Outside Must

So I just had to.  No really I did.  I had to get out of the house for just a bit.  Sister Pister had a little horsemanship, barrel racing, pole bending thing not too far from here and I decided I just needed some fresh air. 

I had a little moment of clarity or realization if you want to call it that while sitting and taking in the evening.  My realization is this...I feel a connection to the outdoors.  Like I need them.  I think I've always known that to a certain extent, but last night while sitting in the stands with the wind blowing in my face and the smell of horse and feel of air, it hit me.  The outside is a must.  My soul doesn't feel right without.    

Even if it was really a bit too windy {windy enough to get dirt whipped into your face and windy enough I couldn't take pictures of the actual events because of that whipping dirt}, it was still just plain good to be in the fresh air. 

The sun started setting and Sister Pister still had one event left.  I walked up to her and the Gunner and noticed these on her saddle horn.  Rubberbands {remember, I love to state the obvious}. 

I said, "What's with the rubberbands?"  Sister Pister said, "Well, I need to rubberband my feet into the stirrups for pole bending because they keep popping out on the end turns."  I said, "Really?  Really, you are going to purposefully tie yourself to the saddle?"  She said, "Yeah, I have to."  Let me just say this.  I want no part of anything that involves my feet being strapped into the stirrups on a horse that is running at break neck speed.  No. thank. you.  But, hey I guess Sister Pister likes the thrill. 

Then, I noticed her arm and I said to myself, "Self, what ever made you think you could beat her arm wrestling?"  Sister Pister noticed me looking at her arm and of course flashed this in my face.  She'll rub it in any time she can. 

After rubbing her bicep superiorness in my face, she trotted off to get the Gunner warmed up for poles.  And, I stood there thinking about the rubberbands on her feet and how that's a different kind of drive for something, I'm not sure what, but something than I have.   

Because I'm sneaky and it's one of my most favorite things to do to people, I snapped these without anyone knowing.  I'm tricky like that, but they usually turn out to be some of my favorites. 

Sister Pister's feet did stay in the stirrups and she had a fast run.  A very fast run.  But, she knocked over one of the middle poles with her knee, which causes a five second time add.  She still earned third place though, so that tells you just how quick the run was.  Maybe I need to go out and put rubberbands on the poles to keep them in place.  That just might be the ticket.  Or maybe Sister Pister needs to get a skinnier knee.  Can you make your knee skinnier?  I don't know.  She'll have to look into it.     

So, it was fabulous to get out of the house and it was fabulous to spend some time visiting with Momma Debi in the stands and it was fabulous to be outside and it was fabulous to see The Rubberband Girl do well and it was just plain fabulous.  I needed out.