Brag-book of My Herd

And now, at the request of my one and only follower (Thanks Kate!), pictures of my herd.

 

Cruz was boarded out for 30 days of "boot camp".  We made some good progress, I was very happy with how that went ... when it went.  Takes a lot of time and I probably didn't choose the best month to take that on.  But it is what it is and in a few months I hope to take him back for another month where we will do some actual riding.  In our last lesson my trainer commented that once he has a few more miles on him, he will be a really good horse; her opinion means something so that made me feel good.  I bought him on a "feeling" and frankly I was second guessing my intuition as I was discovering some of his little quirks.  But she made me feel confident that there is hope for our future.

This is Cruz after a good roll in the snow.  He's the most "rolly" horse I know!


Cruz all saddled up.  I did ride him a bit towards the end of our month in training but not very confidently.  He's definitely a handsome guy!


While Cruz was away, Cash needed a buddy.  The lady who boarded Cash before I moved him home was nice enough to loan me Buck for the month.  He's a lovely horse to have around, very uncomplicated, quiet, lovey-dovey.

I am using a hay net for waste reduction and "waist reduction".  Not sure they are terribly thrilled with it but it seems to be working out well.  Cash hasn't gained excessively, Cruz has filled out nicely and the pile at the end of the bale is minimal.

 

Cash was very snoozey yesterday morning.  So much so that I unblanketed him while he was still laying down!  I was a little concerned, that's not really like him but eventually he got up, strolled around and he doesn't seem any worse for wear since.  So I think he was just having a super-lazy morning (I have those too!)



A word about my new farrier: fantastic!  He came on recommendation from my Aunt who has known him for several years.  A few weeks ago I was in a conversation with Cruz's previous owner and another lady, she mentioned that she knew of someone that was really good and wondered if I would like the name.  I said that I thought I had found someone that I really liked but pass it along anyway, one never knows (farriers are a fickle bunch.)  She texted me his contact card and turns out it is the same guy! Ha!  When the farrier was out last week, I relayed that conversation to him and turns out that he was Cruz's farrier several years ago!  Small world.  Cruz has a few potential 'issues' so based on those two recommendations and seeing the results so far, I feel pretty confident that he is in good hands.

Update on my summer boarder

I was surfing Kijiji this morning and noticed that the lady who was boarding her gelding at my place this summer has put him up for sale.  The ad says he is "good to catch" which was a bit of a stretch when he was at my place but who knows, maybe she's worked that out of him since I last saw them. 

The ad also says, "he needs someone with more experience than me."  I sincerely hope that this realization came about in due course and not because of some grievous accident.  I don't wish failure or injury on anyone, but I can't say as I'm surprised that that particular partnership didn't work out.  She didn't seem interested in investing the time to learn to train him and/or maintain his training, nor was she particularly receptive to suggestions that what she was doing was wrong and maybe a little bit unsafe (although she had plenty of suggestions for me!)  Horses are always learning so if you don't train the horse the right way, the horse will train himself in whatever way he pleases and that gelding had things figgered out pretty quickly, even before he moved away!

There's a teeny tiny piece of me that feels vindicated that my instinct was correct, my slow and steady approach to horsemanship is the right one.  But the bigger part of me wishes her well and hopes she finds the right horse so she can fulfill her dream.

This and That

A quick update on miscellaneous stuff:

Cruz at Boot Camp:
I picked a bad month to start this, things have been more busy than expected.  But what little time I have devoted to Cruz's training these past 2 weeks has been very encouraging and regardless of how far we get over the next 2 weeks, its a good starting point.  It has taught me to take control of his training rather than wait around for someone to hold my hand.

He follows a fairly predictable pattern at each lesson: nervous and poopy (which is a nervous thing), then come the sillies (typical young horse stuff) and finally focus and calm.  The cycle through steps 1 and 2 goes quicker with each lesson and then we get down to some real learning in step 3. I can't wait to be able to ride him, he has such a lovely floaty trot and lope and when he's calm he is VERY calm!  I admit to having buyers remorse this fall when I felt like I was in over my head and suspected some conformation and hoof issues. But I think I have found the right trainer to help with the training challenges, a good equine chiropractor/massage practitioner and a fantastic farrier. I'm feeling like Cruz and I have a promising future.

Cash:
He's just hanging out in the pasture with his old friend and temporary companion, Buck. I've enjoyed having Buck, he's just such a nice horse to have around.  I have made some good progress with Cash too.  He no longer plays the "you can't catch me!" game and he does not need to be haltered every time I do something with him (pick out the ice packs under his hooves, blanket/unblanket, grooming after a good roll in the mud.)  The boys are learning that the white bucket usually contains oats (their fave!) so when they see/hear the white bucket they come running (which means I don't have to trudge out across the coulee to get them!)  I believe that when I start riding lessons on him again (hopefully after Christmas!) it won't take long for us to be a solid team.  My goal with him is to pass the search and rescue certification this coming summer and I'm feeling like that's totally achievable.

Its not so easy to take pictures of Cash, he's very intrigued by the phone/camera!




Kitty and The Dawgs:
Just the usual routine for my other four-legged friends. Kitty lays around all day and snuggles with me on the bed all night.  Pretty easy life!  The dawgs don't get as much outdoor time as they'd like because of the cold weather a few weeks ago and they get snakey being inside all the time.  I am starting to think that Lilly will never grow up (she's almost 2 and still a nut case!)  She seems to think that hiding under the desk with the spoils of her counter surfing expedition will save her from a spanking ... which worked in a way, instead of reprimanding her, I took a picture.



This is her best attempt at using cuteness to feign innocence.  Sometimes that works too, how can you be mad at a face like that?! (I know, I'm a push over.)



Selah Singers:
I joined this choir this fall along with my niece.  She has been a vocal student of the choir director, Ralph Browne, for a few years now, an extremely talented teacher and musician.  We had our Christmas performances this weekend and all in all, everything worked out well.  I hope to continue on with that (if they will allow it haha!)  I will try to post a video of this weekend's performance at a later date (not yet available) but in the mean time, here is a You Tube clip of the Selah Singers from a couple years ago (before I joined) ...

http://youtu.be/rCfJpq8GMPA

Twitter:
Yesterday was my "Twitterversary" ... apparently.  I received an email about that so I guess it must be true.  I have tinkered around on Twitter a little bit (see the sidebar for my Tweets ... all four of them haha).  It seems like a useful tool for many things and one of these days I will really get down to figgering out how it works.

Volleyball:
This fall I joined a new recreational ladies volleyball team.  I played beach doubles this summer with my niece and it rekindled my love for that game, both indoor and beach.  I used to play several times a week and occasionally I got the chance to play with some high-ish caliber teams (ex-college players, co-ed and ladies).  I was no superstar "back in the day" but I could hold my own.  I had a ranking on the AVA tour one summer ... albeit a very very very low one!

The good news is that with this new team, I get to play every week rather than just the occasional call to sub for other teams.  And we are friendly, drama-free bunch.  The bad news is that (rant alert) this team is VERY recreational, very non-competitive, very ... frustrating.  The most frustrating part is that when I play "hack" ball, I myself play like a hack ... grrrr!  I joined up with realistic expectations so I'm not exactly surprised that its nowhere near the level of competition and intensity that I used play (and would like to play again!)  We are improving as a team and I keep my feelings to myself, just focus on my own skills and roll with the punches whether we win or lose ... but some nights I am just not having fun. *sigh*

Cruz: Let the games begin!

I started working with Cruz in earnest last night.  The bad news: he sure has a stubborn streak!  I am used to Cash; he already knew how to lunge when I bought him and he's actually quite cooperative and respectful; the more I work with other horses, the more I appreciate Cash.  Cruz and I will get there too, it will just take more time and effort than I expected.  Cruz has so many good attributes ... and even his stubbornness could be a good thing if channeled in the right direction, so I believe he's worth the effort.  Working with a younger horse that has less training will also be a good learning experience for me; I'll try not to ruin him!

The good news is that I built my round pen on the weekend (almost, need to liberate 3 more corral panels to finish it) and fill in a couple of big-ish holes that were left behind by some sort of wild creature.  I've been meaning to do that all summer. I built it near the arena which is out of sight of the sacrifice pen; Cash and Cruz are quite attached so I think/hope he will be less distracted when I work him away from his buddy.  And its not a bad thing for either of them to be separated once in a while.  As well, I'm not sure if he's used to the lunge line so using the pen without the line might be a better way to get started.  I will feel more confident riding him in the smaller area too when we get to that although the ground is harder there than in the arena so an "unscheduled" landing might not be very pleasant.

There's not a lot of daylight now before or after the work day so not sure how consistent I will be with this but I'm going to do what I can whenever I can.  Something is better than nothing ... and so far I have done basically nothing with Cruz since I got him (except one ill-fated trailer loading training session; I had to abandon that when the boarder showed up in the middle of it and all the horses got amped up almost instantly; no point continuing when they are like that.)

On another subject, I think I have found a new farrier, a recommendation from my Aunt.  He has been doing my cousin's mares for a long time and finally went and got some formal training to do it full-time.  Cash is not due for another 2 weeks but Cruz is *really* overdue so I'm going to get both done at the same time to synchronize their schedules.  If this guy does a good job with Cash, I won't have to trailer him to Brooks all the time; that was inconvenient but it was worth it to keep his feet in good shape and being hauled regularly wasn't a bad thing for him either.  Cruz can't be hauled anywhere right now, we're still battling that one out (its that stubborn streak!) so taking him to Brooks wasn't even an option.  I had to cancel 2 appointments for him because of that!  Thus the round pen.

Boarder gone and pics of my guys

T came and took D this morning so the boarding situation is done. I'm sad that it ended in an awkward way but I feel like the drama at the end wasn't my doing. And I honestly believe that she will get more enjoyment out of her new hobby at another place. So it feels a bit sour right now but in the long run, this is best for everyone.

Anyway, after they left, my guys were all full of themselves, they both had a roll in the dirt, Cruz had a rare "piss'n vinegar" moment, bucking like a wild bronc! He's normally very mellow but every so often he reminds me that he is still a young off-the-track thoroughbred!

Rant: More boarder drama! The end.

Yet another post about the 'T', the boarder at my acreage.  I said wasn't going to make these  'rant' posts a habit but things just keep popping up and I'm pretty much done with it (both the rants and the boarding situation.)

On several occasions I have given T a choice on where to keep D: in the pen by himself in which case he needs to be fed twice a day or in the big pasture with my guys in which case he needs to be caught out there in the wide open spaces; he's not exactly amenable to being caught at times.  One such occasion was when I was going out of town for the weekend and I would not be around to feed him.  She agreed that he should go out to pasture, she doesn't have time to feed him ... but I am to bring him back in when I return (it wasn't phrased as a request, as in "would you mind?, thanks, really appreciate your help"; it was an expectation and an implication that I am responsible for this inconvenient situation.)  So much for relying on her help when I need it.

I am really not keen on the horses being in the small pasture because it has gotten to be *very* grazed down; I underestimated how quickly the grass would be consumed so this was my fault.  Its to the point where I don't know if it will recover anytime soon.  T and I had a conversation about this 2 days ago and only D was allowed access to that area (my way of compromising on the "can't catch him in the big pasture" thing) but somehow all the horses found a way in there (either a gate was left open or they managed to jimmy the latch which is entirely possible.)

On the weekend, T complained that the horses were on the far side of the coulee and her hubby spent 45 minutes trying to catch them.

Yesterday D was again out in the pasture with my guys.  I received this text:

"Can you bring D in if your out this morning please and thank you (smiley face)."

Now maybe I am taking this out of context but it felt like I was being "voluntold" (I think I know how her hubby felt on the weekend!)  I brought D in as she asked, partly because I am a spineless wimp and partly because I wanted to see for myself how difficult it was to catch them (any of them, catch one and they will all follow).  It took a bit of effort, had to cross over to the far side but eventually D came to the oats pail, I haltered him and away we went. Less than 15 minutes.  I responded back to her that I did it this time but:

"I can't be doing that every day though, I'm late for work." 

Her reply: "Lol that was my complaint too.  Can't spend an hour casing them Lol". 

REALLY?! So its too much of a bother for you to catch your own horse but no problem sending me out to waste an hour of my time ... chasing your horse?  I was already feeling a bit miffed and with that, I had enough.  I hardly even saw my guys because I spent all of my limited time on D.

I was in a bit of a hurry to get to work and I probably hit the send button without really thinking it through fully, but I texted that I strongly suggested that she consider boarding D somewhere that is more suitable for her needs.  I tried to frame it in such a way that she would see that my place really isn't the best for what she wants to do, which is the honest truth.  I have few real 'facilities' (which is part of the reason I am charging her only nominal board) and she needs more help with D than I can provide, nor do I want to provide.  I am not a "full board" place.  Of the few things I do have to offer (pasture, riding arena) she doesn't use.  She doesn't seem to notice (or maybe she ignores) subtleties but she caught my drift on that message. In a bit of a pout (again, maybe the context is lost via text), asked that I give her a few days, she'll get him out of there. As well, she wants half of this month's board back (no mention of the week and a half in August that D was there that I didn't charge her for.)  I agreed to refund that because, again, I'm a bit spineless and she succeeded in making me feel bad for hurting her feelings. I am going to chalk it up to lessons learned and the price of getting back my peaceful sanctuary.

After all that, she didn't even go out there yesterday to see him which was the whole reason this started!  She did go out in the evening since D was still in the pen and needed to be fed, I'll give her credit for being switched on enough to remember that.  I wasn't planning on going out but I changed my mind and decided to take a drive out there before I went home that night.  Low and behold, the gate to the small pasture was open and all of them were grazing on it.  She either didn't get the subtle hint or ignored it.

It just feels like a constant barrage of 'things' with this arrangement. I did a quick calculation this morning: I came up with a list of about 18 'things' (not counting yesterday) that have transpired in the ~7 weeks she's been there, it works out to something every 2.73 days.  Way too much drama!
 

The #100HappyDays challenge

I have been doing this challenge for the 100 Happy Days last 28 days (give or take.) The idea is to find something that makes you happy every day, take a picture and post it on your social media of choice.  Take the time to acknowledge and celebrate the good things in life, to really look for those things on the days when you don't feel like it.  I have been doing it on Facebook but I am going to share them here too when I remember.

The impetus for this was that I was feeling very unsettled this summer. Things are a bit off, not really where I want them to be. What I've discovered is that I really don't have any difficulty finding good things to post about. But that doesn't solve life's problems.  So I don't know that its accomplishing what I thought it would when I started but its still fun to do so I plan on finishing out the 100 days.

So without further adieu, a smattering of 100 Happy Days pictures (captions and commentary will have to come at a later date, don't have time right now):

Hurray for Hay!

On Sunday morning I finally got a load of hay. I'm quite relieved, I've never bought hay before (other than a few small squares last month) so I didn't know where, how, how much to get, how much to pay? And it seems like there's a shortage this year so I was starting to worry. For all my griping about 'T' in the last couple posts, I have to give her credit for sourcing it out and negotiating price. I just had to arrange delivery and, of course, pay for it. I included the cost of hay in the board I'm charging which was probably a mistake now that I know how expensive it is, but that was the deal so I'll honour that for this year. I am mostly just happy not to worry that my guys will starve.

 

I spent the whole day out there on Sunday and it would have been glorious if I wasn't doing nasty clean-up of some old bales that were left there, a situation I inherited. They bothered me and they were tying up some corral panels that I really need to use elsewhere. It took all day to get thay done but I'm really happy now that it is done. The dogs ran and played and wrestled and pestered the horses and ran some more. By mid-afternoon theu were spent!  Given enough fresh air and wide open space, Lilly does eventually tire out :-)

More boarder gripes

A continuation of my last post (yes I'm going to whinge some more!)

I forgot about one of the big irks that happened.  T's 'horsey' friend was hosting a clinic that we were planning to attend.  She sends me a text to make me aware that if my horse bucks he has to wear a ribbon in his tail.  First off, it is horses that kick that get the ribbon, not ones that buck.  I'm sure 'horsey' friend told her that and she was only half listening and relayed bad information to me  thinking that she was being pretty smart.  Secondly, I was already aware of that ... but nice of her to let me know just in case.  Thirdly, neither of my horses are known to kick.  They are big but generally pretty gentle and harmless.  In fact Cash once had a kitten climbing up his tail and he never even batted an eyelash.  He does get pissy at Lilly when she is circling and barking and he has cocked his leg as a warning but so far, he hasn't let it fly (when I see that happening, its back in the truck for the dawgs!)

Today's request from T was if I could trailer D for her on Sunday or if she could rent/borrow my sister's horse trailer (which is half mine.)  Her Dad will drive, etc etc.  Kind of a sob story about how she doesn't want to disappoint her son for his birthday party yada yada yada.  T has been genuinely helpful about sourcing out hay so I feel like I should reciprocate but I worry about setting a precedent with the trailer.  So I decided that I will borrow my sister's truck and bring him to the party, she can pay for the gas.  Its more work for me but that way I can return the favour, she has D for her son's party and (we, my sister and I) retain all control (real and perceived) over the trailer.  She texted back a "thanks" and she's looking at "options" ... whatever that means?  Maybe she'll find someone else to help her out.  And I'm OK with that.

Sigh.  I'm exhausted by all these little things.  I just want peace and quiet out there.

Rant Alert: I feel cheap and resentful.

I'm going to put a rare "rant for the sake of ranting" post here because the place/web forum that I usually rant about horse-related stuff may not be appropriate ... the person/situation I am ranting about may read it (its a small world you know!)  Normally I don't condone ranting if you're not going to do something to fix whatever's got yer panties in a knot but I'm not ready to deal with this head on yet.  Maybe I am making mountains out of mole-hills. Since I only have ~1 subscriber here now (and its not her), I think I'm safe to rant my heart's content haha.

Background:
I have someone boarding their horse at my acreage, we'll call the horse 'D' and the owner is 'T'.  I wasn't planning on doing that but it seemed like an OK idea at the time. T explained that she rode quite a bit as a kid and that having a horse as an adult is fulfilling a bucket list item.  "Getting back into horses" was a bucket list item of mine several years ago and I truly appreciated some thoughtful assistance to make that happen when I bought Cash.  So I felt good about paying it forward to someone else's B-list. She's a nice person, beautiful family and her enthusiasm is infectious; I need injections of enthusiasm from time to time and her gentle prodding for me to ride more ... hasn't actually gotten me riding more but its good for me to be pushed outside my comfort zone sometimes.  As well, I could use some help looking after the horses once in a while.  But I am really second guessing this boarding arrangement.

The Rant:
I noticed almost from the outset that T is very green with horses.  She does a lot of things that I would not do and I believe to be ... well, wrong and/or dangerous and/or just plain foolish.  I myself am not an expert on horses so I am reluctant to say too much for fear that she may know more than I give her credit for and I know that I tend to err way too far on the side of caution.  The part that bothers me is that she doesn't seem interested or open to learning.  She has other 'horsey' friends that she trusts who are not shy about offering their opinions so I leave it to them to be her circle of influence for now.  I generally keep my opinions and judgements to myself.

Speaking of T's 'horsey' friend, T texted me a few days after D arrived that her friend came out to see him and she (the 'horsey' friend) said there's something wrong with Cruz (my new horse).  I kind of panicked, I had just moved Cruz home and had just seen him earlier that morning to check on a nasty cut he had on his shoulder.  No, its his feet she tells me.  I'm still panicked.  His feet were fine when I saw him, what's wrong now?!  When I checked on him, it really was nothing.  Some cracks on his hoof that are not unusual late in summer when the pastures are dry and their hooves dry out.  Me thinks it was just T trying to sound knowledgeable (which she clearly wasn't) and her (judgemental?) horsey friend made a comment on one of my horses.  I try not to be one of the stereotypical judgemental "horse" people but at that point I really wasn't impressed with 'horsey' friend or with T.

Riding with Uggs ... or hiking boots or runners or any footwear without a heel: not a good idea.  Since my first memories of riding with my parents as a wee whippersnapper, I have always been taught that footwear with a heel is non-negotiable.  If you get into a wreck, your (heel-less) foot slips thought the stirrup and you are dragged to your death, its your own fault!

Riding a new horse (if you've only owned him for 5 weeks, he's still 'new' to you IMO) bareback, with a rope halter in the pasture.  I dunno, just seems like an 'advanced' rider activity, not to be attempted by beginners.

Hand feeding treats to a horse that tends to be dominant.  And D is definitely dominant when he thinks he can get away with it!

D was gelded late; from what his former owner says he managed to knock up several mares before he was snipped so I'm guessing he was done at 2 or 3 years old, possibly later (he's ~15yo now).  He is quite "studdy".  My first "note to self" on his dominant nature was shortly after he arrived: D and Cash were together in the pasture; I was petting Cash who has improved A LOT in letting me approach him and pet him anywhere anytime.  I was lovin' on him for being such a good boy when he started to get antsy and pull away.   Low and behold, here comes D, literally pushing himself in between Cash and I, ears pinned as flat as they will go!  Naturally Cash was nervous and pulling away which is EXACTLY the thing I am working on him to NOT do!  I backed off D three times before he finally stayed away and let me get back to my boy Cash.  I have to say, that experience gave me some confidence; I dealt with D instinctively and immediately and without one iota of intimidation or fear.  I was in charge.

Speaking of D's former owner, apparently she showed up at my acreage one day to see him without any communication with me ... the land owner.  She texted T after she visited and apparently T told her that she needs to call ahead next time.  If that went down the way T says, I can't fault her for that.  And its not the end of the world that this lady came to see her baby ... but I was rather annoyed that someone would invite themselves onto my private property and not tell me. A courtesy call goes a long way to keeping good feelings! I will be installing that security system sooner rather than later.

When D is acting up, T will "run him in circles" (aka free-lunging) to get him to behave.  She doesn't really know why one does that except that 'horsey' friend showed her that.  I am not a lunging expert but from what I see, she's doing it wrong and D is confused.  I once free-lunged D because he was being a turd to me at feeding time; he is actually very good at it, he knows the deal!  It only took a couple of laps around the pen before he stopped, joined up with me and there were no other problems that day.

T is also very high energy and D is sensitive to that.  I've noticed that when she arrives to work with D, all of them get more edgy.  On one occasion, she was running D in circles in the pen because she couldn't catch him.  Cash was in the pen as she was doing that and I could see him getting quite riled up ... he is also quite attuned to a person's energy and he was also being given the run around.  This was one of the rare occasions that I spoke up, I asked her to please stop while I get Cash out of there.  As worked up as he was, my boy Cash stood still while I walked up to him with the halter, put it on and lead him out.  Wow!  As irked as I was that she was potentially spoiling my horse, I was so proud of him for being a good boy for me :-)  I have been working on this since I brought him home, he likes the "you can't catch me" game so it was really gratifying to see that the effort paying off. 

One evening when the mosquitoes were particularly bad, I fly-sprayed all three of them.  Cruz was the least bothered by this, just stood at the hay bin while I sprayed him down, no halter or anything.  Cash was not as apathetic and I needed to catch him for this.  D was also not so cooperative, he was actually being an evasive turd!  Took him less than 1 minute to figger out that I would have none of it, he turned to face me and off we went to finish the task at hand.  From what I'm told, T has problems catching him (and tries to solve it by the 'running in circles' thing) so I feel a teensy bit vindicated that my calm, methodical, patient approach is a better way.  One can't be in a hurry when it comes to the horses, that much I have learned!

Cruz is very thin and ribby.  I'm not sure if that's a young thoroughbred thing or if he just needs to eat more.  He is also the bottom of the pecking order while D is top dog. At one feeding, D was running Cruz out of the pen entirely so that Cruz wouldn't have gotten any supper if I hadn't been there.  So I brought Cruz back in, locked D out, when Cruz was done eating, I let D back in to finish his supper.  Sorry, my horses eat first.  Period.

I am still quite tentative about riding Cash after last year's little "eat the dirt" incident.  Totally irrational after all this time I know, but I still am.  T was texting me to go riding with her and I explained that I will ride Cash in the arena if it is not too muddy but I won't ride him out in the pasture.  And I won't ride Cruz until we've worked through some ground-manners issues.  Her response was "Do you want me to ride him (Cash) for you?"  HA!  I actually laughed out loud to that.  Really?  You think you're *that* good that you can ride a (very tall) horse (that she is otherwise kind of intimidated by) that's been known to buck?  It just proved to me how naïve she is ... and not going to lie, I was kind of insulted.

Part of the reason I don't ride with T is I don't feel confident that if something were to happen, she could handle the situation.  She's obviously green which makes me feel like I have to be responsible for everyone and everything ... and I'm just not that confident in my own abilities to take on the additional responsibility.  And I don't feel confident that she's open to my suggestions on how to avoid bad situations.

T texted me last week to ask if she could bring her targets and cross-bow to practice at my place.  I didn't respond because, frankly, I'm not crazy about it.  I'm just not a "weapons" person.  The next day when I went out to feed the boys, she came out.  We were having a friendly chat when another pick-up came down the road.  Since my acreage is such that any vehicle coming down that road is obviously coming to my acreage I pointed it out.  Oh yeah, her Dad is coming out, they are going to shoot some targets.  Wha ...?  Really?  I didn't actually agree to that.  I didn't say anything in that moment, its a relatively harmless activity and I was taken off guard but it made me realize that I need to start reining in how she is using my property as if its her own.  Ask permission and so you won't have to ask for forgiveness!

I let all three of the horses out into the big pasture this weekend since I was going out of town for a few days.  They can eat grass and don't need their twice-daily dose of hay.  I texted her that we can leave D in the pen (which was her preference) but she would have to feed him.  Apparently she didn't have time or didn't want to (so my idea that I would have help once in a while to look after them hasn't panned out as I thought it would) so she agreed to let him out ... but I was to bring him back in when I return.  I decided that no, I'll do what's easiest for me.  Its not part of the agreement that I drive out twice a day specifically to feed only her horse, nor is it my responsibility to bring him in from the pasture.  The whole reason she boarded at my place was so her horse could be out in the pasture to "be a horse" and not be cooped up in a small paddock.  But it seems that now she wants him in the pen because its more convenient ... but doesn't want to or doesn't have time to look after him when he's in the pen.  So I'm expected to do it.

She went out to work with him this afternoon and had to retrieve him out of the pasture, had some trouble with that from what she said.  She left him in the pen again.  I warned her that I may not be able to go out and feed him tonight but she thinks he will be fine until tomorrow morning (so 16 hours without food).  I don't think that's healthy for him but that was her choice.  As time goes by I am less and less willing to 'jump' at everything.

The latest "issue" is that she bought "halfers" in a 3 month old filly that her 'horsey' friend has and she would *really* like to keep it here.  I'm a little perplexed as to what a green rider/trainer is going to do with a baby horse but that's not my call.  I suspect she's still riding the emotional high of having D in her life and wasn't really thinking about how this is really going to work out in the long run.  When I first met T, before she even bought D, I was very specific that I am only willing to accept geldings.  Cash gets funny around the mares and I just don't want to deal with the hassle and stress of it.  So why she thinks a young filly would get a  different answer ...?  In all honesty, it just sounds like more work for me.  My diplomatic answer was that the grass in the pasture can really only support 4 horses so if my niece's horse comes back, its maxed out (which is the honest truth.) Her response was, "OK its your place."  Yes, yes it is!  She's willing to pay more if she can bring it, would that change my mind?  I pointed out that the herd dynamics we got going on there would be challenging and its probably not even safe for the filly.  T says we would separate her for a while, obviously, but I don't think she's thought this one through either: I only have one pen ... and D is using it!  So where, pray tell, are we going to put this new filly?  Build more fences?  Again, that just sounds like more work/expense for me. I've kind of been letting other things slide but on this, I stand my ground.  It kind of reminds me of a former (problem) boyfriend who used to pester me with the same question over and over again in slightly different ways hoping I would relent and give him what he wanted!  OK, seriously, she's not as bad as that... but it does remind me of him and his very exhausting tactics.

Did I mention that I am charging a very reasonable rate to board D?  And that includes hay which is uber expensive and hard to find this year?!  In T's defence, she has been very proactive in sourcing out hay which I did appreciate.  But I am not coming out ahead financially on this.  Me thinks this is the lesson: if you set your self up as 'cheap', people treat you as if that's exactly how much you are worth.

I guess the long and short of it is that there have been a few good things about having a boarder and a few things I did not expect. I won't evict T and D but I won't be sorry if/when she decides to move him somewhere else and I suspect she will do that sooner rather than later. I probably won't take on another boarder, I have Cash and his sidekick, Cruz and possibly Benji, my niece's horse so he won't end up in the hands of a meat buyer. 

And honestly, my acreage has become my happy place and I am struggling with sharing my sanctuary.  Having to look after someone else's horse takes away from my quality time with my own guys.  I can't have my 'alone' time out there when someone else is there.  And I resent 'strangers' coming to my place and treating me like I'm invisible (T's Dad and in-laws barely acknowledged me; D's former owner didn't bother to call me when she visited.)  Maybe that is what's the crux of all of this.  My personal space.  My peace and quiet.  My joy.  I was out of town on Friday and Saturday for a course, I went out on Thursday night to get the boys ready and by Saturday night, I felt like I HAD to get out there to check on them before I could go home and go to bed.  It was pitch dark and I could barely see what was there ... but once I saw them petted them, smelled them, said "Hi guys", my world was right again.

There.  That's the end.  It was *much* longer than I expected but my rant is finished ... for now anyway.

The Symbolic Facial

So I am finally getting around to using this gift certificate for a facial that I got last Christmas from my employer.  The other part of the package was 2 tickets to the show, "Stomp", which played here earlier this year (a very enjoyable show!)

Part of the reason this certificate has stayed magnetted to my fridge this long is its kind of been a sore point for me.  Symbolic.  If it was a Christmas gift, it was a nice gesture ... but what happened to my bonus?  If this was meant to be my bonus, a thank you for all the hard work, dedication, contribution to the success of the company throughout the year, we appreciate everything you do ... let me count the ways that this gift/bonus is insulting:

They basically gave us a Christmas 'bonus' ... and then spent it on our behalf.  Now "Stomp" was absolutely fantastic so I don't want to take away from that but I would prefer to decide where and how to spend my 'bonus', thank you very much.  Cash is better.  One colleague couldn't attend the performance so he basically gave away his 'bonus'.  Another colleague gets massive migraine headaches so loud pounding noise for 2 hours just doesn't work for her; her 'bonus' went unused.  The one co-worker that I would really rather not associate with outside of office hours (we'll call him "Asshat") DID attend so as a social event, it was rather uninspiring.

I worked hard for that company. I brought a lot of expertise and professionalism to that office. I filled in the gaps whenever I was asked to. I put up with a lot of silliness and a lot of that had to do with "Asshat".  I was getting paid next to nothing (only slightly more than Asshat as I found out later), especially for what was supposedly a "managerial" role.  I suspect the total dollar amount of this 'bonus' was less than $200, cheaper than if they were to dole out real bonuses, you know based on work performance, seniority and contribution to the financial success of the company.  It seems to me they "cheaped out".  Nice!

We all received the exact same 'bonus' (as far as I know).  So pretty sure I got the exact same "thank you for your contribution and loyal service" as Asshat ... even though I have +24 years of experience compared to his 1.5 years; even though I did my own job plus his job when he was on my team because he wasn't capable, the deadlines don't change and the buck stops with whoever is running the project; even though he had a really poor attitude and had received many complaints from colleagues and reprimands from all levels of upper management; even though I presented numerous examples of his ineptitude and stupidity to my supervisor (who agreed with my assessment of it but couldn't or wouldn't do anything about it.)  In spite of all that, apparently Asshat and I were worthy of the same level of 'thank you'.

Things like raises, bonuses, updating our software, buying office supplies were generally met with resistance.  When faced with the (expensive) prospect of buying one more licenced seat of (necessary) software for a new hire, the CFO had the gall to say, "You all need to work harder so we can afford this!" Um, what?!  I believe this was said in jest ... but it was in very poor taste to say such a thing to the very people who were holding the place together!  I said (with my inside voice), "I know how you can free up one seat right now and it won't cost you a thing; it will actually save you money".  Had I actually said that (out loud), she would have known that I was talking about Asshat.  Get rid of him and give his spot to the new guy who can only be an improvement.  Problem solved.  And while you're at it, take his salary, divide it up among the rest of us who are actually doing something productive and voila, bonuses for those who deserve it!

And one final albeit minor gripe: I am really not a "go to the spa, get a facial" kind of person.  Not sure how they thought this would be a good gift for me (other than the fact that I am female).

Am I being petty for expecting a bonus?  Maybe.  Am I being unreasonable for expecting to be treated according to the value I brought to the job?  Definitely not.  I was told on numerous occasions how happy they were that I was there but it kinda feels like that was really just lip service.  As Evidenced by the 'bonus'.

I left that job 6 months ago but this is still a bit raw for me.  I decided I better at least use the certificate since I have it and it won't cost me anything.  At the very least, it will free up a fridge magnet.

Cash and Companions and Herd Dynamics

When I first moved Cash from his wonderful home with a herd of 6 or 7 other geldings to the solitude of the acreage, I was concerned that he would be unhappy.  I contemplated this for months before moving him but decided to do it anyway, maybe he would be OK with being alone.  He was NOT OK with being alone!  By about day 4, he was fed up and let me know as much by running, grunting, bucking, grunting, kicking, more grunting ... just generally carrying on like a madman.  I was a bit concerned for his safety actually, thought he might try to climb the fence out of desperation so I kept him confined in his pen which made him even more crotchety.

As luck would have it, my niece was going on holidays at about that time and I was asked to look after her horse while they were away.  So Cash was reunited with his old partner in crime, Benji, and boy, was he excited!  It took all of 5 seconds for them to remember each other.  Then Cash took a look around, realized he was now in the open pasture, galloped full speed to the west, realized "oops!" there's a fence in the way, BRAKES BRAKES!!!  Unfortunately for Cash, it had rained the night before and the grass was super slippery ... he left skid marks in the grass for about 30 feet right up to the fence!  Yikes!  But he got stopped in time and without missing a beat, spun around, ran off in the other direction and hasn't looked back since.  My niece and her family returned from vacation and dove straight into harvest so Benji has stayed with Cash for a bit longer than intended ... but they're not complaining!

About 2 weeks ago, I was contacted by someone looking to board a horse in this area.  She came out to have a look, she seemed nice, she liked the place.  So now her gelding has joined the herd.  And I'm kind of excited to have someone to ride with!

This is Doc ...

So the million dollar question was who will be the alpha?  No matter where Benji goes, he is always in charge.  No debate. At their old boarding farm, Cash was Benji's right-hand man and when Benji left, Cash assumed the role of head honcho, had a pretty big head about it actually!  The word on Doc when I knew he was coming is that he is a bit of a big man on campus.  So, three rather dominant horses in the same pasture.  For a bit I wondered what I had gotten myself into!  But Google reassured me that with a logical plan and some supervision, the herd will sort themselves out.

So for the first day, Doc was alone in the pen while Cash and Benji roamed free.  Doc wasn't happy but put some hay in front of his face and he seems to forget his worries. 

The second day, Benji was in solitary confinement while Cash (the less dominant of the two) and Doc got acquainted.  Benji wasn't happy but Cash and Doc seemed to come to an understanding fairly quickly: Doc is in charge, Cash was OK with that. 

Today, Benji got to rejoin the group, I wasn't quite sure how that would shake out since Doc's true colours are starting to show.  There was some kicking and squealing and pinned ears with Cash as the "buffer" in the middle but it wasn't long before they trotted off to the far end of the pasture to graze for the day.  Last I checked, there was peace.

I'll probably be repeating this process again next week when I bring home my new horse, Cruize.  I am quite excited about it!  I believe that Cruize is quite passive and won't challenge the leaders so the transition will (hopefully!) be easier.  My belief/hope is that Cruize will be easier to ride than Cash  and will serve as a confidence booster which will help me work with Cash more effectively.  And he's just a beautiful horse in his own right that I expect I will enjoy having.

Overall, I am enjoying the herd quite a bit.  I drive out there at least once a day to check on them, take care of their needs, say hello, mess around with them if I have time.  Cash, being my favourite, is loving the attention and his big attitude is coming back down to a manageable size and his friendly goofy personality is coming back.

And just one last funny picture: Lilly the contortionist.  She was being a nut case and I was trying to work so I confined her to her crate for the day.  When I found her this way I literally checked if she was dead or alive or what!  Turns out she was just napping ... and perhaps a little bit of protest at being crated.  Phew!  That's my silly Lilly hehe.

 

The experimental "time audit"

“Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don’t rent them out to tomorrow. Do you know what you’re doing when you spend a moment wondering how things are going to turn out with Perry?

You’re cheating yourself out of today. Today is calling to you, trying to get your attention, but you’re stuck on tomorrow, and today trickles away like water down a drain. You wake up the next morning and that today you wasted is gone forever. It’s now yesterday. Some of those moments may have had wonderful things in store for you, but now you’ll never know.” -Jerry Spinelli-

 

So I've been doing a little experiment this week that I’ve dubbed a "time audit".  Basically I have kept track of every minute of my day to see where exactly I spend all my time.   I don't have all that much on my plate these days and yet I have a perpetual laundry list of things to do (including the laundry!), I never seem to get any of those things done, they pile up, I get tired, the list remains long and overwhelming.  I just don't seem to have the time.

Or do I???

This time-tracking experiment has been a bit of an eye opener.  Only took a couple days to see a pattern developing and its one that I'm not terribly proud of: I waste A LOT of time. I'm a procrastinator.  I'm lazy.  I lack focus. I sleep far more than the average person and I work far less than my bank account requires (the subject of another "audit" and a blog post for another day.)  I was already aware of some of these bad habits but the surprising part was how much time all those less-than-productive activities consume in a week!  And how little time I actually spend on the things that make me happier and healthier.

“Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.”- Benjamin Franklin -

In my younger days I worked a full-time job (plus OT when there were deadlines, which was pretty much all the time), took University night classes, played volleyball 2 or 3 nights a week (plus tournaments/parties on weekend), went on the occasional date, had a decent social life and for the most part, nothing was suffering too drastically.  Fast forward 20 years ... not so much ambition these days.   I'll save the pity party for another time because pity-parties are in the less-than-productive waste-of-time category ... the exact thing I am trying to banish.

“She worked her toes into the sand, feeling the tiny delicious pain of the friction of tiny chips of silicon against the tender flesh between her toes. That's life. It hurts, it's dirty, and it feels very, very good.” - Orson Scott Card -

Ironically, on one if my aimless YouTube surfing sessions a few months ago, I came across this video about proficiency of a new skill in 20 hours rather than the oft quoted 10,000 hours to master it and just yesterday I watched this  one about language learning.  I am a bit of a learning junkie (luv the TED talks ... but they're a double edged sword for chronic procrastinators like me!) so the idea that I could become proficient at something in 20 hours is kind of novel and exciting ... but who has that kind of time???  Turns out that I have at least that much time!  Every week!  The time audit spreadsheet says so!

“We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives.” - Maya Angelou -

One of my many "to-do" lists is my "Life's to-do list" (aka a bucket list) and one of the items on that list is to "become a polyglot".  I've always felt a bit sheepish that I am not fluent (or even conversant ... or even anything) in our other official language.  I've signed up for Spanish classes several times but the only phrase that stuck in my little brain was, "dos cerveza por favor!"  I took Arabic language classes when I lived in the UAE and although I spent far more than 20 hours (more like twice a week for an entire year!) I was barely an advanced beginner.  And despite my best intentions to continue on with my Arabic learning, its pretty much gone.  So when I saw this little gem at the library yesterday, I had a light bulb moment:

My next experiment: learn French.  And at the same time, channel all that time spent (wasted!) into something I can be proud of.  So je parle français in 20 hours or less? Mais non ... but its worth the time and effort to try!

 

“You're only given a little spark of madness.  You mustn't lose it.” - Robin Williams-

Footnote: I haven't yet decided what category blogging falls into yet :-( For now, I'm calling it "recreation".

Assorted pictures of the creatures

... and a test of uploading pics from my phone

 Deisel and Lilly chillin' on the cat bed.

 Cash is my new best friend, follows me around when I'm doing chores! Kind of a big suck for luv these days.

He's just checking if the grass is greener on that side haha

Kitty has two beds, access to my big queen-sized bed, a perch by the window and even her very own office chair ... and yet she chooses to snooze in a cardboard box?!

No pictures of Cruize, Stache or Snuggles yet.

MSAR Photos

I managed to steal a few pictures from the article in the Medicine Hat News about our MSAR ride on Tuesday. 

These are the only two that I am in (I think? Kinda hard to tell, its very far away):

That's Cash and I on the right (I think I remember when that photo was taken.)  As I said, the scenery from that trail is awesome, we were right along the South Saskatchewan river.

Cash and I are second from the left, I can tell because we are way taller than everyone else! haha

With a little bit of breathing room since the "run-away Cash" incident, I think it is the right thing for me to bow out of the group until I am a better rider and Cash is a more seasoned horse.  I would rather leave by my own decision than put the organizers in the uncomfortable position of having to ask.  Hopefully I can still be on good terms with the program and the door will be open for me to rejoin when I am better prepared.  I may still volunteer to do other things for the group (I can scoop poop with the best of 'em!)

Mounted Search and Rescue (mis)adventures

I have been a volunteer with SEASAR (South-Eastern Search and Rescue) for the past 2 years and it is a very worthy organization to donate time and energy to.  I have learned so much from the training and from other members on a whole range of skills that I never would have attempted otherwise (for example: who knew that knot tying would be so difficult!)  Luckily we don't get many call-outs for actual searches so we mostly do training, community service, fundraising and the occasional mock search to stay ready.  This year is the first year for a mounted/equine search and rescue team so naturally, being the aspiring 'horse whisperer' that I fancy myself to be, I want to be involved!

Last night was the first ride I have been able to attend with my gelding, Cash.  He and I had a little disagreement last year in which I ended up in the dirt and since then I have been slowly trying to regain my confidence.  Its coming but its nerve wracking at times and frankly, I get intimidated by him more easily now and he knows it / plays it!  We did attend the "bomb-proofing" session where I lead him through the obstacles and the "scary stuff", he did very well at that! 

This ride was an eye opener in some good ways and in some not so good ways:

Good:  I left in plenty of time so I wouldn't have to be rushed.  I was quite nervous about the whole thing, wasn't sure I should be doing it.

Not so good: As it turned out, I did not arrive early.

Good: Cash was awesome to catch when I went to get him.  He likes to play the "you can't catch me" game.  But when I take away his "gelding shield" the game is less fun and he submits much more easily.

Good: I am getting more organized for these outings regarding the trailer, what tack I need, what my search pack needs, driving with a trailer in tow and not panicking anytime I need to back it up.

Not so good: We were conducting our mock-search excercise on a public trail and a guy on a bike came up behind us quite quickly and was not terribly sensitive to the horses.

Good: I couldn't get Cash turned to face the biker quick enough and he spooked a bit as the guy whizzed past.  But it was not a huge spook, just a hop and some fancy footwork.  Since I knew it was coming, it was manageable.  We also passed dogs and a lawn mower and crossed a wooden foot bridge, he wasn't afraid of those.

Not so good: Long story short, my saddle was not placed correctly and when I tried to dismount on the trail towards the end of the ride, he hopped sideways (which is unusual for him.)  Instead of heeding the warning, I tried again to dismount but this time I was nearly off when he hopped and I fell the rest of the way.

Good: I now know the consequences of poor saddle placement and will be more careful of this in the future!  And I wasn't hurt ... except for my pride.

Bad: After I came off, Cash took off and was not about to be retrieved easily (his favorite game!) which was really a dangerous situation for the other riders.  Luckily some of them managed to corner him (albeit along a barbed wire fence!  It was a bit hairy!) and I was able to get him back under control.  We were nearly back at the campground where we started so I elected to walk him the rest of the way.  The reason I was dismounting was to avoid what I perceived to be a dangerous situation coming up ahead and instead I caused an even bigger one :-(  I was embarrassed and humbled but it was a valuable "teachable moment"!

The situation I was trying to avoid was two Arabians in a pasture right next to the trail.  I suspect they were stallions because they were absolutely gorgeous animals and on our first pass, Cash spotted them from a long way off and was extremely interested to the point where he was acting kind of studly himself, arching his neck, prancing.  Cash can be dominant but as far as I know he is properly gelded.  I got off and walked him past the Arabians and on the way back, I was trying to be proactive and get off again to avoid a 'confrontation'.

Good: Of all the places that could have happened, that was probably the best one could hope for.

Good: The run-away Cash incident would have been much worse if I had been using split reins.  Thankfully I had decided to use my closed reins.

Not so good: I had my truck and trailer keys on me and my cell phone in my back pocket.  In hindsight, that was really dumb!

Good: My phone stayed in my pocket (although it started ringing at the exact moment I was running after my runaway steed!)  Another astute rider happened to see my keys laying on the ground (Phew!  I kinda need those!)

Good:  I feel like I made the right judgement call by dismounting when I felt trouble was looming.  I probably looked like a loser walking so much but I honestly think it is better to do that than to risk an accident (even though that particular incident didn't turn out that way.)

Good: Cash did not poop on the trail :-)  Since we were in a public area, we had one gracious volunteer following us on the mountain bike who was scooping up behind us.  She deserves a medal for that sh!tty task!

Not so good: Cash has decided he doesn't like to load into the trailer again. 

Good: Another SAR member asked if she could work with him to get him loaded for the ride home (cuz I wasn't yet winning that battle!)  I was a little skeptical and rattled and tired by that point but I begrudgingly handed him over.  She was amazing!  I learned so much just watching her in those few minutes and I have to say, once he was securely tied off inside, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, everything else from then on was easy.  I was very thankful and a little sheepish for my resistance to letting her try.  I may have another option for riding instructor now, she obviously knows a thing or two and is eager to share!

Neutral: My super light synthetic saddle doesn't fit Cash.  Not even close :-(

Good: My knees sometimes hurt when I am in my big clunky roping saddle for too long.  Yesterday that wasn't the case (possibly because I got off and walked quite a bit.)

Good: Overall this training ride (mini-mock search) was really well organized ... with the exception of some ambiguous wording in the email that sent some of us to the wrong starting point.  Once that was sorted out, everyone seemed to enjoy it and I got to know a few more of the other members.  For the most part the other riders were patient and supportive with this "newbie".

Good: For as much (or as little) as Cash has been ridden this year, he actually did pretty well.  I am quite sure that my nervousness was making him nervous.  There was a lot of new stuff, people, horses, etc. and his reactiveness was not over the top (except when we first encountered the Arabians.)

Harsh reality: I am still too green to be a productive mounted search and rescue team member.  And Cash's natural tendency is to be antsy and forward so I'm not sure he will be the best candidate for MSAR.

Good: I now have a much better idea of what kinds of things I/we need to work on in order to make the grade and what the expectations are for this group.   

Good: The weather was fantastic!  The mosquitoes were minimal.  The views from that trail are spectacular (I did not take pictures but the SEASAR website might have some I can use).

I debated about not going last night, it is foolish to take a horse that's hardly been ridden into that situation. But another member convinced me to give it a try, take it slow, see how it goes.  Cash and I went on several rides last summer and he was pretty good on those so I know he has done them before and done OK.  I'm glad I went and my colleague was really good about looking out for me as best she could!  I learned so much and I challenged myself which I have not done much of lately! But I will have to see how much progress we make between now and the next training ride and then decide if we are ready for more challenges (assuming we are not asked to not come back.)  Although the training rides are a good place to learn, I felt I might have put the other riders in more danger than I intended.

I was pretty calm and 'together' through the whole evening, I didn't show my nerves and anxiety, not even to myself.  But on the drive home by myself in the dark, all the stress that I had obviously been holding in just came bursting through.  I was tired and humbled and weepy ... but not sad.  I had succeeded in getting out there and doing it, for whatever that's worth.

Blast from the past ... again.

As per my last post ... from 2 years ago :-( ... still not much blog-worthy stuff happening.  Life is just coasting along.  But I was inspired to revisit my blog after reading another blog by someone on a horse forum I sometimes follow.  It was interesting and I decided maybe I will start putting up some pictures and commentary about my guy(s).  I decided that I am going to start taking my riding more seriously so I'm getting set up to commit the time and focus to developing their skills and my own.  Time will tell how this all works out.

Cash is an 11yo Appendix and I've owned him for about a year and a half.  He's a good horse but hasn't gotten the attention he needs/deserves and might be a bit much for me.  He threw me off last summer (or more accurately, he took some spirited hops that I wasn't expecting and I lost my balance and fell off) and I have been very tentative since then which is kind of an irrational response to one little incident more than a year ago.  I moved him to my acreage last week so we can start to bond better (oh yeah, I have my Dad's acreage now too! Love it!)  His initial few days were quite unsettling since he was alone and wasn't happy about that but his old partner in crime (Benji) is with him temporarily and life is good again.

Cruize is an 8yo registered thoroughbred that I just bought last week.  He has a nice calm disposition and is very people-friendly; he was easy to ride although I did not 'test' him as vigorously as I probably should have.  But sometimes ya just have a 'feeling' that its right.  I will be taking lessons on him for the next little while until he's more refreshed and I believe he will be a keeper.  I think he will be a good match personality wise for Cash too (the main reason I bought another).  And he's absolutely gorgeous!

In reading back through previous posts, I was sad to see my videos of Thor.  My big buddy died in June of 2012.  I was heart broken, still am.  But there is nothing I can do (or could have done) about it so life has moved on. I'll write more about that some other time.  I have a new puppy, Lilly, a Rottie-bullmastiff(?) cross who is almost a year and a half old and 2 months ago I adopted a 6yo old boxer named Diesel.  Lilly is a jokester and a challenging puppy but she's turning out alright.  Diesel turning out to be the quietest, most loving boxer you could ask for as long as he gets a proper introduction.

And there's also Kitty, my SPCA heart-cat.  I saw her in Petsmart and she had the saddest look in her eyes.  So I brought her home.  She has proven to be the most amazing creature, I am so happy she's here ... but I don't wander past the adoption center in the pet stores anymore.  Its too heart wrenching and I can't save them all.

And just to be fair to all my creatures, there are two "acreage cats", Stache and Snuggles.  Their job will be rodent control and from what I hear, they are exceptionally good at it!  I have been stalling with moving them from their current home because I am apprehensive about the coyotes at the acreage so I'm trying to make it as safe as possible for them.  But at some point I'll have to take the chance.

And that's it.  My pet-family is complete.  Not to worry, there are PLENTY of pictures and videos of these two jokers, I'm sure a few will make it into the blog at some point (they have completely taken over my Facebook page!)