The Much Abridged Version

Labour Day 2009
Spend weekend at the farm wrestling with the decision to abandon city life and move there for the winter, at least until April.

Get around to 'yes' and reach a fine balance between joy and terror.

Just before heading back to town to begin dismantling life get toe broken trying to load a pony onto a trailer.

Go back to town limping and acutely aware of the perils of a life with horses.

Decide to go through with it anyway.


Rest of September 2009

Limp around like an idiot, including during a work function (half the time in fancy shoes, the other half in god-forbid-it Crocs).

Pack up and move out as slowly and gracefully as one can with a busted toe and a half-baked idea.

Go out campaigning for New Stride with ridiculous footwear and relentless vigor. Set back the healing process by pounding foot into the ground, oh well.

Advil and VetWrap hold entire life together. Crocs become BFF's.

Realize the gravity of the situation every time I look at those ugly frickin' shoes.

Get positively clocked by a solidly built little filly and stop feeling pain in foot because it's been usurped by what's going on in the upper body. Does anyone want to go home yet? Does anyone know where home is? Face down in the field and seeing white fire and stars in the midday sun, it takes 20 minutes before I can see properly or breathe right. Welcome to your new life.

Realize the horror of a 40 minute commute in rush hour. Wonder if Advil is considered a mind-altering drug. Weigh the balance between getting busted up on the farm for no money and with no insurance and opt to keep the day job. Change hours to alleviate commuter pain.

Feel loose and strange and still wonder if Advil is a mind-altering drug.

Freak out, a lot.