Surgery - Visitors - The Last Ride

It has been crazy around here!! Our exchange student from 2001 was here to visit -- she is like a daughter to us, and we were so excited to see her again. She was here from the 2nd to the 7th, and we had the best time. Well, except for Friday the 5th when John had surgery on his arthritic shoulder (not the same shoulder he shattered in the riding incident; the other shoulder).

So with him out of commission, we won't be on a ride for another six weeks!! Way too long, especially because the weather is now breaking -- the ice is melting, the snow is almost gone, the temperatures are warming up a bit, and the Indiana Dunes will be available to equestrians again (the cross country skiiers' loss is our gain).

One of the last rides we took was a couple of weeks before his surgery. Zora got a new saddle blanket, so we took it on its maiden voyage. The saddle pad he has for her is so thick -- I have never seen another like it. It is fine for the winter, but I always feel sorry for her in the summer. She is so high-charged under saddle that she sweats even when standing still. So he got her this new blanket, and I think it is quite attractive. She will be more comfortable this spring and summer.

We took the trails around here -- through the woods of Otis, and across a nearby corn field. The trails in the woods were a touch beat up from the four-wheelers. I am not complaining here -- the four wheelers have just as much right to the trails as we do. I would just prefer to be on the trails when they are not there. They freak the horses out a bit. Luckily, we are usually on different schedules. During this melting time of the year the four wheelers do make some ruts in the trails. Nothing we can't handle, though!

So it was a pretty nice ride -- a bit muddy but that is part of the deal, isn't it?

"I've Won A Major Award"

That was the line from the movie "A Christmas Story" and it seemed appropriate here. My blog-world friend Callie has once again passed an award on to me. It has taken me a while to pick it up and post on it, and I do not want to appear ungrateful -- which I am not. In fact, I am really flattered and pleased. We have had a visitor this week -- our foreign exchange student who was with us in 2001 has been here for a visit. Lydia is from Italy, and she is our first "exchange daughter." We haved another, Marie from Germany. I wish she were here too....

But on to the business at hand. As I said, this award was presented to me from Callie at Midwest Horse Blog http://midwesthorse.blogspot.com/ She has been a great blogger friend. We both live in the Midwest and can relate.

The object is to tell 7 things about myself, and pass the award on to 15 others. I can tell 7 things, but I don't think I know 15 others to send it on to, so I will do my best in that regard.

1. I love a good vodka martini on the rocks with bleu cheese stuffed olives.

2. The shop where I work employs 55 people -- only two of us are women, and I am the only woman working full-time there.

3. The book "Lost in the Shuffle" literally changed my life.

4. I have ridden horses in 4 countries -- Mexico, Italy, Germany and the U.S.

5. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I did not go to college. I was not motivated, neither of my parents pushed it, so I just did not go. My high school counselor was the only one urging me, and that was not enough evidently. The counselor was right......

6. I have started playing guitar again recently. When I was in my 20's I played, and though never great at it, could play a few songs half way decently. My mother had a natural talent for music -- she could hear a song on the radio and then be able to play it on the piano within an hour. She could also play almost any other instrument she picked up. My brother inherited that talent. I did not -- I had to work at it. I fell out of the guitar playing, but recently decided to try it again. My fingers are killing me!! I have to get my callouses back....

7. When I was single I was into bicycling. The farthest I ever rode in one day was 62 miles. I took a vacation (by myself) to Vermont for a bicycling weekend, and it remains one of the best vacations I ever had.

Now, who do I pass this along to????

My good friend, Debby at Webquilts....http://webquilts.blogspot.com/

I am not sure who else??? Will have to get back to everyone later on this one.....

Visiting...

We finally got a chance to ride again. It was last week (boy, it takes me a long time to find the time to post!!!), and the weather finally cooperated -- mild temps, no ice. So we took The Girls out and visited the neighboring barns. There are quite a few horses in Otis...actually, in our little "town" of 175 people, we have 3 one-eyed horses. My Divna, Terri's Reba, and Linda's I-don't-know-his/her name."

The Marich barn is closest to us. They have two geldings, Bubba (nose-to-nose with Zora) and Ozzy(white blaze); and one mare, Harley (facing other direction).

The Sajdera barn is where our horses go when they get out. Strange, because Divna just hates Terri's horses, but she always runs to their barn when she can. Perhaps that is because when we go away for long vacations (like when we go to Europe) she boards our horses for us. She has a great horse property -- lots of acreage, a large barn, round pen, several separated fenced in pastures...it is a very nice set up. Terri has owned horses her whole life, and even boarded Divna when she was suffering from glaucoma. She gave Divna medicine and administered eye drops, etc. Just a great friend!!! Terri has one mare, Reba; and two geldings, Ziggy and Timber (the geldings are the ones with white blazes). They are all related. I believe Reba is the mother of both geldings. Reba is one-eyed. She actually poked a hole in her eyeball somehow a few winters ago. She can't see out of that eye, but still has her eyeball. It actually looks much better than it used to. I made an eye patch for her, but of course she is not wearing it now.

The Munson horses. We don't know them very well, but one of the horses (the white one) is one-eyed. The other looks like some sort of Mongolian horse.....short, stocky, with long hair on the legs...Anyone out there know what kind of horse that is??

So it was a neat day of just riding around and visiting...

The Ride That Wasn't

This past weekend was finally riding time -- everything was in place. Not too cold, not too icy, sun was shining, great winter riding conditions.

John was outside "catching" The Girls and starting on the pre-ride grooming. I was in the house finishing up some last minute things.

I walked outside and heard voices and thought "Boy, he really has the Serbian music cranked up today." Then I saw a car in the driveway.

I opened the barn door and there stood Dragan -- our very good friend who moved to Indianapolis a few years back. No wonder it sounded like the Serbian music was cranked -- there were two Serbs in the barn talking!!! He was in town for the weekend and stopped by!! It was so great to see him!!

So of course we just gave the horses some treats and let them go, and spent the evening with Dragan.

This is one time that I did not mind missing out on a ride! We had a great time that night....we should be able to ride next weekend.

Here is Drag with Zora.....

Help Wanted: Goat Farrier

(This picture of Misho and me was taken the day after the trimming. I am holding the trimming tool in my left hand but you can't really see it.)

The farrier was out to trim The Girls' hooves last week, which is our reminder that it is also time to trim the goats' hooves. Well, "reminder" is not quite the right word -- it is more of a "sentence" -- the kind the Judge hands down when the charges are serious.

Anyone out there with goats should be able to relate. When we got our first goat, and the hoof trimming procedure was demonstrated to us, it looked so easy....

We bought our first goat, Marco (a.k.a "The Alien" and "You Are An Ass!!") from the LaPorte County Fair. We had decided we needed a goat because some of the weeds in the pasture became so overgrown that we had to mow -- these were weeds that for some reason the horses would not eat. We had been to my cousin's house in the mountains of North Carolina a few years before. He wanted to clear a piece of property he had purchased, and got two or three goats. He left them on the property, and they cleared it so beautifully. We imagined the same thing would happen to the gangly weeds in our pasture -- they would be beautifully cleared if only we had a goat.

At the Fair we went into the Goat Barn, located a young 4H member who was showing goats and asked if he wanted to sell one. Of course he did. He showed us Marco (who at the time was named "Sampson") and explained that this particular goat was headed for the meat truck when the Fair closed. He was the cutest little goat -- maybe 20 pounds. I couldn't stand the thought of him being in the next Gyro sandwich we would order in a Greektown restaurant in Chicago at some point in the future, so we gave the 4H boy $20 and promised to pick Sampson/Marco up on the last day of the Fair. We got to talking about how to care for goats, and 4H Dad showed us how to trim the hooves.

Standing beside the darling little goat, he pulled up a leg, took a rasp and ran it over the bottom of the hoof a time or two. "See! That's all you have to do." Like a couple of green city folks turned country, we bought it -- and the goat.

The reality of our lives with goats is quite different than what I imagined on that warm July day at the Fair in the Goat Barn, looking at sweet little Sampson/Marco munching on hay in his cute little pen. Within 24 hours of bringing Marco home we had another tiny, young goat -- yes, we called the 4H Family to ask if they had another goat to sell us (that is a story for another post). And now when it is hoof trimming time we must get properly liquored up to endure the ordeal.

The Goat Boys are full grown now -- on hind legs they stand at about 6' tall and weigh well over 100# each. And they absolutely hate having their hooves trimmed. You can do the math and realize this is not a match-up either John or I would win easily. Alone, neither of us would have a snowball's chance. So we have to team up.

Our battle plan consists of a two-front attack (following consumption of a beer and a couple of zoomers of rajkia each). We tether the goats to the stall doors. John grabs the one we decide to work on first (usually Marco, because as noted above he is "...An Ass!!!"), pins him up against the stall door keeping a hand firmly on the collar in case a mild choke is needed. I grab a hoof, try to hold it still, and do the trimming. When they start to kick, I have to let go of the hoof, regroup, and try again. Sometimes John loses control of the goat, and then we have to stop, regroup, and try again. Often we have to take another rajkia break between hooves.

It is an exhausting ordeal. I must say, as they have gotten older it has gotten a bit easier. They are a touch more calm.

But I can't help but wonder how we are going to do this when we are a bit older. (????)

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention.....we still have to mow the overgrown weeds in the pasture.

This picture of John and one of the chickens is included here for no particular reason.

Night Ride in the Snowfall

In December we had quite a bit of snow -- Yes, December. I am really behind on posting and reading blogs. Anyway, it was also really beautiful snow. Very light and fluffy, the kind that hangs in the trees. And it was not too cold, which is a plus. So one Saturday night for our "night out," we decided to take The Girls out to play in the snow. (A lot less expensive than going out to dinner or a movie.) A light snow was falling, and though there was not a full moon, it was light enough outside so we could see. We stayed really close to home -- we took the trails and fields closest to our house. Here are some "action" photos from the ride, taken from the back of my horse..............

I think The Girls just love being out in the snow. It was one of the most beautiful rides we have had. Actually it was also the most recent ride we had....it has been really icy most of the time since then. So we have done no riding so far in January -- that is not good! Hopefully this weekend we will get a ride in.

This is a lawn ornament/gazing ball that my friend Debby (webquilts.com) made -- she made this from an old bowling ball decorated with pieces of ceramic tile and mirror, and beads, etc...It is just so cool. One of the goats (Misho) knocked it off its perch last summer and broke one of the eyes and part of the nose off. With all this snow on its head I think it looks like Marge Simpson.

Sick

I have been sick with bronchitis for the past week....

I have done ZERO blogging -- no reading, no posting.

I have done ZERO at home (sorry John) -- just using all my energy for my job and that is it.

There is lots to post about -- trip to the Northwoods, a night ride in the snow.......

But it will have to wait until next week.

I need to catch up with all of you by reading your blogs as well, but not today...............

See you soon..............................Reg