Happy Memorial Day!

Well, it's Memorial Day and we got out on the trail today. Seems like this should be the beginning of summer, but it's cold and windy and seems more like winter. I've had 4 days off from work, at least in theory, but it sure doesn't seem like enough.

The kitty is settling in, but I took her for her initial vet checkup on Saturday and it seems like I have breached her trust in a big way. She is pretty healthy but she has been scratching her ears, so they cleaned her ears and prescribed ear drops. That seems harmless enough, but between the trip in the kitty carrier, the ear cleaning, and the ear drops, she went over the edge and went into hiding.  This is Monday night and I have had to do a lot of coaxing and kissing up to her, and she is finally out of hiding and back to her vocal self again. What a drama queen!

Speaking of which.....

We took Dexter and Cowboy today. Cowboy's feet are healing and I put front boots on him. But it was windy, and he has been overfed and he went into full drama queen mode. Getting him by the Morgan Horse farm at Pt Reyes was a challenge and had me on foot for a bit. I did get back on him but we put Dexter in front. Usually Cowboy leads the way and Dexter follows, but today Dexter had to pony up and become lead horse, which he did admirably albeit very slowly.  Dexter is in no hurry to go anywhere. Turned out this was good for Cowboy as he was forced to slow down and think a bit.  We did well until the very end portion of the trip, when Cowboy was once again in the lead as Dexter was setting an excruciatingly slow pace, and we got to the Morgan Horse farm and, heaven forbid, some of the Morgans were getting their feet trimmed. Apparently more than Cowboy could bear and we had a major meltdown at a very narrow portion of the trail. He finally backed into a nettle patch and I wound up getting off and leading him as I was not up for a jackrabbit retreat.

As a side note, I have been looking into an alternate career as a trophy wife. It certainly seem easier than working for a living. I actually found an online test to see what your potential is, and sadly, I scored 22%. It seems that 97% of all those who have taken the test scored higher than me. I guess that is not surprising, all things considered, but it is still discouraging. I think the only thing I have going for me is that I wear sunglasses with plastic rims.  Working against me:
-staying in shape
-not wearing makeup to run to the corner store
-a complete lack of interest in cooking and entertaining
-and, most convincingly, a total lack of interest and ability to produce trophy children.

That last one is really the kicker, because it doesn't matter what you have surgically lifted or cosmetically spackled, it's pretty hard to argue with that biological clock.

Still, it does seem like there must be some middle ground out there somewhere.  There must be a tycoon out there somewhere who does not have the urge to spawn. So I'm looking into ways to just look better without actually needing to reproduce. Enter Doctor Oz, who did a show the other night on ways to fight aging. Amazingly, one of the options for combatting undereye bags and dark circles is, believe it or not, Preparation H. After all, it does shrink tissues. Many years ago, almost 40 years ago in fact, a coworker of mine confessed that her mother used Preparation H to combat wrinkles. It was the source of much hilarity at the time, but now it seems that her mother knew her stuff.

Since undereye circles and bags are one of my biggest challenges, I am rising to that challenge to conduct a controlled test. I purchased 2 products: an undereye roller  under the CVS pharmacy label, and also their version of Preparation H. I do tend to go with store brands whenever possible because they are usually cheaper. Although the undereye roller has already literally dropped the ball, and I'm wondering if the Garnier version might be more tightly put together. But I did apply both products this morning, one to each eye, and they both appear to be somewhat effective. I was rooting for the Preparation H camp as it's cheaper and so ludicrous that who could resist it? But on the Preparation H eye, although the bags and circles did decrease, it also caused my mascara to run. So I am sad to report that the undereye roller may be more effective, although Preparation H may be effective as an eye makeup remover. I will keep you posted, and please let me know if you know of a potential trophy husband who does not want to reproduce, likes women with a little meat on their bones, and is in favor of the earthy look.

And if you doubt the power of Doctor Oz, when I went looking for Preparation H (which I am happy to report that I have never needed to purchase before), the shelves were practically bare. Lots of empty shelf space devoted to Preparation H. I felt privileged to obtain the final tube. I hope Doctor Oz gets a commission for this. Or maybe there is just a massive outbreak of hemorrhoids.

Everybody stay safe on the trails, and keep up the efforts to look Marvelous!

There's a New Princess in Town

The empty house finally got a little too empty, so today I adopted a cat from Forgotten Felines. I've been checking her out online at their website, and she has been fostered at Animal Hospital of Cotati, so today I went to check her out. She's listed on the website as "Hyacinth" but has been re-named by her fosters as "Princess Chatty Cathy" because she likes to talk. And talk. And talk. So this should be interesting. Not sure if that name will stick, but I haven't come up with a new one yet.

She is settling in nicely, although she did not take over the house quite as quickly as Patches did. But she arrived home about 3 this afternoon, and now, 8 hours later, she has been released from the quiet back bedroom and has toured the rest of the house and is pretty comfortable at this point. We'll see how the first night goes!

Tomorrow we'll (not the cat) head to Pt Reyes. Cowboy got his hooves trimmed a few days ago and it seems he got a little over-trimmed, because he is sore-footed. So he gets the day off and I'll ride Dexter and Laura will take Lady.

Perfect Day for a Ride

Cowboy enjoying lunch amid the forget-me-knots

After several weeks of bad weather, holidays and a sick kitty, we finally got the chance to go for a ride yesterday. And what a great day it was! Summer-like weather, blooming hillsides, happy horses--a great lift after a few really bad weeks. The boys have been out on a lot of grass and Cowboy, who is always energetic, was beside himself about the chance for an outing. We started out with a hackamore but within 40 feet of the trailhead he earned a bit after yanking the reins out of my hands grabbing for grass. Much more cooperative, if chagrined, with the bit on! We went up Horse Trail (Pt Reyes), which was awash with blue forget-me-nots and little irises. Got a great view of the point from Sky Trail, although taking the picture was a little challenging with Cowboy being antsy and looking for grass. Finally pointed the camera in the general direction and snapped the shutter.

We tried a new trail, Woodward Valley, that is usually our turning-around spot on Sky Trail. Nice trail! We didn't go far on it as we were running out of time (that's the problem with being the slowest riders on the trail), and turned back before we got to what we hear is a steep drop down to Coast Trail. Then back to the trailer. Cowboy was a happy guy the whole trip and was really making tracks on the way back to the parking lot. No signs of soreness. I've been reading Sally Swift's "Centered Riding 2" and it has really helped me stop bracing in the stirrups, and I think Cowboy's back is much better for it.

Dexter's enjoying lunch, too

We got home safely (the most dangerous part of our rides is the trip to and from the trail) and congratulated ourselves on another successful ride. We know someone whose idea of a successful ride is one where nobody gets hurt, so we've jokingly adopted that as our criteria for success as well. When we unloaded the horses, I was checking out the height of the step down from the trailer, which seemed a bit high, and pulled myself into the trailer at the same time, not noticing that the butt bar was still up. I took it full on the nose, breaking my sunglasses and seeing a lot of stars in the process. So much for success, although technically we were done with the ride at that point, so success or failure is up for debate. Luckily, I seem to have escaped with a red mark on my nose and a mild case of whiplash--no black eye, concussion or broken nose.

Thanks for all the kind expressions of sympathy over the loss of Patches. I've moved from grief to relief that her suffering is over to forgetfulness--I keep looking for the cat when I get the feeling she's missing. Today Laura gave me a clay cast of her pawprint and a bit of her fur (she had been taken to the vet hospital for cremation) so a bit of her will always be here.

That's it for now--enjoy the nice weather this week!

Goodbye Miss Patches

Patches let me know that it was time to let go, and late this afternoon we said our final goodbye. Dr. Mary Ellen Leavey, a co-worker of Laura's at Animal Hospital of Cotati, was kind enough to make a house call to set Patches' spirit free from her failing body. As these things go, it went well, although I'm sure Dr. Leavey will never recognize me without tears streaming from bright red eyes. So ends a 13-year, very special relationship.

Patches came to me as a 6-month-old stray who took up residence with a kindly family in Ukiah. They had also rescued numerous other cats, and as I had recently moved into my house and was cat-less, my sister made the match between us. When I brought her home, I opened the kitty carrier expecting to see her again in about 3 days when she came out of hiding. Instead, she strolled in a leisurely fashion throughout the house, then ate a full meal and settled down in my lap for a nap. At the time, I had 2 dogs who had been banished to their outside pen while the cat settled in--but since it seemed she settled in immediately, I brought in the dogs to meet Patches. Sofie, my little mother dog, was overjoyed to find another family member and greeted her by pinning her in a corner and washing her face. Patches put up with it for a couple minutes, then slapped Sofie aside, went over to Bart and slapped him for good measure, then settled in my lap again. The pecking order in the house was established at that moment. Patches reigned from then on as Princess in Residence.

It's only been about 3 hours, but the change in the household is already noticeable. It didn't take long to hit me that I was actually alone in the house for the first time in 13 years. There has always been a dog or cat in residence, and it's astonishing how empty the house feels. Not that Patches was always under my feet, but I always knew that she was around somewhere and was good for a snuggle if I needed one. (Now don't go thinking that I'm substituting cats for men. I'm open to a relationship with a man--as long as he loves cats. And is willing to love, honor and obey, especially obey. And has lots of money. Oh never mind, I'm just going to get another cat). Walking into the bedroom and seeing the empty spot where her kitty bed used to be was jarring. I have space in my cupboard now where the big bag of cat food was (I sent it home with Laura). So this is going to be an adjustment. There is undoubtedly another cat or two in my future, but I need a little time before I try to fill the space that Patches has left. Besides, I think her spirit is still here, and she would never tolerate another cat in the house.

So farewell, my Princess, and happy travels.

Apple Blossom Time

This last weekend was the local Apple Blossom Festival, and this year it earned its name as the apple blossoms are really abundant right now. Cowboy and Dexter aren't particularly impressed with the blossoms, but they sure like eating the grass that grows under the trees. This is the tree behind my house, where they get to graze under supervision as they only thing keeping them there is that little string in the picture. Sure it's electric but it still wouldn't hold them back if they really made a break for it!

Got an exciting Facebook connection today--Cowboy's breeder! I'm still not sure exactly how or why she found me but I got a friend invite. It took a while before I realized why the name was familiar, but sure enough, she was Cowboy's first owner and in fact, still owns his mother and 2 of his siblings. She is going to try to find his baby pictures which will really be fun! Sounds like he's always been a fun, friendly kind of guy.

He's doing well under saddle, so I think the saddle fit is good. Getting a nice relaxed canter on both leads. So I'm starting to work on our Parelli Level 3 Freestyle, and if we can pass that, we'll be official Level 3 graduates. We've passed most of the self-assessment, although I'm not quite ready to try 4 laps at a canter with just carrot sticks. He's not that relaxed! But I did drop the reins a few times to see what he'd do and he maintained his gait better than I expected, so we may be close.

On a sad note, my kitty Patches has been diagnosed with cancer. She's on excellent "comfort care" thanks to Dr Laura, although it means I'm risking life and limb by giving her 6 pills a day (anyone got a Band-Aid?), but it's pretty clear that we're looking at a short window of time for the Princess. She's been my faithful little buddy for almost 13 years so this is a tough time.

Signs of Spring--Not So Much...

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring but it's hard to tell that by looking outside. In fact, I got that first sentence typed, and the power went off (again) for about 3 minutes, so this is attempt 2 at this post. Last night we had high winds and torrential rains, and the power went out around 1 a.m.--but was back on by sunrise, so that could have been lots worse. One big branch from one of the old apple trees is downed and needs cleanup and of course the horses, especially Cowboy, are swimming in their paddocks but all in all, not much damage. Mostly dampened spirits and cabin fever.

As wet as it's been, there has been very little riding or horse activity beyond feeding, blanketing and poop-scooping. Not the parts we horse-owners look forward to, but it goes with the territory! So I've turned my attentions inward, specifically toward my office. I'm not the tidy type, and I like to claim that I have ADD but I'm probably just lazy. In any event, my office finally reached the point of being non-functional. I will probably regret this, especially if any clients see this, but I'm going to post the "before" pictures of my office:

I'm working with the local Small Business Development Council to turn my business into something that actually looks like a business, and was lamenting the office situation to the counselor I'm working with, who suggested getting a professional organizer in. As luck would have it, I have a new neighbor who, providentially, is a professional organizer. So I set up an appointment with Teresa (of Organizing Solutions), whose motto is "I Love A Challenge", and here are the results:

I suppose I have to admit that this is better. One of the valuable services that Teresa provided was to pull "stuff" off the shelf, put it in front of me, and force me to make a decision about what to do with it. As a result, my recycle and trash bins are now full, and I'm exhausted. The "letting go" process will really take it out of you! I still have some work to do, getting the old records boxes out of the office and into some other sort of storage (the garage maybe?) but at least I have work space and can find things.

To wrap up a few things, my friend Kathy and I braved the rains yesterday to drive to Corte Madera to The Container Store to get office supplies. I had never been there, or even heard of them, but one of their items was featured in "O" magazine, so I checked their website and OMG! What a great place! So I got lots of filing and cord management accessories for a very reasonable amount, and as a bonus I got out of the house for an afternoon.

I'm also reading a book "Getting Things Done" that has been recommended by 2 people so I'll give that a shot. It makes sense but it's the sort of thing that makes my little ADD brain shut down. But the system has to be better than my current one of letting all the notes, phone messages, bills to pay, and interesting and not-so-interesting reading pile up into one enormous "in" pile on my desk until it's just an amorphous blob of paperwork.

So...these are the types of things I do in inclement weather and I must say that I just can't wait for things to dry out and warm up so I can get back to the real business of life that includes Fun With Horses!

Dental Day

Today was Dental Day for the horses in the neighborhood. I always love this day because I get to see my livewire pony get totally stoned and start drooling and snoring. Plus of course it is really excellent for his dental health and therefore his overall health. Thanks to the marvel of iPhone technology, I was able to capture a few of the moments to share with all.

Starts off with Cowboy, having received his happy shot, getting an exam by Dr. Crocker, checking out his bite and teeth to see what needs to be done. That is one stoned pony. Don't try this with Cowboy unless there are sedatives on board.

Next comes the speculum to hold his mouth open for the real work to begin. This apparatus, combined with sedation, allows access for a thorough exam and extensive work with both hand and power tools.

And when I say power tools, I'm not kidding.  Here is Cowboy getting some serious grinding done on his molars. This grinds down sharp points and helps to correct malocclusions (misalignments). Horse's teeth don't actually grow all during their life, but they do continually erupt as tooth surface is worn down. If the alignment isn't correct, misalignments just tend to get worse as time goes by, with upper tooth wear affected by abnormalities in the opposing lower tooth, and vice versa. Addressing issues on a regular basis (annually with our horses) keeps problems in check.

I didn't time this procedure but it probably took around an hour, after which Cowboy was still somewhat groggy and bore watching for a bit. As long as he was still sedated, he got his intranasal flu vaccine which he finds unpleasant, and also both boys got their sheaths cleaned. I did not photograph that procedure!

Cowboy had a little sore on his tongue, possibly caused by a point on one of his incisors, so my homework assignment is to rinse his mouth out with saline for a few days and to examine his teeth and mouth. Which means honing those Parelli skills so that he will allow this, preferably without biting me. He's a mouthy guy and his first reaction to being messed with is to defend himself with his teeth. That goes double if his teeth are what need defending. One of the Parelli tasks I needed to accomplish was to reach into his mouth and hold his tongue, just for occasions such as today's exam. That was the most difficult thing I've had to do, and got bitten twice in the process. Maybe I'm a wimp but I have to say that it really really hurt and was a bit of a bloodbath. So this will be a good test of my skills. I must think positive and regard it as an opportunity for growth.

In other news, I got word that Cowboy and I passed our Level 3 Liberty audition. We scored a 3++, just shy of level 4! Apparently the video quality was good enough for an evaluation. Cowboy got high marks on his Sideways work and his ability to weave through the barrels at a trot. We received lower marks on Respect. Not a surprise, since he decided to take a little break in the middle of the video to roll several times, and when he went up on the pedestal he decided to hang out there for a bit in spite of my requests for him to get down. Of course, Cowboy thinks he belongs on a pedestal anyway so why should he get off? He also doesn't think we have any issues with respect as he is quite certain that I do respect him.

I've started another blog that is a sort of general interest blog for recreational riders and people who just love horses. First post will arrive shortly on (what else) equine dental care. Check it out at equineconnection.blogspot.com.