Restoring Joy

Aint' Nothin' But Shit!

2012-01-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

Since 3 pm Friday, I have been dealing with shit. The weather warmed up nicely and the runs were mostly dried out, aside from a few spots that were still a bit soggy. I took the opportunity to clean up. All I can say is THANK GOD we bought the tractor!

The water is from me dumping the trough...

After lunch Mike decided he could spare some time to help me. of course, the manual labor still fell to me, but it gave me a bit of a break between loads.

And this is what we are left with... a big old pile of shit! Not ALL of this came out today, only about half of it. But STILL - that's a lot!

Ticket was turned out with Lucy and Roger. For most of the time, I heard her squealing and I know for a fact that the squeal is usually accompanied by a strike with one front leg. Apparently, either Lucy or Roger got a belly-full and she got bitch-slapped. Just broke the skin, not really even any blood...

See the two dogs at the base of the telephone pole? They spent much of the morning barking non=stop at the squirrel up on the line. They belong to one of my neighbors and because I like the guy, I didn't shoot his dogs. I cussed under my breath a bunch though...

Roger B Rabbit - sticking close to Lucy (HIS woman) but keeping an eye on Jazzy, who was turned out on the pasture.

Lucy (and Roger's butt) - hanging out...

Warming up and drying out!

2012-01-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Jan 18, work sent us home early. We had a crazy blizzard going on with wind and snow and drifting snow and it piled up FAST! The next day, they said "STAY HOME!" Then we had sleet and freezing rain. By Saturday, January 21, it was 40 degrees and melting fast!

I spent 5 hours in the barn cleaning stalls, and using the hoe to create a "drain". It's actually low on the back side, but the horses poop and step there, so it builds up and won't drain. This weekend, I am going to re-route the drain so it goes under the fence and down the outside. It should be pretty easy to do because the horses haven't packed it into concrete!

It poured rain again this week, I think Tuesday, but it could have been Monday. Just to keep things soggy. Yesterday, we had a high temperature of 50 degrees, and today's high was 43 degrees with a stiff breeze. The runs are mostly dried out and headed back to being dusty except for the trough across the front of the barn (which is now poo soup) and low areas.

I have doctor appointments tomorrow - one with the chiropractor and one with the orthopaedic surgeon. I am still recovering from my falling out of the truckbed a year ago and things get out of whack every other month or so.

Right before Christmas, I did something to my right shoulder. I don't remember over-working it, pulling a muscle straining a tendon, or sustaining an injury. It's possible I hurt it by running into the doorjam in one of the rooms (which I am known to do on regular intervals) but this time I don't remember it. So I'm going to go talk to the doctor and see about ruling out something that needs repaired. I DO know it is in the tendons or ligaments on the front, leading point of my shoulder, not in the joint itself. So we'll see. The problem is, with all the feeding and chores that need done in the barn, there isn't much free time to not use it and let it heal.

I will try to remember to get before and after pictures of the barn mess on Saturday. It's supposed to be cool but clear - perfect working outside with a shovel and a tractor weather.

SNOW!!!

2012-01-18T15:53:00.001-08:00

The weatherman finally got it right! He said it would snow and it did! What he DIDN'T say was that the wind waould be sustained at 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph. They released us early from work and when I got home, I had to shovel off the COVERED back porch! As of 4:00 pm, it had stopped snowing and we only had four inches on the ground. There should be more later this evening.

This morning, when I let the dogs out, Kizzy went running across the porch then screeched to a stop. She has never seen snow! This afternoon, she LOVES it! She puts her nose in it and run, looking like a 4-legged snowplow! She and Jasper had a great time rolling and playing in the snow!

I had to shovel a path to the wind-blown grass so Weenie could go potty.

They were standing around but as soon as I came inside, Millie and Bullwinkle started playing. Too bad I didn't get decent video of that!

What's Going On??

2012-01-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

A LOT! And, well, not a lot! Seems like we're alway busy but nothing to get excited about!

Mike started back to school last Monday. For the two weeks leading up to the big first day, he fussed and fretted. On day two, he almost had a complete meltdown, worried that he would completely fail and end up having to pay all the tuition money back and not have a job. It was like he ran head first into the estrogen cabinet - he sounded like a whiney, bitchy little girl! But then again, he hasn't been in school for over ten years, so I can see why he might be uptight about it. Tomorrow starts week two and hopefully, it'll go better for him!

I have been working still, supporting the division Director since his Administrative Assistant took a new job. There is a possibility that they will offer the job to me on a permanent basis, but that is not guaranteed. If it happens, it'll be a serious bump in pay for me. But I'll count that chicken when (and IF) it happens.

The horse numbers are the same and are stable. There are nine here at home. Millie came home in early December and after a ride and a cold snap, she caught a little cold, which she passed to Bullwinkle, so the youngsters were coughing. An anti-bacterial from the vet cleared it right up. The horses at the house are: Millie, Bullwinkle, Angel, Jazzy, Roger, Lucy, Ticket, Texas Chili, and Foxy. They are all fat and fuzzy and happy.

Kizzy, our newest addition, is growing like a weed. She has stayed proportional and (in my opinion) is THE CUTEST yellow Lab EVER! It's been several weeks since she's had an accident in the house, but she has taken to digging. Jasper decided that was great fun and joined in. So there are now several potholes in the yard, which annoys the crap out of me, but hey, she IS still a puppy! Rylee and Weenie watch from inside at the sliding glass door and tattle on them, so they barely get a new hole started and they get into trouble. GOOD GIRL RYLEE!!

We haven't had much of a winter. On December 39, the high for the day was 50 degrees! It has cooled off some, though today is around 40 degrees. The weatherman keeps saying it's going to snow, but it never materializes. Being a weatherman is the only job I know of where you can be wrong 75% of the time and still keep your job!

So, for the most part, my week consists of work until Thursday, picking up poop on Friday, running around or riding on Saturday, and hanging out doing as little as I can get away with on Sunday.

I did go for a ride with my new neighbor today. Angel was a little stinker! She kept "spooking" and whipping around. It was like she would walk along, see something, think "Yikes!" and spin around. Apparently, monsters live everywhere!

My neighbor's dog likes to go along at his own pace, and we had to stop and wait for him several times. Then once, we waited and waited and he just stood there. Then it occurred to us that he was stuck in the middle of a field of tackweeds. So Maranda got off and bailed him out. That was an exercise in itself, because she had decided to pony her second horse. There horses were fine and she was able to rescue the dog. Riding into the breeze coming back was cold but over-all, it was a great time!

Remember, the best view is that which is framed by the ears of a horse!

Random Stuff

2012-01-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

December 29 it was 59 degrees. Since then, the low temperature has been right around 30 degrees. My point?? My youngsters have a "Spring Crud". Millie and Bullwinkle both developed a cough and a mild snotty nose. They were on sulfa pills for 5 days, then were switch to Uniprim - an anti-bacterial. The only coughing they do now is when the "exercise" - read "playing". They both feel better and are eating well, so they are on the mend!

The "big dogs" - Jasper and Kizzy - have taken up digging in the yard. We are sure it was Kizzy that started this new "game".

Mike is going back to school starting Monday. He will hopefully be done at the end of summer - which means he will have finished his Bachelor's degree and will graduate.

Me and Millie

2011-12-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

I think I should change her name to Midge - for Midget! She is LITTLE and she will be five years old in April. Her sire was 16.1 hands. Ah well...

She did really good today, considering she was wearing a different saddle and bit, and packing a different butt with different hands. She was really a good girl! Next ride is Tuesday night up at the TRAC.

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-09T08:50:00.001-08:00

For the last week, we have been under an inversion and have dealt with fog to about noon each day. Yesterday, it stuck around all day and the high temperature didn't reach 27 degrees. It's beautiful, but COLD.

The picture below circles evidence that Cathy's Pretty Pony has become a Pretty Beaver. Kali says it was Bullwinkle but the evidence is on Ticket's side. Besides, in the dark, she can't see anything but a dark shape...

The two pictures below were taken on the back porch.

Jasper and Kizzi playing. Kizzi is closest to the camera and the lighter of the two. She is not quite 6 months old. Jasper will be three years old in April. Kizzi is going to be a big honkin' monster!

Bullwinkle - Turnout

2011-12-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

It's Always Something...

2011-12-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning, Jasper and Kizzi were playing out in the back yard. I went out to call them in and they were gone. So I jumped in the car and headed down the road, going slowly so I could check backyards of other houses. I had gone almost half a mile before I saw them. When I got back home with the dogs, Mike suggested that we dip into our emergency fund and fence the yard. So that’s what we did. It took us 5 days to get it up and “mostly” done, but the hardest part is done. We still have some perimeter fencing to put up, but that actually goes pretty quickly!

More than once, my former neighbor has said “I don’t know why you bother. If it were my dog and it didn’t want to stay home, good riddance.” That one statement speaks volumes about her and her character.

I fenced my yard for several reasons. First, because it will contain MY dogs. I love them all and the emotional attachment I feel wants me to protect them – from cars on the street, to stray dogs, etc. It will also keep them from running out to the road to check on people walking their dogs. They can just stay at the fence and bark annoyingly (though I’m almost sad my former neighbor isn’t here to annoy…)

A fence will keep other dogs OUT! I have one very large, fat, getting lazier by the week, cat. I like him. He occasionally does his job, which is to catch mice. The fence won’t contain him, but at least he will have a safe place to wander.

By keeping neighborhood dogs out, I don’t have to worry about my shrubs, truck, car, hay, or hot tub getting peed on. I only have one male dog, and he pees like a girl...unless another male has been visiting. My former neighbor’s dog had a bad habit of peeing on my hay in the barn, peeing on my hot tub, spraying ANYTHING vertical! I was ALWAYS hosing something off. *sigh*

The fence will contain the horses. Bullwinkle is back home from training and has always been a precocious little brat who enjoys taking the fence tapes down. If he ever get the perimeter fence down, at least now the horses will be contained to the back yard.

The fence will prevent unwanted access from the street. More than once, someone turned into our driveway thinking it was a gravel road, and drove around the house. They didn’t hurt anything, but I have stupid dogs and they COULD have been run over. Besides, it annoys me!

We really liked the “openness” of the place, but the time has come to “lock it down”. Now if we can just keep the wheel on the gate, it’ll all be good!

The Dogs

2011-11-20T09:37:00.001-08:00

Jasper - 2 yr old Lab/Visla mix - very sentsitive, doesn't like loud noises. If we pull out the vacuum, he hides under the bed. Even his bowl scooting across the floor sends him to the other room!

Kizzi - 5 month old Lab. This is the sweetest puppy!

Weenie (Original name, I know!)- she is two years old

Rylee - The grumpy old broad. She is 11 years old and CRANKY!!!

Rescues

2011-11-18T08:28:00.001-08:00

This week, I had two people contact me wanting advice about getting involved with rescue groups.

The first gal, Kortney, I know only through a barrel racing discussion board, e-mails and Facebook, but we have a good relationship. Kortney was asked to join the Board of a newly formed (or forming) Rescue Organization and wanted to know what she was getting into. Since I have limited experience in this area, I gave her what limited advise I could - to check out and Google the other potential members (to make sure they were trouble transplanted from another state) and to contact experienced rescues for advice and assistance. I recommended she contact Save A Forgotten Equine, specifically Jaime Taft, who is the President and co-founder. Jaime has extensive experience in how to create a rescue from the ground up and also, sadly, has experience with horrific faux rescues. SAFE has become a well respected rescue in Western Washington and has helped hundreds of horses. I am very pleased to be a part of the SAFE "Family" - this is where Roger came from through SAFE-Assisted adoption.

The second gal is Georgette. She contacted me through the same barrel racing discussion board but her interests were a little different. She wanted to help by fostering a rescue horse, but was unsure how to go about it, and what her costs would be. I contact Jet with SAFE who sent me a link to a vet-based organization that could put Georgette in touch with a reputatable rescue in her area. Again, here is where a reputable, respected rescue is a blessing.

Rescues network and talk to each other. In this network, there are very few secrets. They all know who is on the up-an-up, who is a little shady, and who is creating a train-wreck. One thing I have also learned is that if they can't help (due to funding, location, or other reasons) they have contact information for someone who can help. And they share this information gladly. They don't see other rescues as competition, they see them as a resource for helping horses. And that's why they were formed in the first place - to help horses.

I look forward to hearing from Kortney and what she decided on taking the Board position. Her love of horses and her youthful energy makes her a smart choice in my book. And she is just out-spoken enough to call "bullshit" if something goes a little off plumb.

I also look forward to seeing Georgette's new foster. I have fostered several horses and I think that this is my favorite thing to do. I accept a horse, give it love and security, ensure they never know hungry, then when they are physically and mentally put back together, I return them to their owners (the rescue) so they can begin the next chapter of their lives.

My second favorite this to do is board retirees. I get to love on these sweet older horses, but there is no pressure to ride.

Now go hug your horses! If you don't have any, you are welcome to come hug mine!

HAPPY VETERANS' DAY!!!!

2011-11-11T14:17:00.001-08:00

Me and Mike - 1992

Mike - 1980

Pretty Pretty Ponies

2011-11-10T15:39:00.001-08:00

Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test

2011-11-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

On November 9, FEMA, DHS and FCC will conduct the first national test of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test. This test will kick off at 1 p.m. (CST). The test will be nationwide, running concurrently across all time zones.

This system test is the first of its kind. It is designed to broadcast a nationwide message to the American public. Nothing like it has been conducted in the history of the country. There have been tests in the past but none to all parts of the Nation at the same time. The test will run concurrently on all radio and TV bands and the message will run for three minutes. Most messages in the past ran 30 seconds to 1 minute.

There is great concern in local police and emergency management circles about undue public anxiety over this test. The test message on TV might not indicate that it is just a test. The fear is that the lack of a message of explanation might create panic. Please share this information with your family and friends so they are aware of the test.

Below is additional information, along with two websites, that provide more information such as what people will hear and see during the Test.

During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating "This is a test." Although the EAS test may resemble the periodic, monthly EAS tests that most Americans are already familiar with, there will be some differences in what viewers will see and hear. The audio message will be the same for all EAS participants; however due to limitations in the EAS, the video test message scroll may not be the same or indicate that "this is a test." This is due to the use of the live Emergency Alert Notification (EAN) code - the same code that would be used in an actual emergency. The text at the top of the television screen may indicate that an "Emergency Alert Notification has been issued."

This notification is used to disseminate a national alert and in this case, the test. In addition, the background image that appears on video screens during an alert may indicate that "this is a test," but in some instances there might not be an image at all.

There are several limitations to the current EAS for individuals with access and functional needs. FEMA and the FCC are committed to providing organizations and the EAS community with information well in advance of the test. FEMA and the FCC will further engage the EAS community to better understand the wide range of information and access needs in preparation for the national EAS. IPAWS has been performing outreach to access and functional needs organizations in several different forums, including working groups and roundtables led by the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, with representation from multiple FEMA program offices, other Department of Homeland Security components, and other Federal Departments and Agencies.

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm

https://nationaldialogue-emergencyalertsystem.ideascale.com/

Here are the official links from FCC, FEMA and DHS. This test of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System is official and will kick off at Wednesday, 9 November 2011 at 1400 ET

http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test
http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm
http://blog.dhs.gov/2011/10/fema-blog-emergency-alert-system-test.html

Pirates and Kittens

2011-10-31T19:42:00.001-07:00

Ticket's Mess

2011-10-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ticket rubbed her butt against the frost-free water spigot and broke it off under ground. We figured, since we were already digging it out, we might as well move it and add another one around the corner of the barn. The project was started on Friday. We took Saturday off, then finished today.

The Culprit investigating the "evidence".

Ticket's private pool...

Mike... pondering...

Thrilled to be working...

Almost done...

DONE!!

I'm tired...

Fighting Sand

2011-10-25T18:42:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: (10/28/11) Vet came and tubed Jazzy with a gallon of psyllium the consistency of set-up jello, chased with a gallon of warm water. She is feeling a bit better - even ate her supper. It was so stinking cold (didn't even reach 40 degrees) I put a blanket on her. She is feeling MUCH better! Hopefully, she will start eating better and things will get moving. She also has access to a very small part of the pasture, so she can nibble as she feels like it.

UPDATE: The vet was out on Wednesday to check Jazzy. She wasn't dehydrated but vet confirmed sand colic. Jazzy is passing manure, so vet said to keep doing what we're doing. Jazzy is still uncomfortable and not eating normally, but is not in dire emergency status. Just watch and check.

A couple posts ago, I asked opinions about concrete under mats in the stalls. As you know (and can see in the picture) I have an open barn. The stalls have no doors on the outside, so I can't lock the horses in. It's more like a shedrow or loafing shed. You also know I have been fighting dust and the horses using the stalls as toilets.

So we brought in clean course sand to "help". In hindsight, it wasn't very smart after all. The horses drag it up onto the mats so I have to sweep the mats every time before I feed. They also spread their hay. What does this mean? They ingest the sand.

Now we have one mare (Jazzy) that is having issues with sand colic. I noticed on Sunday that she had left the pasture. I had turned out to clean and do some winter prep work with the tractor. She didn't roll and hasn't yet, but she is off her feed and not drinking much. And she lays down a lot.

Sunday night, we took her for a ride in the trailer. She passes a little bit of what Mike described as "moss". We brought her home and put her in the arena. She ran around, farted a lot, and pooped some more sludge. I got in the trailer and scooped up as much as I could and put it in a bucket. After running water in the bucket, there was sand in the bottom. I could actually feel the grain in the "moss".

Monday, Mike looked for some psyllium and though he tries really hard, he didn't quite know what to look for. So he bought some plain, unflavored metamucil. I added that to a few cup of whole oats, which she ate. Later that evening, she pooped again, but not as much as I had hoped.

After feeding, I did the bucket test on all the horses. There are three others that are passing sand. (Lucy, Ticket, and Chili) They are all on the metamucil too until I can find some psyllium.

Tuesday morning, using a flashlight, I looked for evidence of pooping during the night. I found a good sized pile that looked to be normal. It wasn't. The turds were hard and dense. But at least things were moving. Mike watched her through the day and I spent over an hour in the barn tonight. Jazzy is still off her feed and I have yet to see her drink. She looks dehydrated, but her skin relaxes like normal and she looks better than she did this morning.

I turned her out in the arena for thirty minutes where she trotted around and called for her boyfriend. Then she stopped and pooped. I went to the tackroom and got a latex glove and played with the pile. The turds were looser, more normal. The last little "plop" was looser still.

So back to the barn she went. If she is still off her feed tomorrow, Mike will call the vet out to tube her and get some fluid in her. We have pretty much decided that we are going to pour the concrete as soon as possible.

Our Evening Project

2011-10-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Meet "The Instigator" (Note the tarp on the bars at the top of the panel - more on that later)

"Angel" has been making "pissy face", baring teeth, charging the panel, and just generally being a bitch. Chili apparently got a belly full of her crap and set to kicking, bashing the crap out of the panel.

Meet "The Basher" (Pictured here sporting his new Miracle Collar because he was a cribbing fool after I moved him to this stall)

Below is the damage Chili did...to the panel. (He cut up his back legs too, but mostly just took the hide off.)

The middle of the panel actually bent. Chili is rather please with himself!

Mike and I with the help of a heavy-duty strap and ratchet, tried to un-bend it. It sort of worked.

Meet "The Obnoxious One"

Remember the tarp in Angel's picture? Here it is again...

I had to put that up because once I switched Foxy and Chili, and Foxy didn't "play", Angel and Jazzy started playing the game. Jazzy's squealing (and she did a LOT of it) and kicking was annoying as well as we figured eventually she would do the same damage as Chili. So I put up the tarp.

And THIS is how I spent my evening! Sounds like LOADS of fun, doesn't it?

Twenty more minutes and I get to go feed slop to seven "starving" horses.

Life's a Beach

2011-10-18T18:07:00.001-07:00

Mike and I spent the weekend at Lincoln City, OR to celebrate our SEVENTEENTH wedding anniversary. We took Kizzi, and Rylee to "babysit". We were there two and half days and the only pictures we took were of the dogs.

Here she was in the car. She's a good traveler!

On the beach... mostly on the beach!

Oh, and I got a good shot of our chins.

We went to Newport one day and walked down to the dock along the bay where the seals were out resting. Kizzi took one look and decided she was scared. Rylee was really interested!

I need your input... please

2011-10-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Regarding the five stalls on the north side of the barn..

What are your thoughts about putting concrete in the stalls, then covering with heavy mats?

We are seriously considering this for a few reasons.

(1) every fall, we put in course sand. It helps to fill the urine holes that are created by the horses peeing in the same spot, the dragging hay into it, maybe some poop, then me picking it out. Then the cycle begins again.

(2) In the summer, the stalls have become mostly dirt, dried and pulverized poo and urine, and dust. The dust gets all over everything, and I have breathing problems after I have cleaned the stalls.

(3) by putting concrete, if the horses DO potty in the stall, I can pick up the poop, and hose out the urine, without creating a sewage pond in the stall.

Bear in mind that the horses, as a rule, don't "nap" in the stalls. Neither are the horses locked in... They have free access to the dry lot, which is 75 feet long.

So what are your thoughts?? Pros? Cons?

Ticket Turnout

2011-10-09T11:19:00.001-07:00

Roger B Rabbit - Self-Exercising

2011-10-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Mike hurt his back moving the last bale of hay and was lying down in a pain-killer induced nap, so I got ambitious. I rode Jazzy and she did VERY well. Then I rode Angel, who is still "off" from her butt kicking contest with Jazzy a few weeks ago, so we just walked and I only rode her for a few minutes.

Then I turned Roger out for some self-exercising. Good thing Mike was awake by the time I turned him because he raised quite a ruckus!

Want To Help A Horse???

2011-10-05T14:23:00.001-07:00

UPDATE - THIS HORSE WAS BAILED OUT OF THE KILL PEN!

http://www.auctionhorses.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=auctionhorses&action=display&thread=10294
The horse at the thread above is in the Enumclaw kill pen. I would like to bail him out.

Cost for bail is $400. It'll cost about $200 in fuel for me to go get him.

I have three people that have pledge money (a total of $250). If I can raise the rest of the money, I'll buy him and go pick him up. There is no ship date set currently. If you would like to help, email me at knefous@yahoo.com

SILLY HORSES

2011-09-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

Roger is still settling in and we are figuring each other out.

He has figured out that he has a girlfriend on either side of him and he prefers the grullo mare, Jazzy. He has figured out that I bring food every morning and every night. This morning while I was looking at the wasted hay (mostly stems) and pondering whether I should clean it up or wait until this evening, he stood with his ears pinned giving me the "stink eye" as if to say "Bring on the grub already". I decided that I would clean it up this evening. I have one other stall in the same condition, plus some alley hay to pick up. It's just going to big of a job to do in the morning.

I am figuring out that Roger picks through his hay and eats only the leaves. I am figuring out that he spreads the stems and ignores them. I am figuring out that he "sings" for his supper. If I approach without chow,he will pin his ears. I am figuring out that he doesn't potty in the stall, yet. We'll see if he continues to keep it clean.

Jazzy has also gotten picky. She normally eats every shred and crumb, because, you know, she is STARVED. I am hoping that this is temporary and due to the change in stall and the new kid next door.

Foxy was laying down sleeping flat out in the sand this morning when I went to feed. I very rarely see her even roll, and that is usually only out in the pasture. Apparently, the new sand we put in is very comfy! She is a deep, dark shiny red. If she were any darker, she would be liver chestnut. She prefers alfalfa over the Teff hay or Orchard grass hay. I usually give her a wee bit of alfalfa to make her feel special, but she won't eat any hay until she is absolutely sure I'm not going to give her the alfalfa.

Texas Chili is almost black in color. I wish he would stop cribbing and develop a topline, but since his owners want him to just be a horse and not have gadgets, he won't. He is gorgeous anyway!

Angel is still off in the hind right from her kicking contest with Jazzy. Her lower leg is still puffy, but there's no heat. The hair hasn't started growing back on her rump, so she has these lovely hoof prints still.

Ticket and Lucy are holding their weight and doing fine. Ticket wears a fly mask during the day because she is so irritated by the flies. Her rehabilitation is OVER!! I sent some pictures to her mom and when I looked at them a few days later,I thought "OMG! She pregnant!"

Lucy is irritated too, but since her mind is so fragile, there is no way I could get a fly mask on her. She has also "bloomed". Her mom comments that she looked like a quarter horse with the big ole butt.

We are now going into winter with everyone a little on the chunky side and shiny! The horses haven't started fuzzing up and putting on their winter jammies, but that is not far off. I started them on "Winter Rations" on Monday. Everyone gets one pound of Strategy Healthy Edge and one pound of oats for now. (Except for Roger - he is on a different diet) As it gets colder, the rations will increase. The first "freeze" is usually for a week in late November. This is when I start adding beet pulp.

I am hoping that I won't have to blanket anyone this winter. I am of the belief that a blanketed horse is a cold horse. If the horse is of good weight and has good winter fuzz, they don't need blanketed. Of course, there are exceptions to this. Like say, if the horse is wet to the skin from rain and it is likely to freeze over night and they have no protection from the wind or cold. Or if a horse has been ridden and is still damp from sweat. Or if I were going to ride on a regular basis. In those instances, I will blanket over night. In the morning, once the horses are dry, I will pull the blankets and let them go back to being a horse.

My former neighbor is a "blanketer". When the night time temperatures get down to 40 degrees, on go the blankets. I have seen her blanketed horses standing in the barn, their blankets wet from where the snow has melted, while my fuzzy brumbies stand out in the middle of a blizzard with snow on their backs. They are better insulated by their own fur. I know that some horses just don't grow much of a winter coat and need to be blanketed. Roger is said to be one of those. I have a heavy winter blanket that will fit him if the need arises.

Already in love and having a meltdown...sigh

2011-09-25T14:52:00.001-07:00

Roger is already in love and has had his first meltdown. He was more interested in Jazzy than the grass. She must smell WONDERFUL!!! (Mike just thinks she's a hussy!)

Chasing Wild Geese and a Rabbit

2011-09-24T20:26:00.001-07:00

Ok, so we didn't chase wild geese. We DID go on a wild goose chase or three. Or four.

We drove over to the West Side and got lost more than once, ran into several delays, and as far as driving goes, had a horrible trip.

But we came home with a Rabbit. Roger B Rabbit to be precise. Roger is a 23 yr old TB who has spent the past 17 years or so as a pony horse at the race track. Aside from a little arthritis, he is sound and sane. His only vice is that he cribs. He was incredibly patient with us, and I think once we get to know him, we will get along famously.

He hauled like a dream and upon arrival, set to flirting with Jazzy. Within two hours, he had settled down and was standing in his stall in the barn, looking out. Right along with the rest of the horses.

The pictures below are horrible! In every one that Mike took, my eyes are closed. The picture of Mike is the only one that turned out. And, you will have to forgive my horrible hands and feet.

Our New Baby

2011-09-16T09:09:00.001-07:00

Meet Kizzi. Our newest addition!

Horses

2011-09-11T13:55:00.001-07:00

Angel and Jazzy
Texas Chili

Highfalutin Fox
Kaci

Lucy
Jazzy
Angel
Kaci
Jazzy

Jazzy and Angel
Foxy and Chili
Lucy
Show Ticket
Ticket, Lucy & Kaci
Kaci having a meltdown
Ticket and Lucy

I REMEMBER

2011-09-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom. - Abraham Lincoln

I remember.

Some pictures...

2011-08-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

Jazzy (and the tree that Kaci killed... he stepped on it)

Kaci - For whatever reason, he prefers the barn during the day. Probably because of the flies.

Chili (with part of Angel in the background) It's weird but he stands like this all the time!

Foxy - She was being harrassed by a horsefly and I caught her shaking her head. The battery in the camera died right after this shot, so I'll have to get some pics later.

CHANGE

2011-08-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Change happens all the time. Most of the time its subtle and not a big deal. But there are times when change is big and scary and hits you with reality that feels like a Mac truck!

Mike and I are facing a BIG change. Calm down, not divorce....

On July 28, Mike got a layoff notice along with 1900 other people. We were warned ahead of time and knew it was a possibility. We were rattled and talked about it and said "we will cross that bridge when we come to it!" Well, in our arrogance, we didn't REALLY think he would get a notice. We suddenly found ourselves on a rickety suspension bridge made of fraying twine over a chasm filled with the fog of unknown, shards of loss, and choking smoke of panic.

For three days, we holed up in the house, holding each other, staying connected, and having our own private pity party. We promised to make no decisions, commit no actions for two weeks. Any and all ideas were to be written down in a planning notebook and set aside for later review. The ONLY actions to be taken was for Mike to update his resume and apply for jobs.

It has pretty much been life as usual around here. We have tightened our belts where we can. We have laid out "what if" plans. Mike has networked with former co-workers, applied for jobs, and attended job fairs. We are looking into refinancing our house to lower our mortgage payment. By taking a little extra, our monthly payment will still be lower, and we can pay off some additional debt, lowering our total cash outlay further. We are slowly but surely figuring things out. There are two amazing prospects for employment here locally that Mike has applied for.

Millie is for sale and will remain in training until sold.

Bullwinkle will come home from training at the end of September. He has been through everything except actually ridden, due to a couple setbacks. First, the farrier flaked out and it two weeks for him to show up. Then, the equine dentist needed scheduled to remove caps and pull wolf teeth. Finally, there was the fight over accepting the bit. He doesn't want to and because he is so big, the trainer can't MAKE him. So we discussed options and he is going into a sidepull.

The rest of the horses at home are fat grass-fed air puffs, with the exception of Angel. I will try to get pictures this weekend and get them posted. My computer crash and I have to beg Mike to use his...

Tips and Tricks

2011-08-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

It’s hot out and I really don’t want to spend much time outside, so I thought I would post some tips and tricks that I have learned along the way.

Apple Cider Vinegar – I use it to “mask” the taste of feed additions, such as beet pulp, or a less than yummy supplement. The raw vinegar can be fairly expensive BUT it does have medicinal benefits like flushing the kidneys. (Similar to humans drinking cranberry juice) The distilled vinegar doesn’t have all the good properties, but it won’t hurt the horses.

Algae in water tubs – Scrub with a sturdy toilet brush, one bought specifically for the water troughs, at least once a week. Rinse, then pour two or three cups of apple cider vinegar in the tub and using the brush, swish the vinegar round and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub and green spots, then rinse. While refilling, add some apple cider vinegar. I use 3 cups in a 100 gallon Rubbermaid tank. I also let the horses drink the tank almost completely empty, dump it, rinse it, then refill. Add vinegar every time.

Shots – Like a lot of horse people, I do not like to give shots. I MUCH prefer letting the vet do it, or in the case of a round of antibiotics, using the feed through kind. Problem is: it tastes NASTY and the horses will refuse to eat it if the taste and smell is not masked. I wet the grain with apple cider vinegar (another reason I love this stuff) which masks the smell. I also add a liberal amount of pure black strap molasses. Horses LOVE it! I know some horses have sugar issues such as cushings, but its for a very short term, normally 5 – 7 days and it beats the heck out of giving shots!

Cushings relief – there is no cure for cushings. Kali’s mare had it when we bought her. Since it was winter, we had no clue. C-Bey was an older mare and that spring she didn’t shed out. I called the former owner about it and she said “Oh yeah, she has cushings. You can get meds from the vet to help, or you can just body clip her.” I found out that ground chaste berries would help naturally. I found a supplier in Canada and used a cheap coffee grinder to grind the berries just before feeding. The next spring, the mare came into heat and completely shed out. This was the first heat cycle the mare had in the previous 5 years and it was a doosey!

Thin hoof walls – “Milk for thick and Biotin for quick” Sounds crazy but it DOES work! My appy mare Angel had a year of horrific feet – thin and brittle. I bought the powdered milk that comes in the individual packets and would give her ½ the packet in the morning, and the other half in the evening. I also fed her HorseGuard 2x Biotin (32 mg biotin per ounce – the highest concentration I could find) Within 4 weeks, you could actually SEE the thicker hoof wall growing down. I had her trimmed every 5 weeks – just rasping, to prevent huge chunks breaking off.

TuffStuff – I also used this on my mare Angel. It seals the hoof wall after a farrier visit and rasping. I applied it once a week after the initial two coats, and it smells like fingernail polish!

Unsalted butter – for really dry hooves, I will hose the horse’s hooves, pat dry with a paper towel, then rub unsalted butter onto the coronet band. Apply twice a week. I don’t know why, but it works.

Sore soles – the stinky brown liquid comes in a little bottle with a flip up squirted nozzle in the cap. It tightens the sole so it’s not so ouchie…

Swollen eye lids – I have found that this is usually from continually rubbing the eye on a front leg due to flies. A fly mask works wonders, or a roll-on fly repellent.

Fly Repellent – I was told about these but haven’t actually tried them.

 Mix 50/50 LOC (from Amway) and baby oil and spray it on the manure, or “dirty” spots in the barn.
 Mix 50/50 LOC and water can be used on your horse daily as a fly repellent.
 Mix 1/3 LOC, 1/3 water, and 1/3 baby oil - on-horse fly repellent that last longer.
 Mix 50/50 Avon Skin So Soft and baby oil

Non-chemical Parasite Control – medical grade diatomaceous earth. Add 1/8 cup to grain daily. It won’t hurt the horse but the microscopic razor-like exoskeletons of the diatoms kill the parasites.

Sand Ingestion – Bullwinkle gifted me with a scare like this. For 5 days every month, I mix together the below listed ingredients:

1 pound Purina Strategy
2 pounds whole oats
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup PLAIN Metamucil or similar brand
Drizzle with molasses.

Cuts and Scrapes – I am very much opposed to stitching and wrapping cuts! I think that leaving it open to the air, if I can keep flies and dirt out of it, is the best thing for the horse. So far, I have only had one injury that required stitching. (knocking on wood) But I have had multiple superficial cuts and scrapes – meaning they go through the skin, but not into the underlying tissue. For these types, I spray Healing Tree Wound Spray to flush the wound, then I blot the excess moisture and apply Healing Tree T-Zone Cream. One time. Two times if I feel guilty or the wound is a little weepy. Then I leave it alone. The T-Zone seals the wound and allows it to heal from the inside out. (It also works on human scrapes and minor cuts.)

Proud flesh – using a body brush, gently scrub off the loose crumbly granular junk, then slather liberally with T-Zone Cream. Do this twice daily until the granular junk is no longer present, then just the cream for 5 more days. I have had big yucky hunks of proud flesh come off, leaving behind pink, healthy skin. One more application as this point to “seal” the wound and I’m done. No scar.

Sarcoid – I have had two youngsters develop sarcoids. I used Xterra, applied twice daily with a rubber glove, for one week. I have heard that Indian Mud will also work.

Trailering issues – We have one mare that is a nighmare in the trailer. She will load and stand fine, but once the divider is in place, she starts backing out. She will hit the fastened divider, go forward, back up, repeat. The ENTIRE trip she will do this. At 60 MPH, it sets the trailer to swaying. We now let her ride in reverse. She is loaded first and backed in to the front hole. The next horse in MUST be a barn neighbor, or if we can, we leave the center hole open. I have hauled other horses that has minor issues with trailering. By leaving them loose, they ALL move to the very front, turn and put their butt where their head should be and ride in reverse, and are quiet for the entire ride.

Feed - beet pulp, hay pellets (alfalfa, orchard, or timothy) and hay cubes are your friends! Especially for thin or older horses with teeth problems. Soak in warm water and feed in frequent small portions - no more than they will eat because it goes rancid fairly quickly. Add apple cider vinegar or molasses to the beet pulp at the beginning to get them used to the taste. You can reduce the amount over a week and they'll be snarfing it up in no time! Throw them some flake hay for something to much on.

So there ya go. Some of my tips and tricks. Feel free to add your own!

Now go hug your horses!

Updates - Before and After

2011-07-29T09:49:00.001-07:00

Highfaultin Fox 10/10/10

Highfaultin Fox 7/29/11

Show Ticket 3/22/11

Show Ticket 7/29/11

Becoming a Horse

2011-07-15T08:12:00.001-07:00

FIRST TIME WEARING A SADDLE!!! (Sorry - it's a cellphone picture)

Bullwinkle went to "big boy school" on Friday, July 8th. He is with the same trainer that has Millie (who is doing very well and walking and trotting the barrel pattern now)

I had made the decision to take Bullwinkle for 90 days of training. He will probably return next spring, but for now, just 90 days.

He loaded fine and hauled quietly. Because he's "My Baby", I had my own issue talking him. It was all mental on my part. I totally trust my trainer with every aspect. I almost turned back three times, thinking I was going to have a nervous breakdown. But I continued on and made it there.

Once at the trainer's, he had sensory over-load. LOTS of horses, all talking to him. Nothing familiar. There was a BIG scary tractor tire which is used for his hay trough. Within 30 minutes, he had figured it out and was over the big scary tire!

He got into an argument with the grey mare next to him and kicked the panel. When they kick the panels, if they hit it just right, it's like they hit their funny bone. Anyway, Bullwinkle packed one back leg. My thought was "Oh crap! Lame already!" But within 5 minutes he was walking around fine and back to arguing with the grey mare. My trainer tells me that by the next morning, it was true love for both of them, playing kissy-face and love scritching over the panels.

Tara gave him the weekend to settle in, then started him Monday morning. He spent some time high-lined in the round pen. I have never tied him, and while Mary (his first mom) had done a LOT with him, I don't remember if he was ever tied or not.

I pestered Tara most of the day Monday and told her when she saddled him, I needed a picture, that me and his gramma (Cathy) wanted updates! So Tara sent me the picture above - first time wearing a saddle!

A lot of people are like "Big deal" For me, it IS a big deal!! Others might start youngsters all the time, but I DON'T!

Tara tells me that he grabbed himself a little and bunny hopped, then looked around, sniffed the saddle, tasted the stirrup, then ignored it. He round penned relaxed and moving freely, willing to please!

She says that he is more mentally mature than Millie, quiet, nice-minded, and eager to please. And that he seeks out cuddles when he has tried and completed something new. Of course, who wouldn't want to cuddle with him??

Tara's challenge - getting on. He is BIG! 16 hands, easy! I am going to take a mounting block down, because he will need to be broke to a step or block so I can get on him. Mike has announced that HE will be riding Bullwinkle also, since his mare Jazzy is unsound due to an old pelvis injury. At this point, my response is always "NO", but in time, we'll see.

For now, I am so very excited about this kid. I'm sure I am driving Tara nuts with all my pestering!

Rest In Peace Mya

2011-07-08T08:19:00.001-07:00

About a year ago, I saw a post on a discussion board about a horse needing a new home, due to new marriage and the family moving. I responded, saying if a home couldn't be found, I could take the horse as a last resort.

In September 2010, Mike and I drove north of Spokane to pick up Mya. In e-mails, the owners had told me that she was well trained, but that she'd had colic surgery and was "delicate" and that hard work would cause her problems. I thought "As if I ride much anymore..."

Since last fall, Mya has had several mild episodes. I carefully monitored what she ate, watched her for signs of stress or pain. Every time prior, banamine was enough to calm whatever was going on and she would bounce back.

She would "sing for her supper" - nickering and chattering until I gave her hay. If I carried a bucket, the volume and intensity would increase, whether it was for her or not. She also had the annoying habit of peeing in front of the stall door right at feeding time. I would have to dodge the puddle to feed the horse on the backside of the barn.

But for the most part, she was easy. I could halter her with no problem. She stood quietly for the farrier. Deworming was a breeze.

In the past week (since Sunday), Mya has had three "episodes". Last night, the banamine didn't give her relief. Her pain was progressing and she was in obvious discomfort. We made the decision to let her go before it got any worse. She might have recovered. She might have gotten through this. But my fear was that she would progress and suffer longer than she should.

It's always sad to lose one of the herd. But I take comfort that since last fall, Mya has been loved and spoiled, and she now has pain-free peace. She has joined the rest of the herd to run green fields and drink from crystal clear streams. She will be missed.

Rest In Peace Sweet Mya!

Off to a Good Start...

2011-07-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

(UPDATE - Added Saturday and Sunday)

Here's how MY weekend is stacking up...

THURSDAY

Got home from work at 11:30 am. Mike and I had half a turkey sammich and some homemade chicken noodle soup. Then we took a nap until 1:30. When we got up, Mike went to a movie, then to my nephew's swim meet. When I got up, I turned the horses out, ripped and groomed the arena

Arena looks good, huh! The "lumpy" parts are poop. We spread it in the arena, then work it in. If we ever decide to plant grass, we will have to mow every day to keep it from turning into a jungle!

Then I fixed the fence that Bullwinkle took down, met Tara for dinner, went with her to help her retrieve her panels. I got home a little after 9:00 pm, locked up the horses, fed and topped off water tubs, showered and collapsed into bed. (The day had started at 4:00 am)

FRIDAY

I fed the horses while Mike finished putting up the bird screen on the south side of the barn. (Picture below) There are still a few holes to fill in, but it shouldn't take him long.

I pulled him off that task to drive the four-wheeler and trailer out in the pasture to pick up the piles of poop that the "elephants" had left yesterday. Once the trailer was empty, I unhitched the trailer, moved the drag out to the pasture, then hooked it up to the four-wheeler. Mike wasn't feeling well, so he went inside to lay down while I dragged and smoothed that last of the poops in preparation of me fertilizing.

Our drop-spreader has a flat tire, and it's all "boogered up" (yes, that's a technical term), so I had to use the one pictured below.

In all, I think I walked 400 miles up and down the pasture. Lucky for me, I had put the heavy bags in the trailer behind the four-wheeler, so that helped a little bit.

I was mostly done when Mike came back out. While I finished up the fertilizing, Mike mowed the yard, then high spots in the pasture.

When that task was finished, we came in for some lunch. After, Mike went to his last physical therapy appointment and I sprayed weeds. I decided I'd had enough for the day and took my shower. For dinner we're having more chicken noodle soup (unless Mike comes up with something equally as yummy) and Kali is going to dye my hair.

I might even be able to stand a Peanut Buster Parfait at Dairy Queen...

SATURDAY

Saturday, I cleaned more stalls and helped Mike finish the bird screening in the barn. There was one baby bird still in the nest, so we left a place open until it is big enough to fly to coop!

We quit early, had an early supper, then relaxed the rest of the evening.

SUNDAY

Mike decided to dig up and replace fence posts. There were some in the front pasture that weren't "doing anything", so we took them out. The front pasture now looks like... well... a pasture!

That's Kaci and Jazzy...

So Mike was able to get one post replaced. Note that the BEFORE picture appears to have been gnawed by our "beaver", named Jazzy...

Bullwinkle, in his infinite boredom, helped, I'm sure!

Here's a barn shot, just because!

Chaos and Drama

2011-06-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

My normal bedtime is 8 pm. My alarm for work goes off at 4 am, and I really have a problem functioning at my 10 hour shift if I get to bed any later than that. One nice thing about this shift is I have every Friday off!

I got to bed later than normal Wednesday night – about 9:20, but fell right to sleep. At 10:15 pm, Kali (my daughter) came home from her job, and though she was very quiet, the stupid weiner dog took up barking and woke us up. The little weenie takes her job as “Guard Dog” very seriously. (mumbling “stupid weenie”) So we were awake… well, at least, I was. Mike went right back to snoring. The crazy thing about that is that he was wearing his CPAP mask.

Also, as expected, the wind picked up last night, gusting to around 25 miles per hour. Normally, I hear only the shrubs brushing against the siding, providing me with a little “white noise”. The wind direction last night, however, came from a slightly different angle, causing the peak vent, which has apparently worked loose, to THUMP at irregular intervals throughout the night. And it kept me awake. I had gone outside several times to try to locate the thumping, and that is what I determined the source to be. The last time I looked at the clock, it was 11:47 pm.

At some point, I fell asleep…for a little while…

At 3:10 am, our doorbell rang. When we came out of the bedroom, complete with dogs barking, we could see the headlights of a vehicle and the outline of a sheriff’s deputy standing at the door. I kicked the dogs out of the way, and opened the door only enough to stick my head out, because, naturally, I was standing there in my T-shirt and underwear. (Heaven forbid I actually put sweats on or something)

The Sheriff said “You have horses” (I believe it was a statement rather than a question, because DUH, he parked right next to the arena holding two of the creatures…)

I said “Yes.”

He said, “I found two across the road.” (My first thought was ‘oh, maybe Jazzy and Kaci got out.’ But there hadn’t been any noise at the barn – cuz that is where Jazzy would have gone, with Kaci in tow, because Jazzy knows that is where the hay is kept and she’s part pig)

The Sheriff continued… “One is white.”

I said “I don’t have white horses.”

He said “Do you know of someone in the neighborhood who might?”

I said, “Does the horse have brown blotches on it? A paint horse?”

He said “Yes.”

I said “Is the other a bay? Brown with black mane and tail?”

He said “Yes”

I said “Sounds like the folks behind us. Their driveway is off the main road, second drive on the right.”

He said “Thank you for your help. Good night.”

He left and Mike and I sat out on the back porch for a few minutes. Mike sat and I had a cigarette, and we were back in bed at 3:20 am… listening to the thumping… again…

I got up a little late, rushed to get ready for work, main-lined my ultra-strong coffee, and was done in record time. I trudged to the barn – because that is what you do when you are freaking tired and only got a few hours sleep…

I fed the seven horses in the barn, double-checked because I wanted to make SURE I hadn’t forgotten anyone (and looking back, I am not so sure I DIDN’T forget one), and headed out the barn door to feed Jazzy and Kaci at the front of the property.

To my surprise, there were two paint mares in my neighbor’s pasture! Surely these were the two running loose (or walking loose, whatever the case might have been). And yes, one was a bay paint with black in her mane and tail, but not the solid bay horse I had pictured in my mind. (Apparently, Franklin County Deputies can’t read my mind at 3 am)

Then I had several thoughts at once:

Apparently, the folks behind us had helped the sheriff’s deputy. (Or maybe someone else that he had awakened)
Apparently, those folks decided that it would be “OK” to put them in my neighbor’s pasture (despite the fact that she wasn’t home. Luckily, neither were her own horses)
This irritated me, because the folks behind me have 5 acres, fenced and cross-fenced, and only two horses which were in the barn at night. Why not put them in their own pasture?
Apparently, no one had thought that it might be a good idea to provide the horses with water.

So I continued on my way and fed Jazzy and Kaci. Then I went to my neighbor’s and filled the water tub. I went home and got on the internet, posting a notice on a discussion board, and my Facebook page of the found mares before heading off to work.

At 8 am, I called my vet to see if the horses perhaps belonged to any of her clients. They did not. I called other vet clinics in the immediate area and left messages, in hopes that the horses’ owner was one of their clients.

At 8:30, I had to drive the company rig down to the shop to have the oil changed. (Because while I never drive the dang thing, I am the only with enough free time to run the rig to the shop…obviously. Whatever)

While I was sitting, waiting for the oil to be changed, my phone rings. It was a number that I didn’t recognize. WOOHOO – my posting worked! The owner of the horses was calling to claim his/her horses!! NOT!

Me: Hello

My neighbor (using her fiance’s phone?): Hi. Did you put those horses in my pasture?

Me: No. The Sheriff did.

Her: The Sheriff did? What sheriff?

Me: The one that rang my doorbell at three in the morning asking if I was missing some horses.

Her: Oh. I figured you did it since you posted about it.

Me: uh huh. (Just because I posted “Horses Found” doesn’t mean I have anything to do with them, other than trying to find their owner.)

Her: Well I know where those horse belong and I have their number and I called them and told them to come and get their F-ing horses out of my F-ing pasture.

Me: Nice. Where do they belong?

She told me, which is just around the corner, and I told her if the horses were still there when I got home that I would take them home. I also told her that I would empty the water tub.

The horses’ owner was found and according to Mike (who is still home on short-term disability recovering from knee replacement surgery) the horses were retrieved by their owner before noon.

So, since I am still waiting for the oil change to be complete (did you know that it takes AN HOUR to change the oil in a pick-up? Neither did I!!), I check my Facebook page. There was a post from my step-son in Alabama that said “If you don’t hear from me, I’m in a better place.” (WTF??!!)

Now – I have several schools of thought on this one. (background – his girlfriend just broke up with him, his mother is in Washington visiting family and she didn’t pay for him to come too so he had to stay in Alabama, he is sick with a virus, and he is a confirmed “quitter” – having proved to us that if you quit, you will never fail.)

1 – He is trying to get attention from his girlfriend, mistakenly thinking that juvenile stunts like that makes us girls give a damn

2 – If he is “suicidal”, any attempt would be a feeble attempt at best, because he has never followed through with anything in his entire 23 years

3 – He needs to grow a pair, suck it up, move on, and GROW UP!!

But still, I DO have a little heart, so I sent Mike a text, telling him what I’d read, and that he needs to call his son. Of course, there is no answer, so Mike calls his ex. She has been in touch with the boy, he is fine – though he is upset, is crying and carrying on, blah blah blah.

So what does she do??? She buys him a plane ticket to Washington, where he is going to stay with his sick and feeble grandmother! So he got his way! AGAIN!!!

I am sure he hung up the phone with a smile and muttered to himself “Stupid bitch”, because that is the kind of person he is.

Whatever happens on THAT side of the family doesn’t concern me – just as long as he doesn’t think, not EVER, not even for one night – that he will come to stay at MY house!

As for me, once this is posted, I am going to apply liberal amount of Jolly Ranchers (Watermelon Pucker and Sprite over ice), and collapse into bed in a drunken coma! (After the dogs and horses are fed, the water tub next door is emptied, Lucy has a dedicated water tub so I can monitor how much she is drinking (more on this in a later post), and I have dug for treasure on the Facebook game Treasure Isle.)

DRAMA!! Oh wait, WHAT drama???

2011-06-04T17:23:00.001-07:00

Ticket and Lucy are going to live together for a while. They will be in the arena and have free access (unless I lock them off) to the pasture. Although they have been living next to each other, I expected drama.

Show Ticket

Lucy

This is pretty much the extent of it. The second picture was taken a split second before the squeal and strike. Then it was over.

Ticket thinks Bullwinkle is very handsome! Is this mare EVER not in heat??

A post with pictures wouldn't be complete with including a picture of "His Majesty"

Jazzy is NOT happy about being locked off the pasture!

Kaci could care less if Jazzy is locked off the pasture. He's cool with it!

In other news... remember last year when we redid the flowerbeds along the house? Here's a part of it...

Before

After

After - One year later

I REALLY need a video camera!!

2011-06-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

There was SERIOUS horse "drama" today (more like a rodeo) and I really wished I had a camera to catch it all!

First I put Angel in arena. Then I put the halter on Bullwinkle. I dropped the tapes and let Jazzy and Kaci into the pasture with Bullwinkle. Bullwinkle darted through into the pasture that Kaci and Jazzy had just vacated, and pulled the leadrope out of my hands.

I put the tapes back up and Jazzy and Kaci went back to eating. Bullwinkle proceeded to run around like an idiot. He kept flirting over the fence with Ticket, so I thought I would stand there and be able to catch him. Ummm... NO!

Then Ticket and Lucy started bucking and farting and running around, NOT helping at all. So I went to the gate and stood there. After ten minutes or so, Bullwinkle was done running around, so I was able to catch him and take the halter off.

He trotted over to Ticket so I took the gate down, put up the tape to the arena gate, and let Angel out.

Angel and Bullwinkle have been living next to each other without drama for several weeks. They were out on pasture together just this morning. Apparently, Bullwinkle's little pea brain purged that memory, because he pinned his ears and chased Angel around. She played his little game for a few minutes, then got a belly-full of him and nailed him in the chest with both hind feet.

Bullwinkle then became the chasee, with Angel hot on his heels, back to the arena. Angel took some of the hair off his pretty yellow rump, then went back to the pasture. Bullwinkle hung out in the arena for almost an hour before getting brave enough to venture out with Angel. She gave him the snakey neck look with her ears pinned, and he meandered off to eat some grass.

The drama is over and the only injury is to Bullwinkle's ego.

I REALLY wish I had a video camera!

My Love (Hate) Affair with Electric Tape Fencing

2011-05-30T07:52:00.001-07:00

*sigh*

I really like the electric tape fencing, most of the time. It looks nice. It's easy to repair. It's cheap by comparison. It comes down easily. And I have only had one minor injury - a burn when Jazzy slid her leg down the tape, rather than pulling back.

If I unplug it, I can go through the fence anywhere I want, get to what ever I want, then plug it back in when I'm done. It's low maintenace and parts are cheap.

But some days, I really hate it. If it's not plugged in, SOME of the horses will get into it or go through it.

Jazzy went under the tape and ate my trees. Luckily, the trees have survived and are slowly recovering.

Yesterday, Ticket took one strand down three times in a row, striking and squealing at Lucy. Every time I put it back up, she would strike and pull it down. As soon as I said (to myself) "Oh forget it" (that's the clean version) and walked back to the barn, Ticket went back to happily eating grass and the drama was over. I gave her an hour then went back and put the fence back together.

And them there's Bullwinkle. He is convinced that the tapes are there for him to play with. He waits patiently for me to unplug the fence and get distracted, then he starts playing. One day he had it wrapped around him when I found him. I expected blood and doctoring, but no. He was just playing. He stood quietly while I unraveled him - not a mark on him. Last night, he went through the tapes and out onto the pasture - something I did NOT want him to do. And he ate my trees.

I would REALLY like to get Noble Contour Fencing, but it's cost prohibitive.

So I have decided to continue to love the electric tape fence.

p.s. - the house next door is for sale again...

http://www.distinctiveprop.com/mls/detail.src?ID=175057&Action=Detail&LX=&LN=6&DPL=&04db6243ad

Right now, she wants WAY too much for it, but she did make a comment that she would be lowering the price.

Before and After - and more

2011-05-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Corner Feeder

This is the corner grain feeder before.

This is the feeder after Ticket sat on it. (She was in heat)

Show Ticket

Foxy

Lucy

Bullwinkle

Texas Chili - Believe it or not, this horse won $270,210 on the race track. Now owned by the Exceller Fund.

Mya

Some thoughts on the EHV 1 outbreak: May 19, 2011

2011-05-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

"The rumor mill is in overdrive. This is a disease we have lived with for a long time, it has appeared right here in our valley many times. Every time I see a horse with neurologic signs, it potentially has EHV1 till proven otherwise. Every time I see an aborted fetus, or a horse with a snotty nose, it is potentially EHV1 till proven otherwise. Due to the difficulty and non specificity of laboratory diagnostics, and our inability or reluctance to spend the money to get the diagnostics done on an animal that has either already died, or is obviously going to get better with conservative treatment, diagnostic tests are not always done in the real world.

This is not a new disease, and the nature of the Herpes Virus makes it highly likely that your horse already has it. You have all heard the saying, "Herpes is forever". That is true. As you know, cold sores and genital herpes do not go away in people, even with all the medical efforts by our human counterparts. Shingles is a latent herpes infection that can becomes active in anybody who has ever been infected with the herpes virus that causes chicken pox. EHV in horses acts the same, once a horse has been exposed, he has it forever. It is difficult or impossible to find a horse that is not harboring the equine herpes virus. The horse's immune system keeps it under control until it either becomes immuno suppressed from stress (such as what happens after traveling cross country in a horse trailer, commingling with a bunch of other horses in a strange facility, probably eating unfamiliar feeds, breathing dusty air, and being asked to perform incredible feats of athleticism), or overwhelmed from the sheer number of virus particles in the environment.

The reason that this case is on the national radar is not that it is EHV1. We've had it here before many times; it didn’t even make the local paper. The reason it is on the national radar now is that it was traced back to a high profile show, and has potentially spread all over the country. It has exposed the very best seed stock in the Quarter Horse industry directly, and other breeds indirectly. It is probably no more deadly than the cases we have seen before that have already killed lots of horses; although there is a possibility it may test out to be a more contagious strain. I have been getting many phone calls and questions regarding what we should do as a local community, and as individual horse owners. This is my advice (subject to change at any time, of course, as nobody has all the answers)

First, don't panic. We've already ridden this path many times, and it will blow over. The chances that your horse will get EHV1 and die are miniscule. He has already been living with it his entire life.

Second, stay away from public horse events till this blows over. I see no problem with riding with friends or even on public trails; make an effort to avoid close contact with horses you don't know. As far as I know, no states have issued directives as of yet to restrict your freedom to move horses as you choose. However if it gets worse, restrictions from the state could be instituted. The best way to keep the state from taking control is for people to control their horses contact with other horses voluntarily. The chances of you picking it up at a local horse gathering or event is miniscule, but when you multiply miniscule by thousands of events across the state and country it becomes obvious that if people don't take precautions, the disease is likely to spread. As many of you know, the Washington State Veterinarian is Dr. Leonard Eldridge, a longtime Lewiston, ID veterinarian; and one of his assistants is Dr. Ben Smith from Juliaetta, ID. The last thing they want to do is issue regulations that will impair your ability to use your horses as you see fit; but if we don't stop this on our own they have the authority to shut down all horse transport in the state. Third, don't feed the rumor mill. Check out information before passing it on. Most of us local veterinarians try to stay on top of current information; we are generally a good source. However if you want to get to the root of the best information, the following link will take you to the web site of every official State Veterinarian's Office in the country. If you hear that something strange is happening in Texas (or any other state) click on the state, and check it out for yourself. If you don't find the information you need, give them a call; they are paid to answer questions, and I have found them to be extremely helpful. http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalHealth/StateVets.aspx

Finally and most importantly, continue to use and enjoy your horses. There are many horse activities you can enjoy that do not involve congregating large numbers of horses you don’t know and owned by people you don't know. Going to the mountains, or trail riding with friends, or having a roping event or barrel race with friends is no more dangerous from an animal health standpoint today than it was prior to this outbreak, as long as you know the horses have not recently been to a large public event, or exposed to horses who have.

Good Luck, and Happy Trails, David A. Rustebakke, DVM"

**********************************************************************

I will have updated pictures this weekend. (Including a Before and After of Shot Ticket and Foxy)

My Views

2011-05-05T19:21:00.001-07:00

This was my view yesterday afternoon for over an hour after bringing Mike home from the doctor.

And THIS was the view in the barn tonight. Kali (aka Brat, aka The Daughter) had rake up the dropped hay and cleaned the mats outside the stalls. Thank you Kali!!

Osama bin Laden

2011-05-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr.

I believe that the US and her people are in for a "shit storm". It would have been best to have never had this news broadcast.

It's been crazy around here!!

2011-04-30T10:40:00.001-07:00

Mike had knee replacement surgery on Wednesday, April 27. Below is what he wrote on his right knee... he wanted to make sure the surgeon didn't forget which one was being replaced...

This knee is MUCH more swollen and purple now...

The first days were a piece of cake and he thought "This isn't so bad!" Well last night, all the numbing was completely worn off and it kicked his butt! The pain was so bad he was nauseated, hot flashes, shocky, the works. We dosed him with pain killers and ice packs and got him back to bed. He was up moving around this morning, so he must be feeling better.

Before last night, he was thinking he'd just go ahead and have the other one done. He has rethought that option now.

I got stalls cleaned this morning and some of the horses turned out. Not all get to go out because of weight issues, founder probability, or she (Lucy) is hard to catch and get back to her stall. She would have to be turned out with Foxy and Chili...

Tomorrow, I'm loading up the tractor and heading over to Mindy's house. I have offered to work up her arena and round pen for her. She will pay fuel costs, and buy me lunch! Plus it will give me a break from playing "Nurse Ratchet"!

Little Miss TickyToo!!! (Show Ticket) She looks good, doesn't she? She is the sweetest thing - loves to cuddle and be brushed! She reminds me a LOT of Thai!

Yes - that's a boo-boo on her face and yes, it's been doctored.

Been a while...sorry

2011-04-22T08:09:00.001-07:00

We planted trees last weekend. They are Aussie Willows - the roots are non-invasive, the leaves are small and will blow away in the fall, they grown FAST, and they are non-toxic to the horses.

See this tree? This is what we planted.

See this tree? Me either. That's because Jazzy went under the tape and ate it!

I worked the arena last weekend. Now all I have to do is ride in it. That's Show Ticket in the background. She doesn't look too hideous, does she?

Show Ticket

"Ticket" is doing well! She started shedding immediately after arriving in early February. Her rainrot has cleared up and her hair has grown back. The vet is not concerned about her condition nor lack of "fast" regain of weight. Overall, she is pleased with her progress and said that she is fit enough to go back to work under saddle. The glossy coat and muscle tone... looks good to me!

Isn't that the sweetest face!!!

What IS it about TB mares???

2011-03-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Since Show Ticket arrived, she has hated first Kaci, then Jazzy. At feeding time, she would kick the wall between the stalls. She would kick at the fence and pin her ears. No playing kissy face or trying to be a "bed buddy".

Since Lucy got here, she would follow Mya around, but at feeding time, Lucy was the boss. There was never any mutual grooming. It's like she barely tolerated Mya's presence.

An hour or so ago, I moved horses around. Kaci and Jazzy were moved out to the arena, and Mya and Lucy took their stalls. Lucy is now next to Show Ticket.

Now Ticket and Lucy are doing kissy-face over the gate - something that neither has done with other horses. It must be a TB Mare thing...

Finding Hay

2011-03-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

I've got maybe another week of hay left. The problem isn't paying for it. The problem is FINDING it!

No one has any quality horse hay!

The price of diesel is now $4.29/gal, and anyone who has any decent hay, has jacked the price to $170 or more. This year, the price per ton is going to be above that.

My friend Mindy was told that "Harold" would have a semi-load brought in and we couple pay as we off-loaded it. Mindy went and looked and the load was wet, black, and moldy - not even fit for cattle.

I'm in quite a pickle here and I'm going to be making calls like crazy to find a supply of decent hay.

I have spent the last few days trying to figure out what to do about Lucy and Mya. Lucy is a snarfer - she eats quickly! Mya likes to eat more leisurely. Since they moved to the arena, Lucy has been running Mya off her hay and as a result, Mya has dropped some weight and is in need of intervention.

The solution I came up with is to switch them with Kaci and Jazzy, even though Jazzy HATES living in the arena and is loud and obnoxious about it. (It doesn't bother ME, but my neighbor complains. Oh well, maybe she'll shut her bedroom window?)

Show Ticket is coming along and filling out. I have been feeding her double the amount of hay, plus 5 pounds of Strategy Healthy Edge with Rice bran daily, and she has full-time access to pasture (what little there is this time of year). Now, it seems to me that if her weight loss was just due to the stress of the auction and being moved, she would have rebound quickly, right? A week to settle in and stabilize, then three weeks to regain stress lost weight... right? WRONG! The mare was neglected. There is no convincing me otherwise!

Foxy, the BS Paint mare, is rubbing the hair off herself... seriously! Initially, I thought it was lice. BUT - correct me if I'm wrong - since she came here to live last October, I would have noticed a problem before now AND Chili (who lived with her all winter) would also have lice. Am I right? Another thing - once the hair is off, she quits rubbing and in places it's starting to grow back.

I talked to Foxy's Mom and she suggested bathing her with iodine and baby shampoo. It hasn't been warm enough to do that, PLUS a lot of the bald places are on her face and neck. Another tidbit - the hair she is shedding out is very fine - more like cat hair, nothing like normal horse hair. I'm baffled.

Here's one picture - what do you think?

Pictures - As promised

2011-03-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

ANGEL

BULLWINKLE

TEXAS CHILI

FOXY

KACI

Isn't he magnificent??? (He's also my Drama Queen!)

Somehow I didn't get any of Jazzy alone...

LUCY

MYA - SO not interested in getting her picture taken!

SHOW TICKET

She has some hair falling out of her face.

This shows just part of the rain rot that she is still recovering from.

I'm still alive...really!

2011-03-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

I have had a TON going on and just haven't had a bunch of time to post. The horses are still eating breakfast but very soon I'll be outside cleaning stalls and turning some out onto pasture. There isn't much grass out there, but it'll get the horses out so I can do some more thorough cleaning of the runs. The weather is supposed to turn sour later this afternoon or over-night, so I want to get things cleaned up. Besides, it'll give the horses a chance to run and buck and roll in the grass!

Not all of the horses are shedding, but surprisingly, Show Ticket is. The clumps of hair on her back that were falling out due to the rainrot is mostly gone, and she is shedding like crazy. She still needs a trip to the beauty parlor to get the knot out of her mane and she needs a good brushing.

She eats everything I put in front of her! She is still not back up to weight and is working on it. You can NOT convince me that her weight loss happened due to the stress of going to the auction and being moved around. It took months of neglect for her to get into this condition.

The plan had been to get her up to weight and house her with Foxy and Chili. I am rethinking that because she kicks. I don't know for certain that she would kick at them, but I don't want to take a chance. So I will have to just leave her where she it and not turn any of the other horses out with her.

Millie is doing well at the trainer's. Bullwinkle will join her later this spring. I'm not in a huge hurry to send him off because he is still growing.

I will do my best to get pictures today while I'm out working. I'm curious to see before and "in-progress" pictures of Ticket.

Back in the saddle...

2011-02-20T18:14:00.000-08:00

I woke this morning and went to breakfast with my parents. When I got home, Mike was back in bed. He has a head cold and a fever and generally feels like crap. So I thought, "I might as well load up and go to the barrel race. It'll be good for Millie!"

So I did! Once I got there, I had walked Millie around the grounds, between the trailers, and stood by the chaos that is the warm-up pen. Then I went back to the trailer and saddled her. I led her around, between the barns, back through the trailers, and after an hour, I decided that I was tied of walking. I returned to the trailer and saddled Angel, who had gone too.

I rode Angel for an hour, walking and trotting and SCREAMING in the warm-up pen. She and Millie had mothered-up in the trailer and good grief, they were obnoxious!

I rode back to the trailer and let them both calm down for a while. Then I got brave. I thought to myself "This will either be a complete disaster, or I will live through it and it'll be a good experience for Millie."

I untied Millie and climbed on Angel and off we walked. Within five minutes, Millie was ponying with her nose at my knee, her head had lowered, and the wild look in her eye had softened. We stayed clear of the warm-up pen, but walked around the trailers and between the barns. It was good exposure for her! Millie kept looking to Angel for comfort, but over all, it was a great experience for us!

After an hour, I decided that I was cold, so I returned to the trailer, unsaddled Angel, and tied the girls to the trailer and went inside to watch the barrel race.

I left the girls to stand for a couple hours, then loaded up and headed to the trainers'. After getting Millie settled in her new home for the next few months, I loaded Angel and came home.

Millie will spend the next two weeks being conditioned (round penned) before Tara continues training. I am not sure, exactly, where we are headed with Millie. As of right now, she is going to start training to be a barrel racer, though whether Tara patterns her or I do is still in question. Tara and I agree that Millie is a hot little firecracker with a LOT of potential. I believe that Tara, who does this for a living, would be the best choice to start Millie on the pattern and run her during her futurity year, which will be 2012.

Barrel horses can be entered in Futurities for one year only. There are, sadly, some 3 years olds; a lot of 4 yr olds, and a lot of 5 yr olds. I have told Tara that I would like to futurity Millie her 5 yr old year, BUT if the filly is not ready, I will not push the issue. Either Millie is ready or she is not. A lot of money can be made. By the same token, a lot of money can be waste and a filly's mind can be fried by trying to push her into something that she is not ready for.

I am confident that Millie will have no bones about telling me that she is not ready!

The next news - Bullwinkle will go to Tara to be started under saddle. Yes - he is coming three years old. He will go to Tara for 30 days. In that time he will learn to accept the saddle, accept the bridle, walk, trot, steer, and stop. Emphasis being on the stop. Then he will come home until next fall, when he will return to Tara for continuing education.

He has really grown and is 16 hands already. He won't be a full three years old until the end of May. So 30 days is a perfect start until next fall. I have no clue what direction I am going with him. I can't afford to put him in a show barn and have him shown western pleasure. He is not built for barrel racing (besides he can't even buck). He will probably end up being a very nice saddle horse. I have time to think about it, and right now the absolute most important thing with him is that he gets training.

I am thinking about joining a local drill team that is trying to come together and this might work for him. Of course, not for another year at a minimum.

So... it was a good day. I hauled my baby, ponied her, and had my butt back in the saddle.

It feels good..

Let's get back to what is REALLY important...

2011-02-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

The horses! And since this is my blog, ME! (I'll probably get flamed for THAT one...)

We had a BEAUTIFUL spring weekend, temps were around 50 degrees, winds light and variable (except for a wind storm Saturday night).

I got two stalls and runs completely cleaned out, horses shuffled and reshuffled, and 8 horses dosed with ivermectin. The farrier comes Friday, and I've got to get more hay.

There are hair patches in the pasture where horses rolled, so they are shedding out quickly. There still isn't much grass up yet, but before I know it, I'll be locking the tubby ones off and mowing it.

Millie and Bullwinkle are scheduled to go to Big Kid School March 1st, but Millie is so fat she may go early for two weeks of conditioning before the training starts. Imagine...horses getting fat here...

Kaci's affair with Ticket was short lived. He keeps trying to run her out of the barn. So I moved Millie back and taped off most of the run. Millie has the barn, Ticket has the pasture. Ticket and Jazzy spent time across fence together and seem to get along fine. As soon as Ticket is up to weight, she will move into the pen with Foxy and Chili. They'll have similar personalities.

I will get pictures this weekend. It's been so nice here it feels like spring, but the ponies are still fuzzy. Mya and Ticket need a trip to the beauty parlor to get the knots out of their mane.

Now - back to business. The previous post and comments will stand, but it stays THERE. Any nonsense on any other posts will be deleted.

A Gift from Beau

2011-02-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

- Update - Regarding the comments -

"C's" comments were tongue-in-cheek, at least that's how I read it. Make up your own mind.

As for me asking for rehab money for someone else's horse - I was wrong and totally out of line. I have removed it from the blog. It will not happen again.

As for the question about the blanket - After Beau died, I asked Cathy Davis if she wanted the blanket back or if I could forward it to another rescue of her choice in her name. She asked me to keep the blanket.

**********************************************

Remember Beau? If not, his story starts HERE. I still think about him every day.

Beau was sent a NICE winter blanket from Cathy Davis in Ohio. Link here.

Beau didn't get to wear it for very long and it is still in like-new condition.

Show Ticket is little for a Thoroughbred. Maybe she just LOOKS little because she's so thin. But, Beau blanket fits perfectly!

Cathy Davis - you are still a hero!!

Ticket is not comfortable yet with going into the barn to eat, so I took her breakfast to her. She deserves to be spoiled!!

I got word that the piece of shit former owners are still at Emerald Down, racing. They can afford THAT but "can't" afford to feed this mare. I don't have a name, but I'm sure that will come out eventually.

Show Ticket Arrives

2011-02-11T17:34:00.001-08:00

She reminds me of Beau... Sweet, skinny, red, yuck on her back. (She has rain rot but at least it's dried out and started healing)

Is that not the cutest little nose you have EVER seen!!??!!

Show Ticket

2011-02-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

Show Ticket - 1996 TB Mare - Rescued by Cathy from the kill pen in Enumclaw. Another red mare for a spunky red-head. My sister is a red-head. WTF with the red???

Anyway, I leave in the morning to pick the mare up. She's been in a boarding facility - stalled with no turn out. Who thinks THAT is a good idea? Anyway, I can just barely squeeze her in, and after all that Cathy has done for me, who am I to say "no"?

I will steal pictures Cathy put up and take some of my own this weekend. Like Foxy, she needs weight, but aside from care and feed, and treatment for rainrot, she will be fine!

So I make the run over the mountains to pick up another mare.

And here's a jab at Nikki - MY horses are shedding! The overnight low was 19 degrees, high was 47. Oh, and sunny! Enjoy the snow in northern Idaho!

Foxy and Lucy

2011-02-05T08:14:00.001-08:00

Foxy is a little dirty, but looks great. Look at that topline!

Is it me or do her dropped pasterns in the back look a little more upright? Look at the first picture...

Same for Lucy... looking good, but a little dirty.

My Tractor is SEXY!!

2011-01-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

My attire is for warmth (even the bath towel on my lap) and comfort but my tractor is SEXY!!

Just a little boring too...

While I moved the poo, Mike and Matt burned leaves and tumbleweeds.

Schlubbin'

2011-01-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

Mike came out with the camera and told me to go in the house and change my clothes. When I asked "Why", he said "I want to get some pictures of you and you look like a schlub." Well, I was WORKING and yes, I look like a schlub. And I don't give a crap!

SCHMEXY!!

The Escapee!

Yeah... that's Momma's spooky little moose!

Get back in your bed!

Texas Chili - helping

Morning Chores - DONE!

2011-01-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

The stalls needed, no NEEDED to be cleaned and I felt good enough so I gave it a go. I worked slow and methodically, thinking through every move and every step so I didn't risk hurting myself.

I got two stalls done and decided I had better quit while I was ahead!

WHAT HIT MY BARN???

2011-01-16T15:13:00.001-08:00

I think it was Hurricane Mike!

I should let him out to play in the barn alone more often!

Finding my way...

2011-01-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

I ended up driving to Salem, OR by myself. My son bailed on the trip, and Mike was sick. I caught up with my brother on the road just east of Portland and we made it to the chapel an hour early.

There was a lot of scripture read that supported my gramma's beliefs, but I would have rather heard stories about gramma from others' perspective. I spent several hours with family, which was nice, though I would have loved it to have been under better circumstances.

Gramma is survived by 2 sons, 5 grand-children, 4 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. Before grampa died, we were able to get a picture of the 5 generations. All I have to do now if figure out who has the picture and get a print made.

It started raining... no POURING, just east of Portland and it rained the whole way down and back. That's fine because it suited my mood... grey and gloomy. My brother rode back with me and helped to keep me awake. I was exhausted by the time I got back, so I just went to bed.

This morning, Mya was laying down when I went out to feed and hadn't touched her hay from last night. She nickered at me, but didn't want to get up. Once I did get her up, she started pacing, and rolling, and turning her lip up. My first thought was that she was colicing. I finished feeding and called the vet - this mare has had colic surgery in the past.

The vet came out and watched her for a few minutes. She did a rectal exam on her and pulled some poo out. It was REALLY dark - which led the vet to think that perhaps Mya has colonic ulcers that are bleeding. But her gut sounds were normal, and the vet didn't feel any impaction. There was very little sand in the poo, which was a good sign. Mya got some banamine, and oil and water pumped into her stomach, and I get to spend the day watching her.

Right now, she is standing quietly and looking miserable, but hasn't rolled or looked around at her tummy in an hour. We'll assume that everything is ok unless I repost on that subject.

The wind is howling now and I had to feed Foxy and Chili in feed bags. Chili has figured it out, but Foxy is completely baffled by the whole hay in a bag thing. She chewed me out when I hung the bag and walked away without throwing hay on the ground. I had to giggle at her... she is such a sweet mare!

Bullwinkle is growing...AGAIN! He was standing with his front feet on the mat, and his back feet on the dirt, which was two inches lower than the mat, and his back was perfectly level. That tells me that he is butt-high and that means he is growing, again. I will already need a ladder to get on him! He can stop any time!

Tuesday night, I was shoveling sand out of the back of the truck and caught my toe on the cable that connects to the tailgate. I executed an exquisite half-gainer with a twist! Unfortunately, I didn't nail the landing. I bounced off the barn door and landed on my back. I am walking better now, but there are times when I need to lay down and relax my back. So stalls stay dirty for a while, until I feel up to cleaning them.

The horses are all muddy and mucking and looking like fat little mud monkeys. I figure eventually, they'll be clean again. With the wind, the mud is thick, but is drying out. It is January 16th and it's 60 degrees out there. Grey, overcast, blustery, and 60 degrees! I'm ok with that. Perfect for a nap!

Saying goodbye -

2011-01-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

As you may know, my gramma passed away in December.

This Saturday, we travel to Salem, OR to attend her memorial service.

Boy... I just don't know what else to say about this. So much going through my head and my heart.

I guess I'll just leave it at that and I'll see you again on Sunday.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

It's whole new year and things have gotten really weird around here. Perhaps I'm having a mid-life crisis...

Anyway, this time last year, Mike said that I didn't spend any quality time with him. So I put my hobbies on hold and we spent time together... watching TV and gaining weight. Now I see that 2011 finds me 25 heavier than I would like and lazy.

NO MORE! I started a diet/exercise program on January 3rd. By this morning, I have lost 8 pounds. Actually, I lost 10, but I splurged on Mexican food last night and gained 2 back.

My resolutions for myself:

I WILL RIDE MY HORSES! This includes Angel, Millie (After she goes to Tara for a tune-up), Jazzy, Mya, Kaci (if he's not rearing any more), and Bullwinkle (after he is started early summer).

I WILL SPEND QUALITY GIRL-TIME WITH MY FRIENDS! No longer will I wait until they come to a local barrel race to leave the house to go see them. I will seek them out, set up dates, and get reacquainted with my friends!

I WILL TAKE CARE OF ME! I will walk, ride, and eat healthier.

I WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY OWN HAPPINESS! I will be 44 years old this year and I AM still beautiful, strong, and sexy; and I will dress and act like it, rather than dressing like a slob because I'm not out to impress anyone. I AM out to impress someone, and they will say "WOW" when I walk into the room.

I WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT COMMENTS THAT HURT! I am NOT a "doughy bride". I am NOT puffy. I am NOT old. "Granny" does NOT describe me.

MY AGE WILL NOT DICTATE HOW I BEHAVE! I will act how I feel. I am young and beautiful and if you have a problem with that, TOUGH!

I DESERVE TO BE HAPPY IN ALL THINGS IN MY LIFE! I have come to the conclusion that life is too short to be anything other than happy and I will no longer tolerate anything less!

I HAVE AWAKENED FROM MY SLUMBER AND AM READY TO ACTUALLY LIVE!! I feel that as I have passed through this life, I have put feelings aside, put off pleasure, and work toward a hazy goal that doesn't really exist. My eyes are completely open now and I see that time has flown and I have missed out on so much. I want to feel intense emotion, I want to experience the rush of a 19 second barrel run (cuz my horse is slow on a big pattern), I want to love deeply and recklessly, I want passion and fire, I want the exquisite pain of failure and loss because I took the chance. I will laugh without reservation. I will cry without shame. I will hold my friends close and love them with all I have. I will not have enemies.

I am finally here in the NOW and I am feeling once again. Are you ready for me? I hope so, cuz you are coming with me!

Pics of the New Years' Project - Mike(aka Cooker Bitch) and Matt built a deck from the hot tub to the steps outside out bedroom. You can see just how much Matt actually "helped". Also, the picture where Mike is using the saw - you can see just how tall Matt is. (Here's a hint - Mike is 6 ft)

Can I just shoot him? PLEASE!?!

2010-12-30T08:08:00.001-08:00

This is the pile of tape hanger I removed and have to replace. There are 18 of them.
I'm off to the feed store. For hangers and bullets...

*sigh*

FURBABIES AND MUD-MONKEYS

2010-12-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Tis The Season...

2010-12-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

Sing to the tune of "Jingle Bells"

Trudging through the snow, a wheelbarrow full feed
With hay and grain I go, to horses full of need

Blankets covered in poo, Fleece mittens I now don
The filly pooped in the water tub and the chores go on and on

OH! Jingle bells, the barn now smells, hay is running low
I freeze and sweat, supplies I get, the hose is froze I know!

OH! The horses munch, my shoes do crunch, o'er newly fallen snow
Soft nickers, prickly whiskers, it's a perfect life "fo sho!"

Have a VERY Merry Christmas!

Love, Karen and The Gang
(Mike, Kali, Matt, Jasper, Rylee, Fidget, Kiko, Spaz, Lucy, Mya, Foxy, Chili, Angel, Bullwinkle, Jazzy, Kaci, and Millie)

Gramma and Grampa - Together at last

2010-12-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

Rayford and Yonnie Stafek

My Dad called yesterday morning and told me that my Gramma had taken a turn for the worse and would probably not live through the weekend. She'd quit eating and drinking four days ago and for the last 24 hours, she'd only laid there and slept. I told Mike and my kids and planned to go over this morning after breakfast and say goodbye and Godspeed, hoping that she could hear me.

My plan failed because I had waited too long. I should have gone right away.

Just before going to bed last night, Dad called and said Gramma had passed. The coroner had been called but hadn't arrived yet, and if I wanted to come say goodbye, I'd better hurry.

I drove through tears to the place she spent her final hours, a lovely, well kept hospice home, freshly decorated for Christmas, that smelled of fresh pine boughs and Cinnamon.

I met my parents in the front room and after hugs and crying, I went into Gramma's room. They had put her teeth in and crossed her hands on her chest. She looked to be sleeping. I was able to spend about 20 minutes with her before they came to take her away. We left immediately, not wanting to watch.

My brothers, sister, and I, and one cousin, were VERY close to our grand-parents. Family, with all it's chaos and dysfunction, was the center of our lives.

Looking back through the years, and at my memories of Gramma, she was always cooking. Dinner, meats, gravy, homemade bread, jams, and pies. Always in the kitchen!

When we were kids in our early teens, we'd make the four hour trip to Salem, OR, for the weekend. In late summer, Gramma would give us all a little bucket, and Grampa would give us each a small piece of plywood, and we'd head down the pasture to the blackberry bush to pick berries for jam and cobbler.

Now, the blakberry bush was huge. As big as a house! It grew along the road and cover the fence. The fence was 15 feet below the level of the road. Standing on the road, the top of the bush was 20 feet higher than the road. The bush itself, was at least 80 feet in diameter. It had been there for as long as we could remember. We'd start at the road, and work our way out onto the bush, picking blackberries and fighting bees as we went, careful not to crest the top of the bush, because that would mean a 40 foot drop to the pasture below.

We'd spend hours picking berries, running up to the house to empty our buckets, then return to the bush to refill. The house would smell like cooking blackberries! We would bring home a box filled with "Gramma Jam".

The picture above is how I remember them always: Gramma smiling and open, Grampa almost embarrassed to be having his picture taken. They are together again at last.

Death

2010-12-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

There are no words...

Things that make you say GRRRR!!!

2010-12-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

I ordered some alfalfa on Tuesday. "Bring me two ton."

Yesterday, I got a confirmation call saying "We'll be there at 10 am. Will that work for you?" "Of course!" I say.

This morning, I got up, fed horses, cleaned stalls, pretty much puttered around. I came in for breakfast and another cup of coffee. I went back out, moved some hay around and found one bale of alfalfa, and three bales of alfalfa /grass mix that I didn't remember having. It didn't matter anyway, because the stack was on top of it.

So I tossed the kids some alfalfa as a mid-morning snack and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, I went to the house and it was now 11:15 am. So I called. "Um, I was told yesterday that you'd be delivering my hay at 10:00 am and it's now 11:15. Are you coming? I'm sort of waiting." The gal says "Let me call and see where they are and I'll call you right back."

She called back, "They're in Benton City. They'll be 45 minutes to an hour."

At 12:30 they FINALLY show up. The hay is wet from road spray and rain. AND... (get this) It's the WRONG FRICKIN' (*(*^ &^$%$^% ^*&( HAY!!! They brought me GRASS hay!! W! T! F! Really?

It was pretty hay, but I would have refused it because it was wet. Not putting wet hay in the barn. BUT - I ORDERED ALFALFA!!!

So off the guy went and I came in and called the office. I said, "1) They brought the wrong hay. They're on the way back to get the right hay. 2) If they don't tarp it, I'm going to refuse it. I won't take wet hay. 3) Adjust the invoice to take the pallet deposit off. I'm going to re-stack the bales and send the pallets back with the driver. I figure since I've waited two and half hours, he can wait while I re-stack it.

So I'm still waiting. I figure it's going to be 1:30 before he returns. Hopefully this time, it'll be tarped alfalfa. If not, it's going back and I'll call someone else.

Thanks for reading my vent and please ignore the smoke coming out of my ears!

AT LAST!!! WARM LEGS!!!

2010-12-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

A week ago, maybe less, it was brutal cold and I was whining about the need for some fleece leg warmers. The neck socks (actually that's a neck tube I'm modeling above) I bought from Jodi last winter are WONDERFUL in the cold and I thought perhaps some fleece leg warmers would help my lower legs stay a little warmer.

So, handy-dandy talented Jodi whipped out her machine and made me some! Just sitting around the house, I can feel how much warmer my legs are and I can't wait to wear them out to feed in the morning!

THANK YOU JODI!

If you want to order some, I bet Jodi could cook you up some...

Having Horses - It's a Love/Hate Thing

2010-11-27T17:55:00.001-08:00

For as long as I can remember, I have loved horses. In the years before I turned 9, we lived in the middle of a HUGE Quarter Horse Ranch outside of Salem, Oregon. The Gath Brothers has 100 broodmares, several stallions, a couple hundred head of Hereford cattle, turkeys, and pigs on a over 500 acres. We lived just off Gath Road, which was named for the family.

We lived on the corner of Witzel and Gath Roads. My grandparents lived up the hill, at the other end of the 15 acres that my grand-parents owned. There were broodmares in a huge pasture next to them. There were broodmare across the road from our house. On the north side of the property, there were broodmares. The stallion barn was across from my grand-parents house. They were all around me! And I loved them all!!

I was a wild child and was always disappearing over the fence made of no-climb with two strands of barbed wire on the top. It didn't even slow me down. I was small enough to climb the fences, squeeze through gates, or climb trees to get to the horses. More than once, one of the Gath Brothers arrived to check on the water and found me sound asleep, flat on my back, surrounded by sweet old broodies. I'm sure the first time he saw me laying there he about had a heart-attack. He would admonish me that the horses could hurt me, but none ever did and I wasn't afraid. More than once he dropped me off at home, late for dinner, in trouble, and then would call my folks to tell them where he'd found me.

I say "he" because they were both ancient (to my young eyes) and I could never tell them apart.

So here I am, some 40 years later, and I have horses of my own. I love every single one of them! I even have other peoples' horses here, and I love them too.

The hate part comes with some of the extras! I hate it when they come up to the barn with a new nick or cut that I have to doctor. Can't they just get along? Angel has a swollen back leg - from the hock to the pastern. I don't know why. No new mark. Hasn't done anything strenuous. No heat. Not lame. Just swollen. And I don't know what to do.

I hate that I provide NICE corner feeder for grain and one cribber decided to remove it from where lag bolts mounted it to the wall

I hate having skinny horses that I have to put blankets on. But the weather was so brutally cold, I had to. Perhaps tomorrow it'll warm up enough for me to pull them off, if not permanently, at least for most of the day.

I hate having a gorgeous, true-black mare with a darling blaze and 4 white socks I can't touch unless she's cornered in a stall. I would love to cuddle with her, or just brush her while she eats, but she will have no part of me. I can't even give her a parting pat and I drop her feed and head back to the barn. It hurts my feelings.

And I hate having a new 100 gallon water tank with a sinking heater that attracts a horse's butt.... to the point where she poops in it. I'm not sure if it's the water level, the water temperature, or the concentration of slobber that is the trigger, but roughly once a week, Foxy backs up to the tank and dumps the whole load in it.

This time, I found it after dark, with a dead battery in the flashlight. I got lucky... I had left the heater unplugged and I used the little fishnet to skim the top of the tank to see if there was any ice. Nope...just poop! So I had to drain it and refill. Again.

This love/hate thing is definitely more love, than hate.I wouldn't change a thing! (Except maybe the poop part!)

BRR! BRR! BRRRRR!!!!!

2010-11-24T18:13:00.000-08:00

It is 6:00 pm and the temperature has dropped to 12 degrees. There is JUST ENOUGH of a breeze to make the windchill ZERO DEGREES!!!

I fed out 4 bales of hay and 30 pounds (wet) of alfalfa pellets, beet pulp, and aflafl cubes. I think the kids will have plenty of fuel to make them warm through the night.

It's supposed to be around 24 degrees tomorrow...

I SHOULDA SHUT-UP!!

2010-11-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

There I was... warm... fat... and happy! Talking about how the storm...wasn't. I shoulda shut the heck up because it is a full-blown blizzard out there now!

The wind is out of the north at 10 mph, the temperature has dropped to 20 degrees... I don't want to do the math but it must be like.. -40 out there!

Kaci and Foxy have blankets on. The rest have snow blankets. ALL of them are standing out in it!

We were released early from work... I left at 3:00 pm and didn't get home until 5:30 pm. I fed the horses, shoveled snow, hooked up the heated water tub, shoveled snow, and shoveled snow. I'm exhausted and ready for a hot bath and bed!

Below is my back porch. I can't remember the last time it snowed on my COVERED back porch... Must be Karma - getting back at me for poking fun at my Canadian friend...

Dodging The Bullet...So Far!

2010-11-21T15:02:00.001-08:00

While the wind is only 5 mph, it makes being outside FRIGID!! I think the high temperature so far is only 34 degrees.

Earlier I saw snow flakes, but by the time someone got to the window to verify, it had stopped. All around us, folks are getting snow. Walla Walla, 60 miles to the east, has a couple of inches on the ground. We have none!

I left the blankets on the kids (Kaci and Foxy) because I just don't know what the weather is going to do. We were supposed to have nasty cold wind out of the north - never showed, and snow flurries - 10 flakes don't count.

So the kids stay bundled up. When I warms up a later this week, I'll pull the blankets. Until then, the scrawny oldsters can use the blankets to stay warm and maybe add a few pounds.

The Calm Before The Storm

2010-11-19T15:07:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it that we are supposed to get a chance of snow this weekend. So I took the day to clean up, get water heaters plugged in, and etc. Bullwinkle helped... kind of... Mostly he just slobbered the handles.

I also wanted to do Foxy's blanket fit before it got cold. She was a little unsure, but was calm and patient. Once I was done, she just stood there with her eyes closed as if she was happy to finally be warm. Then She decided that the grain would be ok to eat while all bundled up.
I REALLY love this mare. She is the sweetest horse ever. Better even than Thai! It is my hope that Cathy leaves her here! I just adore her!

It was a little chilly this morning, but the afternoon was GORGEOUS!!

Crazy November Weather

2010-11-14T16:51:00.000-08:00

My friend in Minnesota got the first snowfall of winter over the weekend. She sent me this picture.

It was 65 degrees today and sunny! It's cooling off fast now that the sun has gone down, but GEEZ!! These are pictures I sent back to her...

It's a Thoroughbred thing...apparently!

2010-11-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

All summer, the Thoroughbreds were hog fat and in great condition! (Kaci, Texas Chili, and Lucy) They were on full-time pasture, supplemented with grain and grass hay. They looked great!

LOOKED!

Now, they locked off the pasture and on grass hay full time. While of good weight, their top-lines have gone to hell, and they are growing pot bellies. I couldn't figure it out! The other horses look great! Fat and Fuzzy!

I talked to Leslie with The Exceller Fund and a light came on.

THOROUGHBREDS NEED ALFALFA! (At least, they need the protein that alfalfa provides)

WHO KNEW!! Apparently every thoroughbred owner out there!

So I'm going to put in some alfalfa and feed the TBs differently than the air-puff QHs and the appy. UGH! Nothing like walking around looking like an idiot!

Crappy pictures

2010-10-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

When I go out to take photos, I can never get any good one. This is because my horses won't leave me alone! Unless someone is holding them, they are in my face! So here ya go... Pictures of the scared, abuse, starving horses at Vermillion Acres!

Mya

Lucy not wanting to be caught

Lucy caught...

Kaci

Jazzy

Millie

Foxy - Looking better?

Foxy Hiding in the barn after getting her feet trimmed.

Bullwinkle

Angel

Chili. Not he's not peeing, he just stands this way.

Stuff...

2010-10-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

A new farrier comes today to trim Foxy, Lucy and Mya. He comes highly recommended and does corrective shoeing. Foxy will need help with her DSLD, Lucy needs work on her underslung heels, and Mya is just long so I threw her into the line-up.

I woke up this morning to 50 degrees and fog. It had rained sometime in the night and was still dripping. After feeding, I cleaned two stalls.

Carl, a guy from work, was coming at 8:30 to pick up some poop. Apparently Carl doesn't own a watch or clock because it's now 8:50 and he still hasn't shown up. The farrier will be here at 9:30. Tick. Tock.

I think my biggest challenge this morning will be catching Lucy. She is SO anti-human! She wants absolutely NOTHING to do with people or contact. Since I moved her and Mya into the arena, I haven't been able to get near her. She is just not interested. Cathy tells me that she does love her carrots, so hopefully that will do the trick. Unfortunately, if she doesn't want to be caught, I don't think I'll be able to catch her. *sigh* Other people's horses!

I will have the camera with me this morning, so I'll be taking pictures of the kids. That'll be the next post.

Oh...I taped Bullwinkle. He's 2 1/2 years old and is 15.3 at the withers. When I taped him, he was pretty level. He appears to be butthigh, but we'll see what the pictures show...

ROAD TRIP!!!! (and other stuff too...)

2010-10-22T18:15:00.001-07:00

For once, not for me!

My friend Mindy (aka Shyanna's mom) got a new filly and we're going tomorrow to pick her up. She's cute and has been handled, and is located in Ontario, OR. Let's hope that she hops right in the trailer and we make it back before the snow hits the mountains!

Foxy Update -

Shy Miss Foxy is all settled in. She has taken to bossing Texas Chili around, though gently. He dotes on her. They remind me of an old married couple! She has also decided that she is comfortable enough to come into the stall in the back of the barn, nicker for her breakfast or dinner, and take a dump if I'm slow delivering the grub. She's put on a little weight, but her teeth are so bad that she can't really gain as much as I'd like, as quickly as I'd like. Another "road block" is that my normal "weight gain program" for horses includes food she can't have.

Other stuff

Our beautiful sunny fall weather - 35 over-night, 65 during the day - is supposed to come to a screeching halt this weekend. This morning, it was 50 degrees when I went out to feed. There were clouds, but it was warm with a light breeze. We're supposed to get wind over-night and the rain is supposed to start some time tomorrow night (hence the snow in the mountains). So, since we had a BEAUTIFUL day today, Mike decided he wanted to wait until Sat or Sun to blow out the sprinklers. Oh goody! JUST what I want to do! Stand in the cold and rain and wind! YEESH!

Now...sit down... I rode Angel today. Bareback, around the house. Yep. I did!

Highflalutin Fox

2010-10-10T10:17:00.001-07:00

Lovebirds - Foxy and Chili. They are so much alike personality-wise. There has been absolute ZERO drama between these two! Even though she's still not at optimal weight, you can tell she is a quality mare!

Is that not the cutest, sweetest face you've ever seen??

She has DSLD - Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Disorder. Poor baby!

Welcome Highfalutin Fox

2010-10-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Foxy arrived yesterday. Mike and I drove over to Carnation and picked her up.

What a NICE mare!!! OMG!! She walked right up to me, looked for the halter with her nose, and stood quietly while I latched the gate. Then she walked into the trailer without any hesitation. She rode quietly and stepped out at home as if nothing was amiss.

If you follow the Fugly blog, you probably know that she is a daughter of Barlink Macho Man. She was dumped at the Enumclaw Auction, WITH PAPERS, and rescued for $150.

Foxy is still thin and ribby, but even so, you can see she is a quality mare. I'll get some pictures when it stops raining.

I introduced her to Chili, because I think personality-wise, they are pretty compatible. The extent of the introduction drama was a nicker from Foxy. That's it!

Gotta love that!

This ~N~ That Again...

2010-10-01T11:23:00.001-07:00

I brought Millie home. I didn't want to, but I had to. Mike sat me down and talked about the budget, and how we had a kid in college. WHO KNEW that college was SO expensive??? Well I guess I did, but geez! So Millie came home for the winter and hopefully by next Spring, Kali will have gotten her grants and student loans figured out and we'll be able to send Millie back to Tara to finish the job.

Texas Chili

I show before and after pics from time to time. When I uploaded the pics from today and looked at the before, all I could say was "WOW". He just looks BETTER! On as side note of a (Chili) source of irritation, he's a cribber. He has destroyed two buckets, two in-ground sprinklers, and a heavy duty corner feeder (it was bolted to the walls of the stall with lag bolts - which he pulled out, and actually TORN the feeder).

Below are the WOW pics -
Before 7/04/10

After 10/01/10

Millie REALLY Goes To School!! And is doing well!

2010-09-24T14:27:00.001-07:00

I drove down and visited Millie today. My visit was to check on her, put some sand in her pen (cuz there were low spots and I didn't want her standing in muck and mud), and to get picks of her under saddle. I took a bozillion pictures with my cell phone, but my phone battery is failing and over-heating. So this was all I was able to get off the phone...so far...

The scary part is YES!...that is ME on Millie!

So...You think they're starving? They think so!

2010-09-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Mya and Lucy - Mya made a lot of noise, but the two are well matched and always together.

Kaci - He looks a little thin to me...

Jazzy - The Buttless Wonder - always starving

Bullwinkle - He's a big boy!

He wouldn't leave me alone so I could get a decent picture. I suppose I shouldn't complain... it could be worse...

Texas Chili!

My sweet Angel

2 DAYS - 2 WRECKS

2010-09-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

My friend Mindy came over to help me do some chores and replace the post that Angel broke yesterday (be sure to keep reading after this post...I put up pics). Before we got started, I turned Mya and Lucy out together to see if they'd get along ok. There was a lot of squealing on Mya's part, but for the most part, they got along fine.

While Mindy and I were digging up the post, I heard squealing and then the zipping sound of the fence being torn down. I looked up toward the back fence and saw where Lucy and Mya had been nosing the TB mare across the fence. Apparently, Mya had struck out and got her leg through one of the tapes of the fence. She is very respectful of the electric fence, and even though it was off, she reacted as if it were on.

The tape was still around her leg as she galloped off toward the barn. I had closed the gate, locking them out on pasture so I could clean the barn without the horses bugging me or getting in the way. Mya tried to stop, slid, then jumped into the gate. This probably saved her from breaking her neck, but it totally ruined the gate. Once again, I dodged the "vet bullet". There was only a little hair missing on the outside of one leg.

Mindy, checking out the damage. Yup... it's a total loss.

You can see the downed tape still laying in the pasture. We had to fix that too...

RAIN?!? We don't get RAIN here!!

2010-09-19T09:06:00.001-07:00

Well, apparently this weekend, we're getting rain. We were awakened by thunderstorms Friday morning at 2 am. We got a little over-night Saturday, then woke to rain this morning.

Now... someone explain to me just how THIS happened?

Angel and Mya were goofing around and I found this. The sprinkler is intact. There aren't a lot of skid marks, though there are some hoof prints on the wrong side of the fence. Angel has a bruise the size of my palm on the point of her shoulder with a piece of skin the size of a quarter missing. On the front of her stifle, there's some hair missing, but not a lot of swelling. Not a mark on Mya. I can't figure it out... guess I get to replace the post today.

I FOUND THE BATTERY CHARGER!!

2010-09-10T18:13:00.001-07:00

That mean I was finally able to take pictures of the living room. (I'll bore you with crappy pictures of the horses either tomorrow or Sunday)

Been crazy busy, but lots of updates!

2010-09-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

I still can't find the charger for the battery in my camera, so I still don't have pictures of the living room all put back together! It's lovely though!

On Friday, Sept 4, we picked up Mya, a 17 yr old registered Trakehner mare. She's bay, with a darling face, and wee bit of white on her forehead. All I've got are crappy cell pics, but they'll have to do.

She supposedly has been shown English and dressage. I'm going to have the vet take a look at her, because she looks pregnant to me. I'm hoping for "just fat"! Once we get the "just fat" diagnosis, I'm going to take her to an english/dressage trainer to assess what she knows. So far though, she has settled in, learned the routine, and has been very friendly.

Mike's son, Matt, drove from Alabama to stay with us while he looks for a job. He arrived Tuesday morning at 5:30. So far, so good. Apparently, his impending arrival was the reason for Mike's less than spetacular explosion at the news that another horse would be joining our personal herd. Even if the mare only cost me the amount of fuel, meals, time, and one night on a crappy hotel mattress.

We spent two days last weekend helping Mindy, Shyanna's mom, at her new place. The previous tenants were less than adequate when it came to yard/pasture maintenance, and it was a much bigger job than Mindy could handle on her own. So we built a fence, trimmed back trees, removed the brush from the pasture, repaired irrigation lines and sprinklers, filled in small holes, repair gates and, laid in two ton of hay. Sonny and Shyanna, who are horrible mothered-up, are now over at Mindy's and SHE can deal with them. (They really aren't that bad, but I expected drama from Sonny if Shyanna left without him.)

This weekend, we get to fix a sprinkler of our own, thank you very much Chili! We also need to finish picking up the poop and repair fences - thank you Bullwinkle, Sonny, and Kaci for your drama!

On Saturday, we are going back to Mindy's to fix the sprinkler that Shyanna broke, and we're taking the tractor to fill in the pits that are on the other part of the pasture. Mike might ever use the tractor to dig up some of the Dutch Elm tree suckers that are here and there. Mindy has already a nice sandy area that used to be an arena. If we can change the fencing a little bit, she might be able to section it off again, although she prefers trail riding instead of riding in a circle. Can't say that I blame her.

I'm sure there is a TON more than I've done in the past two weeks, but I can't think of it now. Guess it wasn't important...

Have a great weekend and hug your horses!

Heard in the Pasture....

2010-08-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Jazzy: What?
Kaci (in a British accent): Come my pet. Let us move.

Bullwinkle: WHAAAT is THAT?
Angel: It's a grass cutter.
Bullwinkle: What's it doing to mom?
Angel: Nothing. Mom's riding it.
Bullwinkle: Are you sure? It looks like it's eating her or something.
Everyone snickers
Angel: Yes. She's fine.

Texas Chili (with a Texas accent, of course): C'mon sweet thang. Let's mosey on over here.
Lucy: Hmmm

Jazzy: Yooo hooo Soonnnyyyy.
Sonny (in a sexy Italian accent): Yes my precious?
Jazzy: Wanna sniff my nose?
Kaci: I say! Come back here!
Sonny: ooooh yes, mi amore. Let me snuffle you.
Jazzy squeals and squats
Kaci: Old chap. Do you mind? The lady is spoken for.
Sonny: So you say.
Shyanna: Jazzy, you're a slut.
Jazzy: So?

Texas Chili to Lucy: I'll have you know my pet, you are my only love.
Lucy: Whatever. You're eating my grass.
Texas Chili: I beg your pardon. Here, take mine.
Lucy: Whatever.

Bullwinkle: OH NO!! IT'S COMING TO GET ME!!
Angel: Just move out of the way.
Bullwinkle: MOVE? I need to run! It's gonna get me.
Angel: No it's not. Mom cutting the long grass.
Bullwinkle: Are you sure?
Angel: Yes. Look. In front it's long, and in back it's short.
Bullwinkle: Why is she doing that?
Angel: Because you aren't eating it.
Bullwinkle: Eww! No! I pooped there.
Angel: So what's the problem?
Bullwinkle: I'm going to the barn. It keeps trying to get me.

Jazzy: Oh Sonny. You're so cute.
Kaci: Madam, I simply can not tolerate this behavior.
Sonny: My love, you are exquisite.
Kaci: I say, old chap. Bugger off!
Shyanna: Give it up, mate. She's ignoring you.
Jazzy: Well, all the boys DO love me.
Shyanna: That's cuz yer a brazen hussy.
Jazzy: Giggles...

Bullwinkle: Angel! Look out!
Angel: I'm fine. See? I step out of the way and she goes right by.
Bullwinkle: Oh my gosh!!! oh my gosh oh my gosh!!!
All snicker...
Angel: You're such a scary cat!
Bullwinkle: I am not. What's a cat?
Angel: That little fuzzy animal that catches mice in the barn.
Bullwinkle: What's a mice?
Angel: Those tiny fuzzy animals that eat your grain.
Bullwinkle: Oh. Are you sure mom is ok?
Angel: Yes. She's just riding the thing, just like she does us.
Bullwinkle: She doesn't ride me.
Angel: She will.
Bullwinkle: Nuh uh...
All snicker...

Texas Chili: I love you.
Lucy: Whatever.

Jazzy: Woo hoo... Sonny... I'm standing here and junk...
Sonny: Why yes you are..
Kaci: Sir! Please leave her alone.
Shyanna: Give it up old man..

Catching up...

2010-08-23T19:46:00.001-07:00

We've moved back into the living room. It's amazing. I wish I could find the battery charger for the camera so I could take pictures.

HOWEVER... the dust from the carpet that we pulled up went EVERYWHERE! Add that dust to the paint dust, and you guessed it... we've been cleaning everything and just when we think we're done, we get to start over.

Learn from my fail - close all the bedroom doors and turn off the AC BEFORE you pull up the carpet!

I still haven't been able to ride Sonny. Or Angel. Or any of the horses. First it was too hot. Then when it cooled down, I caught up on cleaning the barn and stalls. Then I was too tired. Excuses I know, but I don't have anyone to ride with yet. My friend Mindy moved back on Sunday, so once she's settled in, I'll have a riding buddy. Quirky neighbor??? Um... NO! It's a long story that doesn't bear repeating. But it was the final straw. I'm still civil, but not interested in anything more than the occasional chit-chat. 'nuf said.

I've got a BUNCH of horses here. Lucy, Chili, Bullwinkle, Angel, Shyanna, Sonny, Jazzy, and Kaci. Millie is in training and will come home Sept 15. Foxy will come to retire as soon as she gets a ride. And, there may be another horse coming to stay. Shyanna will go home to live with her mom, Mindy. I may do a lease deal with her and have her take Sonny too. He's just sitting here getting fatter, and he and Shyanna are buddied up. We'll see. I gotta figure out where to put everyone for the winter. UGH! I need more property...

So for now, we are trying finish up projects and get ready for winter. I know it's only August, but there is a chill in the air and it feels like fall already! Either that or I got acclimated to the 104 degree weather we were having.

Inside Project #2 - The Floor

2010-08-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Christine - The Floor Goddess

Steve - The Floor God!

1600/10.JPG">

Inside Project #1

2010-08-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

Paint. I HATE painting!! And since we have vaulted ceilings and I also HATE ladders, we paid professionals! I think they did a nice job and I really like how it turned out. There will be MORE pics of this room early next week after we get the new floor in and the furniture moved back it.

Doin' a little landscapin'

2010-08-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

We just had to. It looked like crap. I'm SO HAPPY with how it turned out. I still have to plant my Spring bulbs (Daffodils, Tulips, and Crocus) but I've got a few months to get that done.