Sure don't post very often but now that I have a shiny new laptop, I don't have to get in line for desktop computer time :D. Maybe I'll post more often. On to today's topic.
Last Saturday I took Riley, my 16.3 Tennesee Walker gelding to the vet for annual vaccinations and to have blood pulled for a Coggins test. It was a windy day, suddenly very chilly and spitting rain. Usually my horse takes all of this in stride and behaves pretty well. I had unloaded him on the outer drive at the vets' office where I normally do, right along side the paddocks. I was aware that there were draft horses in them, but that is as far as my perception went. Riley was very nervous and I was focusing on him to the exclusion of everything else. I foolishly assumed that the weather was the cause of his antsy dancing and souped up nerves and believe me 1200 pounds of bone and muscle and get pretty souped up. About the time the vet came out to see us and suggest that we move inside the clinic, Riley jumped in my direction and landed squarely on my left foot with the edge of his hoof grinding into the nail bed of my big toe - Ow, really major ow. I got him to move off of me and then out of the corner of my eye I noticed the big Percheron stallion staring at Riley. AHHH DAWN CAME TO MARBLEHEAD! By not paying attention to what Riley was paying attention to, I didn't keep him safe. He was, in his mind, trapped, 30' away from a threat is not safe and he was being held in line of sight of a dominant stallion that was sending out serious threat messages. Once we moved inside out of sight of the stallion, Riley calmed right down and stood for the examination, shots and blood draws as docilely as a sleepy puppy. When we went back outside, I asked DH to move the horse trailer to the other side of the facility way out of sight the stud. Neither horse had made a sound. It was all body language. Horses survive on reading body language, sensing intention. He knew he had to stay where I had him, but he also knew that if the stud came over the fence, he was dead. He couldn't get away, so he moved as far as he could and right into and onto me. Fortunately, my foot is fine and loading and the trip home were uneventful.
My point is that we must not focus so totally on what is right in front of us with no sense of what is going on around us. As a veteran horsewoman, I should have been aware of everything in the vicinity just as Riley was aware. In his estimation, I had him in danger, not an action worthy of his trusting me. The few times I have been injured by horses, it has always been for this reason. In the classroom, things have gone bad when I focus too intently on the lesson, or the student acting up, or the point I am trying to make, unaware of what is going on at the back of the room or under cover.
Keep a part of yourself always aware of your surroundings. It just makes sense to keep aware and responsive. My horses and my students are constantly teaching me :)
]]>I am very very excited! DH and I decided to go to my favorite restuarant in Chicago tomorrow. We were going to ride the South Shore (electric train) from South Bend, IN and go to lunch there, bum around the magnificent mile for awhile and hop the train home. Since it is our 23rd anniversary on Sunday - can't wait for 12-21-12 (not an endtimer, but if we have to go out, what better day than our anniversary!) - we checked around and found a great deal at a four star hotel $100. for the night one block from the John Hancock Building. We are going to go to the Grand Luxe for lunch, the Art Deco is incredible, window shop, maybe if we can find a few cheap (? in Chicago?) bargains, do some Christmas shopping.
It should be a blast and since a big monster storm just came through today, it should be clear for the next day or two!
]]>Have we not been through a process recently? The election of a new president is always done in front of the footlights, In spite of the circus atmosphere of our fundraisers and political conventions, our electing of a new president must demand solemnity and serious consideration deep in our private thoughts. No matter what we say publicly to our friends, bosses, mates or those we may wish to impress, our choice in the ultimate privacy of the voting booth keeps our democracy at an unassailable elevation.
]]>It is nearly zero but thank heavens the heavy winds and snow are done for now. This may sound really stupid but I was smelling my horses tonight. I went down to feed and I stay with them til they are done with their grain so that chubby Abby does not run lean and muscley Riley off his grain and get ever fatter. We don't lock them in their stalls at night. They can come in the barn and their stalls at will. So, I was rubbing them and talking to them and going from stall to stall and sniffing. Then I decided to compare scents because years ago I noticed that there was a huge difference between the scent of my arabian and the scent of a thoroughbred that I was boarding for a friend. The difference was so apparent that I could have picked them out by scent blind folded. Riley definitely has a stronger and "spicier" scent than Abby. She has a very mellow scent. They are all horse but different but similar. Am I making sense?
How weird I am, but I remember being a little girl and fighting my mother about washing my hands after stroking a horse. I wanted to keep the scent as long as possible but she wanted me clean. Now I can just bathe in the scent and get as high as I want, and it is all legal.
How wonderful.
This past spring I had a couple of heart related blips on my horizon. I am a long time blood donor - over 8 gallons in my life so far. The blood bank refused me because I had an irregular heart beat. I've always had an irregular heart beat - always!!!!! Long story short, I was so incensed that I went to the doc and said FIX THIS!! After a gazillion heart tests later, I was told everything was good except my cholesterol was slightly elevated. I was given a prescription for a statin and that sent me into an emotional tailspin. No way!
I have had a weight problem for most of my adult life and have battled the demons that force food down my throat with ever increasing intensity. I lost 40 pounds in 2003 on South Beach Diet, but it had been creeping back on slowly. I had gained half of that loss back. I knew if I got that weight off, my cholesterol levels would go back to normal. I carry most of my excess weight packed tightly into my midsection right under my ribs. I have lost the 20 pounds and am losing more. I never did make a goal weight on South Beach. I have one more month before I go back in for another cholesterol test. I feel terrific - more energy than I've had in ages.
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Why do you live where you live?
Submitted by memtony.
I live where I live on a a farm because of, YEP you guessed it HORSES!!! I stayed in the area where I was born and grew up because unlike other teachers, moving from one job to another was never a good idea. I had tenure and every place I thought about moving to was overloaded with teachers and letting many go. I also bought a horse when I started working and moving them is not that easy. Selling him and getting another later on was not an option. They quickly become family members.
]]>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 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.
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