Have you ever had a dream that came true?
Submitted by rescout.
Do you mean a dream I had while asleep? In a way - When I was in my early 30's I used to have a recurring night mare that I called the "DeadMommyDream". I would have a dream that my mother was being killed, dieing in an accident, or just being gone in some undefineable horrific way. I would be trying to reach her, screaming my lungs out. I would waken to a sore throat, muscles in knots and sweating. I stopped the dreams by instructing myself to wake up when they got too bad. Also in my DMD's I would, in mid-dream, tell myself to wake up that this was too horrible to be true and to check it out. I would then wake up, rationalize the dream and go back to sleep.
Mom did die on July 19th 2005 at 94 years old. She was diagnosed with bone cancer and I was able to have her here with me and take care of her with Hospice's help til she passed away in peace. Did she die, yes. LIke my dreams, no.
I had a "DeadSonDream" last week. I dreamt that I got a call that he had been killed in Iraq. Before going hysterical, my conscious mind took over and said, "Jeff is in Flint, not Iraq." Now it is true that there is some question as to which place is more dangerous Flint, MI or Iraq. (no joke). If I dream that I get a call that he was killed in Flint, then I will freak out. The USA has some very dangerous places. This is in no way disrespect towards our soldiers in Iraq. They are amazing people doing a job they must do. I pray for them everyday. God love and protect them.
Now if we are talking about life dreams, yep, you betcha it came true. I always wanted to live on a farm (medium sized-city girl here) and have animals and mostly horses. I am living my dream. We have 2 horses, 4 dogs, 6 cats, plenty of chickens that lay brown and blue eggs. Up until a couple of weeks ago, we had a really neat pygmy goat. I looked out of our kitchen window this evening and saw ten deer grazing in the field. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. That dream I am living and am oh so grateful for.
- What's your average sleep time?
5-6 hours - Are you an early bird or a late sleeper?
late if I can swing it. But 7 a.m. is late - Do you find it hard to fall asleep, or do you go right out?
- Usually, I fall asleep fast, but if I wake up in two or three hours, I might as well get up, no more sleep even if it is 3am.
- Have you ever slept somewhere other than a bed?
Who hasn't! I'll sleep anywhere. - Show us sleep.
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What are you going to do with your tax return?
Submitted by KB.
I paid off my one and only credit card. One step closer to debt free.
When you are tense, let me teach you to relax.
When you are short tempered, let me teach you to be patient.
When you are short sighted, let me teach you to see.
When you are quick to react, let me teach you to be thoughtful.
When you are angry, let me teach you to be serene.
When you feel superior, let me teach you to be respectful.
When you are self-absorbed, let me teach you to think of greater
things.
When you are arrogant, let me teach you humility.
When you are lonely, let me be your companion.
When you are tired, let me carry the load.
When you need to learn, let me teach you.
After all, I am your horse.
And now, the REAL story . . .
When you are tense, let me teach you that there are dragons
in the forest, and we need to leave NOW.
When you are short tempered, let me teach you how to slog around
the pasture for an hour before you can catch me.
When you are short sighted, let me teach you to figure out where, e
exactly, in the 40 acres I am hiding.
When you are quick to react let me teach you that herbivores
kick MUCH faster than omnivores.
When you are angry, let me teach you how well I can stand on my
hind feet, because I don't FEEL like cantering on my right lead
today, that's why!
When you are worried, let me entertain you with my mystery
lameness, GI complaint, and skin disease.
When you feel superior, let me teach you that, mostly, you are the
maid service.
When you are self-absorbed let me teach you to
PAY ATTENTION! I TOLD you about those dragons in the forest!
When you are arrogant, let me teach you what 1200 lbs of a
YAHOO-let's-Go horse can do when suitably inspired.
When you are lonely, let me be your companion. Let's do lunch.
Also, breakfast and dinner.
When you are tired, don't forget the 600 lbs of grain that needs
to be unloaded.
When you are feeling financially secure, let me teach you the
meaning of "Veterinary Services, additional."
What is your favorite term of endearment?
Submitted by lostdwarf.
Hey, Buddy!
Your Brain is 67% Female, 33% Male |
Your brain leans female You think with your heart, not your head Sweet and considerate, you are a giver But you're tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of you! |
peculiar, kindled, squealing, promptly, jabbed
Not long ago while I was out camping in the mountains. I wanted to get a fire kindled and blazing brightly before full dark. I heard some wild squealing in the woods about a 100 feet away. I jabbed at the wood chips and paper ready to strike a match and get things blazing. Bright flames keep the bad things away, right? This fire business wasn't such a good idea, so dangerous! What? Set the whole woods on fire with no guarantee that it would keep the boogeyman out of sight. What if it was a bogeyman and not a four footed animal? What then? A blazing fire would only give the serial killer light to do his dirty work. This camping out and roughing it was not as glamorous as I thought it would be; it really was down right dangerous. I prefer electricity and deadbolt locks holding solid doors tighly in place. Peculiar shadows and sounds began moving closer and closer. I tried to run, tried to scream, my truck was ten paces away but I couldn't move, everything went into slow motion. As a shriek ripped through my clenched teeth, I fell out of bed, promptly woke up from this sweaty nightmare to find a National Geographic special discussing the killing power of cougars. There is a reason to keep the tv out of your bedroom!
Sometimes a little goat can be an important part of your herd and your life. Goats make great companions for horses. I don't know why but they certainly can be a calming influence on an easily excited horse. Often times race horses are accompanied by a goat to keep them settled during travel to races and being stalled in strange places. Horses are real homebodies and a small traveling companion can provide a constant that is so important to horses.
The little guy in the pictures as been in our family for over ten years. He lived at Gramma's house and one of the grandchildren showed him at the fair. After a few years he was retired and came to our farm. He has been a standard fixture and faithful companion for my horses. He shows up in almost every picture I took of the horses. We don't know how old he was when my BIL bought him or even where he came from, but he was an adult of more than 2 years and we have had him for at least 10 years. He had three different names Damien (granddaughter liked drama), Ralph and alternately Geo as in G O for goat. He loved the horses and was always in their company. He would race for them when they returned from a show. Often times I had to tie him up so he would not come into the ring and get under foot while I was riding. Sometimes he would rear on his back legs and bounce toward the horses teasing them. Then he would race for me with them in hot pursuit. He'd run around behind me so that I could save him. He loved to play. Sometimes though, one of the horses would stand with his head down, muzzle resting on Ralph's back. They would stand like that for long periods. Who knows what they were thinking.
I don't know what happened today. I saw him several times through the day and all was well. When I went out to feed this evening, Ralph didn't come in. I went to look for him and saw him standing on three legs. His right hind leg was just hanging and the old boy was shivering in pain. By the time I got my husband out to double check what I feared, Ralph had hobbled up to the barn. I set out water, grain and hay for him. Goats are tough, really tough. He ate, drank and was working on the hay without any seeming care in the world. I was able to examine him more carefully and my worst fears were realized. His right hind leg was broken clear through the cannon bone. That's the equivalent of your shin/calf bones.
There isn't any more to be done for a goat with a broken leg than a horse with a broken leg. We had to put him down. Horses are very aware of death and like all animals they understand it and accept it. I let both horses out of there stalls, and they went over to the body and sniffed it carefully over and over again. Riley pawed at the little guy and even tried to get him to move, pushing at him with his nose. They spent a good 10 minutes going over and over him. They know he is dead and gone and will not look for him or call for him.
We don't know how he broke his leg. I have a feeling that he was lying down and just did not move out of the horses' way fast enough. He was getting older and slower. He may have stepped in a hole or caught it in a fence but what ever happened it was a disaster. If the one of the horses stepped on him, it was an accident. Ralph really did like to be right in the middle of everything.
Written by Lauren Davis Baker www.flyingchanges.com
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God gives us horses and compels some of us to love them. Yet why does the horse, an animal with such a big heart, live such a short life? Perhaps it’s because if our horses lived any longer, we wouldn’t be able to bear losing them. Or, perhaps it’s because God wants to jump. Perhaps God looks down on the fine horses we raise and decides when it’s His turn to ride. He gives us a few good years to care for and learn from them, but when the time is right, it’s up to us to see them off gracefully.O.K., perhaps not gracefully. Blowing into a KleenexTM is rarely graceful. But we can be grateful. To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one’s toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful. Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle—or a computer–a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily, we know we’ve made the right choice.  Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you—you’ll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You’ll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you’ll swear they’re intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves. If you weren’t raised with horses, you can’t know that they have unique personalities. You’d expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it. I found one of ours on the front porch one morning, eating the cornstalks I’d carefully arranged as Halloween decorations.Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many “types” of horses as there are people—which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting. If you’ve never ridden a horse, you probably assume it’s a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday—but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car in “drive.” In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he’ll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you’ll swear he’s trying to kill you. Perhaps he’s naughty or perhaps he’s fed up with how slowly you’re learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences—if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership—and partnership is what it’s all about. If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you’ll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You’ll discover just how hard you’re willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn. And, while some people think the horse “does all the work”, you’ll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you’ll get to heaven. You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work. If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our oversaturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we’d like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures. If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life’s true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders. When you step back, it’s not just about horses—it’s about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow. We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give. To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of battle. Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return. Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true companion. In the end, we’re not certain if God entrusts us to our horses or our horses to us. Does it matter? We’re grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place. And so we pray:
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