It's breedin' time!

Now is the time our does begin going into heat... tho' I think the two does we have left are going to be very quiet and sultry about it vs. screamers.

That means I'm gonna have to start watching doe hooha's...

If you asked me 10 yrs ago if I thought I'd be closely inspecting goat hooha's for signs of heat I woulda fallen off my bar stool laughing.

We'll breed our yearling doe, Speck, this year to one of Marylou's bucks so our poor buck (Speck's Papa) will not be used. How frustrating that must be when you get ONE and only ONE shot at love all year long!

I rode Rosso Sunday in my lesson - he was good. Rex rode him as well and it was a treat to watch. He is very nice, his eye is much softer and he was much more relaxed. I know he has it in him to be a really nice horse. We just have to get over the hump of his young horse stuff - all of which will make me a better horse person ..... I hope.

I find I am not feeling very strong emotionally right now with stuff going on in my family so I don't know that I am in the correct frame of mind to ride Rosso. I need to be confident and sure! Instead I'm feeling distracted and upset.

Sister wants to move Dad to Denver all of a sudden.

She thinks Dad is faking it for attention.

Right.

People fake their way into hospice all the time. Happens every day.


Repeat after me: "Shanster's sister is a piece of work."

Birf-day Boy

It's Furry Husband's BIRF-DAY today! I'm so glad he was born *ahem* so many years ago.

I took him out to a birf-day breakfast and I surprised him with his present. He's hard to surprise. He always figures me out.

I gave him an iTouch. I wrapped it in 5 boxes, each one bigger than the next. That really threw him off the trail... I can be sneaky when I need to be.

Hellooooooo 21st Century! Do you see us waving at you?

We are going out to dinner tonight for some tender and barely cooked fillet mignon....

Tracker Toe

I met with Joelyn for some tracking training tonight. Y'know, being outdoors and working with your dog just helps...

Toe did really well - Joelyn brought clothespins with ribbon as markers for ME so I could make sure Toe stayed on track when she put in a right or left hook. Toe was cutting across the hook to get to the glove, vs. truly staying on track.

The markers helped me stay on the trail and Toe is all gangbusters in his little harness - just like an Alaska sled dog - in miniature.

Joelyn says Toe will ruin it for me. She says he's going to be really good and the next dog I get won't be as easy....

Then she brought out her little bitch, Rumor. (I love using "bad" language that is actually completely and totally appropriate in the dog world) Toe and Rumor played and frolicked... I'm sure when he goes to sleep tonight he'll dream of Rumor in a risque leather collar and lead.

Off to drink wine and eat pizza - have a good Friday night!

No motivation...

Dad had a hospice evaluation today. They say he's a good candidate and will be admitted to the program once I fill out the paperwork.


I'm o.k. with it. It would be a blessing really.


He turns 65 in January. Young, I know. He has early onset Parkinson's that started in his 30's. He has Parkinson's related dementia and he is truly miserable. It's a very cruel existence. No matter your relationship, you would NEVER wish this disease on anyone.


Being admitted to hospice means they think he will die within 6 mos. time and in talking to the woman who contacted me, most people don't make it that long.

It's a very odd feeling. I'm really doing o.k. - just feel tired and unfocused.


In the meantime, Sera is lame in her left front. I think it's an abscess from the winter storm melt with all the mud and goo this week... I looked her over and can't find any heat or cause. I'll soak her hoof with Epsom salts and try to get the abscess to surface.


This means my lesson on Sunday will be with the youngster Rosso.


I'm not feeling very motivated or dedicated to my riding right now. Tho when I told Rexanne Sera was off and I'd bring Rosso to my lesson Sunday with an added, gulp. She said I was one of her dedicated and tenacious students and I was definitely not a nancy girl.


I'm feeling like a big lame-o nancy girl. (similar to nancy boy... only my reproductive organs are in the inside... uterus... ovaries and all that mess)


Definition of nancy boy from Urban Dictionary:


nancy boy
A nancy boy can be: A completely pathetic coward, who is generally afraid to speak their mind or do anything difficult or unpleasant....



At least Rosso will take all my focus and attention.... I'll be brave and let you know how it goes.


It's Cozzola's pizza with good red wine tonight cuz it's FRIDAY. It's our Friday night ritual. ALWAYS a great way to end the week....

yum......

I guess I needed them...

I bought these boots in 1998. Furry Husband and I were in Jackson Hole, WY at one of his buddy's condos or something. We went into town and I bought these boots as a splurge. Blundstone paddock boots.

Lookit - the heel is coming off... there is a crack in the sole... I didn't realize I really needed new boots... they still worked. My feet didn't get wet at the barn or anything.

Mom came out to see me, took one look at my boots and told me they were well past the worn out phase.

And now.... drum roll please.

Do you hear the heavenly music? The angels singing on high? Do you see the holy light shining down from above?

TADA! My new Blundstone boots for riding and mucking around the barn.

Thanks for the boots Mom! I guess I needed them?

Oh. GEEZ!

I was sitting at work innocently listening to NPR cuz generally it's the least offensive station... it's not hard core rap or head banging metal or swirly, twirly country ballads ...

I turned it up a notch listening to a story on Jewish deli food. Cuz. Well. ANYTHING about food captures my full and undivided attention...

And then the story moved on and I tuned out --- comforting NPR voices gently mumbling away over to my right

And then?


And then I hear the word "vagina" and "penetration" and "fluid"

Oh - good grief! Where is the volume button and why did the building's white noise machine turn off just at the very moment those words were spoken?! They were ECHOING around the suite... vagina vagina vagina......

Geez, oh, geez, oh geez!

I don't even want to think about vaginas or penetrating or fluids with ANY of the people I work with.

What happened to the talk about pastrami on rye? What about mustard and kosher and and... where'd the FOOD go?

Shew...

I turned the radio way low...

It's some crazy story about countries where it's important to marry virgins. Some genius developed a fake vagina virgin contraption. It provides some sort of barrier and some fake blood.

Wow. Talk about inventions. Who was the test group for THAT product?

Hey! (light bulb over my noggin) Maybe I could go as a virgin for Halloween!

Oh.

Wait.

I guess no one would be able to tell what I was exactly....

What a feast!

Canadian Thanksgiving was INCREDIBLE! THREE turkeys.... green bean casserole.... stuffing.... sweet potatoes....biscuits....gravy....and pie - lots and lots of PIE. I was good and had a little bit of each thing without going back for seconds... tho' I was pretty stuffed with my firsts!

My stuffed mushrooms were a hit and disappeared within 20 minutes. There were 40 people feasting... I can't even imagine cooking for a crowd and Deb does such a wonderful job! Furry Husband showed up around 4pm so he had a bit o' everything as well. We rolled ourselves back home and it sure was nice to have him back!

I'm off today for Columbus Day... (oh these durn gub'ment workers anyway!) and I have a list of things to do:

* take horse blankets in for repair

* pick up some beet pulp and Equine Senior

* stop by Mountain Vet for some tapeworm pills cuz I discovered tapeworm in Toe this morning while he was on his back in my lap and I was trimming his nails - EWWWW! I'm sure he picked it up from one of those voles Punkin' caught this Fall. (DAMMIT PUNKIN!)

* pick up some pix at Walgreens to put in my Mom-in-Law's care package, then mail said package.

* drop my books off a the library and pick up some more - I'm reading the Little House series. I know they are kids books and I'm really sorry to the 7 yr old girl I pushed down last week so I could get the last Little House book on the shelf... but I'm an adult and I'm bigger.

(don't worry - karma dished me out a nice, big pimple the size of a walnut on my right cheek for everyone to see because I made that little girl cry at the library last week)