March 2012

Welcome to our new home, folks! Hopefully this one will last much longer. It doesn't look like SuddenLaunch is going to come back as soon as we'd like, so let's just settle in here and make it our new home.

There are lots of smiley icons to use here and I am working at figuring out all the bells and whistles of this forum. Patience, Grasshoppers, I is slow!

Ark

Okay, I have now invited about 10 of our regular Foopville posters to see if they can figure out how to get into this forum.

When you get here, please post and let me know how it goes, or email me at Arkazivan@gmail.com and tell me your log in problems. I will try to fix you up!

I am off to clean the barn, feed the herd, and get ready for my riding lesson this afternoon. I may not get back here until dinner time......Keep trying to post, I will be happy to help you out when I get back!!

OK .... that was the info I needed, so I are here!!!! THANKS for all your efforts Ark!!!!

Wow! I finally got here too.

Somehow, I got into a Moderators group. Now that I finally have this page, I'll get out of the other group.

ELLEN
If you don't mind, please leave yourself as a moderator. We will need someone besides me, who seems to be fairly clueless today, to help keep this place going!

Well, I seemed to get into the Modirators (that doesn't look right)group too and you most DEFINITELY do not want me to have access to that. I made it here, but now must head back to work for a 2 hour webinar, ugh. Late night tonight.

Ark, I had already unsubscribed to the Moderators group, and now I can't get back into it. It says it's a closed group.

Hey Ellen, I tried to delete myself from the Moderators group, and can't figure out how. OOPs, webinar is starting got to run.

INDYAPP and ELLEN:
Not to worry, I'll figure it out later. The herd is screaming, I have been sitting here uploading avatars and they say I am neglecting them! Guess I'd better go feed them......

Well, I have a page here to post on, let's see if it goes.

Thanks ARK......this will be great and we will be used to it in no time............

You are a sweet

Atticus says hi to everyone................

Graymare

Snoop

thank you Ark, I finaly got in and here goes, we are getting realy HOT here in florida maybe some rain tomorrow but doubt it,glad I am here and hope it works out as most foops are here

Made it, great job ARK thank you

SANTA:
What luck! A smiley face just for you! I am glad you figured out how to get here!

RICK:
I am going to have to work on your avatar. It is too big. Thank Charlotte for her help for me!

ELLEN:
I think I changed you back into a moderator. You might want to check that out.

CAROL:
Congrats on being the first to post!! There should be some kind of prize for that.....How about Queen for the Day?

GRAYMARE:
Hurray, you made it! It was a tough day, wasn't it? Hi to Atticus!

SUNNY:
Someone else with a personal smiley! It was extremely rainy here all weekend, too. We didn't get a thing done we planned on.

We have almost everyone I sent the first batch of emails to here now. Now that most of you can post, tomorrow I will send out another batch of emails, then later I will post this website info on the FaceBook page where there are several more folks who may wish to join. Or not....some folks really like FaceBook. I'm not one of them..... I don't get the sense of community there that I do at a forum like this. I can't find anything on FaceBook.....sort of similar to here today, actually....

There are a lot of cute things we can use here. There are photo albums (I wuv photos!), a calendar, I think there is instant messaging, and we can even have small videos hosted. (Don't ask me how this week ). We can post photos here from other places than ImageShack, and if you register, there is an in-house photo hosting system. So let's see more pix!! Not everything is switched on yet, but if there is any interest, I will figure out how to do it.

I had a good lesson with Ivan today. We stayed in the arena and round pen and I was learning to ride without reins while Ivan trotted where Ivan wanted to trot. It was okay until he decided that trotting fast was much more fun....for him.

And GRAYMARE:
Areion got her first serious lesson last Friday (before the rainy weekend). She is learning to do inside turns while sweating bullets. She ran herself much harder than I ran her. Hopefully she will learn soon that she doesn't have to run so fast. She got a nice bath afterward, and seemed to appreciate it.

I just learned the hard way to NOT put anything in the "post title" line....if you do, it goes into the "Basket" and apparently is NOT a continuation of the regular postings.

Snoop left something in the "Basket" for the dog lovers in the group.

Rick....who DEEPLY appreciates ALL that ARK does for us.

SANTA:
Could you try to delete the Silverlocks log-in? I can ban it, but I suspect you can delete it. I'll keep looking for a delete button for it, too.
Oh, the wacky, tortured horse with the "mittens" on her ears is actually our TWH, Daisy . That was several years ago when Donnie was doing a lot of ground training with her. She didn't mind the windsocks on her at all. Daisy is a strange kind of mare....

Daisy eating grass while wearing windsock ear warmers and being flagged.

Ark: OK I made it too. YIPPEEEEEEE Sorry I bugged you so much yesterday. I'm on the lap top this morning. Maybe my old computer just refused to behave yesterday. At times it has a mind of it's own.

The police caught the firebugs! 2 firefighters from the Potts Grove Fire Dept. OMG what is wrong with people. Now our little neighborhood can relax and sleep at night.

Love & prayers to all.

Hooray for catching the arsonists!!! Good news!

What do you think of DWTS so far? It was no surprise that Martina was the first to go. This is the best group of celebs they've had for a while.

same old same old just different day, the ball is rolling on Kent for his medical and financial help now it is the waiting game it can take up to 45 days for them to make there decission I hope we survive without any money comming in,for that long I don't want to ask my daughter, we have been tight before and managed to make due with what we had so I know we can do it again, Kent is doing better his sugars are under control now for the most part now he has to deal with swelling in his legs and feet it is painful for him to walk right now he has an appointment for April 3 rd and hopefuly they can help, does anyone have any plans for easter any trail rides or horse shows comming up, the weather has been warmer than expected all over the place I hope we have pleasent weather this spring for all foops or should I say over 50 horse friends have a great day all

Ok. so I found the post that Rick mentions. Get tissues before reading. I didn't. I'm at work. And I now have raccoon eyes from my make up running. Indy.




I found this and wanted to share with my fellow animal lovers

They told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie, as I looked at him lying in his pen. The shelter was clean, no-kill, and the people really friendly. I'd only been in the area for six months, but everywhere I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open. Everyone waves when you pass them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to settle in to my new life here, and I thought a dog couldn't hurt. Give me someone to talk to. And I had just seen Reggie's advertisement on the local news. The shelter said they had received numerous calls right after, but they said the people who had come down to see him just didn't look like "Lab people," whatever that meant. They must've thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis balls, his dishes and a sealed letter from his previous owner.
See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off when we got home. We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too. Maybe we were too much alike.

I saw the sealed envelope. I had completely forgotten about that. "Okay, Reggie," I said out loud, "let's see if your previous owner has any advice."

____________ _________ _________ _________
To Whomever Gets My Dog:
Well, I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this, a letter I told the shelter could only be opened by Reggie's new owner. I'm not even happy writing it. He knew something was different.

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it will help you bond with him and he with you.
First, he loves tennis balls. The more the merrier. Sometimes I think he's part squirrel, the way he hoards them. He usually always has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in there. Hasn't done it yet. Doesn't matter where you throw them, he'll bound after them, so be careful. Don't do it by any roads.

Next, commands. Reggie knows the obvious ones ---"sit," "stay," "come," "heel."
He knows hand signals, too: He knows "ball" and "food" and "bone" and "treat" like nobody's business.

Feeding schedule: twice a day, regular store-bought stuff; the shelter has the brand.

He's up on his shots. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet. Good luck getting him in the car. I don't know how he knows when it's time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time. It's only been Reggie and me for his whole life. He's gone everywhere with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he doesn't bark or complain. He just loves to be around people, and me most especially.

And that's why I need to share one more bit of info with you...His name's not Reggie. He's a smart dog, he'll get used to it and will respond to it, of that I have no doubt. But I just couldn't bear to give them his real name. But if someone is reading this ... well it means that his new owner should know his real name. His real name is "Tank.” Because, that is what I drive.

I told the shelter that they couldn't make "Reggie" available for adoption until they received word from my company commander. You see, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could've left Tank with ... and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment to Iraq, that they make one phone call to the shelter ... in the "event" ... to tell them that Tank could be put up for adoption. Luckily, my CO is a dog-guy, too, and he knew where my platoon was headed. He said he'd do it personally. And if you're reading this, then he made good on his word.

Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as long as the Army has been my family. And now I hope and pray that you make him part of your family, too, and that he will adjust and come to love you the same way he loved me.

If I have to give up Tank to keep those terrible people from coming to the US I am glad to have done so. He is my example of service and of love. I hope I honored him by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that's enough. I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter. Maybe I'll peek in on him and see if he finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home, and give him an extra kiss goodnight – every night – from me.
Thank you,
Paul Mallory
____________ _________ _________ _______

I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. Sure, I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even new people like me. Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver Star when he gave his life to save three buddies. Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the dog.
"Hey, Tank," I said quietly.
The dog's head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.
"C'mere boy."

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor. He sat in front of me, his head tilted, searching for the name he hadn't heard in months. "Tank," I whispered.
His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood him. I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried my face into his scruff and hugged him.

"It's me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me." Tank reached up and licked my cheek.

"So whatdaya say we play some ball?" His ears perked again.
"Yeah? Ball? You like that? Ball?"

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared into the next room. And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth.

If you can read this without getting a lump in your throat or a tear in your eye, you just ain't right.

A veteran is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of ‘up to and including their life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it. "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." G. K. Chesterton

Hello, Foops!

And thank you, ARK!