Teri's Saguaro

For the past ten years Steve and I have lived next door to Theresa Gartland (Teri). Teri turned out to be the best friend that I have ever had. We both shared a love for horses,dogs and tortoises.  

Teri was the caretaker for my animals when Steve and I traveled. We rode our horses together. She ended up working with us at Steve's dental office. In fact we put a gate into the fence between our properties for easier access back and forth. We have shared a lot of good times and some extremely hard and sad personal times with each other.  We have always had each other's back!

Teri had two saguaro cacti made from horseshoes on her property.  She would light them up at Christmas time with hundreds of lights. So fun. The one pictured above was the smaller of the two but it was actually made with horseshoes that Teri's own horses had worn.  

Recently Teri moved from next door to out of state.  although I have been very sad that my best friend has moved on I know that due to circumstance this is what she needed to do.  Before she left she gifted the horseshoe cactus to me. She knew I had always secretly coveted it!

It was no small feat moving this cacti as it was cemented in cement and it weighs ?? a lot! Steve did a great job working with another neighbor Tom and Tom's tractor moving it here.  They had to cut it with a torch saw.Tom had to weld the bottom and Steve had to dig a rather large hole and pour 1180 pounds of concrete!  

The above picture is the cactus transplanted to our backyard. I love it! Of course I will have great memories of Teri when I look at it.  I will continue to light it up at Christmas time with a smile. 

 Teri helping at a roundup vaccinating,castrating,branding calves.

 Teri on her handsome buckskin gelding Big Jim before a trail ride.