Living on mule time

Here in Oklahoma the wind blows hot and dusty across a weedy back
pasture, daily the sun beats down, the air gets drier and cracks
appear in the thirsty earth.

And we wait.

Walter spends his days in the shade of one lone tree in the pasture's
far corner, lazily swishing at flies in the company of Linda's mare
TeeKay as they converse over the fence.

Linda and TK

I spend my days going into town on errands with Linda, looking for
chores to do or projects to work on around the homestead, sitting in
the trailer by the open window catching up on correspondence and tack
repair and all the other things I never seem to have time for while
travelling. There is no computer.

I get the maps out and think about options again... and again... and again.

Sketch a little. Write a little. Check the water trough. Take a walk. Take a siesta.

And wait.

We are waiting for Walter to heal enough to tell us that given a bit
more time he will be ready to continue on, or for it to become evident
that he needs more time than is left of the summer and this year's
ride is over.

Right now it's impossible to tell. There are multiple cuts at his hind pastern and two of them are deeper than we thought. Not a candidate for stitches due to the location. He's healing well but very, very slowly. He might do better now he's been moved from the pen, where he paced
constantly, to the pasture where he stays calm and content. His dressing is changed every 5 days, more often if it slips or I feel increased heat and/or swelling.

Linda found me some temp work (thank you Linda for that on top of
everything else!) starting Monday so that will ease the situation.

Options:

1. When Walter is healed, continue on to Kansas City. Wing it from there.

2. When Walter is healed, head west and just see how far we can get,
figuring to arrange trailer home from wherever that is if water, time
and means run out.

3. When Walter is healed, have Linda haul us to east of Amarillo (she has
offered), find someone to haul us to the NM border and ride home from
there, figuring the worst of the summer drought will be over by the time we
turn south.

4. Settle in somewhere out here in TX or OK, if can arrange enough income (work) to live on, transportation and place to live and board Walter, and winter over. Continue the ride next spring.

or

4. Accept Linda's offer of haul to Amarillo area as soon as Walter's foot can withstand the strain (probably another ten days), and find some way to get us home to Tucson from there.

There might be other options I havent thought of, or that will appear in future.

Meanwhile, I am extremely grateful for the gift of time
that Linda and her parents have blessed us with. And for Linda's
expertise and sharing of supplies in helping care for Walter, and for
Caroline the vet. tech donating her services.

It wouldn't be an adventure without the unexpected... and we couldn't
have survived all the "unexpected"s without the help of so many good
people.

Linda A.