Quick Update

Rosie & Blue on one of the warmer days without blankets

It’s February 1^st and there’s not a whole lot happening at the farm with the horses.  They continue to have lots of warm mashes because of the cold weather we’ve been having and basically hanging around the hay baskets chowing down all day. We haven't been riding or working them at all, it's just too cold.  The indoor feels like walking into a meat locker!

"Ginger" in her favorite spot at the end of the day

Ginger had four seizures within 24 hours at the end of January.  She seems to have them every 28-30 days.  Her vet suggested I take her to a neurologist. Yes, there are actually doggie neurologists. I was surprised too. After her evaluation he prescribed an additional medication. So it will be wait and see how she does this month.  Fingers crossed she won’t have any more.

"Big Red" staring me down through the window

His friends watching the show.

I don’t know if you remember back to December but the cardinal that has been tapping my windows is still here.  He’s actually tapping the window now and it’s very annoying.  Seems every time I turn my chair back to the desk he flies into the window and gives it a tap with his beak.  There is plenty of food outside and he knows where it is.  I don’t know if he wants to come in or what his agenda is.  He’s even brought some friends with him on occasion. Or maybe they’re just watching the show he puts on or are waiting for someone to come with a net. Personally, I think he might be a little bit “special”.

Our weather has been beyond ridiculous.  Temperatures below freezing, an ice storm, swirling snow squalls with very windy conditions and a few inches of snow once in a while.  I feel sorry for the folks in the parts of the country that are experiencing dangerously cold temperatures.  We have family and friends in Chicago and they say it is brutal. 

Got this in an email today...A sign from God?

Stay safe and warm. 

Quote for Today 
 No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. Hal Borland
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/winter

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. Hal Borland
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/winter

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. Hal Borland
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/winter

Rosie, Hanz & Others

 I’ll start with Rosie and what we’ve been doing.  Rosie hasn’t been ridden since the end of September. Through no fault of her own. I haven’t been able to ride because I’ve either got sciatica going on from my lower back down through my calf or another herniated disc.  There was no way I could swing my leg over to mount her or ride. It seems to be getting better now which I’m grateful for, I’m tired of the pain and limping around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. We’ve managed to longe a bit and I’ve incorporated cavalletti into her repertoire.  I have her doing trot circles over them, she’s smart and gets it.  Maybe a little too much because she figured out that jumping two poles was easier than trotting over them, so I’ve added a third pole and fixed that situation.  That said I’m hoping to be back in the saddle soon.

Rosie and Hanz have become grazing buddies and she seems to have gotten over her nastiness towards him.  She still looks to Blue as the leader but prefers to stay with Hanz most of the time. Blue just ignores everyone as usual and doesn’t care. Hanz is doing well and is a pleasure for my daughter to ride.  He’s a very sweet and talented boy.
 

Hanz getting an after ride treat and Rosie checking him out

"Rosie, that's rude!"

"Tee, heh, heh,  I sniffed his butt!"

Ginger had two more seizures the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and has been to the vet.  Her blood test showed her Phenobarbital levels were perfect and she’s not on a high enough dose to affect her liver. So for now we’re just going to stick with the program and not change anything unless she has more seizures. Fingers crossed she’ll be okay with this medication and won’t need anything else.

Ginger relaxing in the leaves

The strangest thing has been happening around the house.  There is a red cardinal who insists on tapping on my windows.  He/she does this all day long and follows me from room to room. I have a bird stalker! It flies up vertically like a helicopter then taps with its beak on the windows.  I’ve gone out and fed it but it still persists. If he/she keeps it up I’m going to get it a little leather helmet for Christmas!

Just staring in the window at me

Sitting on the landscapers truck

 

Getting ready for another tactical assault on the window

Taking a break from window tapping

And the last piece of news. The other day on her way to work my daughter noticed a whole section of fence was down that borders the waterway in the back of our property.  So she went back and investigated.  Seems a hunter knocked down the fence and post (probably dragging a deer out that he shot) and left it like that.  She found a shotgun shell. This isn’t the first time a hunter has come on the property unauthorized, because we don’t allow hunting here and there are signs posted all over warning them off.  Last time someone left the gate open the herd got loose onto a neighbors property. If they had gotten out this time they would have surely been hit by a car or truck as we are on a busy two lane highway on that side. They just disregard the notices and do whatever they want.  They’re from the “good ole boys redneck club” and don’t need to listen to no stinkin' signs. After all they grew up around here and we are newcomers! So she called the sheriff and has a report on it and she’s going to call them every time they do this.  I really hope we can catch one in the act.  I don’t like strange men roaming around the property with guns at all hours.  How obnoxious!

Quote for Today  
Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.