To carry on with the idea I started last week. Two years made a lot of difference in the way I wrote and to some degree what I spoke about. In 1956, I got the first really "my own horse" and she has now assumed a big place in my life! Chores were becoming a much bigger aspect too, mostly centering around the animals we had, the two old mares, a mule and my filly. I was now fourteen and in high school but was edging into the 'cowboy girl' life and persona that I lived under for a good ten years.
Dec 28: Got up medium. Usual horse chores. Ate breakfast. Out to work. Sawed several logs. Went riding. Worked them out real good. When we got back Mom said Charles Ortmann had been by. I guess he got my letter. I hated to miss him. Poor guy, I guess he hated to miss Tina. Mom said he had on a red, white and blue shirt with the cuffs double rolled. No, no, no. Ate lunch. Papa left. Mike and I stacked wood. I did the horse chores. Came in and took a bath.Papa came home. Greenough was feeling pretty good. He had gotten my Christmas card and note and appeared to enjoy them. He is so lonely. I really feel quite sorry for him. I am glad I sent the card. Perhaps it cheered him a little. He is old enough to be my grandfather. Well, adios, Luz/Gayle/Peg/Tal. (I used a lot of nicknames!)
Okay, now for the 'splaing! Tina was the mare I got; she had come to me as an eight month old filly in February 1956 and was now two and half and by now was fairly well trained. Charles Ortmann was who I got her from. He was working as a cowboy at the Miller Ranch and had supposedly been a concert violinist. I think health forced him to retire from that. He was still very interested in how Tina was doing and I had a slight crush on him.
By now I was making my own Christmas cards and sending them off to some of my heroes and friends.. Mr Greenough, a guest ranch operator and lion hunter, was a friend of Dad's. I had a crush on him too even if he was, as I admit, old enough to be my grandfather--probably early 70s at this point. The wood mentioned was for the heating stove in the living room of the house--we got our own fuel from a number of place and Charlie Mike and I were responsible for most of the cutting and bringing in work. Apparently I did not think the rolled cuff idea was cool; that is all I can figure from that. Clearly Christmas had slid into past history three days afterwards although that year I had received some nice things to include a new hat and a nice work and study table that dad had made for me.
Now for a few pictures. The first is me and Tina , in the summer of 1957 when I had begun to ride her regularly. The next is me and my friend Evelyn Graves. She had borrowed a pair of my jeans to wear and we were going to go riding. Then the notorious Mr Greenough. An odd connection, Evelyn's older sister Shirley had worked for Mr Greenough at his ranch for a number of years and inherited part of it when he died. Dad had made the stock for the rifle he is carrying and given it to him as a gift. Dad did several very beautiful gun stocks and gave to friends and one for his own .257 which was later stolen and we never got it back.
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