housework and horses don't mix

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Lisa Salas jsalas@tampabay.rr.com
I hate cleaning my house. I never see the end in sight and it is a thankless job. I know before John and I had kids the house was always clean. I have pictures, I have proof!But the pictures after kids tell a different story. The pictures taken after the kids and horses I never show to anyone. John works six days a week and the kids always have something going on so the majority of housework ends up on my to do list. That is usually as far as it gets. Last week my girlfriend Wendy and I were at the Ponce De Leon endurance ride. The ladies who put this ride on did a wonderful job. I have put on a ride myself and I can tell you that even less housework gets done the two weeks before the ride. Actually, the week before I go on a ride I am so busy packing, cleaning my truck and trailer, and getting the knots out of my horse's mane that we eat out all week. John is very understanding about this for which I am forever grateful. Anyway, the Saturday night after the ride, we were all sitting around drinking our beer and wine, eating a wonderful meal that was cooked for us and enjoying the awards ceremony when I heard some ladies talking at the next table. Their main topic was housework. They were complaining about how when they go away on these rides, no one at home does any cleaning. One of them said that she fixed that problem by leaving the house a mess and then calling a few hours before she got home warning the loved ones they had that much time to get the house clean, or else!Now mind you, we had just spent the day doing what we love most, riding horses. We were spending the evening with fellow horse people, having dinner cooked for us while we sipped our pain relieving beverages and getting nice little gifts for riding!! Who cares what is going on at home?? Listen, maybe I am missing something here. I have been riding endurance now for 7 years. That is a lot of weekends away from home. I have two young children, 6 horses, 4 dogs and 4 cats. When I am gone, John is taking care of all these living creatures. I am ha
come home to a clean fluffy stall for my horse, and an ice cold Corona for me. I love to hear the kids tell me what they did with thier dad while I was gone. Why on earth would I worry about him cleaning house when he could be taking the kids to the beach, fishing or visiting grandma? My mother said she use to keep our house spotless. I don't remember that. I do remember my dad taking us out on the boat, to the park or just for a drive. We have tons of pictures that show we had a great time, including my dad. I remember Sunday nights when my mother would do laundry, we all headed for the hills. Oooooh, doing laundry made my mom get so ugly, and damn if it doesn't do the same thing to me!When my kids were babies, we were always on the go. We would go to the Zoo, the beach, the park. When it was time for a nap, I would do as much cleaning as I could but I was tired, too. I also have lots of picures of us all having a good time. I once went away for 2 weeks for an equine massage therapy class. The kids were in pre-school and 1st grade. John was up at 5 a.m. feeding animals and getting kids ready for shcool so he could get to work by 7:30 a.m. He would come home, clean stalls, feed animals, feed and bath kids and be in bed by eight. Sometime during the second week he ran out of clothes for the kids. Instead of doing laundry, which he really did not have time for, he went to K-mart and bought clothes for the rest of the week. When I came home, the house was picked up, the stalls were cleaned and everyone looked fed and happy. What more could I have asked for? I would love to have a show home. However, I would never be able to ride, let alone go away for the weekend. I wouldn't be able to spend time with my kids, with all thier class parties and field trips,soccer and other fun things. If I have to pick between housework or having fun riding and doing things with the kids, housework will always lose. It is an amazing thing because it seems to sit and wait for me to find time to do it anyway. If any of you ladies feel y
 valid complaint about the lack of cooperation from your family while you go gallivanting around with your horses, ask some of your other girlfriends what they think. I know women who are not allowed to go anywhere, with or without their husbands. They are always telling me how lucky I am. Amen to that. Housework is overrated and familes are under appreciated. Ride 'em any way you can. The Odd Farm