Thursday, April 29, 2010

Thoughts on a Thursday

I second guess myself. I am a person who listens to her instincts. Some people call it your "innate" being...... I believe my instincts are generally sound and I get into trouble when I second guess them. Still it is hard....there are outside opinions to listen to, there are articles to read on particular subjects, there is emotion weighing in, there is logic to define situational reaction, .........there is "what feels comfortable and safe",,,there is what is easiest to do......I can get distracted ..and so in the end I try to block out all of the white noise from my mind and just make a decision.
Decisions are sometimes gut wrenching.
in the rescue business you decide to end a life and it feels like playing God..........you wish someone else could take this away......do something, fix something........change something....and then you realize ...there is only you.......no one is going to come galloping up on a white stallion.
Outsiders may never see how hard it is.
I keep a tough exterior to most of the world and I cry in private.
But........I carry my grief around and it gets heavy sometimes.........I might say to my very closest friend that I have a lot of unresolved grief...my dad's death, the death of friends, the death of a horse I have loved.......... I never get rid of it....never found a way to erase the hurt. You always read that time heals but does it really? no.......some things can never heal.

The death part always make me want to stop....stop rescuing because I know there is always going to be death to deal with. I hate that part. I want the roses, symphony music ending.

So I will add to my backpack of grief tomorrow. I am of course, feeling melancholy and tense about Mercy. I steel myself against thinking about it during the day....and when I get to the barn, I am confronted with reality. I have a living, breathing horse in my barn who will die tomorrow and I will deliver her.
Heartbreaking.
Humans have continually failed her and now it seems I will have also. I have healed her starving body but have not healed her wounded spirit.

God speed Mercy and may you find something better than you had here on earth.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:


The silence is deafening when you ask the question.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Too long Tuesday

This morning would have fooled me.......well, it did fool me.......the sky was blue, the sun was shining......blankets? no blankets? hmm......too hot? too cold? I left the blankets on, not trusting the day to go on as it looked at 7am........and it was a good thing because as soon as I got to town......black sky........rain, wind........just generally ugly and then it rained all day long.
Today I am sick of the rain. I try to be understanding but cmon.....enough is enough already......bring out the sun.

Tarbaby's feet are better and I will turn him out on the pasture when the sun finally comes out....as it simply must in a day or two or three......? He is actually a little fat......fat old man horse with buck teeth....you have to love him.

I got some alfalfa hay for the big boys and it was an immediate hit.....no complaining........and nothing left in the stall....it is all eaten up. Beaver, of course, does not get any....too rich for his pony blood......he gets the cheap stuff.

Promise is shedding and her coat is going to be gorgeous.....very shiny and she is getting some muscle too.

Sully is coming along and is being ridden in the round pen at walk, trot and canter. He is getting over his fear issue and should be just fine. We have an endurance rider who is interested in him ...but we need to let Sully have a full month at Cam's.....at least. We want him to be safe and we want anyone riding him to be safe. We are pleased to find out that it is not aggressive behavior on Sully's part.

Now for the bad news......it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that Mercy will be humanely euthanized on Friday. Although she has been much better with me handling her, we had an unfortunate incident last weekend with Mercy and a volunteer. We cannot take any chances of interactions like this again and for farm safety, Mercy will be euthanized. A very hard decision but necessary. She has been treated well here with us...good food, clean stall, lots of water........, but horses here need to be handled, groomed, vetted and it all needs to be done safely. Last weekend proved that this is impossible with Mercy. The kindest thing we can do for her is this.

This weekend we will refence some of the perimeter fencing........we have two small stretches left. We are working on finding someone to grade the arena too and also working on sand.
I put a sink in the barn........just a utility sink,,,,,,,but good enough for us to wash our hands or soak towels in......our own little drain system too. We will also hang the new gate and install the gate opener/closer......did I mention that we need gravel? I think the gravel migrates......honestly.

Enjoy your week......whisper a prayer for Mercy and a little one for me too.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

It is not what you expected .........at all.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Solemnly Saturday

Very tired this morning.......wanted to sleep in longer....wanted to drink more coffee and linger around the house a little......but horses are waiting, chickens are waiting.....barn cat wants out......I have to get up and get going.

Today is an anniversary day of My friend Chris A's death. Chris and I worked together for 26 years. Chris died three years ago of brain cancer. I don't know why......I don't understand why......I can't make judgement calls any more for how folks deal with the oncoming death of a loved one.........I will say I was full of anger at the time. Chris was married, had two children.....his cancer diagnosis was sudden. He underwent a 16 hour surgery for 5 brain tumors. He had the best doctors and the most current procedures for the battle against brain cancer. Sadly the surgery was not successful and the next treatment was radiation, which could leave him mentally incapcitated or partially paralzyed.......or.......? Completely unknown. It was his only chance and so he went for it. It left him paralyzed on one side and then he began to have seizures.......which meant the tumors were growing again. His wife had the paramedics come and get him......he went to the hospital and then to a hospice. She never saw him again....but I did. I went every day to feed him and to talk to him...I played CD's for him and I told him bad jokes. The nurses were literally angels....so very kind. They called me with questions about his medications and I met with them each day to get the day's information. I helped bathe him and fed him ice cream. I listened to him speak about angels and devils. I held his hand and I told him he needed to let go. I was with him when he died and I held his hand the entire time and encouraged him to "go". His wife never showed up. I held a funeral memorial for him and gathered his friends......such a big life.......such a comedian.........such a softie.......I still expect him to this day to call me or show up in my office....out of the blue, with his crooked smile........saying "hey Rosemary?".........
One of our favorite songs to play was by Snow Patrol (Chasing Cars) and I cannot help but think of it as Chris' song now whenever I hear it. I listened to it this morning and wept a little.
Chris.......we miss you and think of you often.

We got a lot of work done today. All of the arena fencing is up...the old stuff down........and it looks wonderful. Thank you everyone who helped.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Throw out Thursday




Long day at work.......come home ....errrrrrrr....stop at barn.........Kim is there......how very nice to have help this evening and a Pony Up person to chat with. We clean, feed and discuss Saturday's projects.......how the arena gates will go........who goes in what paddock......what needs painted.........priorities.......etc, etc.......

No rain today....even a patch of sun late this afternoon.

Pete did not come back.

We treated Tarbaby's feet and his feet seem a little better..overall he seems more comfortable.

I am suspicious that Mercy is pregnant. OY VEY......... yes, I have been saying she is in heat, but some mares do weird things. Her belly is BIG. Hay belly? maybe...maybe not. Heavy sigh.
Especially big on one side, the way a belly might be if a foal is turned. Now, I don't know where she was or who she was with........or when. I only know she was starved last winter and neglected. We will have to make an appointment....MARES = DRAMA...I tell you......DRAMA.

I got an email from my sister in law several months back on some deal called Tagged....and so I included my name. Something sort of like Facebook I guess. I never really paid any attention.......I just signed up as her friend........because that is what friends do....they sign up on stupid sites as your friend so you don't look like you don't have any friends. I haven't given it a thought really until this week, I started getting weird emails........saying I was tagged by so and so. ...then you open the email up and it says that so and so clicked YES on you......."are you interested".........HUH? Interested in what? If you click the link, it shows you a picture of the person who clicked on you.........ummm........someone named King Tut and someone else who looks like Charles Manson...........not interested?. Right.
Okay, I decide that I need to QUIT "Tagged" post haste. ...you have to hunt around the site to find that section. I find it and guess what? It requires a password. What is the damn password? Hell, I don't know. ...I did this six months ago and never looked at it again.....Is there a place to retrieve the password? NO. I start typing in potential passwords........ah.....luck.......I hit the jackpot........but then it says .........are you sure you want to quit? there is no button for HELL YES.......but I click YES.......then I get another email........are you really sure? Y E S........I am really sure. So fair warning.....if you send me something and say I thought you should join this or that you would be my friend on this page..........NOPE.....I won't.

Busy day tomorrow......I go to see Winston, of course to the feed store.....and to get hay. In the morning I will clean stalls and paddocks, maybe take blankets off if the weather is nice.

enjoy your weekend and I hope the weather is warm for all of us.......I could use the break and I am sure you can too.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

You will find joy in a simple thing.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wait......it's Wednesday

Still gray weather and cold enough to wear my Carhart in the morning and at the end of the day ...c'mon spring.....I know you are out there.

We are sort of sad to say that Pete the Peacock apparently went home. He left sometime yesterday and we have not seen him since. After all this time we really got used to him and thought he would stay with us. okay, we got attached to him and his glorious plumage...but apparently he wants a mate and so off he went. Good luck Pete!

I had a small breakthrough with Mercy today. She nuzzled me and rubbed her head on my shoulder, then allowed me to scratch her poll. I know this doesn't sound huge.....but it is huge for her. She does not like to be touched......and she prefers no contact zones with people. She stood by me for a long time, ears forward and relaxed. Maybe we are wearing her down........or she is tired of fighting or who really knows....but I am glad she craves at least some attention from me.

Promise is also turning into a little social butterfly.......she actively seeks out grooming from anyone standing near her. She sometimes resorts to stall walking when she feels nervous or if something is diffent at the farm. She is finally starting to shed that nasty worm fur....and she will be a lovely bay color. Her weight is good too. Time to start working her in hand a little when the weather turns better. A project for Ryan I think........

I didn't get any construction work done this week at the farm, although I started to compile a huge "to do" list again. It never stops.........like I always say....but most days I feel like we are gaining....at least a little. Nothing that 50 thousand dollars couldn't easily cure.......lol....and then reality set in.

We will have a guest horse this summer.........a horse I placed a good long while ago. We have agreed to keep him while his owner travels this summer. Silk is an old Arab gelding.......almost starved to death at one time........but now lives a life of luxury on Fox Island........he will come and stay June through September at Pony Up. We look forward to seeing him.

Sully is coming along at the Jones Farm. I think he will come along okay and there is a potential adopter in the wings. Don't I always say that? Optimistic.....I believe there is an adopter for every horse. Sometimes the stars and the moon have to line up, but hey, it does happen.

Vinnie, by all reports is also coming along nicely......and he lives in a beautiful barn with a great big pasture and a really nice woman who ADORES him. You go Vinnie....you go! You deserve the best and I believe you got it.

One of these days I will get around to putting a book together of all the horses who have galloped into my heart and then trotted out to someone else's waiting arms. Sometimes I can't remember how many......the where's, the whens....but I remember each horse.

I am listening to a growling cat.......a cat who is being mauled by a puppy......a cat who refuses to use his brain and jump up on something, but instead lays on the floor and growls/howls as loud as he can......while the puppy enjoys it. Honestly it sounds like an alley cat fight. The pup is learning how to properly deal with a cat......and it's claws. Proper ettiquette for a house dog who lives with cats......back off and look at the cat, then wag your tail.......then walk off like you are not the least bit interested.......then when the cat relaxes, run back and jump on him.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

reach your hand out, you might be surprised.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Sun comes Sunday

I get up on Sunday and it is gray.....hmm.....I think, well it is going to rain all day, like the day before and so I drag myself around and finally get to the barn....a little late. I get to work feeding and cleaning.
Ryan calls and says the sun is out where he is......so we decide that maybe the day will not be gray after all..........Ryan drives up and we work on the arena fencing. The sun is definitely out.....it is hot actually.....all the horses are napping in the dirt while we work with the posts. We get the whole south end done..........what a lot of work but save by the fact that we had the auger on the tractor and did not have to dig by hand.
We also pulled up the old gate posts and moved the driveway gate back far enough so that we can pull the trailer and truck all the way in without having to sto in the road......and now we can put the gate opener on the gate!
Next weekend we will stretch the fence on the posts and tear down the old fencing. What a chore....but it will be so good to have it done and it will look so much better. Then of course we need to grade the arena and haul some sand in.
Did I say the work is never done? One chore is finished and another one appears. Some day.....some day.
With the dry weather we got some dryer fields and that is a good sign........it will mean dryer feet and horses who can go out in the field.

We still need to cut fence post tops off..........we have some that are different lengths.....due to me buying what I could get my hands on.....and what was available.

Long week ahead......projects and more projects........we have to find time to ride ...or begin to ride some of the rideables.....Max, Ollie.........and Promise.

Sully was worked at the Jones Farm again today and made progress. He is not being mean......or nasty..........he is just scared of something. Lots of round penning, sacking out and some confidence.......we have high hopes he will turn out just fine. He was a good boy in the trailer as always....he has good ground manners.

off to bed.....

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

keep your committments, you have folks counting on you.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Such a lot of Saturday

Up not so early.....I slept in a little........tired...grumpy......stiff.......hard to get going this morning.
It is a gray, cool morning.....rain is sprinkling down.......I can hear in my mind the weather forecast from earlier this week......."clear and up to 70 degrees on Saturday" and I think to myself that either I was dreaming or the weather forecast was for Palm Springs. great.....just great. I don't want to fence in the rain......I just don't.
I drink coffee, drag my sorry self around ......let the dogs out, feed the dogs......then shower and head to the barn. I am chastised by the prisoners who say I am LATE and they are hungry....in fact starving.....I take my lumps......and get to feeding. I let the chicks out........they are hungry too.
Ryan comes and we talk about fencing.........we have the auger attachment for the tractor......but I have to take Sully to Maple Valley......I didn't do it yesterday........and today I really must. I ask Ryan to come with me and we will work on a sunnier, warmer day. He agrees. So we groom Sully and load him up.....and off we go. We stop for coffee and gas.........arrive at the Jones Farm shortly after noon. Sully is stalled in the lovely barn with other horses who have blue blood pedigrees.......we don't tell him he is any different.....although I think he is the smallest horse in the barn. Big things come in little packages.

We visited and looked at horses on the farm.......laughed and talked about old times.......then we got on the road again to go home........to feed horses, put chickens to bed..........rest.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow>>>>>>

It is not who you know but what you know.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

thursday come and gone

Today of course is my Friday........and just in time as always.

I made my way to the barn this morning and really could not determine how or what or why on the weather at hand. I mulled it over and then decided to take blankets off for the day......then fed everyone hay and grain. The dieting arrangement is not going over well with the big boys.....they are anxious and persistant about getting MORE than they GOT. Too bad...the weather is not that cold and they have several good layers of fat.

The chickens are growing.......no more heat lamp, they are now in the coop with the big birds....except for the adopted banty's little ones..........she is taking them all over the farm and teaching them to dig for bugs and how to sunbathe. At night she carefully takes them into the barn and into a dog crate that I have bedded with hay. I close them in for their safety at night.
There is some animal in the barn who is coming in and going through the beet pulp bucket......throwing it here and there.....not really eating it. I hope it is not a possum.

Tomorrow, I take Sully to the Jones Farm......he he he....he has NO idea...but I imagine when we unload at the Jones Farm he will go...........he will say HOLY crap...it is the Jones Farm where I was castrated and saddled........! I am anxious to see how he does.......fingers crossed.

I will also see Winston tomorrow.........it has been a couple of weeks. I hear he is being a good boy and learning quickly.

Tarbaby is no better today with his feet and so I may try to have him examined as well tomorrow.....he is on bute and foot soaks.......he might need some sand in his paddock.
he and Mercy are fast friends......eat together, nap together......she screams at him and he bares his teeth at her and then they just eat and forget about it. Mares.........drama..........poor geldings.

I am sitting here at my computer and occasionally glancing out my window at my koi pond. The pond is about 14 x 14....landscaped and about three to three and half feet deep. Imagine my surprise to see Mr. and Mrs. Mallard in the pond........uprooting plants and splashing around. Yeah, I know.......a pond is a pond is a pond when you are a mallard.......but approximately 500 feet to the north is a very LARGE duck pond.......and I simply do not see the draw to the koi pond other than it is private and possibly romantic for two ducks in love. I went out there and they didn't care.........they never flew off. Where is the labrador when you need her?

Well..........I am tired and ready to go to bed......up early tomorrow.....probably a long day.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Break the chain........break the bank.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Thinking out loud Tuesday

Time ticks by.........it hardly seems like it can be Tuesday evening going on Wednesday morning....but it is and the week comes at us.
Strange weather this morning......cloudy, sprinkling rain enough to curl my obstinate hair......these are the kind of days when I just can't try to control it....call me Roseanne Roseanna Danna.... I give up. It is chilly and I am bundled up like mid winter.

I listen to Classic Country this morning on my way to the barn.......something corny comes on by Loretta Lynn and I cringe at the words as she sings them.......then I turn the station because I can't take the lyrics.......this isn't the 60's........I find something else........Bob Seger and I feel more at ease...........Old Time Rock n Roll.........something we can dance to ....ummm,,,,,,I mean if we had to.
As I drive to the barn, I pass an orchard and I spot a yearling deer........it is pinto colored....no joke........pinto! Almost like someone spilled bleach across the back.....driving and no camera handy........my luck.
TarBaby has both front feet sore now. Perplexed. It is possible to have two abcesses going....but hmmm.......It seems suspicious. His feet are not overly warm.........he is not cresty......not obese.....but it is almost a week and the work "laminitis" creeps into my thoughts. I take him off his grain and I hate to do it because he doesn't eat much hay.....I give him some bute to ease his pain. He has had a hoof disease in his previous life......I don't even know what it is called......but it is rare and he was studied by WSU and the master farriers.........a whole group of folks.....perhaps he has it back........I was told it never really goes away. Sigh....big sigh.

Mercy is still being Mercy......she came to me for hay tonight.......gave me a dirty look, put her ears back and then nuzzled me. Go figure. She hates me, she loves me.

Promise has adjusted well to Breeze being gone and she is developing a little personality........she loves her grain..........well, don't they all? But she also likes to be petted and brushed now, which is a big change.

We are supposed to have GOOD weather on Friday and Saturday, so we can do more fencing.....maybe make our fire pit too. We resolve to have a barbeque, fireside grilling at the barn this spring and summer.....no matter what. We deserve it.

It is back to the large frog chorus outside my door......I am listening as I type this........you can't just listen to one......there must be a million of them.........all in my pond. Some croak fast and with a regular rhythm, while others croak s l o w l y...........and others croak sporadically. I like frogs.......adorable mosquito eating machines..

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Don't forget to pick up where you left off.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Oh............Saturday

beautiful morning........cold and windy......almost felt like winter for a while while I walked the dogs.
I got up at 5am with the dogs, put them out and walked them around, made coffee......went back to bed......slept in a little......got up, drank coffee.......read email.....brush teeth, shower, brush hair..........go to barn.
The new chicks are doing great with their adoptive momma. I keep them in a crate at night for their own safety and let them out come morning. They are growing already.....getting little wing feathers and tails.
So today we had a lot to accomplish and accomplish we did. We resolved to replace the perimeter fencing that runs the driveway .....some posts were rotten and the board fence part had many rotten boards as well.....plus we don't want to paint a board fence every year. We replaced all posts with no climb fencing and new wood posts.. LOOKS GREAT! Hard work ...indeed. Three of us got it done. Next weekend we will do the arena.......we didn't have an auger for the tractor. Thank goodness for the tractor......it enabled us to pull the fence tight.
Thank goodness for volunteers......to get the job done.

The sun was out for a good portion of the day and although the wind was brisk, we worked without coats most of the day. Such a nice change from the steady course of rain that we have had.
Ryan helped me feed and I cleaned Mercy's stall.......then we called it a day. Very productive.
Tomorrow I go to look at an RV for the caretaker position. This will enable me to have a day off every once in a while and also help someone with a place to live.

Breeze went to a new home on Friday. I was misty eyed to send her off.......it is always that way when I have cared for a horse for a long while. You hope for the best. Sort of like sending your kid to college , I suppose.

I am worn out..........grilling salmon for dinner, drinking a glass of red wine........hope to watch a movie but not sure I can stay awake that long.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

It is not that complicated..........just do it.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Too late Thursday

gosh, I am behind schedule in almost everything..........too much to do ...my plate is full.

Wednesday we got the cement poured and voila.......now we have a shoeing stand and the beginning of a wash stall. It is fabulous! Thank you to Tom M. for helping us.........you are so generous. This weekend we will put a roof on it and frame the sides.

Okay, I made the little banty hen happy. I told you she was sitting on eggs and that she never hatches her own.........I had put two of another hen's eggs under her.......but I got an idea at the feed store when I saw the week old chicks........and so yes........I did it. I bought two chicks and at dark I slipped them under her and took her eggs. I kept my fingers crossed........the chicks went right under her (good sign) and she was quiet. I checked on her first thing in the morning and all was well.........she was strutting the chicks in the yard, calling to them and they were listening. ...and she was a force to be reckoned with near the other chickens. She has no idea that her chicks are unrelated to her and to each other...........a Rhode Island Red and a Barred Rock. ...and hey, I get two purebred chickens out of the deal.........supposedly hens! We will see.

The weather......oh........the weather. It is winter again. Cold, windy, rainy.................frosty......and maybe snow tonight. Good golly.......I am easily fooled as I thought it was summer already. We are supposed to get high winds tonight as well. I have to admit, I love the wind........the sound, the feel...the strength......the swaying of the trees.........yep, I love it.

Breeze will be going tomorrow.......and then next week Sully goes back to the Jones Farm........maybe there will be rest for the weary. I feel like I am burning the candle on both ends....some days worse than others. I think I need a vacation.........Hawaii..........Mexico.......Palm Springs........ yep........I do.

I think I have dewormed Promise about 14 times now.......she was probably the worst we have seen with worm infestation. Hopefully she can shed her coarse hair and gain some weight. I must get pictures. I am bad about getting "before" pictures.......but believe me, she looks bad. I am hopeful she can turn into a better looking filly. She does love her grain........she still frets about being away from Breeze, but I figure it is better to have a slow separation than a quick ugly one.

I put the boys on a diet because I did not realize what a fatso Church and Max had become. They are huge. I cut grain back and a little hay. They hate to diet......always hungry those boys are. Oh and Yukon too......he got a diet at the foster home. ...fat old man.

I was treated to Chinese food for lunch. I had vegetable Egg Foo Yung.........hmmm........thank you Becky.......my turn next time. If you have never tried Egg Foo Yung......you simply have to.......sort of like an omelette with gravy and vegetables........and I am sure it depends on where you have it. ...but I highly recommend the Emperors Palace.......good service and delicious.

The sun came out for a few hours today *Thursday and I didn't get much time in it.......it was still cold and windy, so not like I was going to get a sun tan anyway........but it was nice to see it after all this rain.

On the way home I listened to Boz Scaggs with "Lido Shuffle".......older than dirt......right?
I still am considering Sirious radio so I don't have to listen to dumb commercials. The last thing I want to hear is commercials when all I really want is music.

Tomorrow...........errands, visit Winston......feed store, bank..........clean the barn, maybe shovel snow.....who knows? I think I will purchase the posts for the arena and the fencing material, so we can be prepared for when the sun comes out and we are a little dryer. I can hardly wait.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow.

Sometimes a lie is more pleasant than a hurtful truth.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

So so Sunday

Another week has gone by......another day with rain and some wind. I didn't get much done besides one new nest box for the hens.........oh and I did find the broody banty and her nest of 8 eggs. She has been hidden for two weeks and I didn't have the heart to boot her off the nest. I put two of another chicken's eggs under her because she usually only hatches one or none at all...I am not sure why...so she will have a chick.....or two. She works so hard at hatching them...it is sad when none of them hatch. Last year she sat twice with zero chicks produced. She is getting old so maybe this is her last hurrah...anyway, she has two "good" eggs under her now.

We moved the horses around on Saturday, so that Breeze can have some stall rest for her leg.......Promise is not happy. She is back to paddock walking and running her teeth along the edge of the gate. She really is a horse who needs a buddy all the time....it is her security blanket. We have no one else for her to buddy up with right now.

We also moved Mercy to the outside loafing shed and she has made friends with Tarbaby who shares his hay with her and stands with her in the rain or wind....even though he has his own stall.
We soaked Tarbaby's foot twice on Saturday and once this morning. I am sure he has an abcess.....swollen ankle and ouchy foot. Probably has a gravel......and it will have to work it's way out.

Beaver and Sully groomed each other in the "twenty" minutes of sun that we had today......over the fence.........all they have is each other, so I guess any port in a storm and they can go back to hating each other later but right now there is grooming to be done.

We will make arrangements for Sully to go back to The Jones Farm in the next week or so... to get to the bottom of his canter issue.

The weekend was too lousy to work on the fencing project of the arena.........but hopefully next weekend we will have some decent weather or else we will give up the notion of working in good weather and just get it done anyway.

It is raining Thoroughbreds........free.......free......everywhere........old ones, young ones, ones off the track, some event trained.......some retired.... but no room at the inn currently. I always have an eye for Tb's......bay......short backed, tall, leggy.........beauty is in the eye of the beholder .......come and see my own horses sometime.........they look like they were cookie cut outs of each other. There has never been a better color of horse than bay........NEVER. IMHO.

We are looking for an RV still........have our eye on a couple.......and will buy something at the beginning of next month. This will be housing for a hired hand......it will help us and we can help a person who needs a place to live. A win win situation.......


Easter morning and I worked by myself........fed, cleaned, watered and fed chickens and barn cats. I have been wondering why the cat food is going so fast and low and behold this morning, I found out why.........we have two extra cats....okay.....they are NOT our cats, but they are eating OUR cat food in OUR cat room..........a black one and a gray one who has a half of a tail. Who knew? I don't mind if they eat......I would rather feed them than raccoons or possums. I need one of those hidden camera's to see what comes in the barn at night.


Well......here comes a new week........still lots of work to be done.........and yep, I will say it again, we need gravel and this year I think we will put some sand in too........oh and sand reminds me that we will need sand for the arena.........LOTS of sand....think Sahara.....yes, now you have it.
I wonder how we will get everything done and then I think about all we have done and accomplished.....lots of good things have come our way.........we are thankful and always hopeful.
The farm is coming along.......sometimes by leaps and bounds, sometimes by inches.....but always a progression.

thanks for your support and friendship!


Pony Up Fortune for tomorrow:


Exercise integrity and put the brakes on ego.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Fly a way Friday

OOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhh...the wind was back today..........62MPH in some spots......with associated rain.......the paddocks are soggy and there is water everywhere. I will be glad for some sun, even some dust at this point! I love dust....really I do........and flies......and dry hooves.....

I didn't really do much today besides feed, clean and then I went home, the weather was so bad......horses have been in stalls voluntarily.......an of course the stalls were a mess. When the weather is like this, I feed lots of hay to keep them busy an occupied.

I didn't even go see Winston today...........way too much wind.....I needed to stay close to home. I left the barn around noon and decided I could take a nap. Yep, the dogs and I had a two hour nap and it was grand. The house was quiet, save the wind and pouring rain......and we drifted off while the storm carried on. Woke up, brewed some fresh coffee and back to the barn........put the chickens up......fed horses, locked the barn up........and back home to fix dinner.

Not sure what the weather will hold tomorrow. I had hoped to start on arena fencing...but not if it is raining and pouring like today. No fun.

TarBaby has an abcess......so he got some bute, some antibiotic and a foot cleaning.....he will get an Epson salts soak in the morning if nothing has broken through.

Breeze and Promise are potentially headed for new digs next week....stay tuned for details.

We had the slightest breakthrough with Mercy........she is rubbing on me and snuffles my sleeves..licked my hands.......I know it doesn't seem like much, but if you had seen her before.......well, it is really a big deal. So far this is just with me..... keep saying some prayers for her.....or send positive thoughts her way. She has been a very tortured soul for a long while and we are all she has....it has been a difficult situation for all of us. You expect them to WANT to make friends with you..........you expect them to be grateful I guess.......but it doesn't always work that way.

I hope your weekend, wherever you are is less wet than mine........

Pony UP fortune for tomorrow:

Celebrate a victory........embrace a kindness.