Shy Coni Fadda April 28 1980-August 23 2011

     

   My heart is broken, a raw wound inside of my chest, I lost my sweet Coni on Aug 23, after too short of a battle for her life.  This is our story:

       On a bright Sunday morning in 1980, my mare Peni Fadda was heavy with foal.   I checked her before heading to church ( it was my sister's confirmation Sunday) and low and behold, Peni was waxed up!  I couldn't wait to get home from the service thinking I would see a baby that I had waited so long for!  After church I scrambled out to the barn, no foal... I brought Peni inside to a nice clean box stall my grandpa and I had fashioned just for this occasion.  No sooner had I put her inside and Peni went immediately into labor.  Soon a perfect chestnut filly was born!  Coni had tons of visitors that day since everyone was eager to see the newborn foal, ( I think this is why she liked people so very much, all that socialization...)  Coni was named in honor of her birthdate, Confirmation.... who knew??
   Every morning before school, I would head up to the barn to let Peni and Coni out on the lawn for some grazing,  Coni loved to run and buck and jump and drive her mamma nuts with her antics. 
    Her formative years were fairly uneventful,  I trained her to drive as a 2 yr old, and started her under saddle as a 4 yr old, she was a dream to ride, so smooth so energetic...  We spent a lot of time just riding around the neighborhood.
    In 1988 before moving to another city many miles from home, my little brother and I went on an adventure, our parents hauled our horses and all our supplies to a local state park 16 miles from home, we camped out for the weekend, enjoyed the time with our horses.  We took them swimming and then trail rode until evening, then after bedding them down would make our supper and sleep in our little pup tent.  We packed up our supplies and headed for home at the end of our weekend,  it was a very long ride for a little 7 yr old boy, and by the end he was completely beat, but we did it!  Our grand adventure!
     
     I rode Coni on many trail rides put on by our local saddle club, and one of the old timers there told me they were taking bets to see how long I would be able to stay on my horse, see Coni had developed some of her mother's habits, she didn't like the reins held too tight and would shake her head in this little temper tantrum whenever it happened.  She never liked to just walk on the trail, she was always jigging, and I didn't know any better than to just let her do it.  It didn't matter, Coni was always safe for me to ride and didn't buck me off so I don't know who won the bet...
 
      Our saddle club also rode in many parades in those days as a precision drill team,  Coni was only allowed to participate in practice since there were so many riders at that time, that our abilities were not  needed.  She learned the drill though and we were always available to "pinch hit" on the chance that someone would be unable to attend a parade.

    Coni was my friend and solace growing up, many times throughout high school when I was feeling friendless, all I had to do was go over to Coni and she would stand by me and allow me to cry my hurt feelings out on to her mane.  Oh she always smelled so wonderful!!!  That special scent only my good friend carried... I can almost smell it now..

     One of our many trail rides together just she and I led to another adventure, we were riding alongside a county highway, when along came some of my partying friends, they were roadtripping and offered me a beer, what a nice treat after riding for miles... I learned that Coni did NOT like the sound a can makes when you breathe into it before taking a drink ( you know the sound?  that faint tinny whistle?).  Needless to say, the beer and I parted company quickly, but I stayed on my horse!

   Coni and I were riding fence one spring day checking to make sure the fence was intact ( the horses lived in a 25 acre pasture), when we had to cross a creek that ran through our pasture, somehow she stumbled and I was thrown forward over her head, into the water and was instantly submerged with a horse coming down upon me, somehow Coni avoided crushing me under her by curling her forelegs up and jumping forward,  it was a miracle I wasn't drowned with a horse on top of me, but she knew it was me under her legs and wasn't going to hurt me.
    When Coni was 11 yrs old there was a pasture accident, and she lost the sight in her right eye.  She adjusted well to her blindness and we were always careful to talk to her when we worked on that side.


   In 1994 at the age of 33, I lost her mother Peni Fadda.  I was heartbroken, but knew I still had Coni for solace.  Coni was always my rock my stability point.  She was so special to me...
 
   In August 1997, my dad passed away, just after I learned I was pregnant and my fiance and I had just broken up.  Coni once again was a rock for me, my reason to live, my solace... Many more tears were shed into her solid body, she allowed me to cry out my heartbreak and always gave me comfort.  When my son was born, I would take him to the barn with me to do chores, Coni absolutely loved her baby!  Her eyes would get all soft and she would blow softly into his face just drinking in his baby smell!  You could see how much she loved babies, any babies... human, dog, cat, chicken, she would pull me over to baby strollers to see babies, and I always held the baby chicks and kittens up to her face so she could blow at them.  It wasn't an alarmed blow, it was a tender sigh I could always see how much she enjoyed babies and allowed her that pleasure. 

     On the off chance Coni ever got out of her pasture, she didn't go anywhere except up to the house to wait in front of the door for me to see her and put her back into the pasture.  I used to allow Coni to graze loose back home because she never left the yard.  Coni had so MUCH  personality!!  She was loved by all who met her, she would just charm her way into your heart without much effort on her part...

   Coni loved her treats, carrots were a favorite as well as sugar, and the peppermint horse treats.  In her last hours I was able to feed her carrots, she relished those, it was my pleasure to give her what comfort I could at the end. 

   In 2000 we were introduced to a young friend who was looking for a horse to lease for 4-H, I had 3 horses at that time, Coni, Shom, and Nabila, and she was allowed her choice of horses.  She chose Coni, my silly sweet mare.  They went on to a semi successful show career culminating in a trip to the State 4-H horse show in 2001.  Coni took it all in stride, until the time came to ride the Saddle Seat classes in the Coliseum... as soon as she entered that huge arena, she was black with sweat, but  as scared as she was, she still tried for my young friend... she was 21 at the time, and it was a relief to bring her back home unscathed from that adventure.

    Coni was named Champion Pleasure Mare at our county Fair that year, and my young friend came home with a large trophy that she proudly displayed for all to see,  I was quite surprised with her win because I though personally, I was showing the winning horse ( shows how much a judge's opinion differs from mine...).

    Many young people learned to ride on my sweet Coni, and then moved on to horses of their own, currently one young friend is riding the Arabian circuit and has done very well with the horse she is currently leasing, I personally think Coni is responsible for that young lady's continued foray into the Arabian horse world give her the sole credit.

   After my fall from a horse a couple of years ago, Coni was the first horse I got back up on, it was like slipping into a pair of comfortable old shoes, we meshed so well, I knew I would always be safe on her back.

   This summer I had no time for riding with the weather, and my job but I continued to always have time to pet and love on my horses, even if only for a few minutes.  Coni always loved having her butt scratched and would make her way up to me to beg for some scratches with her soft nickers.  I only had to call her from the living room window, and she would nicker back begging me to come out and give her some scratches or a treat... it was always so nice to come out of the house and know Coni would be there to call for me if she heard or saw me coming.
   I don't know what happened that Wed a week after I lost Promise, but I only know Coni was fine in the morning when I did chores, and in the evening when I came out to do chores something was very wrong with my precious baby.  She couldn't walk straight on her hind legs, it was like she was drunk, swaying and crossing her hind legs as if she didn't know where they were.  The vet was out the next day to examine her, initially he thought EPM, but the symptoms didn't add up... she had no lethargy, no drooping of her face, her spirits were good, she was the same old Coni with the exception of her hind end.  We fought valiantly for her to improve and one minute it would seem like she was better, then next she was having a set back again.  I had another vet come out who did acupuncture on her, and he also thought EPM possibly, and I was trying to get her into a new drug trial when the bottom fell out of our plans.  Coni fell for the last time on Sunday night, she couldn't rise again on her own.  I called my brother for help and he built a sling for her and we tried to lift her with an engine hoist, we were able to get her up but her hind legs just couldn't support her, and I realized I was going to have to say good bye to my good friend.  We lowered her for the last time, and I called the vet.  I was unable to even say the words, "put her to sleep" but he knew it was time, just from the tone of my voice.  I can't believe how hard that was, to tell him we were giving up the fight, but it was time and in my heart I knew it.  I gave her several carrots and sat with her telling her how much I loved her, and that she wasn't going to suffer any longer, she wanted to live, but her body was failing her.  As the vet gave her the medicine to put her in a forever sleep I was there at her head talking to her comforting her... it was soooo hard to say goodbye... my baby, my heart horse...
 
   Coni was buried with dignity and care next to her friend Promise.  I never, ever expected to have to say goodbye to 2 horses this soon, and most especially not my Coni, my sweet girl...  

     I am still crying myself to sleep at night, and I dread coming home from work knowing I will never see her wonderful face peeking out at me through the fence, I will never hear her welcoming nicker greeting me as I step out the door.  I know I did the best I could for her and I know she had a great life with me, but this knowledge brings me no comfort.  I know time only will help the hurt heal, and I know I will see her again in Heaven, but at this time, I would give almost anything to have my Coni back...

   I hope in my grief I have been able to convey the love and trusting bond I shared with this special mare,  I know it probably sounds disjointed I am trying to get through this in my enormous grief, my time with her just seemed too damn short...

    As you read this, if you have a special heart horse, perhaps you could go out and give them a hug and know that I would be doing the same thing with my heart horse, she will always live inside of me.

Rest In Peace my sweet Coni

















    

Unkept Promises July 5 1985 - July 28 2011

I put my 27 year old mare Promise to sleep 07/28/2011, she has been rapidly declining over the past few weeks.  Please allow me to share with you the precious time we had her in our care.
   Promise was part of a group of 3 horses I bought in 2003 for the total amount of $475 for all 3 horses.   She was a sweet mare who had not had anything done with her most of her life.  Georgene Holasek of Rock Isle  Arabians purchased her somewhere in in Indiana, and I was extraordinarily pleased with my detective skills when I was able to find her breeders and in my excitement called them to talk about her and perhaps find out a little history on this wonderful mare that had come into my life.  Their response sadly, was to warily inquire as to how I had gotten their telephone number, they had no interest in learning that their 19 year old mare had landed in a place that would happily give her a forever home, and would love her and take the best care of her I possibly could.
   Needless to say I was quite disappointed in their response, I was curious to know what all this mare might know and where she had been for the previous years ( I could trace her from the time she got to MN).  She was a gorgeous wild bay color with an exotic dried clearly Arabian head, her conformation was quite nice too although she wasn't a big mare by any means ( 14.2-3).  Mainly Polish bloodlines she was quite exotic looking.  She had this quirky way of swinging her head when she wanted to see something, although her sight was fine in both  eyes.  Although to my knowledge she had no formal training of any type, I taught her to stand for a halter class, and entered her in the county fair once.  She was so afraid before we entered that arena that she stood quietly next to me and trembled.  She trusted me though and I think she knew I wouldn't let any harm come to her.  Anyway, we took home the Champion Pleasure Mare trophy as well as the Best of 3 pleasure mares class.  It was quite an exciting year for the Erickson household!  I didn't ask Promise to show again, she had more than proved her worth at that show.  I knew there was a chance she was in foal because my stallion had pasture bred her a couple of times in the spring.  By the end of Sept 2004 it was clear she was in foal.  I started checking her to see if I could feel the baby kicking in her.  Low and behold, I could!  This was more cause for celebration, so we invited our friends over for "feeling the baby kick" parties... She was a champ through all of this.  Not knowing when she was officially bred ( and not wanting to spend the money to check), in Jan of 2005 I hauled her over to a good friend's house to foal her out ( she was already starting to bag up.)  Her filly was born March 28th.  I already had plans for Promise's foal, I gave her to a very good friend of mine for her 21st birthday ( that is another whole story).  Promise was a terrific mother, but a terrible stall horse, she walked and walked and walked, made Darcie crazy, I am sure she was delighted when we finally brought Promise home...
   Promise lived the life of Riley here on the farm, she was an Alpha mare who got along with everyone.  She loved "cookies" ( horse treats, esp the peppermint ones)  All I had to do was call for her saying Promise, want a cookie?  and she could be at the end of our 6 acres and she would come a runnin... it was so delightful to watch her get her "groove on" and do that beautiful floaty trot Arabians in all their glory are so good at doing.  Her tail flung over her back, hocks and knees pistoning,  neck proudly arched... majestic to watch.... spellbinding.  Promise had her own winter blanket, and the past couple of years has loved when I headed outside with her blanket to cover her for the winter.  I remember one night coming home to do chores and Promise was standing so still, I couldn't figure out why until I got near her, since it was dark I couldn't see that she had her back legs wrapped in wire, she could have panicked but she didn't, she waited for me to quietly untangle her legs from that mess of wire.


       Tonight I grieve the loss of a great teacher for children wanting to learn about horses.  She always loved attention, and when the Girl Scouts asked if they could come out and learn something about horses, she was one of the first horses I thought of for learning to handle a horse on the ground.  She was an angel about having her feet handled, and for clipping, I allowed people to practice their clipping skills on Promise because she was so good about having her head muzzle ears and legs handled.  I have so many, many pleasant memories of Promise over the past 8 years,  I only wish I had more pictures... Tonight I grieve,  the loss of my friend my beautiful bay girl, the girl who surreptiously  ripped the hood off my chores coat one day when I was giving her scratches.  My heart is hurting so much right now,  I know I gave her a good life and I didn't allow her to suffer at the end of it, but even this knowledge doesn't make the pain any easier to bear. 

   I understand that live here on Earth is short, and for our animal friends it is even shorter, My son and I have been slammed in just a short time with the loss of 2 very beloved pets, live is short... Please if you pray, please include my small grieving family in your prayers it is appreciated....

Good bye Banjo

Banjo, an older Sheltie that was a beloved member of our family was put to sleep 07/24/2011.  Our hearts are so sad, it is amazing how quickly our animals worm their way into our hearts.  Banjo and his mother Maggie were older when they came to live with us.  Banjo was 9 and loved to jump on my bed and completely mess it up, the further my pillow was from the head of the bed, the happier he was.  It was so fun to watch him bounce happily down the Luce Line as we took our walks.  He was always in competition with our Cocker Spaniel Betsy to catch up to Barkley ( our Black Lab/Basset cross).  His loyalty to me was amazing, he always came when he was called, and didn't stray off our property.  Last fall, we lost Banjo for several hours.  I let them out before I went to work, and Banjo disappeared, I called and called for him but he didn't appear, I jumped in the car and drove up and down the highway looking for him ( thinking he got scared and ran down the road), no sign of him.  So I called the sheriff's office, the neighbors, the radio station,and the police station with his description and when and where he disappeared.  At noon that day I headed home to look for him again, and there he was sitting on the top steps, shaking like a leaf ( he was very frightened) waiting for someone to let him into the house.  I don't know what happened to him or where he disappeared to, but I do know he found his way back home and waited for someone he loved to rescue him.( Personally I think he got under our house and couldn't find his way out).  His incredibly cute button eyes could charm even the most hardened soul.  He loved going for rides in the car even if it ment going to the groomers ( which he never was particularly fond of).  All I ever had to do was ask, "Wanna go for a ride?" and the noise that accompanied that question was decibel breaking...  He loved the other critters we share a life with, including the chickens and ducks, he never attempted to hurt any of them even when he first arrived here with his mamma.  He enjoyed tormenting his mamma sometimes, trying to take away her lazer light or getting ahead of her when running down the trail.  He and Betsy would chase each other in circles when they were feeling frisky.  They were so funny to watch!
  Banjo developed a bladder tumor that was diagnosed in Feb of this year,  the vet offered to try to surgically resect the tumor, but given Banjo's age ( 11) and the size of the thing, I declined the surgery, the vet wasn't sure he could even resect it and thought if he couldn't he just wouldn't wake Banjo up.  This was unacceptable to me, and I promised Banjo he would live peacefully until the time came when he was in pain.  That day arrived this weekend, he stopped eating and drinking ( he had been getting pickier with his food over the past couple of weeks), he spent his time sleeping in my bedroom or on the floor in the living room.  Banjo always loved to snuggle with us on the couch and on my bed.  I gave him a death with dignity and Matthew and I buried him on our farm near my garden. It is close to the creek he loved to run to in order to get a drink from a clear bubbling spring.
  Our hearts are broken, we have both shed so many tears this weekend, it is a very incredibly hard way to end a sad weekend fraught with disappointment and heartbreak.  I just want to take this time to jot down my memories of Banjo and how loved he was among our little family.  Banjo will be greatly missed,  we will see him again someday in Heaven, this I truly believe and the little comfort it gives me now is something I am trying to console my brokenhearted 13 yr old son with also.  Thanks for listening( reading).

a fitness diary

  No  I did not actually make this diary... got it from a friend of mine who knows how hard I am working on my new lifestyle.
   I really got a laugh out of it and am determined to share it with my fellow readers~!



For my birthday this year, my husband purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me.
 
Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
 
I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Christo, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.
 
Friends seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.
 
________________________________
MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Christo waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god-- with blond hair, dancing eyes, and a dazzling white smile.  Woo Hoo!!
 
Christo gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!
 
Christo was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!
 
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TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door.  Christo made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then he put weights on it!  My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile.  His rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!  It's a whole new life for me.
 
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WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it.  I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals.  Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.
 
Christo was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members.  His voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.
 
My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Christo put me on the stair monster.  Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators?  Christo told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life.  He said some other shit too.
 
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THURSDAY:
Asshole was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl.  I couldn't help being a half an hour late-- it took me that long to tie my shoes.
 
He took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom.  He sent some skinny bitch to find me.
 
Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine-- which I sank.
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FRIDAY:
I hate that bastard Christo more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic, little aerobic instructor.  If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it.
 
Christo wanted me to work on my triceps.  I don't have any triceps!  And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.
 
The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher.  Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?
 
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SATURDAY:
Satan left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today.  Just hearing his voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel..
 
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SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over.  I will also pray that next year my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun-- like a root canal or a hysterectomy.  I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

Christmas Poem?

   Time for a new post something horsey themed I believe...:


   T'was the day before Christmas I awoke with a start, to the phone merrily clanging and the thud of the cat!  ( falling off my chest as I turned over to get the phone of course!) 
Away to the kitchen to answer said call,I bolted,
when what to my wondering eyes should I see, but 3 horses not in a place they should be!!!
They were merrily munching right jolly old things,
on their whole winters store of alfalfa and greens!
  I sprang into my clothes, to the dogs gave a whistle, and away we all flew like the down of my comforter ( which I knew was still warm from my fat sleeping frame...).   now I digress...
   I caught the old mare she was eager to please, and she went back in the paddock it was simple with ease!!!
   She raced through the pasture so gay and so proud, one never would know she was the eldest of the crowd~


The bay Moorish gelding ( Sahib), who needed no blanket ( he was fat and sassy and the straps are too short for his round little belly), was next at the gate and went peacefully in just awaiting his fate.


 Then came the younger chestnut mare, with the diabolical mind, her wits were much, much, much much quicker than mine.  She raced this way and that just avoiding the rope, and I swore and I cursed and quickly I saw it, my one opportunity, to catch this dang horse and get back to my bed!!
 ( okay that doesn't rhyme, but I'm telling a story here!).
   The rest of the horses how grateful they looked, patiently waiting for me to come feed them, the 3 silly horses, they needed no food, they only needed to have a good rest, and they found it quite nicely in the " time out" pen.

   I thought to myself as I mended the fence, " I don't need this!"  But that hasn't stopped my from keeping my horses just as safe as I can no matter the day, and they all wish you the Merriest of holidays today and tomorrow!

Friends

    I have been considering this post for a bit.   What makes a friend?  I have mulled this over for a few weeks now.  Some of my friends are rather new, and many, many are quite old ( as in I have been friends with them for many years, not age-related).   Some friends to me are inanimate objects,  for instance, these fall mornings as I step outside to do chores, it is still dark.  But I look into the sky and see my friend Orion gazing out into the heavens from his kneeling vantage point.  He is friendly to me because he is always there, unchanging, I can count on him being there for me to see.  I have been looking a lot into the heavens, learning the constellations and the stars that they are comprised of.  Betelgeuse is one of the stars in the Orion constellation,  I like this star solely because of its name.  Pronounced "beetlejuice", this star reminds me of the movie starring Micheal Keaton, and I really enjoyed that movie!    Another star in the Orion constellation is Bellatrix, and for those Harry P fans, we know who she is certainly along with her cousins Sirius and Regulus ( both are also heavenly bodies seen in the autumn skies here in Minnesota).  I never was able to make a connection with J.K. Rowling for how she chose the names of her characters, I think she too, looked into the heavens and was inspired.  Without doing any homework on this, I can only speculate, but the names ARE there.  My friends, the stars.    

     Speaking of stars, I am friends with Vin Diesel, at least on Facebook I am... He posts regularly, and always lets his FB friends know how grateful he is to be in the place he is currently at status wise.  I have always admired Vin,  he seems to be a man of integrity, something I value highly in my world.

     Honesty, integrity, faithfulness and kindness are some of the things I value in my friends.  I have many friends, some are not good friends they are on the outskirts of my friendship circle.  My true friends are good friends.   I have not unfriended many people in my life.  A couple of .loser boyfriends, and 2 women are all that come to me right now.

     The one friendship I regret losing now, Nancy was her name and she was beautiful, but nice.  She loved flirting with guys and I loved hanging out with her cuz I knew all the hot guys were going to want to get to meet her ( and me by association).  But one night of partying showed me her true colors, see she had just gotten married to this really hot, hot lead singer of a band ( we went to a lot of bars and met a lot of hot band members).  I knew Terry ( her husband), and liked him, he was a nice guy and didn't need to have his wife going off to party with some other band for all hours of the night.  I told her I wasn't interested in partying with this band, and we should get home, Nancy didn't like hearing that.  She was about to go off with this band without me even though I had driven her to this bar ( somewhere near Marshall , Lind ballroom I believe), and I wasn't about to let that happen. So I finally get her away from the band and get her into my car to head the long drive back to Montevideo ( that is where we lived near).  She was so mad at me she told me we were no longer friends, and she never wanted to speak to me again.  I agreed, and the silent car ride has lengthened into 20+ years.  I never made up with her again.  I sometimes wonder though, how she is doing, we had many fun times before this together.


   The second friendship I happily set aside last year. The person in question proved themselves to be dishonest, untrustworthy and unreliable. 

    My friends are much better people than this.   The people I choose to surround myself with are supportive, considerate, trustworthy, honest and kind.  My trainer for instance,  a terrific person who has been crapped on several times in her life.  Someone burglarized her barn, not just once, but twice!  This woman doesn't have a palace, and works so hard for what she has.  Why should she be the person to lose so much?  I often ask God that question.  His answer?  He doesn't always give us what we WANT, but he ALWAYS gives us what we NEED.  I don't know the how or the why of my trainer needing to be burglarized twice, but God has the plan,  I need the faith to follow what his plan is for me and my friends.  I do pray, and I include my trainer in my prayers.

   I have some really good friends that I have had since I was a child.  I don't get to see them often, but when we get together, we just pick up where we left off in our friendship.  I like to use the analogy of putting on my most comfortable pair of shoes.   Comfortable old shoes are a high priority to me and they clearly are high on my list of things I am grateful for  (right up there with hot running water)! That is how my old friends feel to me.

     I also have friends among the animals.  Clearly, all our animals here on our small hobby farm are friends,  My son and I name them all ( except for the bees, they move too fast to bee named...).  We have our 10 horses, which of course have been with us for many years.  Coni is 30 and she has been with me since she was born.  She is my heart horse, there is such a special bond between she and I we know each other...  Sahib is my other heart horse, and it is clear he loves me, as much as I love him.  Non horsey people have even noticed this bond.  They can see how he looks at me and can see the love emanating from him and they see my love for my horse also.  This is friendship.  I look forward to developing our riding partnership as well as our bond.  I have ridden him a couple of times now, since he got back from my trainer's farm and small baby steps will ensure that bond continuing to grow.

   I grieve for some of my animal friends.  Last year, an owl killed my friend Gary.  Gary was a large Pekin drake.  He loved me and I loved him, we were good friends.  Gary would always come when I called for him and it was hilarious to see this huge duck running and flapping his wings in his excitement to come and see what kind of game we were going to play!   He loved to play tag with my feet.  I would quickly shuffle my feet and he would almost trip over himself trying to catch each foot as it moved!  He loved grabbing on to my shoe laces and untie my tennis shoes.  My boots were frustrating for him, there was nothing for him to untie...  If I mistakenly wore sandals or flip flops outside I had to be very wary of Gary, because he liked nothing better than to come up ( especially when I was distracted) and nip my feet.  That stings, a lot!!!Try it sometime, take a tweezers and pinch a tiny piece of skin on the top of your foot as hard as you can.  That is kind of what it was like for Gary to catch me in flip flops!!!
   Gary liked to sleep next to the house, in the summer so he could be there quacking in his hoarse drake voice as soon as I opened the door each morning.   Sadly, this practice is what led to his demise.  I found him one October morning, with the Great Horned Owl that killed him standing over him feeding.  Shock overwhelmed my grief.  This owl not only killed my friend Gary, but it was more than willing to take on all 5 dogs that surrounded it as I unknowingly let them outside that morning!  I could see it starting to hop toward the mini Dachshund  Bailey, and I rushed outside grabbing the closest item I could find.  A broom.  Yes, I took on an owl with a broom, and guess what? An owl ( esp one of that size) isn't intimidated by a wild woman swinging a broom... I even connected with it, didn't even phase the thing.  It hopped off into the wild where I still here it sometimes at twilight as I am doing chores.  I then hustle to lock all my birds safely into their coops, and make sure the smaller dogs are safely inside before continuing on with my chores for the evening.  I won't lose another friend to an owl's hunger.
    I have sadly lost several birds this fall.  Gone are Betty and Agnes, followed by the only duck I hadn't named, the small black Runner female.  Then Rosy got sick and I found her dead last Monday, she is buried by Gary.  Helen disappeared next, she was a Black Swedish duck who loved her Cheerios, and clamored for them every morning.  Saffron disappeared next, and she was the one bird I thought had the best survival instincts, I figured she of all my chickens would be wise enough to sense danger before it was too late, I was wrong I guess. Now my Mallard duck Goldy is gone, she was Gary's mate and I enjoyed watching her antics as she begged for treats.  Yesterday, I lost one of my exhibition birds Ash, she was a blue Cochin, just about 7 months old, next year I was going to be entering her and her sister Smoke ( get it, Smoke and Ash???... I thought it kind of cool if you say it fast....) in some poultry competitions.   I am trying to keep my girls safe, but I think  coyote has discovered the reliable feast available to him during the day at the Erickson farm.   I don't lose birds at night, only when they free range during the day.

    So I say good by to some of my friends, and I will always remember them fondly.  My other friends, human and animal, I will continue to support through thought, word and deed.  There is nothing like a good friendship.

leaves are changing

   Gosh, is it the end of summer already?   My how time passes!!  It seems I was just beginning my summer yesterday!  At least this year, I am healthy ( as in not injured) and free of the worthless baggage that used to hang around my life. 
   I have spent much of the summer doing horse shows.  No, not showing, I am "retired" from showing, but I announce shows now a days.  I like announcing, I think I do a good job, ( at least I try my best to do a good job), shows always compliment me after the day and usually ask me back for the following year.  I have 2 more shows to do this summer, and then I can officially call it the end of summer.  2 Weeks from now I am announcing the Arabian Open Shows Championship show in Lake Elmo.  I announced this show last year, and they liked my style so asked me back for this year.  I enjoyed the show, so many beautiful horses, and some worthwhile trainers and stables represented.  There is one stable that isn't a really huge name stable, but the owner/trainer always supports the community shows in the state and brings many young students along to these shows.  I hope that stable is there this year.  Their name is Regent Arabians and I have the utmost respect for this owner Doug.  He seems to be a nice man with some integrity.  That is something I highly value at this point in my life.  Honesty and integrity, that is all I ask of someone in order for me to count them as a person worthy of my respect.  My parents taught me that.  I am trying my best to pass on those self same values to my child.  I hate liars!  With a passion!!!!!  Why would someone spend their time making up stories?  Is it to make them seem more important?  I just don't get it...
    

Motivational sayings

  Searching the internet I have discovered some really motivational profound sayings.  Here are some of them:


"If you wish to grow thinner, diminish your dinner." -Henry Sambrooke Leigh



Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip.



Arnold H. Glasgow
 
 
 
 
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.



unknown
 
 
  I am hoping to continue to incorporate these changes into my lifestyle as much as I can.  I am doing well with the exercise and now it is just to work on the food.  I find myself analysing everything I am thinking about eating.  I have a rough idea of how many calories are in a serving, it is just to reproportion my serving sizes I think.
 
   Another celebration, I RODE Sahib!!!!!!  I am so excited to get to ride him again! I am also scared and quite tense, but I have great confidence in my trainer, and her skill to help me relax, and I have watched him being ridden by her often, and he looks so happy and unstressed that I know I can continue to develop my confidence with him as well!  He is such a  terrific horse, he has such try and an honest work ethic. My love for him is great as well as my love for all my horses!
 
  Without further ado:
 

Premo Sahib

Changing.... Hats

     I like most people wear many hats throughout my life.  For the past twelve years, the hats I have worn/ am wearing are as varied as the autumn leaves falling from the trees.
   

     My most important hat right now is that of a mother.  I have a 12 year old son, and he totally rocks my world.  My love for him is boundless, and I am so proud of the choices he makes as an individual.  He is a role model for other children around him,  he is has a clear and cutting wit mostly associated with adult intellect.  He is funny, kind and considerate most of all, he loves all things around him.  I am constantly being floored by some of the profound statements he makes.  I believe his is, an old soul...  I know that sounds corny, but I think it is true, even when he was a newborn, his face held so much wisdom, I knew he was special.  So, without further ado, let me show off my son:

My fondest desire is to raise a well rounded emotionally stable child,  at this point my young man is exceeding any expectations I might ever have had.   He is so cool!

       This Sunday, my hat is that of a beekeeper,  went out and checked on my 3 hives of bees this morning.  They are all doing well, considering we got off to a very slow start this spring.  I think I might have a small honey harvest yet this year!  At least one can always hope!

     Last Sunday that hat I wore was quite different from this Sunday's hat.   At the last minute, the judge for the local 4-H club fun show backed out, so they called me, wondering if I might be available to judge their show!   You can't imagine my surprise in being asked to judge, even if it is only a fun show!  I happily told them I would be delighted to judge the show!  Of course, I had some doubts, woudn't anyone?  I mean, I have never judged a show before, but it IS only 1 person's opinion on one specific day... At least, that is what I have always told the kids I have had the pleasure of coaching.  So Sunday morning July 18 dawns, and off I go to judge a horse show...  I think I must have done alright, no one was waiting to lynch me after the pleasure classes, and it was a lot of fun and quite a learning experience also!  I learned, no matter how many horses are in the class, there will always be one horse/pony that is going to be a brat.  This particular class I am thinking about had a couple.  It was a walk/trot 11 and under class, and man, it was CHAOS!!  I had the ring steward watching 1 pony, the announcer was trying to keep an eye out on another horse, I told her at the first sign of more trouble ( had already had a taste of the nastiness of this horse) stop the class on the rail and we would deal with it...  Luckily, there were no mishaps, I did end up excusing the one horse from the ring ( he was totally unresponsive to the rider), for the safety of the other riders and their mounts.  But how the heck to judge a class like that?  All I could do was take the rider with the least amount of mistakes and place them first, and then go down the line... all in a short amount of time.  I have oodles more respect for the tough job those judges have to do now.  At the same time, I have realized, this is a hat I kind of like wearing, and so my next goal is to attend the judging seminar and take/pass the 4-H judging test.  Here are a few photos from the show:

A  good time was had by all I think.

  

   I thank all the people I have gotten pictures from,  since I don't have a camera of my own, I rely on others people's photographic skills to get the pictures for my blog.

    Today,  my hat is that of a straw hat, because that is the kind of hat you wear at the beach, which is where we are headed now, before my riding lesson!

Winds of change

   Gosh how the summer has flown by!!  I have hardly had the opportunity to even consider organizing my thoughts here! 

   Well started the summer off by sending Sahib back to the trainer's farm so I could continue with my lessons and he could as well!  Had the chiropractor out for him and he also had some accupuncture done.  Now, I am/was quite the skeptic regarding non-western medicine, but this has REALLY helped him!  Amazing!  I realize this is the condensed version, but there is so much to blog about!!!

 

   I am continuing my dressage lessons and finally think I understand how posting feels while riding!  Never knew how to "feel" it.  I hope that my lightbulb moment  continues to be effective!  I am also continuing my workouts at the club, and now my heartrate hardly rises when I am walking @ 3.2 miles per hour on the treadmill!  This is progress!!!  I invited my friend to accompany me a couple of times, and boy did she feel she got a work out!  We both did!  Dripping in sweat!  That is a great feeling! LOL!

   

    My bees are doing well, had a slight mis-step when one of my hives lost the queen, I was afraid I was going to lose that hive!  But as nature intended, the hive created a new queen, and all is well.  They are getting another box this week.  My other hives already have their new boxes, I am hoping to have a honey harvest by the middle of August, just in time for a local celebration, called Garlicfest.  My mentors had a booth there last year, and we actually extracted honey right there in our booth!  Gave people a chance to see what goes into ( or out of ) the honey they purchase!  People were quite curious and eager to see the mystery surrounding honey unveiled.   Honey production, prior to my becoming a beekeeper always seemed like a secret society to me.   There was always some magic surrounding the whole thing, I mean, you saw bee hives out in the countryside, but never saw anyone tending them.  So, how DID that honey become so?  It was so revealing to me to find out!   I have had the opportunity to watch bees place pollen in the cells from there back legs positively packed with pollen.  I have watched the share nectar with their tongues, I have watched newly hatched bees pop out of their cells, I have watched the bees do their "nectar dance" which precisely tells the other bees where the nectar and pollen are located from the hive.  So many things I have learned!  So many more things to learn!  What a powerful gift this learning thing is!  How humbling to learn from a creature as small as a bee!

Back at the ranch... my 5 year old gelding Handsome got quite badly injured 3 weeks ago.  He managed to put his leg through the metal wall of the run in shed, and gave himself a degloving injury.The injury was to the bone, but luckily he didin't bag any big nerves, arteries or his tendon ( I have no idea how he managed not to do it like that but I am counting my blessing he didn't!)   Several hours and many hundreds of dollars later, the vet says, " complete stall rest".  Those who know me personally, know I have no barn, hence no stall... So I call my trainer and ask her if she has room for my injured fella for as long as he needs stall rest.  Without any hesitation on her part she allows us to haul him up there for his convolescence.  Now Handsome has not been off my farm that often, ( last year when I was injured, a good friend took him and 2 others off my hands), so he didn't really want to get into the trailer.   We tried all kinds of tricks, but without forcing him, since he already had enough stress in his life with the horrific injury to his fetlock.  Then I grabbed a handful of cracked corn, the big bugger stepped right into that trailer for his corn!

  The 1/2 hour trailer ride was uneventful, he is a good hauler once he got in.  Then the adventure of getting off the trailer at the trainer's farm.  Since I don't have a barn, Handsome had no idea what a building like that looked like.  should have seen his face when I asked him to follow me into that barn!  And the sound his feet made on cement!  He had no idea who in the heck was making those clopping sounds, but he didn't know if he liked it!  Then his pop, Sahib spoke up,  he was like a puppy rushing over to be comforted by the elder.HIs introduction to a stall was also an adventure, he took one look at that dark hole and you could see his brain thinking: "She wants me to go in THAT?!  Well, being the good sport he is, and trusting that I will not bring him to anything that will kill him ( I think he trusts me like that anyway, I have tried to be consistant with him), he entered the stall without much more ado.   Turns out he likes a stall,...  To my knowledge he hasn't had any meltdowns, and is being a good boy for my trainer. He is healing nicely after almost 4 weeks at the trainers, thanks to her due diligence and care.  I imagine it will be a while before he is healed enough to come home.  Here are some pictures:

This last picture is from last week, the 15th to be exact.  The wound is healing nicely ( thanks to Jean's ministrations and Wonder Dust!).  We were able to even get his hooves trimmed with him standing sound on that leg!  My only concern is for his fetlock and the possiblity he won't be sound on that leg, but for now we will take it day by day.

I DID IT!!!

   Just getting home from ... *drum roll please... my first 5K!!!!!!!!!  yep I did it!!  I am thrilled and pleased as punch for me!!  This blog began as part of my weight loss journey, and it continues in that vein with a few forays into the rest of my life.   I never thought I would possibly be interested in attending let alone competing in a running(walking) race!   I have a goal now, and that is to complete an 8K in 2 years, this should give me plenty of time to train and condition myself for that kind of running.  I watched the 8K competitors, and man, did they have an incredible pace going!  It was poetry in motion to watch them run.  I love to watch superb athletes perform.  And to have an idea of the conditioning and training that goes into any competition is simply astounding!
    Speaking of watching poetry in motion, I announced my second show of the season last Sunday.  It was our annual Arabian Community Show that my friend and I have put on for the past 4 years.  We had some really lovely horses and horse/rider teams competing !  I have to mention this one gal since I saw her last year, and am totally in awe of her.  Last year when she competed the whole summer, she was also enduring chemotherapy, AND riding a green horse!  This is the level of commitment this woman had for the Arabian breed!  What a role model!  I can only hope to aspire to have half the courage and perseverance this person has!  Had the opportunity to speak to her this year, and let her know how much I admired her  quite modestly this person acknowledged my admiration, another point for her!  Humility is a humbling trait to see in others, I hope to learn from them.
   At this same show, I always have  at least 60 people telling me what to do and how to do my job of announcing.  My son was helping me in the announcer's box, and says, " Mom, you should say this, like this!"  I look at him ( with a Mom look no doubt) and say" Matt, I already have 60 people telling me how to do my job!"  His reply?  "Well, make that 61!".   Hmmmmm, wonder where he gets his sarcastic sense of humor from!??   Minutes later, a voice floats up from the entry booth, ( remember, I am already kind of tense about the announcing thing and everyone telling me what to do and how to do it!)  and it says," That has got to be the WORST announcer I have ever heard!"  Let me tell you, I whipped around in my chair to blast them both barrels with what they can do with their opinion.  My secretary is openmouthed, wondering what the heck I am going to do.  and lo and behold, there stands my brother and sister in-law grinning from ear to ear~!  He only thinks he is funny...  Well, family CAN tell me I suck, doesn't bother me, especially when I know they really don't mean it~!  Their girls (my nieces) competed with their QH in the open classes, they did quite well, I was very proud of them for the fine horsewomen they are becoming!  They are also quite competitive on the WSCA show circuit in the game events.  It is fun to watch them compete.  My brother enjoyed living vicariously through them so much that he went out and purchased his own game horse, and now he is quite competitive also!  Poetry in motion...  Superb athletes... Bet I could beat him  in a running race though...

training

   Well, both my horse and I are in training, ( I as you know from this blog have been working on improving my physical well-being for several months now.)  Sahib has been at the trainers for a month, and I am signed up for my first 5k coming up here in June.   Yes, you read that correctly, I am running/walking ( mostly walking I bet...) a 5 k!!!!!!!   Never ever thought I would even be interested in participating in something like this!!! I don't care if I am the last person over the finish line either, this is about challenging myself to try something new~!!!!!  More in depth conversations with myself to come!

More changes

    I sold my Ortho-flex saddle, it was too small for my butt.  Found a girl who fits that 14 1/2" saddle just fine, and I gave her a great deal!  I was happy to do it too.  Found myself a new Ortho-flex, put an offer on it, ( half of what they were asking...) imagine my surprise when they accepted my offer!!!  Needless to say, called tha bank today for a "little loan"  I am excited to see if this saddle fits me better!   Love the Ortho-flex saddles though!!  My trainer/instructor has been letting my ride in her stitchdown... heavenly!!!   I am learning to post correctly, I am really enjoying my dressage lessons!!  Thanks to my instructor!!    Hopefully next year I will have the funds to also purchase a western Ortho-flex as well as the English equitation I just bought.  I am still not looking forward to getting back up on Sahib, but I know the time is nearing.  I am stronger in my core, and my balance and hopefully my balance recovery is faster!  I did ask the trainer to see if she could work with  Sahib and objects next to his side, ( when I fell last year, he got scared at seeing this object falling next to him and he ran.)   Her response?  LOL Well, she says to me, so you want me to prepare him in case you fall again??  it was funny at the time, my wording is no longer verbatim.
   Speaking of strengthening, I graduated from the 12 week weight management course put on by our hospital this evening!!!  Yay!!  I dropped 4% of my bmi!!!!    This is exciting for me!!! I am on the right track!  I knew my shape was changing,  just didn't know how much!  I have dropped at least 1 size in clothing, and that is also exciting!  I am not a clothes horse by any means, so I am not much for shopping, but I am going to celebrate by buying some new work out clothes!! 
   Our 12 week program celebrated tonight by having a potluck.  We all were to bring healthy recipes using the skills we learned over the past 12 weeks.  I brought homemade organic cracked wheat bread, and some of my honey!!  It was a definite hit!   Funny how in this heat, the yeast really rises quickly!!  I had that bread made from start to finish in 3 hours! I also have made some ( hopefully ) lasting friendships within this group of positive role models!!  As we got to know each other, we really had fun!  It was rather uncomfortable at our first meetings to try to do things together, but as time passed, our rapport strengthened.  Now, I am comfortable ribbing one of my new friends in the hall at work or just even saying hi out in the world...  ( in my opinion, the act of greeting people out on the street, even total strangers  is becoming a lost art...)  There were some delicious foods there tonight.  a few examples:  sandwiches with sliced turkey, apple, spinach and mustard,  whole wheat tortillas spread with natural peanut butter and sliced strawberries,   a wonderful potato salad with italian dressing instead of mayo, a vegetable salad with green beans, red onions, cherry tomatoes, Italian dressing and feta cheese, an orange salad with cottage cheese mandarin oranges, sugar free jello, and whipped cream, and this terrifc torte with angel food cake, layered with butterscotch pudding, whipped cream, and sliced almonds.Quite a feast!! I can't wait to try some of these foods here at home!
     My honey was a hit also, and several people from the group asked me to let them know when I will have more available this year!
   Some day I will get back to writing my funny tales, but until then I am suffering from boring writer syndrome, so all my faithful readers are reduced to reading my boring drivel.  But hey, at least I am not lying!!!
   

Beekeeping

           The bees are here!!   My second year as a bonifide beekeeper ( maybe last year shouldn't count since my mentors did all the heavy work for me!).  I was able to add one more hive this year,  my original intention was to add 2 hives but sadly, my bees didn't survive the winter.  It is very hard to keep bees in a hive alive through a Minnesota winter, esp like the one we had this past winter.  I wasn't even able to get to my hives until the end of February, and even then the usual 5 minute walk took me like 20 minutes because every step was a struggle, I was hip deep in snow, and so I had to pull each leg out entirely to make the next step, it was truly exhausting!  A great work out though...  I thought I was going to have to give up before I even got to the hives though, I was just whipped!  And quite disappointed to open that first hive and find a whole mess of dead bees in there.  Then finding the same thing in the second was quite devastating.  I knew I wasn't going to give up, but it did put quite a damper on any grand hive expansion I might have had in mind.
      Happily, my mentor was with me this time for homing my bees, and so I actually have pictures to help me tell my beekeeping story.  I don't have a camera, since mine took a swim in the Atlantic on our vacation to North Carolina in April of 2008.  Hence the reason my blog isn't filled with pictures... Someday, it will be but right now a new camera just isn't the priority.
    So, I have 3 2 lb packages of bees to place in their respective homes.   Last Monday, that is exactly what my mentor/friend and I did!

  Here is a picture story of putting bees into a hive:

   This is my beekeeping getup, I am wearing 2 pairs of pants to try and protect my legs from getting stung, my sting repellent beekeeping jacket with hat and veil attached ( we discovered wearing a baseball cap under the hat helps hold the hat and veil in place better).  Last, but not least are my trustly leather gloves,  I don't have the sleeve length ones because it is easier for me to pull these on and off.

  Now we are ready to place the bees into their home.First, we give them a good squirt with sugar water 1:1,  as you can see, I have removed 2 frames from the box that is going to be the bees' new home.

Removing the sugarwater can from the package of bees, you can see the hive tool in my left hand, this is the beekeepers "do it all tool", Anything  from removing burrcomb from the frames and top of the box, to loosening the frames from the boxes during the honey season ( bees LOVE to glue everything together with a substance called "propolis"), and there is a curved end that makes it look kind of like a crowbar for lifting items up, very handy tool.  You can also see the bees are at the bottom of the package, this is because I have already pounded the box onto the ground to drop the bees to the bottom of the package.

Shaking the bees into the box, you can see the bees tumbling into the hive.  This can be quite intimidating if you have a "hot" bunch of bees.   This is also the point where it is vitally important to make sure you have your suit completely sealed, those bees can crawl into any opening!

Most of the bees have been released into their hive, and I am going to try to shake a few more out before leaving the box in front of the hive,  waiting for the rest of the bees to leave the package.

This small cage contains the queen,  this is the most important bee in the whole package, without her,the hive will not survive.  She is packaged separately from the rest of the bees, first to prevent injury to her, and secondly to release her pheremones into the bees, so they recognize her as their queen, otherwise the potential is there for the bees to kill this queen.  We marked all the queens this year, it is much easier to find a marked queen  than not.  I helped mark some of the queens this year, but it is quite nerveracking, because the queens are so valuable, I like to leave the marking to my mentors. Our queens were marked with green this year.There they are!!!!  All happy and homey in their new hive!!  It will only take about a month for this hive to become a large hive of  60,000-100,000 bees.

For the first few weeks the bees will need to be fed, so I am placing a pollen pattie and a bag of sugar water on the hive, the frames are all put back into the hive, and I am ready to close up this hive.  If you count you can see nine frames on this box, this is called a "deep box", and it will only contain brood ( which is the young bees), and some food for the brood, the queen will continue to lay eggs in these frames until they are filled, then I will add a second box, as she fills this one to 80-90%.

That is an initial very incomplete lesson in beekeeping.  I am loving it!! This is such a fascinating hobby, and it is good for the planet~!  We are slowly but surely losing our natural pollinators, and I am just trying to do my part to be a responsible conservationist!  Hope you enjoyed the pictures~!  Thank you to my friend Harmony for taking them!