Elisha at work. :)

[blue_dun]

Monday, April 12, 2009.
"Hello class," Elisha Jane Heartilly beams at her pupils. "did you have a nice weekend?"
"Yes, Ma'am." The class answers, and mounts their horses.
"Good. Today, first off, I need to introduce you to a new student. Class, meet Darian Wilson, and her horse, Morocco." A young, sixth-grade girl and her horse, a tall, Blood Bay stallion, ride into the room, smiles, and waves. "Darian, a couple quick questions. First, where did you live before you moved to Chestnut Hill?"
"I lived in Sterling, Colorado, a small town in the northeastern corner of the state."
"Hey! That's where I came from too! Who are your parents?"
"Luke and Tammi Wilson."
"I know them! Tell them hi for me, would ya?"
"Sure!!"
"Ok, next question. Class, do you have any for Darian?"
A girl in the back raises her hand. "Darian, Tell us about your horse."
"Ok, here goes;
Name: MoRocco Pontsetta (Rock).
Age: 3 yrs.
Gender: Male, Stallion.
Breed: Purebred Arabian.
Dam: SoRocco Sahara.
Sire: Marsstar Pontsetta.
First of all, Rock is my absolute best friend, without him, I'd probably be dead through my own hand. He truly is a lifesaver.
Second, he was the envy of the Sterling trail riding class. He went faster, had better footing, and acted better than any other horse there. I am so glad I have him."
Satisfied, the class begins whispering among themselves. Elisha calls them to order. "O.k, class, today we will learn what to do when your horse spooks."

After Class...

Darian pops her head in and asks, "Who should I say the hello is from? I know your first name is Elisha. What's your last name?"
"Heartilly." Elisha replies, not taking the chance to look up from her paperwork.
"Woah, a Fred Heartilly relative?"
"Yep. He's my dad."
"but he told us he had no children..."
"He has Parkinson's, Darian. He forgets things. That's why."
"Oh. Well, See you tomorrow."
"See you." Elisha beams as Darian leaves, and as she does, Elisha concludes that, for sure, she loves her job.

[blue_dun]

For the last few days, Elisha and Graystripe have been riding in the Andes mountains in South America, and they are enjoying themselves a lot. so far, the food has been good, the hotel has been even better, and the trails have been novice. Today, though, dreaded Mount Luna, a steep, challenging mountain, is a fresh new challenge. "No rider has dared to challenge it in a thousand years," the trail guide told them, "but if you dare, you need to talk to the owner of the land and then the world records man, because that would be a definite world record." Elisha's heart soared with joy. It sounded like a challenge to her, and she hadn't had a challenge quite this exciting before. She was anxious to try it. Graystripe must have felt the same way, because she nickered excitedly at Willowby. After the scenic trail ride, Elisha couldn't help herself- she went and talked to the owner of the land, who caled the world records guy, who worked up a deal. Elisha would try in the morning.

It seemed that before she could blink, Elisha was at the bottom of the mountain again, and there was a large crowd coming to watch a bit of history. The starting gun was fired, and Graystripe went quietly forward at 'lish's gentle cluck. "Cmon Graystripe." she crooned as her faithful horse stepped carefully from one ledge to another.

Almost one thousand careful taps later, Graystripe firmly plants her last hoof on the top of the "dreaded" mountain. "That was not so bad," Elisha thinks, and she asks her horse to turn around to go back down again. Graystripe begins to faithfully obey when the mare stops cold in her tracks. "Graystripe?" Willowby questions, then stares in awe. before them is the most brilliant sunset both of them have ever seen. I think that if Graystripe could talk human, both Elisha and Graystripe would agree that their trail ride in the Andes was truly a day to remember. (Not to mention they broke a world record, but hey... that was important too.)