August 2012

after we had the one fire close to us, but not the one we evacuated from, I swept my floor and in front of my swamp cooler there were black marks that I tried to sweep up and realized they were melted spots in my floor tiles...I thought it was ash at first fromthe fire, but no it was ash that was hot that actually melted my floor tiles there...I have black spots all over there..glad I didn't have any paper stored there....wow...we have been so lucky, others have not and I really feel for them, losing everything they've worked so hard for and important keepsakes..that really hurts too. I divided up my pictures from over the years between the girls and myself. I figured if one of us has a fire, we can get duplicates made of their pics to help fill that void. I even divided up our trohies and ribbons we won over the years so each of the girls had some, and keepsakes that I had from their grandparents I divided up already also....not that many, but each has a few things that were passed along. I figured I traveled a lot so divide them up and I didn't have to worry about them anymore. Some pics I had copies made so each would have the same picture...and put them in frames and gave them as valentines' day presents or easter or birthdays...made great gifts.

I am finally feeling more human today...wow...I do not like being down and out...but had no choice, had to ask for help to feed yesterday...good thing kids are fairly close....I don't like to ask for help and bother them, but I had to. I've already been out this morning to feed, so am definately doing better. ARK, you take care of yourself too! I know I'm a person that likes to care for my own animals like you do...but sometimes we just have to lay low and let others help out. So take it easy for a bit longer and get yourself all well!

have a great sunday y'all.

Karen
I am so glad you are safe now and sorry for those who have lost so much in those fires......

Ol Man
I think the horse was really good at tying....in this case to the poor soldier's arm. Did you ever read about Greyfriar's Bobby of Scotland? Dog who lived out his life at his owner's grave. Good story and true. Somewhere I have pix of his statue.

CB
I am very glad you are feeling better. That is how my weekend went three weeks ago then morphed into TTP syndrome that did its best to destroy my blood and me. Tomorrow I go to see if my blood is building up or if I have to have more plasma exchanges. I sooooo hope they say it is ok and take this scary neck port out.

This evening I walked down to the gate between our yard and barn pasture where Ivan and Kazi were grazing. I got to touch them for the first time in 3 weeks. Both seemed mildly interested in seeing me,lol. Both are fatter. The walk back to the house felt more like a mile than a hundred feet. It was so great to touch a horse. Theraputic.

Ark, I'm glad to see you post. I worry when I don't see anything from you for more than a day or so. I'm sending more prayers that your blood work will show that you are recovering in continuing miracle fashion.

Me too, ARK! Hope you get good news! It will take awhile for you to get your energy back. Do they have you on iron or vit b....I find the liquid vit b is best for me! taste good too...

Well, have all clothes sorted and ready to go to the big camper...
Tomorrow we have to go buy a new toilet for our bathroom in the camper, and then friend Larry is coming over for a beef stew dinner with dumplings...ice cream for dessert. Tuesday we load the car up and get the kennels in the truck so all I have to do is load the puppies in...yes, I'm going to Texas with the four puppies I have left, and of course my sahdow Short stuff...the puppies just need too much care/attention for someone to come in just once a day, and if the cooler got left on all night it would freeze them....so I'll just take them along...me and my kids!

Ark,

Thank you and all this board for their prays. Prays are still being sent your way. Just got back from my run.

good morning all, it is shaping up to be a hot day, Kent finaly got a apointment to see a doctor for determination of eligability for S.S,I he will know in 10 days cross your fingers I don't think I can go through another 5 months without any income to pay bills we are barely hanging on as it is and theese next two months are the hottest here in Florida and the electric bill is skyrocketing we keep the air set at 80 degrees but the thing runs 24/7 on a good note his family is finaly talking to Kent so we shall see if they help or not Kent is not asking for a hand out just a loan until we get this dissabillity thing resolved

I am so glad that you are home Ark, but please take it easy, it takes time to get your strength back and I know how frustrating it can be but hang in there and you will be back to normal in no time, you know that you have lots of people praying and pulling for ya so take care and glad you are getting better

Just a little tip for you .... if the doctor will help Kent get onto the SSI disability, be sure to list "start of disability" as whenever he got hurt ..... once it is approved, they will make it retroactive which will help you out a LOT!!!!! At least that is what they did for me.

Good news for me! Blood levels are in the normal ranges and I dont have to do any more plasma exchanges!!!!!

I have to be at the Roanoke hospital at 7 am to have the neck port removed. I will be there with bells on!!!

ARK: You have made OUR day for all us here in FOOPVILLE! Prayers will continue for your complete recovery.

Love you....Rick & Snoop

That is GREAT NEWS, Ark! We'll be looking forward to hearing from you tomorrow when you get home.

Ark wrote:

Good news for me! Blood levels are in the normal ranges and I dont have to do any more plasma exchanges!!!!!

I have to be at the Roanoke hospital at 7 am to have the neck port removed. I will be there with bells on!!!

that is great news Ark, just don't over do it for awhile and give your body time to recover completely

Party time in ol' foopville Tonight! WOOHOO! That is some dang good news! ARK, now I know you'll hear this over and over....but take life easy for awhile...enjoy being among your loved ones, two and four legged varieties..

taking a short break from packing...whewwwwww....and now back to the grindstone! I'm thankful I shook whatever was wrong with me and I feeling mucho better.

We found a POTTEEEE yesterday for our camper, and also an ice maker for the camper...that I really want...but we'll see....I still don't know exactly how much in gas it will take to haul vehicles down...but the potty we really really NEED!

ARK that is good news, glad to hear that you are well on your way to being healthy and happy again.
Sunny, got my fingers crossed for you and Kent.
Clara, yeah for the new potty, we all need one...so don't be caught with out it when you need it most. lol
I have been feverishly trying to get organized for a 3 week ridng and camping trip, but Mr Murphy is sitting on my shoulders undoing everthing that I try to get done...run here, run there, batteries deads, can't get them to recharge, check fuses, breaker switches, wiring, etc etc..buy new batteries, long story but took quite a while to find a hidden reset button under the seat over the water reservoir....geeeesh. Back wheels on truck over heating, taking it in tomorrow, got floor fixed in horse area of trailer...oh there is so much to look after. It does not pay to leave the trailer stored and not used for a long time...been last fall since it was last used.
Got the horse shod this morning and thankfully he is not showing any of the signs of a phantom lameness that never ever did amount to anything other than making me crazy. He was a big show off though once he was done with the farrier and having to behave himself...in the mud...where it is slippery...he is kicking up his heels, juming and racing over to his buddy...helloooo that is probably why you were not feeling well 6 weeks ago....horses...you just gotta love'em.

ARK - that is just the BEST news! Thrilled for you.

Ark, we'd like to hear from you pretty soon. We haven't heard anything since before you left to go get the port removed. Is everything okay?

ARK: Praying your 7 AM hospital visit was a great one and you will get back home and back to a normal life without doctor and hospital visits.

CB: Gosh, girl I hope you can get everything together and have a safe and easy move to TX. I know you are really looking forward to the move and to get out of ID.

SUNNY: Hope you guys get that SS straightened out and can get back on your feet.

INDYAPP: Pierogies are little kinda like meat raviolis only they have mashed potatoes and cheese inside. They can also have sauerkraut. They are really yummy....

Have a great day everyone. I'm trying to catch up with housework after working at the PO for a couple days.

Love & prayers to all....

ELLEN
The neck port was removed with no pain! I was very happy, had some energy, did too much and have spent today making up for it. I hope I have learned my lesson. I have to conserve any energy for healing.

The RN told me to not move any bags of cement for awhile. Donnie modified that to not picking up anything heavier than a piece of paper. He is closer to correct.

Poor Donnie is so tired and I keep wanting to contribute to the work load. Can't happen for awhile. This condition takes time to rebuild the blood and absorb the millions of micro clots. I am an impatient patient.

Ark wrote:

ELLEN
I am an impatient patient.

Unless a person has spent their life eating Bon-bons and watching Soaps every day, we aren't going to take the time needed to heal "sitting down"

BUT try anyway

You just have to make yourself WHOA! Since you're not 19 anymore, you pretty much know how far you can push yourself

Those words "Donnie is so tired" can also be worrisome. Especially since Mr. TWHRider had a heart attack April Fool's Day and my good friend's husband passed flat out on her and ended up with a pacemaker two weeks ago. Neither one of these guys are couch potatoes, either.

This is probably singing in a 50 MPH wind but, if you can find someone dependable and trustworthy, can you afford to hire someone to do the heavy stuff for awhile?

We were lucky that all the bushhogging was done (I can bush hog but not in the brutal heat), I did all the mowing and barn chores and we hired someone to do the weed whacking.

My good friend's son somehow injured his hoof on his construction job but he was well enough to finish her bushhogging and do some fence mending where the last storm had sent a big tree limb across it.

Did the doctors say where you stand with communicable diseases? Allergens, like barn dust or horse dander? Do you need to wear a mask for awhile until you build your immune system up?

I haven't said much because I am new on this forum and don't really feel I should say much (until now and I've taken leave of my senses ) but I just feel like I need to my two cents in.

Reading the nightmare you have been thru, all over taco salad at the CTR, has been more than hair-raising.

I can tell you that, even though all the food was in their refrigerator, we went to one of my husband's employee's 30th B-day party and I wouldn't eat anything but the pulled pork they had just taken out of the B-B-Q --- all because of what happened to you

Anyway, now that I have "spoke my piece" and probably sound a lot like your grandmother, I'll quit before I end up in the Woodshed

Life in my world improved yesterday after the chiropractor came and worked my 26 yo Arab and my 17 yo TWH who is suffering sesamoiditis and a torn ligament, all thanks to the costly & well schooled farrier that really SC**ED him up on the third trim.

She was aghast at how Joker has regressed. When I pulled his RF boot off so she could see his exposed live sole (still from the July 19th trim), her very preggars self nearly fainted. Her words were "my poor Joker cannot take one more insult".

She didn't argue with me when I said I am giving him until the snow flies to come around from his injuries, elst I will have no choice but to send him on to his ancestors.

This morning, not only did Joker's babysitter Arab go yippy-skippy trotting into the side yard (doing a small semblance of that breath taking Arab float he did "before arthritis"), but once Joker realized he didn't hurt as bad, he went a-dog-walkin' at much faster speed than he has been. Still stumping along but nontheless more speedy; especially given he has to wear those clunky Boa boots with half pads in them and his legs are wrapped to where both fronts look like he's in soft casts.

So there's hope. It will be months before he can go back to pasture; partly because of all the hills, partly because Rusty can be a mean S.O.B. and will run Joker into the ground soon as he realizes Joker isn't 100% sound.

I'm hoping Joker will recover to where he's able to go in the house yard where there's also very steep hill but it will give him and the Arab more room and more grass. The chiro agreed the hill is too steep for him go down. Going up is ok but down is big no-no.

This weekend is four weeks since the nice farrier gouged his hooves. He's back in my trimming care. I will have to aspirin Joker up because he is still in pain and my back is so bad, I will have to have Mr. TWHRider rest his front hooves on his knee so I can carefully nip the areas that need nipped.

His toes are still literally in shreds but they need something done with them. He has a fissure crack TDC on his RF toe; he's never had cracks in his life. Believe me, I am still Praying to be able to forgive the guy that did this but I ain't there yet.

Duke, my EMS horse is doing a lot better since I put him back on Succeed for his hind gut ulcers and kept him locked in the front three acres during those weeks of blistering heat when the Feels Like hit well over 100<---his royal alpha self wouldn't come in to drink water, further aggravtating his tendency toward colic.

Mr. 16.1H-Full-of-Bad-Attitude, Rusty, finally got too full of himself when I was trimming him and got his hindend connected to the riding crop. Still not satisfied, he really forgot himself and bit Alpha-dominant-25-yr-old-Duke in the butt, on the way thru the paddock gate.

You have no idea of the malicious gratification I received when Duke, hock/ankle arthritis and all, wheeled around and sunk his teeth into Rusty's shoulder

I clapped my hands and said "GOOD JOB DUKE!" He flicked an understanding ear, then sauntered thru the gate

My 25 lb barn cat still insists on riding the car windshield to the barn; I almost ran the neighbor's Lab over when she didn't wag her tail under the car as the "I'm under here" warning; the Feral cat decided he doesn't need his antibiotics anymore; the two dogs took over both rockers; two house cats act like dogs and get under foot at the most inopportune times; a young Hawk followed Mr. TWHRider on the tractor for two days because he was smart enough to know the bushhog kicks up field mice; and one of the two fawns that hang out with their moms in the pasture sort of played a hide-n-seek game when Kenny was bushhogging.

Yes, I said that word "bushhogging". Thankfully that means we have had plenty of rain; so much rain that, while the drought status in our area is still there, it is very low. We're in light yellow on the local weatherman's map

ARK, what are we gonna do with you! Donnie will be ok, he is tough! You give youself a few weeks of healing, and then you can probably start doing little things....TWHRider, said it in a nutshell, none of us are use to a life of nuthin doin'...so its hard for us to stay still and behave.

TWHRider...have you tried adding powder milk in with a bit a grain and water to keep them from blowing it out of the grain? Whe I went to vet tech school our instructor told us the best kept secret was powder milk to helpa hoof and sole...I've used iodine on the sole also to toughen it up...but the powder milk grows some nice hoofs, no cracks...good stuff and relatively cheap Just a thought...

We all mother each other on here...I've been told enuf times to behave myself and heal right....for sure! so don't worry...
it is knowing someone cares that mean the most!

TRUDY, still sluggin away here sorting and packing my truck up getting ready to go...I have to talk to Michele tomorrow to see if she can feed for me as the #2 kiddo is sick...and I need someone I can depend on to be here every day and Michele lives a mile away so its nice. She comes my direction to take care of her own horse, so she'll just drive on over to take care of my zoo!

two of our small resort towns are evacuating from a wild fire about 2 hours nothr of us. We have ridden and camped in this area many many times...love it up there in the trees. We lost a young woman firefighter on this fire a few days ago...and now we may lose two whole small towns...we lost a historic buldings at Rocky Bar already and now Pine and Featherville are in dire danger of burning. There are about 500 homes and businessed up there in that area...fire is burning totally out of control right now...the news said there are 62 fires in 10 weatern states burning right now. Firefighters are coming in from Kentucky tomorrow...and the National Guard has been called out..my thoughts for the young woman's family..she was 23 and a tree fell on her...folks are taking it hard around here.

HUM that we get rain! do a naked rain dance or soemthing please y'all.

Ark, it's a relief to hear from you. I'm glad that removing the port was uneventful. You can really get on with healing and rebuilding now. Knowing that you are on the mend will allow Donnie to rest better.


Here is the link to "The Gift", and Part II. The first part is shown in the menu as "The Gift" if you want to read that before you read Part II.
http://joannaparrott.com/which-way-to-the-altar/

ARK, glad all went well with the port removal.

TWHRider, You might want to try the supplement Farriers Formula to help with the hoof growth especially since now you're having trouble with cracks. It's a bit pricey but I had very good results using it on my mare that had really thin walls and shelly soles. And please go ahead and tell us whatever is going on in your every day happenings. Most of us lead pretty standard lives and live vicariously through others.

Indyapp
I am certainly living vicarously these days and have enjoyed reading everyone's daily posts! How is Tiberious doing? Are you happy to not be studying so hard?

TWHrider
I have to be careful about infections until my immune system is rebuilt. I havent been down to the barn yet. We have hired a boy to help Annie and Donnie there five days a week. We also have boarded two of our horses off property for the next month or two. That has really helped reduce the work load. Annie has taken over as house keeper and my caretaker and has really blossumed at it. She likes having a purpose here and the little exta moola we have been giving her for her efforts is icing on her cake,LOL.
It has been a learning experience for us all. My biggest concern is the stress on Donnie but we may be getting that more under control since we have more help and I am not on death's door anymore.

CB
Wow. I sincerely hope for a quick monsoon season for all the dry areas.....

Trudy
Do you like the new postmaster?

Rick
Still driving?

Karen
How are you doing?

Ellen
A friend of a friend sent me an embroidered quilt. It must have been made on one of your machines. It is extraordinarily beautiful done with Scandinavian designs in gold thread on blue and purple panels. I was incredulous and very grateful for the gift from someone I have never met! If I ever get a good internet connection, I will post pix of it.

Well....back to napping....:-)

napping, a very good idea ARK! have a nice long snooze and let the body heal. Stay away from grocery stores...seems that is where there are a lot of germs floating around...it will be hard...but will get easier as you heal more and can do more. I know when I was so sicko I had the kids feed for me...first time I've needed help in over a year..last time was when I had my knee surgery, I had help for a day.

Well, I have to make a run to the base and pick up meds and then to Wal mart...I'm going this afternoon tho to get out of the heat, the car has a great AC! I should be leaving tomorrow and taking the truck down to NV so hubby can geet the camper hooked up and we can roll at daybreak on Sunday morning....if Michele can take care of the animals for me...I have to call her yet, but she is not an early riser so I am waiting. If she can't I'll take the truck down and hubby will bring me back up so I can care for them and let him go to Texas by his self....which I was looking forward to going...but animals will come first.

Have a great day y'all.

ARK - great to see you posting from back home and with that port gone. As lots on here have said, take your time now and work on getting well again.

CB - I thought you were already gone to TX! Seems like there is no end of planning and packing to be done. I never did read back to the very beginning of all the posts when I came on here - are you moving everything, for good? Don't blame you, if so - everytime you write about those fires, I can feel myself tense up, worrying about all your horses (sorry, I know I should worry about you too!). I certainly hope you get a some rain falling there really soon.

Indyapp - Farriers Formula is used here too. It has a great reputation for fixing those feet and soles that have dropped or split, etc. The guy who created the Formula is a vet who has worked entirely with problem feet for many, many years and came up with that as a 'recipe' which really works.

Today, Zaristo and I went out hacking with a friend, trialling some new routes for a TREC competition for early September. After a short ride up the (fairly busy) main road, we turned off along the side of a canal and had a GREAT ride for about 4 miles along a lovely grassy track. We had to slow down going through a marina and Zaristo, who was in the lead most of the time, looked a bit sideways at some of the barges and house boats moored beside the track, but didn't stop or hesitate, just kept going on.
I was delighted because, as I've mentioned before, until we started doing TREC he only rode in an arena and it's taken ages to build his confidence.
That track ended at the side of a bridge over the canal, with another main road which they were doing road works on with big, scary, yellow machines. BUT, he once again did not hesitate, went up the steep slope to the road, over and down the other side to the next canal towpath.
What a good boy!

well, today is D day for us if Kent's brother doesn't talk to the park manager before the end of business today, the park is turning over our debt to the lawyers and they will try to forclose on this place for being behind on condo fees we have been talking to the manager but at this point we are out of time his hands are tied he knows the situation but can do nothing more what is bad is that Kent ownes this place out right does not owe money on it but because we live in a park we have to pay condo fees and they can take this place away from Kent even though his family have owned this lot since late 70's it will be a shame but at this point our hands are tied unless S.S.I comes through we will be homeless cross your fingers for us