I was 5 years old when I first told my parents I wanted to be a veterinarian. As the third of three kids, there were not nearly as many photos of me as there were of my older brother and sister. Nevertheless, nearly every photo of me included an animal of some kind… dogs, horses, […]
Horse Emergency Preparedness: ID Tags That Save Lives Read More »
Our personal experience evacuating from the Alexander Mountain Fire My husband and I were boating on a beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado reservoir, tucked into a cove, enjoying perfect temperatures and a light breeze. Because we were surrounded by mountains, we were blissfully unaware of the plume of smoke that was rising from the direction of
Horse ID Tags… Cheap Insurance for Natural Disasters Read More »
I regularly see posts on Facebook from people inquiring about horse identification options. In my opinion, not nearly enough people are proactive about having identification on their horses. As a retired veterinarian, I am passionate about good animal husbandry practices. Therefore, I am always glad to see someone inquire about what types of identification are
Horse Identification… What is Safe, Stable, and First Responder Approved? Read More »
The Alexander Mountain Fire My husband and I were boating on a beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado reservoir five days ago. We were tucked into a cove, enjoying perfect temperatures and a light breeze. Because we were surrounded by mountains, we were blissfully unaware of the plume of smoke that was rising from the direction of
EVACUATED Because of the Alexander Mountain Fire Read More »
I recently attended an Emergency Preparedness Clinic sponsored by several organizations within Boulder County, Colorado. The clinic was held because recent events here demonstrated that very, very few people have a disaster emergency plan. Are you one of those people? Late last December, the Marshall Fire burned over six thousand acres and destroyed over a
Disaster Emergency Plan… Are YOU Prepared? Read More »
Arizona is heating up, literally. It was time for our semi-annual trek from our winter home in Arizona to our summer home in Colorado. As we were preparing to leave Arizona, fires were burning in multiple locations. Additionally, fires were burning in Colorado, some with such intensity that they were reported on the news in
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire! Read More »
The San Pedro River The San Pedro River is a northward flowing stream that has its origins in Mexico, not too far south of where we rode the river trail. Alan and I only live in Arizona in the winter, not during the summer monsoons. Therefore, our perspective is that it is merely a dusty,
San Pedro River Trail South Read More »
The west Dragoons are as rocky and beautiful as the east side of the Dragoons, but they are a little harder to reach. There are many options for horseback riding.
Mystery Ride in the West Dragoons… and WILDFIRE! Read More »
Alan and I are no stranger to wildfires threatening us, our home, and our animals. Our Colorado home was within a couple of miles of the Cameron Peak Fire in Colorado late in 2020. As close as that was, it is even scarier to have a wildfire burning along the other side of the fence
TERRIFYING WILDFIRE RIGHT NEXT DOOR! Read More »
I first encountered the term risk tolerance as it applied to questions our financial advisor asked my husband Alan and me. Our advisor wanted to know how safe we wanted to be when it came to deciding how to invest our funds. If we risked more, we could potentially make more, but we could also
What is Your Risk Tolerance? Read More »
Right before Alan and I left Colorado for the winter, I wrote about our ride to Kruger Rock in Homestead Meadows. Imagine our dismay to learn that on Tuesday, November 16th, high winds blew a tree into power lines and started a fire in that area. First the floods… As I have mentioned in the
The Kruger Rock Wildfire in Estes Park Read More »
I thought I had been to Odessa Lake in the past… but if I have, I sure don’t remember it. In the summers of ’13 and ’14, I rode with a gal who lead livery riders all over the park. We rode places that she didn’t take livery riders, and I thought Odessa was one
Odessa Lake in RMNP (Also Fern and Helene Lakes) Read More »
My husband and I own horses so that we can trail ride and enjoy our equine company. Our summers are spent in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. We have done our best to schedule two days a week to hit the trails, working around a myriad of other things on our
WILDFIRES! HURRICANES! Reality Intruding Into Our Lives Read More »
Instead of telling you about local trails this week, I am going to tell you about our trip over the Continental Divide to badly damaged Grand Lake. I have been going to Grand Lake since I was a child. Alan first visited this beautiful location when he was 16 years old. The wildfire of late
Grand Lake, Colorado… After the Wildfire Read More »
Our first venture into the forest this summer was to a nearby and favorite trail… the Dunraven trail in Comanche Peak Wilderness. This trailhead is accessed at the back end of The Retreat, a community of homes located in Glen Haven, Colorado. Last year’s wildfires affected The Retreat more heavily than my community of Storm
Comanche Peak Wilderness… & Wildfire Damage Read More »
Last week, I preempted my original blog schedule to write about the fire that was threatening to consume our home. A week later, Mother Nature’s snow has assisted the incredibly hard-working firefighters and police officers… but we are far from out of danger. But happily, at least for now, our home is still standing! On
A SECOND Devastating Fire Forces Evacuation of Estes Park! Read More »
Never again will I encounter a firefighter that I won’t acknowledge my extreme indebtedness for what they do. In last week’s blog about the medical evacuation by helicopter from 4-J Big Piney, I indicated I’d talk about Coldwater Ranch this week. Things have changed. The feature photo is a view of the fire consuming much
Wildfire Burning ON OUR MOUNTAIN! Read More »
Thankfully, Hurricane Dorian created less havoc on the east coast than residents feared. Sadly, the people and animals in the Bahamas did not fare as well. As I write this, 50 people are reported dead with the death toll expected to climb. In this incredibly sad story, Grand Bahama Humane Society workers describe their heartbreak
Disaster Emergency Preparedness Part Two Read More »
Last week, Floridians purchased a record number of ID MyHorse Emergency Identification Tags. Additionally, residents of the Carolinas in the potential path of Hurricane Dorian ordered tags for their horses. The viral videos of Hurricane Harvey, showing stranded and stressed horses, were fresh on everyone’s mind. Recently, my Memories Facebook feed offered up this rescue
Disaster Emergency Preparedness Read More »
