MAY 2017

Happy Mother's Day to everyone.

CB, I'm guessing the truck driver is simply uneducated, has no idea about traveling with horses..............and parked like a truck lot at Love's truck stop...........hoping you have moved on and half way to Moab...............

We had a nice get together with my cousin and his wife, their two kids and spouses, and three grands to celebrate his 70th birthday. We would have liked to have a bigger party, but he didn't want that.
I stayed overnight, and slept in their camper, parked in their driveway. We just hung out and took it easy today.

CB, I hope your trip continues to go well.

Ark, I'm really happy for Dr. Donnie to have completed his life long dream. What has he been doing with the extra time now that he doesn't have to work on his thesis?

The weather has been wonderful the last two days. I'm sitting here by the open sliding doors, enjoying a lovely soft breeze and the evening sunset.

In moab, horses are in big pipe corral fence, enjoying rolling and moving! We r parked for the night, smelling much less horsified after our first shower in the truck camper....was nice. Our water pump doesnt want to work, but shower works if hooked up to water. Tomorrow we go to ligan to see moonlight kathy, and then onto jaemis.

Happy Mother's Day!!


ELLEN:
 Yesterday, Saturday, we completely stripped the barn and rebedded the stalls.
 Then, today Dr. Donnie went grocery shopping with me,  helped with the barn,  raked the arena with the tractor,  re-piled the manure/compost pile,  then mowed the lower field for hay.  No rest for the wicked....  He'll be working in that hayfield for the next several days after getting home from work.

Because of Kazi's death, and the fact that I bought an extra 100 bales of hay to make sure I had enough for spring,  we have almost 200 bales of hay left over from last fall.  We may not have to buy very much this year if our fields produce what they did last year.  

ThunderPuff seems to be doing better.  We took him off his meds and his mind came back.  He has been eating and drinking fairly well.  We think the pain killer was the culprit, so will probably start him back on his antibiotics tomorrow and see if he continues to eat and drink.  No more pain killer.  Here you can see him moving his bunny socks out of the bathroom and into the living room today....



I have a riding lesson tomorrow on Areion.  It is going to be warm and pretty all week!!  

Ivan's leg seems to be doing pretty well.  Keeping him up at night in a stall and mostly confined to small areas the rest of the time works for the most part.  He did trot a little in the pasture and didn't seem to limp.   Hopefully he won't re-injure it.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. After church we went out to a little church Mother's Day brunch. My friend said it was just a little drive beyond Bloomsburg. HAHAHA Over an hour later we arrived at the church. It was a nice Sunday afternoon drive. The food was excellent, all home made and the drive thru the winding roads of PA was a nice Sunday drive, even if it was a tad further than just beyond Bloomsburg. There were 9 of us and we had a nice time.

CB: You'll know. It was out around Sugarloaf or Nescopeck. A short drive from our house. HAHAHAHA
Hope you finish your trip without any incidents with the big trucks. Some of those big rig drivers are just JERKS.

The wind here has been howling since yesterday afternoon, but warmer temps are headed our way later this week.

I have a quiet stay at home week scheduled this week. Only a hair cut on Tuesday. I may get to do some house cleaning. HAHAHAHA Like that will happen. I'm sure I can find something else to do.

Update on Liz from her daughter:
Sunday update on Liz update Sunday, my brother Jim and I were there today with our significant others, WOW, is all I can say!! We are still not eating, well maybe if a family member is there and that is pushing it. Have to convince her every time we are getting an update from her primary nurse or doctor it is all about her having to eat or drink. Apparently she got up this morning and went for a walk to the room next door pushing her table and purse and then sat down in the other room, problem being next room patient has CDef, not good. Later we find out it was my ex niece (and still good friend) found her there. She does not remember, this from a woman who cannot walk with physio aids (2 of them) how the heck did she get out of bed, put her shoes on and go next door. She is ecstatic to tell us she is not pregnant, think it had something to do with what she read on FB a while back. Doctor was in and said this can happen after long stays in the hospital, disorientation. Kidney function is about the same and dialysis is not on the table due to her lack of eating and drinking, so same as before, one day at a time. Jim will be there tomorrow with Michelle and I will do Tues and Wed. I will update on Wed nite.

Trudy, did you see DWTS tonight? Were you as shocked at the end as I was? I never thought Simone would be the one to go. The judges were stunned. I thought sure it would be David Ross, and should have been. I guess there are more baseball fans than gymnastics fans.

ELLEN:
 I am sorry to hear about Liz's situation.  Doesn't sound very good....

CB:
 Where are you today?  You sure are on the move!  Stay safe.

TRUDY:
 Happy haircut day!  I got my hair cut off short last week.  I can now blow dry it in 3 minutes instead of 10 minutes.  With the 90 degree weather coming tomorrow, it will be much cooler than my former style.   We'll be putting up hay on Wednesday evening or Thursday. It's going to be a hot week.

GRAYMARE:
 I am glad your friend is healing up.  She must be so tired of dealing with it.  When are you going to the mountains this year?  


I rode Areion in a full length lesson yesterday.  We did the best we have done so far.  Areion was very patient and calm with my riding, thankfully.  Lori was great at getting me and Areion on the same page. Up until now I have felt like riding her was like sliding on ice, I didn't feel like I had any directional control.  Areion works better on leg signals than reins, and I have had to learn to ride her like Lori does.  It will make a better rider of me, if she continues to be patient with my learning curve.  The second half of the lesson was actually fun!  We did a pattern, the last part of which was a circle.  We nailed that circle .  

Yay on a good ride, Ark. We r in utah, trying to beat a snowstorm to get to jaemis house. I fear, if we dont move it, we may lo
se, but we r still having brunch with kathy.

LOL, my other post went to the moon, I guess...............

WOOHOO CB, almost there...................hope your horses have a stall waiting with hay & water in that snow storm up there..............our weather is unusually cool here in AZ, too but rain in our mountains here today........................drive safely, for sure.

Ark, Areion is looking very nice. Well collected and soft.

CB, glad to hear you are getting closer to your destination. Hope you get there before the snow.

Stalls, feed, and brough their blankies too. They are summer slick. 
Had nice nather with kathy...fun.
And headed onward....

Wow, we are going to possibly set a heat record tomorrow if it hits 85 degrees, which is what they are predicting...and it is snowing and cold out West?   yikes.  I hope your horses stay warm and toasty, CB!!

BEECH and ELLEN:
 Found a snapshot of your future selves today and had to share it....




You two are just spring chickens compared to this motorcycle mama!!


ThunderPuff is back in snuggly mode today.  When he is feeling well, he wants his PuffNap, which is on my lap with his teeth gently biting my sleeve.   I guess he is feeling well.  




We are baling hay tomorrow afternoon. We'll probably put it up by ourselves...sigh...  And I have an Areion lesson at noon.  It's going to be a strenuous day.

Well we r here, its dang chilly, rainy, damo, yuck and mudddddy. Horses are fine, they have a small barn and ill bey they used it last night for sure, heavy rain and hail. Kathy got snow! In utah. 
Now to get our licenses, registrations done on vehicles, and take motorcycle skills test....however long it takes....an. then in the road again. May have both horses sold already, we shall see.  Kathys sister is interested for 4h kids, and herself, so would have great homes and care....hope it works out.
Well, hitting the shower and then off to grocery store...

CB, it's good to hear you got there with no problems and everybody is safe.
I'm not sure of Idaho law or how much time you have, but if you take the ABATE motorcycle course, they can give you the paperwork to take to the DMV. It's usually about 20 hours of class, both written and riding. Here in Indiana they offer it in a two-day weekend, or 4 hours per evening for 5 nights. I had a great time in the class and realized it was the first refresher driving course I'd taken since I was 16 and got my first license. It made going to the DMV a complete cinch. Show them the certificate from ABATE, take the picture, add an 'M' to my license, and out the door.

Ark, Tunderpuff looks like a very happy kitty. He's really pretty too.

Considering the condition of that Indian motorcycle, I'm guessing she hasn't ridden it in a LOT of years. Those Indians are hard to come by, especially one in that good condition. I hope she did ride it recently.

It's pretty warm here too. 86°, but it is rather overcast and there is a strong breeze.

I just need to take a skills test, the classes r expensive, and i have ridden bikes before...15 for the test here. 
She isnt exactlt dressed to ride that bike, but to sit on it, ok.

CB: SNOW acckkkkkk we ad 90 degrees and sun and more of it today. It's 63 this morning. Good to know you have found a good home for the horses.

ELLEN: I stopped watching DWTS when they tossed Maks off after her got perfect 10's. You know I only watch to see him. My dream man.

ARK: Thunderpuff is one gorgeous kitty cat. Glad he is feeling better.

That old girl on the Indian can get a pretty penny for that bike. The old ones are really in demand. I haven't ridden in years. We always rode Harleys, my son has a nice Harley. There is no way I would ride with that crazy kid.

Today is 7 years since Jazzy crossed the bridge. Gosh where does the time go?

I missed my hair appointment on Tuesday...I wrote down the wrong time when I transferred the time to my daily white board. Ruthie called to see if I was sick. Noooooooo I just wasn't going until 1:30, but should have been there at 11:30. Oh well....she rescheduled me for yesterday, and I was on time. Tee Hee

Still fighting with the birds, the barn swallows were trying to nest in the garage yesterday. GEESHHHHH birds find a tree and make your nest there. They won't try the pole barn cause the cats are there just waiting for a bird to venture into their barn.

Off to Sam's today to gather up stuff for the MOPH convention, it's right around the corner June 3,4,5,& 6. Then things can get back to normal (whatever that is) around here.

Trudy, Maks and his partner shouldn't have been eliminated when they were. She is a really good dancer. But it shows that it's mostly a personality contest, rather than a dance competition. I guess I'll still watch it, but I sure don't like the results sometimes.

This is from Libby Brett, Liz's daughter:
Liz update: Was at the hospital today, Mom was moved to a new room on the same floor 3028. This section is for long term medical care. She was really upset as I did not have the keys, told her it was okay as her nurse has them. She is still refusing food and has now gone off the fruit a Her nurse, Dennis, try to feed her but she went right into dry heaves. She will eat applesauce only if it has her pills in it and he tried to give her the last bit with no pill, well omg!! Had to get her the "puke pail" as she calls it. It appears that she has read all the books we have taken in so I will try to get more at the used book store tomorrow, only way to figure out if she really has read them all. Not able to book an appt to see her Dr as now there are new doctors and she will be having a geriatric assesment done this week. 211 called me, as a request from Simcoe Paramedics, for a follow up. Sasha was so helpful and pointed me in the right direction for all the necessary support we will need. So my ear will be sore tomorrow after making all the phone calls. Jim Barnes and I will be there tomorrow so I will try to post a more positive update tomorrow night when I return home. Thank you to all for your positive vibes and thoughts.

Well, drat. My DirecTV isn't working this evening. Not sure I'm missing very much, but if I'm going to pay for it, I want it to work. The tech is supposed to come tomorrow morning. I've had DirecTV for more than 8 years, and for the most part, I'm satisfied with their service, but they keep raising the rates. Every year after they raise the rate, I call and negotiate a better one. It's a nuisance, but better than paying full price.
At least the shows I've recorded are still working.

Here is the latest update on Liz, just posted about midnight.

Latest update on LIZ WOW, is all I can say!! She is back, not the same person I left last night, my brother and I spent lots of time with her today, actually had lunch, plus we ate, Jim had to test her sandwich and I made one to bring, sure she only ate half a sandwich, bowl of soup, fruit cocktail and tea, the most she has had in 2 weeks. Bonus is she can hear my brother and the doctor. New doctor was excellent with us. came in, had a talk with the 3 of us and went back reviewed the history, came back and gave us all the info we have been missing for the last 2 weeks. Jim suggested we do a diary, so that is in place. She tested us today, wanted to know what day it was, so had to X the days off on the calendar, she lay back and laughed, then pointed to the wall, behind us, in front of her, it clearly states the date and who her nurse is, got quite a chuckle out of that, she definitely got the upper hand. Lots of new tests to be done, but it looks like we are moving forward. I am not sure who is shocked more, Jim or I! All the positive thoughts and prayers are working, Thank you.

What GREAT news................GO LIZ................

Hope your Direct tech guy shows on time and it's all a quick fix ELLEN............you probably need a new box.

I am impressed with DirecTV service. The guy called about 10:00 to say he was on the way, and was here at 10:20. Found the problem in about 2 minutes; it was one of the cables that was cut - probably chewed through by a squirrel. Then, it took him about 40 minutes to replace the cables. He cleaned up everything really well, and was gone in less than an hour.
He was a really nice guy too.

Now, I'm off to a sewing software (gab fest) with some sewing friends.

Great to hear good news on Liz.

We r kicked backed today, cleaning the camper, enjoying the sunshine.

Motorcycle Mama photo: I am guessing someone restored her old motorcycle and she was just having a photo of her on it taken. Look at how new the saddlebags look. I am glad she got her photo. I hope she got a good price for the machine.


Donnie and I put up 114 bales of hay into our barn loft yesterday by ourselves. I am not sure who was more tired. The loft already had over 100 bales in it and could probably hold another 20 to be completely stuffed for next winter. The hay is really lovely. We are saving it for the deepest darkest time of winter when it will be easiest to feed because it is above the stalls in the barn. The horses will enjoy all the orchard grass in it. So the lower field is done for a few months and the upper field awaits the mower. I am sure Donnie was happy to go to work today without having to run home in the middle of the day to work on the hay, then go back to work.

I rode Areion for a lesson on Wednesday, the second time this week. We were doing pretty well, turning with just leg and body aids, not using reins. Areion is such a sensitive horse, just think what you want and you will probably get it. Anyway, we were cruising along at a trot, almost at the end of the last pattern, and Areion spooked big because Ivan, who was standing in the corner with Lori, spooked at nothing. He is full of beans and needs exercise. Anyway, Areion surged ahead unexpectedly and I nearly toppled off backward. Lori had explained to me what I should do if Areion spooked, and amazingly, I remembered in time to keep from losing my seat. I grabbed mane, and told Areion to trot on. Areion did and got her mind back quickly. Scared the crapola out of me, though. We trotted on around the arena, then I got off to let Lori on to see if Areion was going to continue her spook or not. My knees were actually shaking . Areion was fine, Lori said I had done the right thing, and I lived to ride another day. At least this wasn't a spin and bolt kind of spook that Ivan specialized in, this was a kind of leap and surge ahead. I hope Ivan's leg heals soon so I can run his fanny off. His lack of exercise is going to get me killed even without me being on him.

Thunderstorms are around today. We had perfect hay weather all week, now we are back to normal weather.

Im bawlin like a baby....i know its right thing to do health wise for us,.and better for the horses too...they r both headed to utah....
Sniffff.....bawwwwwl. seriously.

It's hard to say goodbye to something that has been part of your entire life, even when you know it's the right thing for everybody. But, you know where they are going and that they'll be alright.