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In which there's a safety quiz to share with rider AND non-rider friends

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STAY SAFE AROUND HORSES (for riders and non-riders)1. RIDER:  You see lots of cars with bike racks parked at the trailhead.  Do you:a.  Cuss, grumble, and go to a different trailheadb.  Put bear-bells on your horse to alert other trail users to your presencec.  Put nasty notes on car windshieldsd.  Pull on your hi-viz vest

2.  NON-RIDER with a dog: You see horse trailers parked at the trailhead, and you see hoof prints on the trail as you walk.  Do you:a. Keep your dog beside you as you walk, either on- or off-leashb. Put bear-bells on your dogc. Keep your dog on a leashd. Holler “he’s friendly!” when he bounds up barking at horses you meet

3.  RIDER:  You see a person on the trail walking a dog on a leash.  Do you:a.  Yell at the person “You have to go away!I am afraid of dogs!”b.  Continue walking forward towards the person and the dogc.  Reverse course to avoid walking towards the person and the dogd.  Speed up and run over the person with the dog

4.  NON-RIDER:  You see a lot of hors…
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In which the rain stops, things grow, we still aren't on fire, and there's some sweetness

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"Social disruption" here on the farm continues to consist of Foxie Loxie barking at the recycling truck every week.



I understand that the media outlet that rhymes with Ox Chews is still flapping around spewing vitriolic nonsense about my Swamp and the people who live here and the hell and damnation we are supposedly throwing at each other...
...but a lot of us ain't got time for that.
We still aren't on fire, and the gardens need tending.





























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In which you can't believe everything online, and this is a farm blog

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I've been hearing all kinds of crazy stuff (mostly from people who aren't local) about what's happening here in response to George Floyd's death and the ongoing protests by Black Lives Matter groups.





"But the fires!  The explosions! The riots!"





"What about lawless, leaderless anarchy taking over Seattle? What about the antifa terrorists who drove the police out of their precinct building and burned it to the ground?* What about CHAZ, the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone*?  
*now known as CHOP, the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest?"
We've seen it all on that television station that rhymes with Rocks Fuse!"




Deep sigh.
If you've followed this blog in the past, you will remember that news reporting here is a little...spotty.  
That time we had a "sniper" on our road.
That time a mountain fell on a nearby neighborhood.
In this case, according to my friends who actually live and work in Seattle in or adjacent the CHAZ/CHOP, it's closer to the &qu…
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In which we explore the Whitehorse Trail : from Fortson Mill to Steelhead Drive

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At the (virtual) Executive Horse Council meeting this week,  Monica and I volunteered to help with a "soft launch" opening of the Whitehorse Trail  for the equestrian community.


We don't have a date set yet--probably later this month--but it's time to start preparing.  First on my list: go check out some more parts of the trail.


Today, I rode from Fortson Mill to Steelhead Drive and back--about 10 miles round-trip.


Directions to the trailhead: From I-5 exit 208, head east on State Route 530 (Arlington/Darrington Hwy) 25.2 miles.   Just past mile marker 42 is the left turn onto Fortson Mill Road.   Take that left, follow the road .2 miles to a vast parking lot.


Say hello to other trail users, if there are any.




From the parking lot, take the trail to the right to see the old mill.




The mill and the mill pond are visible from the trail.  Go out to the main trail and turn East to view the old buildings and the pond (easier to see in winter when the trees are bare).






















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