Instead of walking the K3Day course - I try baby pirouettes and walk the Mall

It's our anniversary today and traditionally we spend it every year at the Kentucky 3 Day Event. I was very much looking forward to this year again, but we had to decide to skip it due to the declining health of Jaas, our 15 year old Vizsla. In addition, I had the planned trip to Germany coming up also.

But what I didn't anticipate was that instead of walking the XC course today and marveling at the feat of riders and horses I would be walking the local mall - something I usually avoid at all cost, but this time I had no choice. My mother had asked me to buy her a blouse for the funeral service.

I am so grateful to Michael, my brother, who is shouldering the brunt of everything right now. Mutti (our mother) doesn't drive, doesn't know how to get money from the bank - in short, she is totally lost. So Michael is dealing with a myriad of things, even taking Emil's formal uniform of the forestry service to the funeral home.

The service will be quite large. The hunting community in Germany is very formal, and the hunting horn group is playing. I remember that from my grandfather's funeral and I don't know why but that makes it even more emotional.  

Emil in the formal uniform of the forestry service

I know I will have my three friends to lean on, no matter what. Antje, Ingrid, and Stephanie (in alphabetical order) are my rocks in Germany. Antje used to be my babysitter, so she knows me since I was a baby. Antje was very special to Emil, she studied Biology and loved to spend time with him in the forests to discuss animals and plants. When she was at University Emil would drive me to Tuebingen so we could visit her.  Ingrid and Stephanie I met in the 80s - Ingrid at work and Stephanie at home (she and her husband lived across the hall from my first apartment). It's exactly like the saying goes "Friends are the family you chose yourself"!

Before I headed to the dreaded mall, though, Remy and I had our 'end of the work week' lesson. Remy was a bit more tired than yesterday but still put a very good effort in. Andra had been checking in with me to see how I was doing (thank you, Andra!) and I told her that focusing on flying changes and the beginning of canter pirouettes indeed takes all other thoughts out of my mind.

Remy - my 'Emotional Support Animal'