Prayers on the Wind

Our hearts and prayers go out to the people and pets in the wake and path of the Colorado fires and the Florida hurricane (and subsequent flooding). Once again I count my blessings for the safety and well-being of the people and horses of Borderlands. I cannot fathom the stress everyone must be under. I’ve tried to put myself in their shoes these past few hours and can’t even comprehend what I would do.

It does make me think more about establishing and implementing an emergency evacuation plan if Mother Nature decided to wreak havoc in our area (besides the drought we seem to be experiencing). With 17 horses, 3 dogs, and 3 barn cats, I’m not sure how we would get everyone out if officials told us we only had minutes to evacuate. Luckily we have two trailers and trucks that could haul horses in a pinch but not everyone would fit.

I thank my lucky stars that we don’t deal with hurricanes, much flooding (at least not in our area although we are in a low area but nowhere near a river), fire (although it is possible but difficult when surrounded by beans and corn), or earthquakes. We typically only deal with drought, blizzards, freezing temperatures, and tornados, which are hard to plan and prepare for. But it is better to be prepared. I’m guessing that my Type A kicks in when disasters are discussed or the thought of disaster is in the air (even if it’s only on the news).

My second fear, after the disasters are averted, is what will happen to the animals afterwards. I’ve already seen ads stating people are dumping horses because of the drought in Colorado and that the horses coming from there are thin. We are going into a drought and I’m trying to figure out how to make the pastures last longer (and am finding it difficult to come up with a plan). I’m thankful that we did spray and fertilize. I can’t imagine what we would be dealing with otherwise. Unfortunately, it’s only the end of June and we are running out of pasture (or at least it seems that way). I did feel three little sprinkles (and followed a little rain cloud on my way to the paying job). But we are in desperate need of rain if we want the pastures to hold out until the end of August. Although, I don’t want to complain about not having rain when there are fires blazing and lives in danger.

I wish there was more we could do for the people experiencing such devastation. The only thing I know how to do is pray for their safety and well-being.