January 2014

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.

BEECH is fine, thank you! Buried under snow and distracted by my on-again off-again colicky horse, but otherwise still upright and taking nourishment. We did lose power a few storms back (there have been so many!), but only for two hours late one evening, and. tonight the lights flickered seriously for several seconds but so far, so good. Though we certainly have snow! Two feet on the ground now, I’d say, at a guess. It snowed steadily all day yesterday and into this morning, a light, fine powdery accumulation on top of the crusted foot or so we had already. My neighbor with the John Deere front end loader was clearing my little house driveway before I’d even had breakfast, then he went on to do the big barn drive, too – all unbidden. I’ve got to bake him some bread. COOOLD, here, too...... Below zero tonight.    

BEECH...you sure do have a good friend to do that. I'm sure that a friendly wave, thanks, and some warm bread will be much appreciated. Now...considering the cost of fuel today...at least offer to give him some cash to offset that expense $30 or so. In all likely hood, he will not take it, but will appreciate that you offered. YEARS ago...I used to clean the 30+ driveways and the 1 mile deadend street in my neighborhood just for the fun of it. Payment was a wave and thanks. Had several bring me a cuppa coffee or hot chocolate. Even had a hot-out-of-oven dish of lasagna delivered to house. Fuel was cheaper then, but I still appreciated and accepted any money offered. This is just my thoughts for what they are worth.

O K. Here's the scoop. I got hold of ROSE. She's great, retired, and having a ball.
One minor glitch…………..she has tried and can't get here. ARK, she is asking for you
to "fix r up"………..I told her you can get her all new info, password, etc………….
her e mail is the same: wvwitch@hotmail.com. She also finally lost the site. She says HAPPY NEW YEAR to all, and she'll be back. So, we will look forward to her rescue stories, they are wonderful.
Gads, Noah is 9, has a leased push button 1/4 horse and is "A #1" cowboy. Rose is having way too much fun! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!

Isn't that GREAT?

Graymare, that's great news. I'm sure glad you called her. It will be great to have her back here.

OK...All this info about ROSE has shamed me....I promise to call her soon...PROMISE I WILL!!

I sent ROSE all the info she'll need to get back here.  If she reports any problems, let me know!


BEECH:
 Two feet of snow!!!    is that even legal?  Wow.  They must make those Mainesters tough to get thru winters like that.  Stay warm and if you get a little bored, PLEASE post and we'll talk you thru it!     By the way, I need your snail mail address.  I know I used to have it, but can't find it.  Could you please send it to me?  Arkazivan@gmail.com

 We have been very lucky so far about the lack of snow.  The cold has arrived, fiercely, and going to get much worse on Monday and Tuesday.  Monday night it is going to get down to -6 with winds up to 25 mph.  Totally unreasonable.   Someone should be arrested.  The good news is, we will be back up to 50 by next Friday.


We went to the grocery and feedstore today in case the predicted snow for tomorrow shows up.  Krogers was packed.  I guess everyone else had the same idea.  

Donnie and I have been watching the first season of "Northern Exposure".  What a nice show! I had forgotten how much we enjoyed it.    We've been watching it every evening this week.

SUNNY:
Please tell CB that we miss her and wish the very best for Jessi's quick recovery.  Breaking one's arm is no fun.

There is a long stretch of snow from southern Colorado, all the way northeast to Maine. They are predicting anything from 6 to 12 inches of snow. The worst part will be the extreme cold, below zero starting tomorrow night and continuing until Wednesday.
Travis said the ice is about 6 inches thick all over. He took his augur and drilled some holes. It was a halfway decent day to be out until the wind came up. There was a real edge to that wind that forebodes bad things to come.
I'm ready for it. Food in the frig, gas in the car, water in the lake and an axe, AND a gas fireplace. All set.

 RICK - I agree, I agree! And I’ve offered him money repeatedly but he refuses. In fact, he’s only done the barn driveway twice, and that’s in part my fault because I told him that there’d be an apple pie in his future if he’d just remove the town plow’s windrow that’s so hard to break through at the end, but he did the whole thing, despite my jumping up and down, laughing, and saying STOP, This is MY job, and I can do still do it, as old and decrepit as I may look! Truth is, his tractor’s brand new to him, and I think he just loves using it – at the same time that I’m sure that he’s also proud to be able to do the manly thing because, though he’s a lot younger than I am, he’s technically disabled. Now I’ve had to make the pie promise a bread promise, because he’s also a diabetic. Maybe I’ll sneak a bill into the middle of the bread.

Meantime, I think I’ll be bald by Wednesday, at the rate at which I’m tearing my hair out. Horse is alternately escaping and colicking. Vet seems to think the health problem is age (horse is 23) and weather related. Otherwise, he’s negative for Lyme disease; already on thyroid med, and gets Vit E. He seemed to rebound nicely from a full colic treatment with vet on Dec 7, but bound up again briefly once last week, and has been drinking and eating erratically this week. Tonight he seemed to be happy eating fine hay but rejected both his grain and a warm bran mash. Has a heated bucket. Is bm-ing regularly. Is currently blanketed, though hadn’t been before. On Christmas day, by contrast, I awoke to see him loose in the back yard, then nowhere in sight by the time I rushed into clothes and outside. Frantic, I stood in the barnyard with a bucket of grain and his halter, calling his name. And, by gosh, he came, tearing down the neighbor’s steep and icey driveway, making a sharp left onto the blacktop and then a sharp right into his own driveway, undaunted by snow that was in some places over his knees, until he stood snorting fire down my neck and demanding breakfast. Nobody could’ve had a more welcome Christmas present! Today I saw how he’s been getting out: biting on fence posts until the rotten ones snap. I replaced one of those temporarily with an old saddle rack, which he simply grabbed and tipped over, after which I secured it with cement blocks. Today I watched him attempting to dismantle it, stick by stick, so he’s now confined to quarters until I can shrink his pasture with wire on tree trunks. I began that job just before dark tonight, but not before I sank into snow way over my boot tops. Sigh….Any suggestions on the colic front would be welcome.

RICK, I loved the aphorisms and cartoons and especially the bit about procrastination. ARK, I absolutely love the pics of you on both Ivan and Areion. You have reason to be enormously proud. CB, come back! I’m sure you can cure my horse! And thanks, SUNNY, for keeping us up on her and Jessi, who is in my thoughts. GRAYMARE, I'm glad you're back.
ELLEN, when I’ve not been in a tizzy over the horse challenge, I’ve shared that feeling of snugness in the face of coming storms. It’s a good feeling.    

Thank you Diane!

As Syd reported for me, baby Noah is now a very well balanced, active, athletic 9 yr old, and he continues to be a source of delight to his Gammy! Took second place at a small show a couple weeks ago on his push-button, sweet natured, Calypso (Robin leased for him). Robin lost her sweet and wonderful Golden, Bailey, last month to cancer. So now the shepherd, Memphis, is the only canine at the Cunningham household. Robin switched employers from CarMax last year and now is the business office manager for Jim Hudson auto dealerships. She is doing very well and so is hubby, Johnny! My son is still at the same employer, still in heating and air and is doing quite well after a big scare with cancer last fall, thank you God he is 100% safe now. The wicked witch daughter in law, Penny, is actually a little better acting now and I haven't threatened to kill her in some time!!!!!!!  

Desmond, oldest Grandson, J.R.'s son is 16, has his drivers license and a gf, which his grandmother does not approve of, but his Dad says he closely supervises so guess I'll have to accept! Also as reported, I am retired and am kept busy pet sitting, rescuing, transporting rescues and fostering! Am now convinced there will be no more puppies in this house, I cannot keep up with them! I also have started sewing and am so thoroughly enjoying it, lots of learning and still a lot more to do, did make Robin a full bib apron for Christmas, which she really likes and have another one cut out for her. Going to make some flannel lounge pants for the family too. Who woulda thought that I could be creative?   Diane I am so proud of what you have done with your horses and Syd I cannot believe Faith is going to give you another baby. It is so wonderful to see everyone and catch up with each one. I have missed you guys so much! Rick, you better call, post and let me hear from you! ((((All))))

ROSE!!! Welcome home!!! It's so good to hear from you and know that things are well with you.

It started snowing here this morning about 8:00 and is going at it like it means it. We've probably gotten a couple of inches so far, with a lot more to come. We're supposed to get up to about 14 inches.

Indy, what's it doing at your house?

Have any of you ever lost something you had just a minute ago and can't find it? I've been getting things ready for the get together this evening. I HAD a dishtowel that I was using frequently. Now, it's just gone! This is a small house; not many places it could be. But I cannot find that )(*&^&%^&$(**&* towel. I've looked everywhere - I think. Obviously, there is one place I haven't looked yet. I guess it will turn up someday when I least expect it. I have plenty of dishtowels so no particular attachment to that one. Just drives me nuts I can't find something I just had in my hands a few minutes ago.

Oh ELLEN, its so good to be home! Dear friend, I lose/misplace things daily, and it makes me nutso (even more than normal)

i can't quite tell from here for sure, but the towel is either on the deck railing or front left corner of your garage.

Beech...You are A-OK now. Warm yeast bread...!! WOW!!

ARK...please close and lock the southern gate to keep the cold air from pouring down on me.....   

Found it... in the one and only drawer I hadn't looked in. It's only the drawer I open and close the most when I'm cooking. Now that I've found it, I know what happened. Opened the drawer to get something that was under other things, had the towel in my hand. Had to put down the towel to get to what I wanted. Closed the drawer.

Still snowing heavily enough I can't see across the lake. Still 30 degrees, dropping slowly.

Pretty please, shut that gate ELLEN, I will be a frozen stiff fat old lady for our NASCAR Season if you don't, calling for 16 deg Tuesday morning and 18 Wednesday morning and that's without any darn windchill.............my body is not made to withstand that, I don't know how you Northern, Western, New England folks live through what ya'll are getting!  Please stay warm and safe!

 


Harry, sorry about the banged up wrist---. Been there with Virginia, she had three docs but turned out OK.

Twenty (20) turkeys. No, No the wild kind, in my yard out here 2miles in the country .

 

Good gracious--- the computer can make msg. We are sitting here with no snow yet. Who has the deepest snow drifts? My horses kick up and act like kids playing----I had to hold on to the halter, Why would they like to run in the snow-------they never seem to slide out.

Rose, I'm so glad you are back so I'll have somebody to watch NASCAR with.

Ellen, I'm ready for Daytona, right now. No wait, I bought a new car and I need to get my Sirius/xm installed first, guess I can wait a week or two to have Smoke back! He is one lucky fella he didn't have even more injuries, but that's the way he is and we love him! Yep, forgot the new car, 2014 Honda CRV, recommended by resident car specialist, Robin! Very nice suv with absolutely wonderful mpg! Ol' Man, so good to see ya!

 

Spoke too soon. weather has hit----yeah! Rose glad to see you. I also have a gs and he is hooked on moto cross, he even did a second in the state on one of those divisions.

Last week in our winter he is in my garage with a washer super washing the mud off. Does yours do that?

No Ol'man, Noah, right now, is only interested in horses, soccer, and basketball!  Thankfully!    Heaven only knows what will either last or be upcoming!  I've made plans for all my furkids for what will be frigid for us weather Tuesday and Wednesday, I will warm blankets and put in the house for Mommy and babies, bring Mitzie my little 20 lb terrier inside and warm blankets for Buddy's bed under the carport.  All the rest will be inside.  And of course all the ones outside will get warmed meals 2 times daily.  I feel so terribly bad for animals in the frozen tundra part of the country who are left outside without any shelter and often no food or water.  Why I rescue! 

A good one Syd, someone sent it to me earlier today, I thought it was beautiful!

That is a beautiful video! Thanks for sharing.

The party was a nice success. Everybody had plenty to eat, and a good visit. They had to walk home in deep snow but made it safely. A couple of trucks were trying to get up the hill and were struggling big time. But they made nice paths for neighbors to walk in.