Sunday, October 25, 2009

Ever sit on a cactus?

Well, not REALLY a cactus, but might as well be.

Mike and I are going out of town (more on that below) and I didn't want my horse sitter (my dad, who's 70 yrs old) to have to pull bales off the stack. The bales are big, heavy three-strand bales, and I didn't want him to have to deal with that. So I climbed the stack and pulled down some bales.

I had hooked one bale and was pulling it forward, when the hook gave way. So I ended up plopping down on my butt on a bale. Now normally, it would have been fine. Sitting down on a bale of hay in jeans, no big whoopie, right? Well this morning, for whatever reason, I decided to just wear sweat pants.

You know those little pokey splinter things that all hay has? They have a tendency to go right through the fabric of sweat pants. Felt like I sat on a cactus. I'm STILL picking them out of my hindend!

As for the trip... We found out a few weeks ago that Mike's mother has terminal lung cancer. Stage 4. She has refused chemotherapy and any treatment other than pain management. She wanted us to come visit while she is still in good health (relatively speaking, of course). I told Mike he should go. We couldn't afford for both of us to go, so I'd stay home. His mother had a problem with that so SHE bought both us tickets. How could I say "No" to that? For whatever reason, she wants to see me too. So we are going to stay with Mike's sister in Chesapeake, VA and visit with his folks, who live in Norfolk. We leave on Wednesday, Oct 28.

I absolutely HATE leaving my babies! I know we all need a break at times, but I worry about them. I honestly don't mind taking care of them and the work involved. It's a huge part of who I am. It's gotten to the point where if the conversation isn't about horses or something horse related, I can't participate. Horses are my life.

I'd really rather stay home, but since Mike wants me to go, I'm going.

4 comments:

Drillrider said...

Funny----we are leaving for Michigan this Wednesday, 10/28, for a week and I was feeling the same way!

I'm going to miss our horses (3 of them) and our dogs (2 of them) and was feeling "silly" for worrying.

We typed up a long list of instructions, complete with emergency numbers, for the neighbor who will be watching them while we are gone.

I felt like it was a bit overdone (like it was for children) it was so detailed.

Glad to know I'm not alone!

Unknown said...

Oh no Karen I am so sorry =( My thoughts are with you and yer hubby during this difficult time.

Karen V said...

My list wa one page of instructions, plus a diagram of where Beau's feed is and what is in each can, which horse is in which stall, primary and secondary horse vet numbers, farrier number, dog vet, and horse savvy emergency back-up. No, we are NOT alone. LOL. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Anonymous said...

just wanted to say yes, I have sat on cactus... actually, I tripped backwards over a rock, and fell into a flowerbed full of prickly pear cactus, and had thorns from the backs of my knees to the middle of my back.