Letter to an old friend

Dear Jim,
Big news here. The foal was born. A little filly---I guess she will be named Cayenne Caprice---and called Ki. She is the cutest little critter I ever saw and not afraid of people---we can get in the stall and lie down with her---and Ruby doesn't mind us. She is really fun to play with. She has been a big event on the mountain---everybody knows about her and every body is coming to see her. She was born about a week ago---Linn checked Ruby about 11:00 at night and saw she was dripping a pretty steady stream of milk and then set his alarm for 3:00 am. When he went to the corral Ruby was just beginning to deliver so he woke me and we watched---the presentation was normal---first two feet and then a nose. When the baby was not quite all the way out Ruby started a maternal lowing to it and the foal answered with a strange little cry. Ruby chose to deliver in the middle of the corral---not in the flat place at the top we had prepared for her---and so when the foal tried to stand up she would fall over downhill and roll---Linn at that point picked her up (must have weighed about 85#) and carried her to the place we had ready and I led Ruby there. At that point we woke up Dan and Sarah---would have done it sooner except we didn't want to upset Ruby with too much going on around her---this being her first time and ours---but they got to see the foal just getting her legs. The foal kept trying to find the nipple to nurse and at first Ruby wouldn't let her. I called our horse teacher. He said to put hot packs on Ruby's milk bags and try to get the milk to flow---so after that Ruby was ready----but the foal seemed too tired. I expressed a little milk into a roast baster to get it into her mouth so she could taste it. One reason I think she is so friendly with us now is that she had her first contacts with Linn and me. She was born between 3:30 and 4:00 and by 7:00 she was nursing okay. We were worried for a little space of time there. She seems to be growing very fast. We take her into the riding ring for an exercise period and she races around with Ruby.

Sorry you didn't stop over with us on your travels west. How was it for you?

I have had two poems accepted for publication---one in a collection of Colorado poets and one by a small handset press in Oneonta, N.Y.---nice to get a little encouragement---if not money.

Let us hear from you.
Love,
Ida

Written March 28, 1978 to Jim Allen, my first husband, a gay guy. We were married in 1951 when 'gay' wasn't in the vocabulary yet.