October 27, 2019 - 44 - "Our Horse Ranch"

Meet Rodrigo

     We bought a horse a few years ago.  His name is Rodrigo and he is absolutely beautiful.

     Mind you, this is a lot like when Michael used to tell friends we owned a citrus orchard.

     It was, actually, just two trees.  Two trees in pots on our rooftop.  One lime tree.  One orange tree.  Very small and kind of sickly trees.  Almost more bushes than trees, truth be told.

     So, ya know, the term orchard may have been a slight overstatement of the facts.

     Still, it was thrilling to us.  How cool is it to be able to grab a lime right off your own tree and squeeze it into a beverage or a bowl of guacamole?

     But it wasn't what most people would characterize as an orchard.

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     So, meanwhile back at the ranch...

     Rodrigo may not be quite what comes to mind when you think of equine beauty...

     He's a colorful character.

     ..but he's also made of wood.

     He was carved in Oaxaca from copal wood.  They make all sorts of fanciful carved wooden creatures there.

     We bought Rodrigo in the square in San Miguel from an old man we still see regularly around town.

     Our previous house here had a funny inset niche-thing in the dining room, and Rodrigo filled it very handsomely.   (Though I can't seem to find any photos of him sitting there.)

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    We sold our first house in San Miguel completely furnished.  We didn't think, at the time, we'd be buying another house in Mexico so we kept very few things.

     Rodrigo, of course, made the cut.  (Ooooo...poor choice of words, sorry Rodrigo.)
 
     We were careful not to include Rodrigo in any of the real estate listing photos.  We put something else in that niche for when the house was shown to potential buyers.  We knew how quickly we got attached to Rodrigo and didn't want anyone else to do the same.

     When we sold the house, Rodrigo stayed, temporarily, at a friend's house.

     We were very excited to be reunited with him on our next visit, especially since we knew by then that he would have a new home in San Miguel after all.  (We, naturally, had been concerned about how he would acclimate to life in Texas, what with the language and cultural barriers.  Mexico was the only home he'd ever known.)

A Terrible Accident

     I'm thinking of Rodrigo a lot today because of his surgery yesterday.

     Unfortunately, during the move Rodrigo sustained some very serious injuries.  Both legs on his right side were affected.  The front one was severed completely, and the back one was barely hanging on.

     Traditionally when horses go lame things don't go well for them.
 

    We, however, were determined to re-attach the limbs, and nurse him back to health.

     Special medical supplies were brought in from Texas just for this purpose.  I was sold when I noticed the packaging said:  "Cures in 6 Minutes!"

     The surgery was scheduled for yesterday.

     I am pleased to report that it went very well, and Rodrigo is resting comfortably.  We anticipate a full recovery.

     Michael and I couldn't be more happy and grateful to know that Rodrigo will continue to be a valued member of our household.

Michael on horseback outside of San Miguel 

    Well, that's all the news from the horse ranch.

     Just wanted you to know what we're talking about in case Michael brings up anything about our horse or our ranch.

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     ...but I do think he could pull off the role of rancher if he ever decided to.

     He does look really good in a cowboy hat.
Muy guapo!

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"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people." 

-W. C. Fields

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"No.  But it makes a good story, doesn't it?"
-Richard Stewart
(This is often my dad's response when I ask if one of his entertaining tall tales is actually true.)

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"Stories are light.  Light is precious in a world so dark." 

"Make some light."

-Kate DiCamillo

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