horse always fools me. He's really just an over-sized sloth. He lumbers around his dry field in no particular hurry. He happily nibbled my hair and clothes while I groom, hiding the devil that only comes out when it's time to work.

I put him through a series of warm up exercises which he was happy to do. Once the work began though, his devilish self popped out of hiding, and the fight was on. He spooked and bolted and dodged all in an attempt to convince me that he COULD NOT BE RELAXED. And then he let go through his body in a resistance free shoulder-in.

If you look closely, you can see his devilish side.

Good man, I told him as I patted his neck. Good man. And then we moved on to the canter where we started it all over again. As I had done in the trot work, I kept both legs on and pushed him forward. And when forward was too much, we circled. 10-meter circles can do a lot to convince a horse that 20-meter circles are a lot easier. Eventually, he let that tension go as well as he cantered politely where I pointed him.

Today is another day and another chance to saddle up anyway. I am always glad I do, but some days, it takes more cajoling than others.