Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Winter boots

    Ever have a pair of old comfy shoes, you just love to slide your feet into??  I have several... ( yep, shoes are my thing!)    My favorite ( and currently only) pair of winter boots are like that.  They are Sorels, I purchased them about 10 years ago ( hey, when I find something I love, I hang onto it!).   They are the slip on kind, no laces.  Completely waterproof ( and snowproof), they are on my feet at least twice a day from the beginning of winter through spring.  I have often wished I could find the exact type of boot out there somewhere, and buy about 5 more pairs, so I can have those wonderful boots for the rest of my life!   The only thing I wish were  different would be that the leather upper would be slightly longer.   Many is the time I have been doing chores in the springtime ( hence the "mud zone") and have sunk into the mud higher than the top of my boots... I know many of you have suffered from this same happening in the springtime.  So, there I am, arms full of hay, boots sunk into mud over my shins, trying to balance with my legs splayed and arms immobile.   What do YOU think happens?   Yep, I lose my boots, ...   every time.   There I am, stocking footed trying not to let my foot go into the mud, hence now balancing one legged with my arms full of hay.. I should have been a juggler~!   feeling around with my foot, trying to find my errant boot is no picnic I can assure you.  Of course, I am not going to drop my load of hay!  Are you kidding me?  That stuff is worth its weight in gold!  Or so I am thinking...finally, success!  My toes find their way into my lost sunken treasure of a boot!  Now, to gingerly loosen the boot from its mud prison.   There is a certain art to removing a mud buried boot.  First, you have to understand that the foot can't continue moving in the same fashion as before mud binding.  That is always my first mistake,  I try to keep the impetus going.  Gravity always wins.  This is a given.  Nope, you have to stop, and physically concentrate on removing that boot from its prison.  This means, lifting the heel of the boot up first, you aren't going to get any where trying to pull the toe up,  you will just lose your boot again, ( ask me, I know)  then slowly, pulling your foot up out of the sucking ooze.  As a child I never could grasp that concept, and many times returned home from an adventure out in the field, bootless.  My mom or dad would just shake their  head at me, and make me go find my boots...
    My horses, don't understand why I should suddenly stop as I am bringing them their morning/evening rations, and queerly tip forward and backward, side to side, ( trying to prevent myself from falling with my boots sunk into the mud).  But, they are tolerant, they know their pet ( me) is  a strange soul, and they still love me anyway.
   Maybe this year, I will invest in a pair of those rubber boots though, I hear they are good in mud...
   But as for this winter, I still LOVE my WINTER BOOTS!!!!

Monday, February 15, 2010

grinning

   I just can't stop grinning today, finally, my online nemesis has gotten what is really coming to her.  I feel so VINDICATED!!!!   See all you people, she REALLY was lying, about pretty much everything!!!!   I feel the need to celebrate.  No, not because someone got their ass thrown in jail, but, because someone DESERVING of getting their ass thrown in jail GOT their ass thrown in jail!!! 
    I am wondering about their horses though, I heard there was only a single bale of hay on the place when she was arrested.  I imagine someone is going to have to bail those poor, poor horses out of that mess.  That was entirely the reason I got involved with that crazy person in the first place.  Because of the horses.  I am not a money tree for other people, I am only a money tree for myself.   I am more than willing to work hard to keep what I have, and feel I do so.  I am not willing to have somone continue to lie and tell half-truths to an apparently easily swayed group who delighted in jumping on the band-wagon of disrespecting me.  Shame on all of YOU!  
    Now, if I could possibly try to tell those interested in a little more about me and my immediate world.
  I am obese, but, nowhere near 300+ lbs.  I am working on making changes that will increase my physical fitness level, and hopefully lose weight.  So far, I have been a  member of a club for a month and feel my physical fitness level has increased substantially.
   I do have 10 horses, most of the Arabians,  Coni, my oldest is going to be 30 yrs old this year, I have had her since she was born.  She is a registered Half-Arabian, and is blind in one eye.  She has been blind in that eye since she was 9 yrs old.  It was a pasture accident, we don't know what happened to her, sadly, the vet that we had treating her was an old "cow doc" ( but, we still loved him for the great guy he is), and perhaps didin't follow a recommended protocol,  anyway, her cornea is scarred and there is little or no sight from that eye.


  Shom is my next horse, he is a purebred registered Arabian, and he is coming 23 this year.  I have had him since he was a yearling.  He is my Houdini horse, can get through any fence that isn't electrified.  He also loves to untie himself from anything he is tied to unless you daisy-chain the heck out of the leadrope.  He has on occasion, turned on the hydrant out in the pasture, of course, this entirely floods that paddock area.  He gets a kick out of it, I think... He has also mastered the " innocent" look,  he cracks me up sometimes!


   Nabila is a coming 23 yr old registered purebred Arabian.  She is a Witez II preservation mare, and I really wanted to get a baby from her.  She got to stay at the vet's 10 days once trying to get her uterus in shape for breeding.  Sadly, it wasn't to be, but, she is the best babysitter horse I have!   I can happily and without trepidation place anyone on her and know they will be well taken care of.


Sahib is my dream horse,  a Khemosabi grandson, he is an 8 yr old gelding,and my former stallion ( not because I was in the "business") , he had such a terrific personality as a stallion, and locally, we were doing our part to create a new stereotype of the " crazy Arabian".   I gelded him in June of 2007, so if that makes him " newly gelded" I guess so be it.  He is also "greenbroke" and in his "sophmore" year of riding.  I fell off him last summer and broke both my arms, and was out of work for a couple of months.  I was not riding him along the highway, ( as erroneously stated in someone else' blog), but on a state designated trail.  I was several hundred feet from the highway with a swamp filled with water between us and the highway, I think he was safe.


  I did breed Sahib, 4 times, all 4 times resulted in pregnancy.  First, I bred him to a 4-Her's mare,  it was my first time handling a stallion during breeding and didn't know how he would behave, he was a true gentleman.  She settled from that one breeding and had a half Arabian colt, they named Spunky.  Spunky died from suspected twisted gut colic 6 months later.  The 4-Her was devastated... so was I . 
   I also bred him to 2 of my mares, the first Promise, is a 25 yr old mostly Polish registered Arabian.  She is a big bay with an exotic head, unfortunately, I have been unable to track much of her history, ( not for lack of trying), but, she has only 2 registered foals on the books, and one of them is Honey.  Honey is the result of Sahib and Promise mating and I gave her to a dear, dear young friend of mine for her 21st birthday.  That day was so cool, it was a total surprise to my friend, but, her parents were in on it, and many of our mutual friends came out for the occasion.  I made a card and hung it by a ribbon around the 3 day old filly's neck,  my friend completely unsuspecting came into the barn, and greeted me.  I in turn, swung open the stall door, and calmly said  " Happy birthday Em, here is your present".  She had no clue there was a baby inside with her name on it!!!  I can't even begin to describe the look on her face when she realized, she was the proud owner of her first horse!  She and Honey spent the entire summer together snuggled up.  Last fall Honey developed Potomac Horse Fever and almost died.  She is a walking miracle, and only the scars on her legs tell the story of her brush with death.  I call her The Filly Who Lived...

   Song,  is the other mare ( purebred registered Arabian) I crossed with Sahib and is a grey Bask grand daughter, coming 25 also.  She broke her knee many years before I got her, and now the knee is fused,  she is not lame on that leg, but, the farrier is very careful when trimming her, not to force her knee.  She is a sweetie, and the biggest horse I have standing about 15 hh.  I like to think of her as a princess horse, one every little horse crazy girl dreams of owning, and floating away on the sunset upon.

   The result of a cross between Song and Sahib is Handsome ( aka Song of Supremacy).  When Handsome was 3 days old, we have a terrible wind storm here.  The run in shed he and his mamma were in was blown to pieces.  I remember waking up that night to the wind and a terrible crash.  I looked outside and during a lightening strike ( the power was out) I saw what made my heart just sink.  The run in was no longer there, and I couldn't see the mare or foal ( it was like 4 am).  I ran outside thinking the worst.  I looked with a flashlight into the remains of the building I couldn't see a horse or colt.  So, I sprinted out into the pasture they had been in, no horses.  I looked during a lightening flash toward the driveway, and there it was a splotch of white where there wasn't supposed to be white.  The wind took my breath away it was so strong, but, I headed over in the direction of the white I saw.  There were Song and her baby safe and sound, scared silly, but, alive.  I led Song into the lee of the house, and waited for the wind to die down.  I had no idea what to do with no shelter for my mare and her baby.  Then I saw a flashlight at my neighbor's,  so I called them ( of course, the phones were working).  They quite willingly offered a stall in their barn for Song and Handsome.  They spent a couple of days with my neighbors until I could rebuild a runin shelter for them.   They are both happy and healthy horses here at our house, Handsome ( hopefully) will be the horse of my retirement, 20 some years from now...


    Bree is another purebred registered Arabian, she is my "diva"... one of my friends calls her a " rock star",  she just has that personality that says " look at me!!!"  She is 21 this year, and another terrific trail horse.  I really enjoy taking her places we haven't been before, because as long as she trusts her rider to do right by  her ( as in, not put her in danger), she is more than willing to try anything you ask of her.  In my older and wiser age, I am not tempted to do any stuntriding, so we amble along quiet country roads and trails.  She is fun.

   Buddy is our registered Peruvian Paso, he originally came from Alabama, so I try to make sure he is not too cold here in the blustery North.  He also has DSLD, but, that condition seems to be under control.  A couple of years ago, I thought we were going to be spending the last summer of his life with him, but, he got much better, ( Majesty's Flex Wafers have helped...).  And now is back to terrorizing those horses he deems lower on the totem pole than he is.  He has a lot of " brio" and is not a horse for a timid person to ride,  but, a blast for someone who isn't afraid to move out.
 

Last but not least is Spot,  this is the pony everyone wants.  He is a leopard spot POA, and truly a PITA.  I think I only put up with his shenanigans because he is so cute.  I originally purchased him ( as a 2 yr old stallion, stupid me...), as a pony for my son to learn on.  I sent him off to a trainer for a couple of months, and she felt he might not be a good beginner horse... ( " he has quite a  motor" is a direct quote).  6 years later, I still have him and will probably have him until his death.

   This is my plan for all the horses I currently have.  I never planned on having 10 horses, but, I also know that is my limit.  I can't take care of any more than this especially when 7 of them are over 20.   They are all very happy and healthy and I won't overextend myself so that I can't take care of them.  I will put them to sleep first. 


   My mom is in her mid 60's, looks 50, and is a terrific person.  I think she would be very hurt to know someone stated she was in her 70 -80's,  I know that hurt me.  My mom came and stayed with me when I got hurt this summer, she stayed for 2 weeks and I am so grateful to her for doing that for me, I love my mom!!!   


    As far as me being a slovenly person, I guess that is left in the eye of the beholder,  I have not been described like that before, and it actually hurt my feelings.  But then, I considered the source...

     I have not ever been in trouble with the law, never been arrested ( have had handcuffs on though, that is another tale!!  NOT WHAT YOU ARE THINKING EITHER!!!  LOL).   I try to live by the golden rule, and sometimes that is difficult .  

   In closing, ( I know there were many more half truths written in that other blog, but, I don't type quickly, and I am sick of typing now... ) I hope those of you reading this have a little more insight into my world, without embellishments.  Someday, I will refute the "rest of the story".   Have a great day/night/ whenever you read this!  I know I will for quite a while!!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Karma

   Just a short note here.  Surprise, surprise, surprise!  .  I mean, even Hitler had some staunch supporters... In the end, Karma is a bitch!!!! 

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Changing... clothes

   So,   tonight as I finish doing my horse chores out in the freezing rain/snow, I am looking forward to taking a hot bath.  Hot running water is at the top of my gratefulness list,  I really don't think I would have survived very long in pioneer times just for this fact.  I love my hot bath/shower!   Well, I get to thinking, I am done here with my chores and I want to go to the club to workout tonight before my son needs picking up from his field trip today.  So, it really makes no sense to take a hot bath or shower before working out now does it?  Then, I start to get irritated, I am thinking of the inordinate number of times I change clothes in a given day.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love my job and am endlessly thankful for the career path I was fortunate enough to follow.  But, since I work in surgery, this requires changing into scrubs as soon as I get to work.  So, a typical winter day for me looks kind of like this:
1.  Get up for day, put on chores clothes.

2.  After chores, shower, put on "regular" clothes.

3.  Get to work, change into scrubs.

4.  After work change back into " regular clothes".

5.  Come home from work, change into "workout clothes".

6.  After workout, change into "chores clothes" again.

7.  After chores, depending upon the evening, either change into "regular clothes" or take a bath/shower and
     put on "jammies".
 

  So, if I counted correctly, this makes 7 times I change clothes on any given work day.  This does not count the times I am on call and get called in ( sometimes more than once in the night...).
   So,  I am really irritated with the whole "clothing etiquette" thingie...   Why can't I wear my chores clothes to work out in?  Cuz they smell like horse, and maybe have a load of hay chaff on them, that is why...Then I would get the weird look and possible point when I am in the club sweatin...  Don't like that much.  I prefer to not stick out,  would rather blend in with the crowd.  So, I am going to change out of my "chores clothes" and into my "work out clothes" so I don't get the "weird person" stare. 
    I am fairly conservative now a days with my clothing choices.  My most risque, was this summer, when I broke both my arms, and couldn't wear a bra ( I was physically unable to fasten it), and there are some things you just don't ask an 11 yr old boy to do, even if he IS your son...
   So, I chose to go without a bra during some of my recovery,  you can't even imagine the feeling of accomplishment, when I was finally able to hook my bra!!!!   I look back on it now, and can laugh, but, when a person is obese, the bustline is usually much bigger than the average bear, and I was most embarrassed to have to be seen like this.   A friend of mine who also broke her arm this summer, can completely commiserate, and at one point, we both agreed, clothing is SO over-rated!!!  I was all for joining the "clothing optional" movement,  I blame the pain killers I was on for that.  There is no way in H E double hockey sticks this body is going anywhere "clothing optional"....
    So, I long for summer, when I only have to change clothes 3 times a day....   it is Feb. 4.
    So, now I am able to wear all appropriate clothing, and do so,  but, I am still slightly irritated by the fact that I have to change clothes so much.