January 2014

Okay, I think we are all set up for the New Year. RICK asked in his last post: What are your New Year's resolutions?

Got any? I have decided to concentrate on fun things this year, no more serious resolutions that make me sad when I break them. So I am going to ride as much as possible this year and not worry that my house looks like someone should shovel it out.....  

I think I gave up making resolutions when I was about 14 or 15 and realized I never kept them, so there was no point in even making them.

Here is a Happy New Year's photo of TRUDY and Ace!

I had a very happy New Year's Day!  I have started on my New Year's resolution of riding as much as possible, and not worrying about the mess that is my house.   

Lori came to give Ivan, Areion and me a lesson today.  It was in the high 40s with little breeze and lots of sunshine, a perfect day to ride in the arena.  Ivan and I did lots of very slow trotting, he is such a speed freak, but we did pretty good slowing down to a crawl.  He'd much rather zoom to where he is going.  Slow trotting him in the arena makes him much more controllable on the trail when he really would like to fly.  I don't think he ever gets tired, but he can sure wear me out!

Then Areion got her lesson and did lots of trotting and cantering with Lori.  Areion really did great!  Donnie was home and got to watch and take pix.  He hadn't seen her in a lesson for awhile and was happy with Areion's improvements.  

Then I got to ride Areion!  We walked and trotted all over the arena while Lori rode Ivan at the same time.  Lori said Ivan had gotten much better since she had ridden him last.  Lori really makes Ivan look good.  Riding Areion is such a blast!  Admittedly she was a bit tired before I got on her, but she never offered a bad step with me.  She is so different from Ivan, who would rather be right with another horse.  Areion didn't care where Ivan was in the arena, she just did what was asked with no complaints.  

Pix, of course...

Diane on Ivan Diane trotting on Areion
Lori On Ivan, Diane on Areion

Happy New Year everyone!!

Sorry to hear Jessi took a fall, but thankful not hurt any worse than she is. Could have been a lot worse. I've found I don't bounce near as well as I did as a kid. Max is what 3? I've been fortunate that Tiberius hasn't tried to buck yet either. Although he has tried to "bounce" a couple of times when I've ridden him away from the others and he wanted to go back to them. Fortunately I've been able to push him on through his trantrum and he has decided that it's not worth the effort. I hope he never decides it is worth the effort.

ARK great pics of both Aerion and Ivan. I like your resolution, I think I may copy it. I stayed home over the New Year's weekend that was in the middle of the week. I hate having two Mondays in one week. Just before Christmas I had a client call up and "HAD" to have a transaction done by year end in his trust account and the proceeds transferred to his bank account. Really? You didn't know the year was ending in less than a week? I know we're in the age of electronic transfers but not everything can be done instantaniously. Made for a grumpy IndyApp on Monday when she was trying to make sure everything got set up right for a transfer on Tuesday. Hopefully the second Monday of the week (today) won't be a repeat.

I had a Merry Christmas decoration on my door that I replaced with a Let it Snow decoration. I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have done that as we have about 10 inches of snow now with more to come. Next Tuesday high is forecast to be -2 with windchills -30. I REALLY hope the weatherman is wrong again. Phones are starting to ring so I better get back to work.

Indy, it sounds like you have a lot more snow than we do.  I guess we are just enough farther south that we didn't get the heart of the storm.  We have about 3 or 4 inches.  It's been snowing fairly steadily for the last two days, but the flakes are very fine and tiny.  Takes a LOT of them to pile up.  The wind is making some drifts.

On Sunday, I'm having a little neighborhood get-together and wanted to do some baking today so I don't have to do all of it on the last day.  I needed some things from the grocery store, so with the 4WD turned on, I plowed out of my driveway, journeyed the 12 miles to the store - all in 4WD.  Hardly anybody was in the store which made the shopping very easy.  When I was ready to leave, there was a store employee at the door to "guard" my cart while I got my car and drove it right up to the door where he could load my car for me.  That was a very very nice service.  Considering the condition of the roads, it wasn't a bad trip at all.  There and back again in about an hour and twenty minutes.  
This time of year, I wuv my 4WD.  

Ark, you and your horses look really good.  You weather looks quite a bit more appealing than ours does at the moment.

Beech, are you doing oikay? Looks like you are getting hit with some really cold weather and lots of snow.

I was really glad to see the picture of Trudy and Ace.  I've seen most of the people on our board in person, but she's one I'd never seen before.  Nice to put a face with the name.

Hi Everyone, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

TL & I just got back from boating, riding quads, camp fires, marshmallows and good friendship tossed in. THe boating the river north of Parker Dam is gorgeous………..interestingly, the week we chose to go was perfect…….rarely another boat out and about…………..we went for miles seeing eagles, long horn sheep etc………….really lovely. We all said we are going again next year but we'll see.

I caught up on the posts and was glad to read Jessi is fine (or will be).

I loved the pic of TRUDY………GREAT shot.

ARK, love your pics of your continuous progress……..your horses are looking really good.

NANCY LEE, so glad you are feeling better and enjoying your music again.

ELLEN, have a good time at your party…………..wish I was there to eat those cookies.

INDY, we're always glad to hear from you and know you're O K………..glad you & Tiberius are getting along well…………your story made me think perhaps your client's disorganization shouldn't have had to be your emergency……….BUT, I understand the business world so I hope you have now gotten some well deserved rest.

I also am wondering about BEECH….I'm sure her wood stove keeps her warm and I bet she either has a generator for some lights or good lanterns…….however those temps are REALLY cold up there…..I hope she has water.

We also haven't heard from SANTA & MRS CLAUS this year……….hoping they are O K………

RICK, keep sending the good jokes.

Everyone in the storm path, hang on and check in…………..

I got to wondering about WV Witch (Rose)….have you heard from her RICK.. We need to track her down and see how her rescue help group is doing.

By the way, I forgot to ask SUNNY what that Disney World debacle was. On our news it showed they let too many people in Disney World and people couldn't ride the rides as the wait was up to 5 hrs. Did that really happen? HOLY SMOKE!

Rose is very active on FB with her dog rescue work...very seldom does she post anything personal. I haven't spoken to her in like "forever" it seems.

CB ought to love this...Another pic of Trudy's pup, ACE

OK...trying again....CB ought to really love this one!!

OH RICK: We are still laughing about that picture of Ace as a old dog. I'm sure that is what he will saying when he is an old dog. He LOVES sticks, but also loves his 40 or so toys that the kids and friends have given him. He knows the name of every darn toy, I'm running out of names for his toys. Because everyone brings him toys, our friend stopped up and he kept trying to get into her purse, looking for a toy. He is such a barrel of laughs, I had to put her purse (that is huge and looked like a bag to him & me also) up on top of the dog crate to keep him out of it. LOL

CB: So sorry to hear that Jess was hurt by Maxx. Praying she heals up quickly and her accident doesn't scare the little girls so they stop riding.

ARK: Love those photos of the horses. They sure are beautiful...Thanks for posting the photo of me & my doggie.

We have SNOW...about 6 inches of the lovely stuff this morning. The snow plow finally went down our road around 6:15. More snow on it's way this weekend. Ace was a happy doggie this morning when I let him out. He runs and leaps and buries his head in the snow. It's his favorite time of year. SNOWBALL time later this morning.

Not making any resolutions either. I always break them after a couple of weeks, then I feel guilty, so I am going into the new year guilt free. LOL

It was 9 below this morning when I got up. It has zoomed right up to +11. yippee skippee

Makes our +22F @ 915am seem like a eat wave. That was temp in the barn when I went to feed the horses.

Rick, have you become the owner of a second horse by default?

Well at least we don't have any snow! It was 11 degrees with 30+ mph wind when I got up this morning,  and I got up late.  I waited until it got up to 13 before donning my seal suit and  new winter boots, and trudged down the hill to feed the herd.  My face got cold, but that was it.  I haven't put on the horses' blankets yet and haven't seen any shivering.  The hay is disappearing fast, though.  I'll probably blanket them when the temps go around zero on Monday or Tuesday.  

I am soooo grateful we haven't been snowed on like so much of the country!

Ark, a few weeks ago I was looking for my seal suit and couldn't find it. Still can't find it. This house is too small for anything to be very lost. In the next few weeks, I'm going to completely clean out my closet in the hope it will turn up. Can't imagine where I've put it. But, FOR SURE, if I don't find it, I WILL get another one.

ELLEN:
It is in a dark place. Since it is black, it is invisible. It sure didn't crawl off   . I didn't use mine last year, it was never quite cold enough to wiggle into it. It was definitely cold enough this morning! I had a time finding mine under a blanket in the closet.
It's funny how you have to be careful not to overdress when wearing the seal suit, no matter how cold it is.


JeffersEquine.com has a sale today on Ovation winter riding boots for $27.99. I got Donnie and me a pair each of them for Christmas when they went on sale then. I will probably never use them for riding, but they are very warm and good for cold weather. Donnie's actually fit him, too, which is a minor miracle. I rarely buy him any kind of shoes he hasn't tried on at a store. He is hard to fit.

http://www.jefferspet.com/product.asp?pn=5Y-4A&camid=EQU&lm=jeff&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=equine_frugalfriday_email_3jan14&uid=148412916

Ihave an update on Jessi, Clara called this morning to tell me that Jessi went to the orthopedc dr. and he sent her straight into surgery, her olna? is broke pretty badand he said she has tendon damage,Clara won't know until later today or tonight she will let me know how bad the damage is and what they did for her, and Clara has asked for continuing prayers that the damage is not to bad

Ellen..in my "old age" I don't remember if I told it here, but YES...there is a second horse in my barn that belongs to a new neighbor. Old gal wandered up after dark some weeks ago ... had escaped from her back yard. Containment had been a rope strung through shrubs, etc. Out of all this, I now have "help" from 9 and 11 yo kids that come do evening chores and keep my barn clean. They are also buying grain and 1/2 the hay. Kids are doing a pretty good job and we are pleased with the arrangements. This is obviously an older mare, but the two horses seem to get along well. Whenever they get a shelter built and some decent fencing, te old gal will go back home ... approx. 250 feet straight through the woods. I enjoy not having to feed but once a day!!

Rick, I remembered that she had wandered in but you weren't too pleased about having to take care of a second horse. I'm really glad to hear the two kids are doing their fair share of the work. Good for you. Good for them.

Prayers for Jessi's wrist…….I hope they get her straightened right up and then just takes time to heal.

Where's OLMAN & VIRGINIA…….hoping they're fine.

RICK, it's great that the kids are doing their share. I'm sure both horses are happier for the company of each other.