Isolation and Some Moose Burger

Look at all those dead animals in the freezer, elk, catfish, pig, moose, and of course some deer.

I've been having difficulty keeping an internet connection long enough to write anything, and today's snow doesn't help. A few days ago, I had a touch of cabin fever. I was feeding the horses and I just collapsed into a hay bale crying with the pitch fork still in my hand as one of the barn cats rubbed against my legs hoping I would feed it too. This old country song came into my head, one I haven't heard for years that came out in 1995. It is John Berry's "I think about it all the time", click here to hear it. I didn't know why I was crying or why that song was in my head until I thought about it later. Fifteen years ago my dad got a full time physics professor job in El Paso, TX, and he made us move there from Dallas where he had three part time jobs around the metroplex. I was in 9th grade and a cheerleader at my school in Dallas, so it really sucked to move. The summer before school started I would shut myself in my room and listen to the country radio station since we only got Spanish channels on TV. I would cry into my pillow with my cat Tigger by my side, and I'm sure I heard that song a lot.

Here fifteen years later, I feel just as isolated in this new place. It is a big change. I move around a lot for seasonal biology work, but when I get to new places, I always have new instant friends who think just like me and just moved too. We cook up a dinner of tofu and quinoa for dinner, and bond over all the birds we've seen. Here, I'm in this whole new cowboy world, with people who have lived here for years...that is when I see people. Usually I just see Cowboy's roommates who I drink with and fix dinner with. Last night I had Southern Comfort and Pepsi with Aaron, and he ate my beans and rice. We found a brownie mix that expired last August...2008, and didn't die from eating it. The other night me and Rob drank several beers, and he was open minded to my liberal ideas about not shooting predators like coyotes.

Kari who works with Cowboy came over last night and took me to town for a few hours, I haven't been out of this grassy chunk of land since last Sunday, so that was nice. I've been bonding with the horses, and they have all warmed up to me except Alice who usually keeps her distance. Yesterday, all I had to do was walk out of the house in Cowboy's snow boots and huge coat, and the one I call Big Brown (Teego) came running. They were on the other side of the 20 acres even. He came at a full gallop to the barn, not being one to want to miss dinner. The other three casually walked my way, then waited patiently as Big Brown took the first mouthfuls of hay. I'm socializing with horses, it is kind of cool. Hopefully they will get to know me well and let me ride them in spring.

Tonight, I will try my hand at fixing up some Moose Burger. I put it in the fridge to defrost last night. Moose meatballs and spaghetti maybe. Today's huge accomplishment was setting up the DVD player to the satellite system, not an easy task. Finally I can do my Zumba workout DVDs.