Welcome to my world with horses

Welcome to my blog post.  I'm Laverne.  I'm 78 years young and I've spent most of my years with horses.  I still have a pasture full of the critters.  Well, actually just six now - down from 21.

I'm hoping this blog will bring me renewed delight in writing.  Perhaps some people will even read it!  Anyone out there?

Over 30 years ago, I was privileged to be chosen to write a weekly newspaper column called Hoofbeats for the Enumclaw Courier Herald.  For many years, starting in 1990, I could call myself a paid writer, although I think I was paid $12 a column.  Even given inflation, that was a pittance: however, writing those columns gave me enormous pleasure, and made me brave enough to submit articles to horse magazines.  Many were accepted.

I ended up writing a couple of self-published books: The Hoofbeats of my Heart and The For Always Pony.  Look for them on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  (I had to get the plug in.)

The writing experience gave me joy.

Then I stopped writing for pleasure, and returned to university for a Bachelor's degree, followed by a Master's.  Somehow, the creative juices stopped flowing the way it had in the days of the newspaper column.

I remember clearly how my initial foray into published writing began.  Over 30 years ago Friendly Horse Acres had recently moved to Buckley, Washington.  The community was small, and a lot of property had enough acreage for livestock.  The local feed store hosted a celebration of horse people, and they sponsored an exceptionally well attended parade of people and horses around the parameter of the city in late September.

My husband and I were breeding Miniature Horses.  We decided to walk the distance (about six miles,) dressed in pioneer costumes, and leading a pair of minis.  Okay.  We were younger, but that trek turned out to be a grueling hike, as we tried to keep up with the mounted participants.  By the time were were within a mile of our own farm, heading up a hill, we were wiped out.  Suddenly, a woman sporting a professional camera popped out of the foliage.  "Hi, I'm Shannon.  Can I take your photo and interview you?"  Of course, we agreed.  I recognized Shannon as the Enumclaw Courier Herald reporter who wrote the horse column.  I read it religiously every week.  We ended up with a full page spread in the paper, as well as being the subject of the newspaper column.

Shannon stayed in touch.

About a year later she announced she would be leaving her reporter job, and the courier Herald to return to her home in Ireland.  Although the reporter position would be filled by a professional journalist, she was offering the Hoofbeats column to a community member.  Qualified readers were asked to send in sample columns.

Yes, I was the chosen one.

I remember cussing at the typewriter, but just when I got the job, my parents presented me with one of the best gifts I have ever received.  It was a Brother word processor, complete with floppy disks.  That machine was a treasure. It sang.  And almost all of my articles came off the machine.  When it finally became inoperable, I cried.  Sure, we had PCs by that point, but I felt more creative with that old machine.  Somewhere, buried in a drawer, I'm sure I have a collection of floppies.  Oops, I glance up about the cabinet.  There they are, behind a doll and a crochet horse.  Now, if I had that word processor...

On with my story:

Without the support of that Brother, I hope to recreate my newspaper column in a new form.  Look for stories about horses, of course.  Maybe some research fact articles.  Maybe even some fiction.  No one knows what I'll be up to - least of all me.

I should be including some interviews with local motocross riders who insist horsepower in any form is still horsepower, even if it isn't the four-legged kind. 

Hope someone decides to come along for the ride.  We won't know where we're goiong until we get there.

Keep Horsing around!