Wet shoes and a huge grin -fun day

Went riding with Lynn and her speedy friends. I love my mare, she kept right up, but when I asked her to stay back 2 lengths she did and when T went zooming in one place and I felt that a reasonable canter was a better idea than the flat run Shade let me rate her no arguement, even with M using her as partial brakes for Findlay.

I want to get together with L sometime for a more sedate ride with her new horse. But she is having saddle fit fun. He outgrew his saddle, she is using a trainers treeless saddle and trying to decide on buying a treeless. And I should try to get together with Q for a shoes required ride in a scenic park.

TGIF

Been fighting headaches and being sleepy early in the afternoons all week. I am behind on sleep, and would not surprise me if I'm a bit dehydrated. + its flowering season. I don't get full blown allergies but I get extra stuffy every year about this time. Still I sure am glad it is friday.

On the good side I rode Shade wednesday and today. It was hot today, I didn't go very far. Mia was pumped to go though, she turned and went down road 33 instead of letting me tie her on the other side of road 6. Ole was dinking around the prairie dog town for so long I was getting nervous he had snuck off to Tate, but he was up there when I drove up with the car looking after I finished my ride, and filled the water tank, let horses out to pasture and got dressed for work. Darn dog went back to playing after he saw me, I had to turn the car around and drive right back up to where he was. Spoilt thing. Oh well he should be content to stick around for mom now I hope. Dr Mike was out for vaccinations and coggins yesterday. $$, I had blood pulled from Cindy and Sadie so I can haul them along if I do horse travel and don't trust the farm sitter. I must quit dinking and try to arrange some riding plans for sunday. I need to put some energy into having fun or I may blow a gasket with the frustrating dogs and sick people.

well they survived, but

I felt horrible last night when I saw how much of the hay I had set out to cover feeding through monday evening was still there. I should have called again on sunday and went over things with the neighbors who were feeding for me. Dang, I'm sorry guys. They did not seem too desperate when I went out to give them a good feed, course they were hiding from the rain and had barely noticed us getting home. Sadie asked me to feed her outside the shed, she didn't mind the rain but she was HUNGRY and didn't want to risk getting pushed out of most of the food. Of course I obliged her. I fed pretty generous again this morning. Sadie CJ and Cindy had eaten all the hay I gave them. Shade Grey and RazzMo had been more picky. Ugh, I don't want to take any family trips now -but not sure mom is any better. She used to be pretty reliable I felt like my horses were getting great care when I was gone, but not so much since she got sick. I think I'll have Dr Mike pull blood on Sadie and Cindy just in case I want to drag them along so I can control their care for any trips I take.

I think the critters will survive my roadtrip

I lined up someone to feed, unavailable on saturday --figured if dad was coming and we could not get someone else for that evening I would just throw hay before we left and give them some extra to tide them over till sunday morning. But dad has to leave with a load on monday so he'll be around to feed equines on saturday evening and give Mia her pills, take Ole for runs etc etc. So the instructions just got much shorter, YAY.

So now I should make a list of all the things I want to take and do before I go. (take my new camera but with dad's memory card that has his various pics so I can download them on sis's cpu. Take my laptop and my crypto card (already packed but I have to use it in the morning so must remember to replace it) Should charge the extra laptop battery. must take laptop power cord and hope it doesn't break. Need batteries for my camera. Take work cell ph in case things are nasty sunday/monday. Email myself the links JIC I can't get the laptop to work at sis's and need to just check websites with her cpu. Please let laptop work though. Take router? Be nice if I can avoid interrupting sis's internet access every time.

On the fun side. I rode Shade yesterday, and rode Grey today. did some ring work with C and RazzMo, and then took the dogs for a 1 mile walk. I call it multi-tasking rather than lazy to get the horse rode and dogs exercised at same time (wink) I sent my Atlas Shrugged book to an injured vet in TX. Got an email alert that his family was looking for bday cards to be sent to him. Serious injuries 2 yrs ago, still in a Fisher house. Hope he enjoys the book and chocolate and can pass the book on. Ptttbbb to the establishment, especially these days. I hope he finds the leaning tree card funny, could possibly take it wrong way but I like LT and wanted to send a fun card.

Riding summary

Friday skipped riding. Saturday rode Shade at home, sunday rode CJ, messed with mini's -grooming +grass. Rode AJ, OMG he was the energizer bunny. He would not walk, I did get him to stop in a corner where he could look out and see Shade on pasture and let myself rest a few times. Well finally after getting brave enough to let him canter some and a stop break I asked him to walk and called it quits after a quarter lap of him obliging.

Sooo I think I'll have the new leasor start with RazzMo if she makes it out. I'll probably do the full ride Grey and let me watch to make sure she is a rider, not just a pretty passenger, then have her ride Razz while I ride AJ a few times and let her decide if she wants to deal with AJ. Razz's leasor is only coming 1x/week so he could really use more exercise anyway.

Yesterday I rode Shade, I thought I should leave Mia tied in the shade at home but she was sure she wanted to come, so when I got to my 1/2 mile corner I tied her. She is white so not having shade is not a big deal, she trotted home with good energy when I swung back after my out and back ride on Shade. But she was hot, she wanted to come in the house and sleep while I was at work. She probably could have stayed cooler outside, she certainly thought it was the better idea today. The house doesn't cool off in the evenings. Today I ran the tractor and did some hand scooping with the neighbors grandson manning the heavy manure fork and cleaned one of the horse sheds. Then I put got some tractor buckets of sand to fill in where it had been a pee spot and he spread it around some. Then I ran a load of laundry and tossed in the dryer before showering and heading to work. I think I earned the root beer float I had with lunch. He is definitely earning his pay for cleaning the horse pens.

I will probably get mom this weekend. Well I WILL get her from Naomi's. I'll have to figure out about being on call. I really wanted to just get it done so I can go ride on the 4th, and over labor day, god willing and the horse is sound. But can I manage it being gone? I'd better try to get a backup and take a weekend or 2 for them I suppose.

more riding fun

Tuesday I rode Grey Moun, I took Mia and tied her to a big power-line pole so I could go south, she hesitates for stickers and I don't want her heading home on her own, lest she go to the neighbors yard instead of home. Tying her is working well. I did this once last week and I repeated on wednesday when I rode Shade. It was breezy and cool staring out so I took Mia north down the road. Gaah, I don't ride an arab to get that kind of workout when I ride. Push push with my legs because she was being such a big sissy looky lou. But she perked up when we turned for home, then we had a decent ride heading south. Much less dumped trash to give the evil eye to. Shade was even pretty good about the crew installing some above ground pipeline. And today I didn't feel like grabbing Grey again, woke up with a bit of a tight back (Shade did one big jump --like something stung her, on Wednesday and I didn't fall off or even get off center, she just went straight up the one time, but I must have basically clenched my back and set up some mild spasms)

So I didn't want to ride Grey, he is my sweetheart but he's kind of bouncy. I grabbed Cindy --and Sadie too since it was looking like I'd have a hard time getting thru the gate w/o her crashing. Curried a bunch of scrurfy dander off Cindy. I should really shampoo her. Sadie got tying practice, then I took them both down the road just to the corner and back, leaving Mia tied in our yard. The leasor was riding RazzMo, finishing up just as I started out. Both leasors are working out well. I do not feel like I have to babysit as they ride. -That was the idea, but sometimes things don't work out. I did ride a few sessions with C, but she seems to be doing well now without needing another horse to give Razz some energy w/o him getting excited so thats cool. Its good for me to do some ringwork and only when she is out do I actually do any on my horses; but it is WONDERFUL to be able to just say hi, get Razz his grain, and let her do her thing while I tend to other stuff.

good rides

Friday riding date was delayed --L was eager to switch to saturday too. OMG, why is the first time I trailered out and rode with other people this year? I had such a good time. L was tired from riding a couple days earlier at Indian Peaks. Sounded like a miserable ride of going thru brush due to downed trees so I'm not too jealous about missing that. She had brought a gal that boards at a neighbor of Ls. M and Findlay were great. Youthful enthusiasm that pulled Shade and I to ride more and faster than we would have done if we were setting the pace. Just what the dr ordered! L actually quit after one loop but really encouraged M and I to continue, what a sweetie. We had fun and since I kind of know some of the area we went quite a ways, hit an area that was new to M and had no trouble finding our way back. When we were back at Chatfield where I don't know all the paths M was familiar and took us on all the trails to get straight back to the trailers. I would have wound my way there but it was nice getting guidance on the known trails with nice river crossing spots etc.

This morning I rode moms tb, AJ. Yesterday I had hand grazed him and he got to eat quite a bit of grass while I searched for tack. He hasn't been ridden in ages --never by me. I think his bridle with his Happy mouth apple flavored bit got left at the trainers 2 yrs ago when he was to get tuned up while mom recovered from knee surgery. AJ went over a fence when they took his pasture mate out work it, and scraped his back leg --he always scrapes about the same spot on the front of that RH leg -- and heended up mainly getting a lot of bandaging while mom was too laid up to deal with it. But I had to just use RazzMo's SS mullen mouth bit. I suspect we'll have to just buy a new bit for AJ, and probably a headstall too, sigh. But eventually I had him tacked up and tooled around just W/T in the little riding ring we have. I sure would like to expand the area a little bit, but its probably too much hassle for the small gain in size we could get.

Redneck politics

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22319.html

Obamas White House Correspondents Dinner >>>>>

Good evening. You know, I had an entire speech prepared for this occasion. But now that I’m here, I think I want to try something a little different. Tonight, I want to speak from the heart. So, I’m not going to use this script. I’m going to speak off the cuff. [Two teleprompter shields rise slowly from beneath the podium, to musical accompaniment. Laughter.] Good evening … [huge laughter]

“I’d like to welcome you all to the ten-day anniversary of my first one hundred days. I’m Barack Obama. Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me. Apologies to the Fox table. [He peers into the distance stage left, doing his Chris Rock thing of grinning at his own funny.] I have to confess I really didn’t want to be here tonight, but I knew I had to come. Just one more problem I inherited from George Bush. …

“Sasha and Malia aren’t here tonight because they are grounded. You can’t just take Air Force One on a joyride around Manhattan. I don’t care whose kids you are. And that reminds me: Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. This is a tough holiday for Rahm. He’s not used to saying the word ‘day’ after ‘mother.’ [Brings the house down.]..........>>>>>>>

That was the classies part. He was ROFL at Wanda Sykes' spiel which was just a bash of Rush, Bush et al with classy items like saying Rush should be waterboarded and she hopes his kidneys fail --if ref. to Rush's position that he hopes O fails to get his socialist fantasy implemented.

So as a conservative and generally wanting to feel good about the president of my country it is a bummer. BUT there is the silver lining in the cloud that I and rednecks all across the country can now go "Yee Haw, thanks to B and M, we or our spouses are not ineligible for the highest office in our country just cuz we don't know that etiquette shit"

is it finally friday YET

No,

And I am on the verge of canceling my planned riding date for tomorrow. I feel so behind and scattered at work. -but probably won't do anything terribly useful if I come in tomorrow and ride saturday. I should ride tomorrow and come in saturday but I'm behind at home too and feeling kind of run down.

Mom will probably come home sunday. Well I've been feeling like I can't keep up with her watering + other stuff so I guess this is a good thing if she starts feeling decent. But darn if I had another week I bet I'd have the fridge cleaned out. Its too hard when she is around. We share food so if I make or buy something and it gets pushed to the back of the fridge I don't know it hasn't just been consumed by someone else so it gets forgotten and yucky. And mom makes and buys stuff and does the same thing, even worse this last year when she has been sick.

I haven't rode the last two mornings. I took the dogs in the car yesterday and Ole went for a walk with our neighbor today. At least I was out when he was passing by on the way home to call Ole into the yard. A doesn't mind the company when he is walking -its only a problem when Ole follows him to his avenue and then hangs around trying to play with other peoples dogs and being a nuisance. I have to search for pest control tablets soon too. Our pasture is under attack. I hope we have enough that we don't have to bother K to buy more for us, or find time to take the test to be licensed or approved whatever ourselves. (meaning I would have to do it)

Herding dogs, it is similar to cats......

Well it sounded funny late last night and I cant come up with a better title.

Yesterday I rode Grey Moun, I was going to take a short ride down the road heading east and give the dogs some exercise. Ornery Mia turned to go down Tate Ave where we cross it about 1/4 mile from home. She was not coming when I called her and she is dog aggressive sometimes so I asked Grey Moun to trot on the road and get in front of her so I could jump off and grab her leash. Well once we were north of her she turned around so Grey and I just kind of herded her back to the corner but she turned for home. So I followed her home and shut the gate on her and then I rode Grey just a bit in the paddock.

Today I forget to put the leash on Mia before opening the gate as I was heading out on Shade and she went zooming west. No problem for me to ride that direction but I went running after her because she veers into the near neighbors yard sometimes -including today. Luckily G was outside and told her to get out and I was also hollering at her so she came out w/o causing a ruckus with their dogs but I was not happy with myself for being so absent minded. Coming home I got Shade to trot and get in front of Mia and then hopped off and used one of Shades reins on a leash. Snap end split reins are handy at times!

Ole was busy chasing prairie dogs all this time, so I did some late morning feeding; he still hadn't showed up in 10 minues and I got to worrying he had followed someone to Tate and was pestering. He is 100% friendly but folks whose dogs get to barking at him when he comes around still don't like him visiting. So I jumped in the car to run down there. Don't see him, come back. Oh heck I left the gate open with Mia unattended in the meantime. Get her in the car and run down the road west and finally here comes Ole. Darn dogs. I don't want to get rid of Mia because she is pretty loyal and we have coyotes and things and I like having an outdoor dog who will be protective of the cat and the minis; but she is going to give me an ulcer with not being nice when she is outside her yard and me not being 100% on keeping her contained. And Ole is about as harmless as they come but he is SO much everybody's dog. I am seriously thinking I should just have some geese to alert me when I have my own place, maybe cats for company but NO dogs. They take so darned much time and attention.

well the chocolate was good

I was going to be so good tonight, make pasta with the fake crab mom had left in the fridge while she is in Rochester getting tested for every possible thing that might be causing her pain and fatigue. Well I guess the glass sauce pan was not stove top safe, perhaps the fish was too old to be safe so fate was intervening to save me. So I hope I didn't get a glass splinter or food poisoning eating the bit I did because I was too hungry and pissed to get something else. Still, several servings tossed in the trash; so much for taking 'home cooked' to eat at work next week to reduce trash creation and all that. So I had a generous serving of dark chocolate with espresso bits for dessert to make it up to myself. Gaia is going to have to live me recycling the trays when I eat at work, like I've been doing.

I rode CJ and Razz today. I am not up to ride CJ very often unless my back gets really good. He has a small jog and didn't feel terribly rough as I rode but my back didn't think it felt good at all. Razz isn't gaited or anything but he feels so smooth and easy. I was going to grab Shade, but she said she'd get cold, well Razz and I did get sprinkled on so perhaps she was right. The weather was dry and it wasn't much wind until late afternoon so the endurance ride was probably pretty pleasant for those who went. Well last year I thought Shade picked up a respiratory bug at this ride and we lost all the condition we had had so I guess I was nervous to go this year, as well as feeling too lazy.

Even though I thought I wanted to get riders for CJ and Razz so I could focus on my horses and I am not really doing that yet I am pretty happy so far. It feels right to have them getting some use. CJ was much easier to catch and Razz was pretty easy to bridle today so they are getting some good general purpose training.

skipping the kenlyn ride unless I flipflop overnight

I have been known to do such things, but by this mornings forecast its a pretty good chance of rain, low 50's temps and 15-20 mph wind. Low 50's and calm and little chance of rain would be pretty good, but it was misting this morning and not a lot of wind and Shade still wanted me to give her some hay in the shed so she didn't have to eat outside in the weather.

Poor little desert mare, she hates cold/wet. And since I was not really wanting to do the ride anyway I am not going to drag her out to likely have to tough out cold and wet at least at the vet check just to get a guaranteed good training ride in. Now I just have to call L. She likes to ride endurance style but has not been interested in actually entering rides so maybe I can make a 'date' to ride with her and have a good conditioning spin away from home. Maybe on monday, since sunday is showing increasing chances of being rainy as we go along.

I should ride CJ and AJ and probably Razz this weekend. I may have a rider for AJ to start in June. So I have some time but I need to see how much training he has left after so much layoff and just a bit of work at C's 2 years ago (I think he had some work before he injured himself there but it was not a lot.) CJ's rider has been busy at work this week and didn't make it out all week and he was being a bit of a jerk with her last week so he should have some tune up. I should buy some rubber ends for Razz, as the gal keeps trying to be nice and ride with hardly any contact --and ends up with some bumping as she posts I think.