Pump 13

So its Saturday...and the long ride home is ahead.  I wake up, but decide that 6:30am alarm is a BAD idea...so I turn over and try to rest a bit more.  I can hear Jane is up and about downstairs, and the smell of coffee is enticing.  But so is the pillow.  If Scott were here, he'd pull me out of bed and onto the floor by the ankle...but he's not here.  So I turn over one more time and try to get a few minutes more rest.  Then I think of Diva, and decide it would be good to put her out in the paddock while I finish packing so she can stretch a bit before the 12 hours ride ahead.

Up and at 'em.   I can tell Diva knows were going home.  I think I see dread and excitement in her eye.  I told her we're going home...and she lifts her head a bit.  Fashion will be so happy to see you!  She nickers back in agreement.

Justice's stall is all clean and his again.

I pack up, move hay, clean out Diva's stall and top off the shavings so that Justice has a ready stall.  I'm sure he'll be glad to have it back.  As we pack, I'm kinda sad.  Its been a good week, and staying here has been relaxing and fun...for both Diva and I.  The sky is over-cast...and I see a crack of lightning and then thunder, which hurries me along.  I figure I better move so I'm all packed and Diva loaded before this storm rolls in.  REALLY!?  SERIOUSLY?! (those SO overused words scream in my head!)  I'll be traveling in a storm AGAIN.

Arghhh, a bad storm hits as we leave Nashville.

Diva sticks out her tongue at truckers at the rest area.

I pull out, beep and wave good-bye to Jane, who waves back from the front porch.  Diva nickers good-bye to Justice and the herd of horses in the pasture.  The gravel road is rumbling under the tires, and we turn left down Trinity and we're off.    I look down to check the gas, and its a half tank, so I pull in before getting on the expressway.  Diesel is Pump 13.  Oh great!  I really really hope this isn't an omen for the ride home, as the lightning cracks and the thunder rolls....and the rain POURS down, as I pump my gas under an umbrella.  arghhhhh

I pull onto the Interstate just as the rain really starts to comes down in sheets.  I can hear sirens all over...and as I drive thru Nashville, there are numerous cars off the road.  Even two pickup trucks at one curve.  In the grass you can see tire skids and one truck is backwards, the other down into the ditch.  Yikes....many have been caught off guard by this storm...    But, as I pull out of Nashville, and into Kentucky....its blue skies and fluffy clouds ahead.   The rest of the trip is mostly uneventful.   We make a few stops, and I fill up water bowls for Diva each time I stop for gas or the rest area along the way.  We make way better time going home...as I'm able to set the cruise control to 65, the radio to Highway on XM and just steer and sing country songs on my way home.  Thanks Eric Church for entertaining me al the way home!  Not a lot of traffic....  I get numerous calls as I ride home...people checking in with me, and it breaks up the ride.  Scott, mom....a text from Michelle.  And then a call from Jane.  OMG...lightning struck the tree in her front yard where my truck and hers had been parked.  And she said her blue truck was hit...it was actually smoking!!!  Shock turned to laughter...but it totally was not funny!   I guess I left in the nick of time...   I insisted that she call the firemen, just in case.  Smoking vehicles are not funny. And besides the firemen might be cute!  LOL.

I get excited when I see the 'Welcome to Wisconsin' sign.  Scott says he'll have dinner ready.  I pull in just minutes after 7pm.   It feels good to have that gravel drive under my tires again.  I round the curve, over the culvert and thru the trees....and then I see the best sight ever for these tired eyes....Scott is on the porch waiting for me and waves.   I pull in down by the barn and notice that there is paper taped to the barn.  Maybe Scott was painting...but its weird and flipping up and down.   As I pull closer, I can see that each piece of paper has a letter printed on it.  The breeze keeps the letters in motion...so I wait as I look thru the truck's front window...and try to make out what it says.   "W e l c o m e   H o m e   C h a m p s".... awwwww!    As I turn my head, I see Scott is walking down the sidewalk...he's smiling (kinda a crooked grin....but he's obviously proud.)  I jump out, and into a big hug....  Mmmmmmm, it feels so good to be home.  He puts his arm around me, and we look up at the letters flipping again.  I smile up at him...and he squeezes my shoulders.  This was certainly a team win for us!  I show him the championship red ribbon....and the gold trim sparkles in the sunset.  We both smile.

Welcome sign on barn for Diva and I!

We unload Diva.  Fashion is already in the pasture and comes cantering to greet her...and the two of them rumble off to eat grass.  She's kicking up her heals, he's flipping his head.   They run, play....and I'm thankful that she seems to be doing just fine from that long ride.  I guess she'll sleep well tonight...and in the morning she will have a mane filled with shavings from her stall.

We toss in a pizza, and sit on the front porch to catch up on the week of events.  Scott has tons of pent up discussion to be had (yeah...he talked more than I did that night...LOL, believe me, even I didn't think that was possible!).  We talk late into the evening over a few beers.  He shared his stories of what he saw on the stream of the Walking Horse Chat, I gave the behind the scenes details of each ride.  And we talked about Diva.  And we talked about Bourbon.  I know that Saturday Night Live came on, it was a presidential skit of course....but my exhaustion takes over as soon as my head hits the pillow.   Sweet dreams.