Cowgirl At Heart

My department had a team building event a few weeks ago.  It was so cool that I have to tell you about it.  It's by far the best day "at work" I've ever had.

We went to a local equine center and spent the day with animals.  We had a quick lesson on the different styles of riding horses (Western vs. English).  The horse trainer demonstrated some tricks.  Then, they let volunteers brush the horses before they showed us how to saddle them.  I ran for the brushes!

I've never cleaned a horse before, and I've always wanted to.  The instructor showed me how to use the double metal loop to gently brush with the grain of the hair, then follow up with a bristle brush.  They said how it's important to clean where the saddle will be so that dirt doesn't cause irritations to the skin.  I had fun cleaning Top Gun.  He was a big beautiful boy.  One of my co-workers cleaned Top Gun from the other side.  He must have thought it was spa day.

Then they saddled up the horses and asked who wanted to ride.  YOU BET!  Since I sort of started a relationship with Top Gun, I ran for him.  Wahoo, I got to him first!  I was able to get up without incident (hey, it's been decades since I've ridden a horse, and he's a tall boy).  They adjusted the saddle, and away we went.  We walked around with the instructor holding the lead.  He told me what to do, which sounded so simple.  What, wasn't I doing that?  Ummm, not really.  Ok, I see how I tried to use the reigns like a steering wheel.  Which only confused poor Top Gun.  Once I fixed that mistake, he was much happier.  Top Gun soon relaxed.  Then we were not only walking, we were trotting.  The trainer warned me that Top Gun has a bumpy trot.  He wasn't kidding.

Soon we were both at ease with each other, so the instructor turned me loose and told me to go wherever I wanted in the arena.  We not only trotted, we cantered!  It was so cool to ride that big beautiful horse.  It gave me such a sense of glorious freedom.  It gave me the bug to go riding again.

Just starting to ride Top Gun

I monopolized about as much of Top Gun's time as I could, then decided that I should let someone else enjoy him too.  The instructor (Top Gun's owner) told me that he doesn't adjust well to following commands from other people riding him, and he did really good.  Glad he told me that after, or it may have made me nervous.  Which would have made Top Gun nervous!  I dismounted without a step just fine.  Whew!  I did it.  And I loved it.

So, I know what we are doing for my birthday this year.  Trail riding, and I can't wait.  The last time I rode a horse was in college with my college roommate, Jus, probably the summer of '89 or '90.  For something fun to do, we went on a trail ride towards the end of the school year.  Wish I could find the fuzzy out-of-focus picture from way back then.

I rode a couple of times growing up (as in single digits, not like I did it often).  The first time or two was on our family vacations to Colorado.  Here's a picture from when I was 10 or a little younger...

I guess I had a flair for wearing clothes that clashed on the weekends as a kid, too.

After riding Top Gun in the arena, I walked around and looked at all the other animals they have.  

Meet Ham (left) & Bacon (right), not their real names

The llama

Beautiful horses

And I met my new boyfriend, Jake.  He's a total lush when it comes to a butt rub, so we bonded.  Both of his eyes were brown/blue in each of his eyes.  I've never seen another like him.  

I'm a sucker for those eyes, and his hair

I have a weak spot for border collies/Australian shepherds.  But alas, I know that breed is not for me.  Not until I can devote all my time and attention to one, and when could that ever happen?!?  Not until I retire.  They are slightly smaller than a Golden, and their lifespans are longer.  And talk about smart.  Smart enough to get into trouble.  Every day, I'm sure.  So, I will admire him from afar, and visit him every chance I get.

Speaking of visits, Tullybird will be here tomorrow--in just a few hours as a matter of fact!  I have the week all planned out for meals/drinks/shopping, and... horse back riding!  We are going to hit the trail for a ride.  WAHOO!  I am so excited that she's coming for a 2nd visit this year!

Random Thought Bubbles

Wow, it's been a month since I've posted.  That is consistent with how crazy this Spring has been so far, and I don't think it's going to slow down any.  This is going to be a miscellaneous post about a bunch of random topics.  And away we goooo!

 

Topic 1:  I have a lot of vacation plans this year.  I am so excited.  I have so many wonderful people I get to see this year!  They are either coming to see me, or I'm traveling with them or to them. 

 

First up, Tullybird's annual week-long visit is in 32 days!  Technically 31 days, 22 hours, and 41 minutes.  But who's counting?  I've started a rough draft of our drinking/eating/shopping agenda.

 

Next up, we finally get to take our kids to Oklahoma to see my parents.  I will definitely see Sam's Mom when we are there.  Wahoo!  I need a relaxing, "home" weekend, where we eat and veg and visit and catch up.  We haven't been able to go since before pups and before sick dogs.  I am really looking forward to it.

 

Then, the 3rd exciting thing I have planned is that Mrs. Irritation is going to visit for a night in June with her beautiful daughter. 

 

I AM SO EXCITED THAT I GET TO SEE SO MANY WONDERFUL FRIENDS VERY, VERY SOON!!!!  I've missed you all dearly.  And then there's the girl's trip to SC, our RV trip to PA this Fall, and then a cruise with my mom and nephew this November.  Good thing I have a ton of vacation days saved up.  Cause I decided to work to live this year!

 

Sometime when Jus is back, I will make a trip to see her too.

 

Topic 2:   We got some learnin' to do.  We have our kids in Obedience class.  Saturday was our 3rd session.  It is an OK group class.  It can't compare to the trainer we used to have when I took Amber, then Keystone & Abby to school.  But it's a good regimen to get into the habit of trying to train them, because every Saturday, you want them to look "better".  Like you've worked with them every day and they learned something.  And you don't want the 10 week old German Shepard to pass you up.  Again.

 

We haven't socialized our pups as much as we should have, because of the fear of Parvo.  It's been in our neighborhood (it lives in the environment).  So we have been extremely cautious.  That means, we have to catch-up on the socialization work that we need to do, now that we are fully vaccinated.  Our kids love to go up to other dogs and lick all over their faces like they've never seen another dog in their entire lives and how could there be ANOTHER dog in this world?  It's usually accompanied by ferociously wagging tails and possible piddling on the behalf of Joey.  It's ridiculous.  Anyway, we are working on that.

So when we go to class and see a bunch of other dogs, it's very exciting.  I mean, it's a ROAD TRIP to begin with.  And then they get to eat a bunch of treats for doing a few tricks.  And then they get to see OTHER DOGS.  And the smells.  Oh the smells! 

So needless to say, they are pooped out on Saturday nights.  Exhibit A:



Joey is exhausted

 

Topic 3:  Who are YOU?!?  So Saturday before last was especially exhausting for the pups.  We went to class and they had a grand old time.  Then we came home.  It was the first super nice weekend to work in the garden.  So that is what I did.  That was the first day I had the pups out with me for several hours while I hoed around the edge of the garden, both inside and out, and removed dead plants from last year that we hadn't removed yet.  It had rained that morning, so it was perfect for getting the old dead stuff and already-growing-weeds out from the fence line.  The rain made it almost easy. 

 

So I was working in the garden.  The pups were playing tag, like they always do.  Running back and forth, and running all over but staying within sight.  All of a sudden, I look down and did a double-take.  There were THREE GOLDEN COLORED PUPPIES AT MY FEET.  Wait a minute.  I only have TWO puppies.  Who in the WORLD is this third "dog"???  I don't even know what direction from which she had come.  She was JUST THERE. 

 

And she didn't go away.  She was obviously not a girl who could fend for herself like Shadow was.  This new girl was a "city" girl.  It was Easter weekend, so all of the houses around us had a ton of visitors.  Surely someone lost her.  We put out a sign.  We posted a Craig's list ad.  We talked to neighbors.  Nope.  Nobody lost her.  She was dumped.  This precious, beautiful dog was abandoned. 

 

It still breaks my heart that someone could do this.  She isn't unruly.  She isn't disobedient or mean, or huge and aggressive.  She's well behaved.  She also had fleas.  My guess is that the cute little "puppy" grew up.  And when she got fleas, the cheap, evil bastards dropped her off in the country instead of buying flea treatment.  You could see her ribs, so who knows how long it had been since she ate.  And the fleas had been there awhile because she had lost some hair around the base of her tail.

 

We tried to shoo her away and get her to leave.  She wasn't going anywhere.  She knew a softy when she saw me.  I treated her for fleas.  I didn't want my kids getting them.  Remember how excited they get when they see another dog?  They L-O-V-E her.  We asked everyone and their brother if they wanted a good dog.  She seems domesticated and well behaved.  I think she's probably house broken.  She wants nothing more than to be with us.  See how cute she is?

 

 

 

I took her to the vet to make sure she wasn't pregnant, treat the flea wounds, and verify it wasn't something horrible like scabies or mange, and that we weren't all going to die some horrible death of some contagious disease.  Yes, it was only skin-irritation due to the fleas.  Antibiotics is clearing it up and her hair is already growing back at the base of her tail!

 

We finally found the right person to take her, and she goes to her new home in two weeks.  They were meant for each other.  Jeff lost a dog several months ago, and honestly needs a canine companion.  He came over and stayed the night a week ago and fell in love with her.  He finally committed yesterday to take her, after he moves into his new house soon.

 

Isn't that lovely?   

 

Well it is a lovely story.  Then karma kicks me in the butt...  We come home Saturday night, and find out that... guess what?  She's in heat.  OF ALL THE TIMING.  I was calling to get her spayed next week.  I could just scream.  Well it turns out, you CAN get a female in heat spayed.  Today was the day.  She's recooping nicely in a warm garage.

 

She's the short one in the middle here, with the green collar.  Joey is on the ground, and Jessie is the furthest away.  Keystone is obviously the big one:

 

The fur flies at my house!

We may have had a little challenge, but I'm still so happy she will eventually go to live with Jeff.  They were meant for each other--two great peeps.

Speaking of vet visits... guess who's balls are in a jar? Unfortunately, not Todd's....

 

Topic 4: We broke ground Sunday! We are building a one+ car garage. We are very excited about it, because it will hold all our yard equipment. And it's the structure next to which our chicken coop will be. CHICKEN COOP!!!! We originally planned to have part of the garage as the chicken coop, but decided against it. So we got a free standing structure that IS a chicken coop. That means I WILL HAVE CHICKENS THIS YEAR!!! Wahoo! I only want like 4 plain ones to start out. Maybe Rhode Island Reds. And we'll add on next year with more exotic birds after we figure out what the heck we are doing. 

 

For some unexplainable reason, I'm worried about keeping them alive. I'm sure I'll have tragic posts about drama yet to unfold--stay tuned for my Chicken stories.  

 

Topic 5:  My Crappy Day Package is off!  I joined Doing My Best's CDP exchange.  This is where you sign up to buy things to send to some total stranger.  And someone different sends you things in return.  And you can open your little gifts when you've had a crappy day.  Thus Crappy Day Package exchange....  Today is the deadline to send it.  the following picture is what I am sent.  I hope the recipient likes it. 

I actually have a lot in common with her, except she's a tad younger.  I am excited about our common interests.  Maybe we will connect and start interacting online.  The last CDP I participated in was... a little lackluster.  The person I sent stuff too... I'm not sure she liked anything I sent but at least I know the package did make it.  I'm not complaining, I just really don't know.  So maybe this time, I did better and this person will like some of the stuff I got her!

I found it hard to find good ideas of stuff to get her, even with common interests.  It's just so hard when you HAVE to buy/make things and you haven't seen the perfect options.  It's even more difficult when you are buying for a total stranger.  I'm not real great at mandatory shopping.  I like having all year to find the perfect birthday or Christmas gift for someone.  That way, I don't HAVE to find the right gift, it finds me in a way.  Anyhoo, it's done.  13 little packages in total on it's way to California.  My lucky number. 
 

Little packages of happiness on their way to California!

Topic 6: We mailed in our taxes LAST THURSDAY!!!!!  My old friends will understand just how freaking amazing this fact is.  My goal was to break as even as possible.  We did it.  AND ON TIME!  

 

 

Last Topic:  What a tragedy.  My heart goes out to Boston on today's senseless tragedy.

 

 

Greetings to you on this fine Monday.  Today doesn't seem so bad because after next Monday, I'm on vaaaaycation for the rest of that week.  Frolicking about and having fun with Tullybird while she escapes the demonizing hell called her work for almost a week!  I have plans for us to go shopping, eating, drinking, cooking, gardening, and all kinds of fun will be had.  Todd has stocked up the liquor cabinet.  Let the celebrating begin!

Speaking of friends, I thought of a dear loved one Saturday.  Justine and I had a friend in college.  Her nickname was Lil Ken.  Her father was Big Ken.  She was a beautiful person, full of life and passion.  She had hopes and dreams.  But sadly she was taken from this world much too young, she never saw her 30's.  She had to suffer through lymphoma cancer and lost the battle.  I always think of her on May 5th, her birthday.  It may be Cinco De Mayo to others, but it's Lil Ken's birthday to me.  I'll always remember her.  I know Jus will too.

And now for a little Monty Python, Oklahoma style.  Compliments of my parents, enjoy the Psycho Oklahoma Killer Rabbits:

Survivors

Happy Saturday to you!  For having had a pretty crappy week, I'm in a great mood.  That is probably because my baby girl is doing really well.  Or I put extra sugar in my coffee.  You know how I am about my sweets.

I didn't tell you, Internet, but Abby had surgery yesterday and she is doing better than I ever expected!  Todd noticed a hard wart-like bump Friday before last.  Much different than any other bump she has.  So we chose a vet and got her in right away.  One week after seeing it, we had it removed.  Actually noticed a skin tag around her eye getting really big too, and we don't want her vision impaired.  Poor girl has cataracts, she doesn't need anything else impacting her vision.  I wasn't nervous about the surgery until after lunch time, and I realized I had not physically heard "all is good".  So Todd called, then I called.  Still in surgery.  WTF?  So a little after 2pm (picking her up at 4!), we heard the all-is-clear message.  Whew.  That's our baby girl I am talking about.  The spring in Todd's step.  The sass in our house!

I giggled to myself a little when I called the vet.  "Yes, this is Abby's mom, calling to check on her"--like all the other moms I hear making calls from their desk phones.  Of course, they know I'm talking about my dog.  ;-)

See?  You can barely tell.  She looks FABULOUS!  They are testing the large mass they took off her snout, we'll see what the results are.  I'm sure it's benign and all is well.  There is a little stitch at the outer corner of her eye, and about 4 or 5 stitches on her snout:

Tullybird just went through the same thing with her baby girl, so I was confident mine would be just fine too.  I hate putting furry loved ones under anesthesia.

Speaking of Tullybird:  SHE'S COMING TO SEE ME!  I'm so excited I could pee my pants.  When I left NV, I told her "you know you are going to have to come see me, cause I'm never coming back here".  To which she replied that she realized that.  So now, she's coming to see me!  Our close bond is surviving the challenge of distance.

I'm making a list of the bead shops and cooking stores we will hit.  We must visit my friends, Ray & Becky, at  Mission Fresh Fashion (and she will love the store), and take her to meet Kevin & Suzie and girls.  We have to eat Z-man sandwiches at Oklahoma Joe's.  What else is KC... I will have to ponder this agenda.  We have 5 days in May to goof off.  Oh the joy!  Pics of Booze-N-Beads will surely be posted.

Other visitors I am super excited about--SamsMom is going to be in the area Memorial Day weekend and I will go see her tons!  Can't wait to see her family & watch her talented son play baseball.  I'm going to sneak her away from the ball field to take her on her virgin voyage to LUSH.  WAHOO!  Talk about a friendship surviving decades.  DECADES!!

Speaking of a friendship surviving decades, I believe Jus is back home (or in transit, I'm not sure) from Afghanistan and wants to come up and see me!  I remember talking to her on the phone before she deployed, and I told her my goal was to be back in the mid-west before she got back.  Viola, I'm here!  Can't wait to hear all about her adventures in person.  She's a real survivor, that one.  To just up and go into the military and go off and serve like she has.  Wow. 

I am so excited to connect with so many awesome women! 

 
Spring has sprung, and I want to share my special flower with ya'll.  This is a bulb that was planted at our house back in KC before our Great-Migration-West.  I took this puppy with me*.  It actually multiplied in NV sand, amazingly--talk about "surviving".  Any plant that made it the 4.5 years we were there was a true survivor.  When we left, I dug it up and MAILED IT TO MY MOTHER.  So it's been to Oklahoma too.  I planted it last fall.  Now it has a happy home in Missouri:

So you may be saying to yourself, "Self?  That just looks like an ordinary hyacinth.  What's so special that she'd dig it up and plant it in 3 different states?".  Well, let me tell you what this specific bulb symbolizes to me.  *This was Roscoe's flower. 

Amber was not our first golden.  We had two wonderful dogs before Amber.  Todd's first son was Roscoe.  When Roscoe passed away in February of 2003, our Uncle Frank and Aunt Judy, who we are super close to and who actually knew Roscoe, sent us a condolence blooming bulb arrangement.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  I planted those bulbs, and the lone survivor of that assortment, is this very hyacinth.

I'll tell you some day about Roscoe.  And about his mom.  But not quite yet.  I still choke up every time I think of them.  Probably always will.

Anyway, one last pic of a few true survivors.  You might have thought I was a little crazy last fall when I tried to plant a garden so late in the season.  Guess what?  I may not have gotten anything to grow much last fall.  But now?  I have volunteer RADISHES! 

Jus, My Hero

My roommate from college is an amazing woman.  She is my only close friend from any kind of school...  I don't keep in touch with anyone from high school, and nobody else from college.  So she is my longest close friend.  Geez, I've known her now more than half my life, yikes.  There can be years that go by when we don't have a chance to communicate, and then something happens and we know we can write or pick up the phone and it's like we pick up right where we left off.  We've seen each other go through a lot, and it is amazing how the years have flown.

Now for a digression in the story, but trust me, it IS related.  I love to drink water (just plain tap, nothing fancy out of a bottle).  Not only is it usually free, but I prefer it ever since I moved to the desert and I drink so much more of it.  I really don't care for soda very often.  When Jus and I would go eat during our freshman and sophomore years of college, I would always order her water for her.  She has an English accent (so adorable) and people could never understand her when she would order water.  Still to this day I always think of her when I order water.

So, why is Jus so amazing, and why is she my hero?  I will tell you, glad you asked.  She joined the National Guard, and she left to fulfill her duty and serve our country on Friday.  I still can't believe it.  I'm so very proud of her!  The other important detail is that she went through and graduated boot camp last year, AND SHE IS MY AGE!!!!  I am so amazed at her courage.  It had to be the hardest thing ever to get through.  I can't imagine the physical stress, or the mental stress, of going through that at our age (with a bunch of youngsters!).  She's one tough cookie.  She wants to do something very meaningful, and she wants to make a difference with her life.  She's doing that. 

I'll update you as she goes on her adventure of a lifetime.  She is stationed at a few bases in the US before being deployed to probably <gulp> Afghanistan.  I worry about her going overseas at such a tumultuous time, and I will not rest easy until she is back safe and sound.  She's got a great family waiting at home to come back to. 

Godspeed, Jus.  And all my love.