That time again for the Christmas letter 2012

Well it's that time again. Mernie says to keep it short as nobody really wants to know the ins and outs of someone else's life; even if it's just a year in their life. Now I think that's the difference between men and women. So here I go, and yes I will try to keep it short;sort of.
It's been a pretty good year for us all in all. We still have the ranch in Laramie and it's become a thriving business with around 70 equines including a Shetland pony and a mini donkey. We still love the work, the people and the critters but need to hit the trail into a retirement of sorts real soon. 
      In April I said Goodbye to my thyroid. It had two ugly lumps on it. (I didn't see them but i just know they were ugly!) One was the size of a walnut; the other a golf ball. Good riddens to them!
     Cole and Clayton, our best friends Rod and Beth's little boys turn 4 and 2 this year.They are evolving into the most charming little men you could imagine and are such a delight to be around. We can say the same for our own Grand children Finley and Zoe who turned 5 and 3. Hopefully next year we will be living in a state much closer to them. Grandma too, who is going strong in her late eighties.
     In April we managed to get away to the 'Dome on the Range'; our place in Nevada. We took the horses so I could ride while the Mern worked with our friend and super handy man, Jim. I made sure the workers were fed of course before I took off into 'them thar hills'. 
     In May I rode 250 miles in Mt Carmel Utah with Kerry Greear on her big Pinto 'Little Joe Too!' It wasn't as hard as I thought it might be. That which does not kill me........LOL!" Kerry sure knows how to get though multi-day rides and I just hung there in her shadow.
     It was a good ride season, even though I blew the Big Horn 100 ......again. Rider error of course! There's always next year. Third time lucky! Anyway, I still completed 710 endurance miles and 85 limited distance miles. I think Kip is holding 5th in the region.
     Mernie brought me a tiny little Arabian mare for my birthday in October and she promptly sent me to the Emergency Room with 3-4 cracked ribs. 'SHE' needs work with her legs! 'I' need to be more careful around green horses! 
     In October I managed to fall in the horse trough, broken ribs and all... (see entry October 17th for that) and in November I completed 130miles on Kip (aka Silver Bullet) at Moab using my dear friend Gary Brown as a mounting block and stapping up my ribs in a safety vest!  
     On November 18th we remembered our good friend Steve Cormey who died on this day last year. He is very much missed!
     Now it's December and my goals for next year are to move on physically and professionally. Physically to Nevada, and professionally revisiting kiddy Lit with more involvement in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators! 
     As for Mernie, he is fit and healthy at 66 and embraces each day with zest and good humor. He possesses an outlook on life we should all aspire to. 
Merry Christmas, and Happy, Happy Everything for the New Year and always. 
Oh, and thankyou LADIES for reading this.