Thursday, December 20, 2012

What's a girl to do?

So last weekend, I took both of my ponies to Katy for a horse show (more on that later). I decided that rather than bring them back home, and then right back to Richmond a week later, I'd save gas and just leave them for a couple of weeks.

Last I heard, they were enjoying the pampered lifestyle. They have large stalls right next to each other, and they get turned out into a herd of mares each day. Apparently the first day they went out, Chica blazed a trail for the two of them straight to the round bale, and none of the other mares even questioned her.

Perhaps they remember... what a $#&* she is. Since Sienna is her friend, I'm hoping she will defend her from the masses, as Sienna will not defend herself.

As I was getting ready to take my dogs and leave Sunday night, my dad casually mentioned that I could leave Romeo with them for the week if I wanted (there was no invitation for Fiona). I decided that since next weekend I'm going to be bringing a cat, a mouse, a Corgi, and a lot of luggage, it would be easier to not have a 70 pound lab in the mix as well, if they were offering.

So now, it's just me, Fiona, and Ramses. And the house has never been quieter! Fiona really misses her big brother... I find her laying in his bed, looking sadder than any Corgi should ever look. I fished out a ball for her yesterday so that she could at least entertain herself (since she does not have his face to chew on), and once she learned that it was not something to be afraid of, she had a ball (ahem) with it.

I'm sure I'm going to pay for her not getting to chase Romeo around once she sees him again this weekend. Why do I think that? I let her outside this morning into the cold, blustery day, and a gust of wind hit her- causing her to bolt and run a lap around the yard before finally doing her business.

There's a lot of Corgi energy brimming there beneath the surface.

And for any nay-sayers who think that there's no way an animal can miss another animal, allow me to present you with this evidence:

Fiona always has to sit on Romeo...

...lay on Romeo...


...or, in some fashion, lay against Romeo...
...
...
...hence, she misses her big spoon.
Meanwhile, Ramses will have to do for now:

I don't think he *hates* it...

And as a random aside, DANG MY CAT HAS BIG FEET!!


I really miss riding. I had gotten into the habit of riding every day, and now I feel like a lazy bum. I'm sure Sienna is enjoying the time off, but I feel lost without my ponies! Soon... soon.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Sick Children Are No Fun

There's nothing like sitting up late into the night with a sick 1100 lb animal to make you rethink your life.

"Remember how easy it was when you boarded, and there was always someone else around to check on your horse?'

"Did I really need that nap while she was out grazing and getting into who knows what?"

"If I have to call the field services vet in, this is going to get really expensive... why do I own these animals, anyway?"

On the other hoof- er, hand- it is an amazing feeling knowing that said 1100 lb animal trusts you enough to find comfort in your presence.

Chica possibly had a touch of gas colic last night. I let the dogs outside around 8:00, and I noticed that she was laying down in her pen. I walked over and looked at her, and she did not look abnormal. That's when I noticed that she had not eaten all of her hay.

Ring, alarm bells. If there is a horse that eats her hay (and then some), it's Chica.

It noted that it was unusual, but then she clambered to her feet, walked over, and started munching on her hay again.

I watched her for a few minutes, and she seemed ok. She was eating maybe a little lackadaisically, but she did have gut noises, and she was eating.

I went off to the store to pick up a few things (mostly completely unnecessary things- aka 3 movies from the $5 dvd bin in Walmart), and when I got back, Chica was down again.

Saddest picture of Chica ever, due to her blinking at the flash on my phone's camera.

Interestingly enough, so was her buddy:

Sienna was also blinded by the light.
There was still a pile of hay left. At this point, I was really getting worried. I sat next to her and stroked her face for a little while, talking to her and praying. Eventually she stood back up again. Her stomach was making lots of loud gurgling noises- which seemed better than it not making any noises at all- but occasionally it would make these rumblings that sounded like they moved from her gut up through her chest, to her mouth. She would make this groaning sound, almost like she was burping with her mouth closed- if horses could burp, that is.

I called Texas A&M's large animal clinic, and I have to say, I was impressed. The lady with the answering service was very courteous, and the doctor called me almost immediately after I spoke with her. She was polite and gave me lots of advice, free of charge. She even called me this morning to see how Chica was doing today.

I stayed up fairly late and kept an eye on Chica. She seemed to perk up around 11 PM- she wasn't quite as lethargic, and she took notice of what was going on around her more. Her stomach was still quite loud, but she was passing gas, so things were moving along in the intestinal tract.

I looked out my window around 12:15 AM or so and checked on her again, and she was still standing and walking around a little. At about 5:30 this morning she was scrounging around, looking for dropped hay. At feeding time, she was pacing from the feed shed back to her feed pan, wondering why she wasn't being fed. I gave her a flake of hay, and then checked on her during my lunch break. She seemed pretty much back to her normal self. Her stomach was still making some noise, but there were poop piles all around.

Colic can be a scary thing in horses- it is a situation that can come on and then deteriorate rapidly. I thank God so much that it did not get any worse and that Chica trusts me enough to let me poke and prod her, take her temperature, walk her around and around, hug her- all while she's not feeling well.

And I was so impressed with Sienna- rather than wonder off by herself and graze, she stayed with her the entire night. I knew Chica was feeling better when I got home from lunch because Sienna was no longer next to her.

Apparently my horses share a bond that was deeper than I realized- how can I ever separate them now?

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Astronomy lesson

A little known factoid about me is that I really like space. I loved astronomy in grade school, and I considered joining the astronomy club in college, but it met at night (for obvious reasons) and... yeah.

I love to look at the stars and try to make out constellations. I think it's amazing that we can see something that is so far away and so, well, alien to our daily lives.

And if you're wondering, my favorite planet is Neptune. Because it's pretty. And cold (like my heart... muahaha).

Anyway, I was laying on Chica tonight, gazing up at the sky while she grazed. I was feeling sorry for myself, and I was asking God why certain aspects of my life are the way they are. I had been staring at a couple of familiar stars, trying to make them into a known constellation, and failing.

After praying and staring at the sky for a good 10 minutes, it was like my perspective suddenly changed, and I suddenly became aware of several more, very distant and faint stars in the constellations I had been looking at. Turns out I was staring the big dipper and the little dipper in the face, but not seeing them.

Is there a lesson to learn in this?

Focus only on the attention-seeking, glaring problems in your life, and you'll lose sight of the big picture. I was trying to make something out of only what I could easily see, so I was blinded to what I could not see.

I was humbled by this parallel to my life- I realized that I was concentrating so hard on my petty issues that it took my focus off the invisible- God. Perhaps if I spent more time looking at the whole picture of His will, the things that are less clear will reveal themselves.

Space, in its infiniteness, is awesome. But God, our Creator, is even more unfathomable and awesome- and yet He will still take the time to teach me a lesson, even one involving His least known creation yet- the final frontier.

Look out your window tonight. No matter if you live in the city, and the stars are hidden by lights, or you live in the country, and the stars are hidden by clouds, you know they are out there. The same is true of God; perhaps He is hidden from your view due to your situation, or your responsibilities, but He is still there. And He longs for you to discover Him.

And if the night is clear, and you see a very bright star- that's Jupiter. So cool!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

We interrupt this program...

...to present a small rant. Sorry, not sorry. Feel free to skip if you don't agree!

I knew what this was when I got a solid paint bred horse. I knew the prejudices on both sides of the argument, the lack of opportunities, etc. I know that until more people get out there and show their SPBs, it's going to be very difficult for SPBs to have a strong voice.

But it's kind of a no-win situation. When shows offered SPB classes in the past, no one showed up. So now, shows only offer the bare minimum. And for someone who wants to get out there and show their SPB, it is SO FRUSTRATING.

I have been waiting for the show schedule for the Houston Paint Show to come out for months. I finally got a notification from a friend that it was out today, and so off I went to see what solid classes were being offered. This was it:

Hunter Under Saddle
Halter Stallions
Halter Geldings
Halter Mares
Western Pleasure
Reining

That showmanship class I was looking forward to? Nada.

I emailed show management, because how else will they know "what the people want", and this is the transmission:

 HLS&R: At this time, we are not offering the SPB showmanship classes.
 
 Me: That’s too bad, it was kind of a make or break it for me. Can that be looked into for next year?

 HLS&R: It is possible that it will be considered, but I can’t say if it will be added to the show schedule. 

Well, in that case, "I can't say it I will be patronizing your show in the future", I wanted to say. Having only a mare, that would give me 4 classes that I could show in, were my horse versatile enough to do all four of those disciplines. As it is, I could reasonably enter 2 of those classes, HUS and halter, only one of which I would expect to be competitive in. So, let's say that I am a broke horse owner with only so much money to splurge on showing (ahem), so I decide that it's only worth it to show in classes I actually care about (aka not halter)? That gives me one class to pay the $74 fee for, which doesn't include the cost of the class itself.

I know that breed shows are more expensive; I've been counting on that since deciding I might like to show at Houston. But if they are not going to offer the classes I want to do, then why should I fork over my hard earned money, not to mention fight Houston and rodeo traffic with my horse trailer, for one class?

Suffice it to say, I am very disappointed that they are not offering showmanship. I would have happily paid whatever to be able to show in it and hunter under saddle. Heck, I may have even splurged more and entered the other classes that I have no chance in, just to have a shot at the SPB High Point award.

At this point, though, I think I'm going to have to pass on Houston this year. It would have been a fun experience, especially getting to show with my other paint friends, but I'm just not sure it's worth it.

We now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Movin' & Shakin'

I'm probably going to have to name a future animal the above title, because I feel like I've said that phrase these last few weeks more than any other thing I've ever said. Which is impressive (but not the kind with HYPP).

I feel like my life is alternatively movin', shakin', and then doing a lot of... nothin'.

On the one hand, I register for classes in less than 2 weeks. I think and hope that maybe then it will hit me that I'm going back to school. I signed off on my degree plan last night and mailed it to UHV this morning, which was a little surreal.

You know what this means, right? It means that whenever I'm answering "What is the highest level of education you have achieved?", I'm going to be able to answer the celebrated "graduate school". And that I'm about to spend more money and have even less time to do the things I love.

I'm very excited, and I'm a little nervous. I think I am definitely making the right decision, and I'm very happy that even though I'm going back to school, I don't have to actually go to a school- I get to do everything online. Having lived in a college town the last 3 years, in addition to the 4 years that I was in college, I'm a little more than ready to not be anywhere near one for a while.

I'm nervous because of the aforementioned financial and time expenses, but those generally come with any new venture. Those things are in God's hands, and I feel like this where He is leading me to be- so with God for me, who can be against me?

On the same hand, I've had lot of sudden interest in Sienna from potential buyers, which comes on the heels of me deciding to hang onto her until the spring (of course). A lady came and tried her out last week, and she was very impressed with her temperament and training- which made me feel very good. She wasn't quite where she needed her new fox hunting prospect (yes, fox hunting) to be, but that's ok. Another lady is coming to look at her this weekend.

If this lady doesn't decide to buy her, I think I'm going to go ahead and take my advertisements down. I'd really like to get some more shows under her belt and get some more miles on her on the trail. My plan originally was to sell her in the spring of 2013, and I am going to stick to that- unless I randomly win the lottery and suddenly can afford to collect horses. I have a good idea of what I want next- in fact, I've already met a prospect that fits my requirements- but right now it is nice to have two horses that are ride-able.

The "nothin'" part comes in on the job front. I have no idea how many applications and resumes I've sent out, but I have only received responses (in the negative) from 2, which is wildly discouraging. One of those two even required an animal science degree, and they still told me I didn't meet their requirements. I'm under the assumption that the person who sent me that rejection letter was either a) drunk or b) rushing home from work for the weekend, and therefore did not actually read my resume, but who knows.

I still have a month and a half to achieve my New Year's Goal for 2012 of finding a new job, so I'm trying to not let it wound me too badly. At least my current job affords me excellent holiday breaks for both Thanksgiving and Christmas- the latter of which will be spent in my parents' new home in another city, which will be strange. And I have people championing me all over the place, so I feel like things are bound to click into place.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm going to end this post with a few things I'm grateful for:

-all of my family, and the opportunity to be together at Thanksgiving
-getting to meet up yesterday with my older brother Brandon for the second time ever
-my bff Patricia, who is always so supportive and encouraging of me
-my bff Kaitlin, who adopted me as her bff before we had even met in person
-my bff Elizabeth, who immediately volunteers to help in any emergency even though we no longer live in the same town
-all of the factors that made the wreck my roommate and I were in much better than it could have been
-the fact that Chica is now running around like a banshee, no longer in pain
-finally having a direction to head my life in
-a scorpion-free house for a little over a month now (thank you, cooler weather!)

I just have a lot of feelings! Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention being thankful for all of my animals, whom I'm grateful for every day- even when I come home to a brand new toilet paper roll shredded all over my room.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Dogs I Have Loved

While it seems like I have had dogs my entire life, my family did not own one until I was 5 or 6 years old- and I don't remember pining for one before that (at least, not in the way that I wanted a horse when I was younger). I do remember wanting a Dalmatian after 101 Dalmatians came out- who didn't- but my parents were rightly concerned about the Dalmatian's high energy level. They did consider adopting an older, rescued Greyhound, but it fell through because of a little incident. We arrived at the rescue, which was a lady's house. She opened the door, and we were immediately surrounded by three or four Greyhounds that were as tall as I was. Not having much experience with dogs at the time, I FREAKED. I started crying and trying to climb up my parents. Naturally, they turned around and left. The rescue lady probably silently cursed me as she watched us leave.

After that, my parents must have decided to get a puppy instead that I could grow with. They decided on either a Lab or a Golden Retriever. The drawbacks were the oil on the Lab's coat, and the excessive shedding of the Golden's coat. When a litter of Goldens became available in Katy, off we went.

The dam of the litter had produced 16 puppies. Sixteen! That's crazy! The people locked my mom and I into their kitchen with 14 of the puppies, and my mom told me to pick one. I stared around me, completely overwhelmed by the 14 puppies playing with each other, and I slowly turned around until my hand smacked something next to me. I looked, and sitting there, like she belonged there, was a female puppy. So that was it. I lifted my hand, placed it on her head, and said, "This one". Everyone was a little shocked that I had picked one just like that, and I think they asked if I was sure. I was. There was no doubt in my mind.

And so we headed home with Mindy, who got carsick and threw up on the way. She was dubbed "Kristin's Mindy Sue" in her AKC papers. She spent her puppy years chasing me, grabbing onto any jackets I was wearing, and dragging me around the yard. She loved to jump; I could set up anything and she would do her best to get over it. I stacked up a pile of bricks once and made her sit on it, like it was her throne. Mindy loved my family so much. She was very protective of us, which is especially saying something since she was a Golden. One time my mom was in the backyard, and someone was working on the roof of the neighbor's house behind us. Mindy planted herself in between my mom and the man on the roof and started growling and barking, which was very uncharacteristic of her, for she liked everybody. The man was puzzled, but he took the warning.

One of my favorite but most guilty memories of Mindy is when I was very young. Not having any siblings of my own at the time, Mindy was pretty much my sister. One morning I was eating my poptart breakfast, and Mindy walked by. Being the mean sister that I was, I gave her my poptart, then yelled, "Mindy ate my poptart!" She got into big trouble for "stealing" my food. I apologized to her for that many times later in life. I think I had been trying to get back at her for chewing on one of my toys.

Like I said before, Mindy liked everyone. I used to walk her around the neighborhood, and kids would come up to us and fawn all over her. One time my mom was walking her, and a child ran up to her. The kid's mom was scared at first, but then she said, "Oh, is that Mindy? Oh, that's alright then."

I have so many memories of Mindy that I could write pages and pages on- like when my mom brought her up to school for my "Falcon of the Week" talk. Or how one night, when my family was staying in my grandparents' house, she had been locked in the laundry room- or so we thought. I was upstairs in the bedroom when I heard the clicking of toenails on the wood floor. I looked down the stairs to see Mindy standing there, staring up at me, like "I found you!". Or how she would always growl at hot air balloons flying overhead, daring them to land in our backyard. Or how, every time she was excited, she would walk around whining, usually with a stuffed "baby" in her mouth.

As Mindy got older, she developed arthritis and a large mammary tumor. The arthritis made it hard for her to get up and down, and she stopped going upstairs like she did in her younger days. And yet, one day when I got home from college, I walked outside to see her, and she was so happy to see me that she jumped on me. That year of college was hard for me, as I knew she was getting closer to her time to go. Every time I got home, I would immediately go looking for her, afraid that she would be gone and I wouldn't have had the chance to say goodbye. And then, one day, she was. I got home for Christmas break my sophomore year (2006), walked in the door, and was greeted by her daughter, Penny. I looked at my mom, said, "Where's Mindy?", and the look on her face told me everything. I dropped everything I was holding and started sobbing. My mom tried to hug me, but Penny wouldn't let her get to me- she shoved herself in between us and tried to put her head on my leg. It was like she too was reliving the pain all over again. My mom said that Mindy had gotten very sick. She tried to hold out until I got home, but it would have been cruel to do that to her. She didn't want to tell me and have me bomb all of my finals. Mindy was 14 and a half years old, a good old age for a retriever.

Mindy was buried on some property my parents owned at the time in Bellville. It is a peaceful spot, with a rose bush growing next to it. I went up to see her and tell her goodbye. I still get to see her in my dreams- always something I wake up from with reluctance- but I miss her so much, even six years later. Mindy was one of the best dogs I will ever have the pleasure of owning.





It was while Mindy and I were both very young that my family acquired its second dog. I was outside playing in the yard with some friends when a cocker spaniel wandered into my parents garage. My dad gave it some food, which it devoured, and then it took off down the street. I don't know how long my dad spent chasing it before he could finally catch it. It turned out that it was an older female in serious need of some vet care. Her fur was matted, and she had some other issues from living as a stray and eating whatever she could find. My parents took her to the vet, and the groomer called my mom and started yelling at her, not realizing my parents had rescued the dog from the street.

After she returned home from the vet, my parents decided to keep her. She was blind, deaf, and old- who else would want her? We ended up calling her Lacy. She was very sweet and trusting, for being an old dog with no hearing or sight that was suddenly thrust into a new home. And amazingly, every morning, when it was time to let the dogs out, Mindy would go find her and nudge her to let her know they were going outside. It's incredible how she seemed to know that she needed her. How else was she going to know the door was open?

Lacy lived with us for a year before she got very sick and it was her time to go. We were all very sad to lose her, but we at least were able to give her a happy final year where she wasn't having to catch her own dinner. The vet sent us a pretty plaque with a poem on it in her honor.



Shortly after my family got Mindy, my uncle got a male Golden Retriever whom he named Rex. I always called Mindy and Rex husband and wife, for they had many children together- three litters. I don't know how my mom stood firm against keeping a puppy from the first litter, but in the second litter, she caved, and we kept Penny, or "Jewel" (I named all of the puppies from every litter so that I could keep track of them). Since I had begged and begged to keep her, it was a fantastic surprise to me. I don't remember what tied me to Penny, but I know that she was mine from the beginning. Since Penny was the lucky one that got to stay with us, she was dubbed "Mindy's Lucky Penny".

Penny was always a goof. She was very smart, even though she was frequently told otherwise. She was nicknamed "Skinny Penny" because, until she was spayed, she was very, very slender. Probably one of the things she was most known for was how scared she was of EVERYTHING. Balloons, small dogs- everything. One day, my dad took her and my sister in the truck to go watch a hot air balloon be launched. What he did not anticipate was that when the balloon started rising, it would scare the crap out of Penny- literally. After that, anytime a hot air balloon flew over the house, Penny would disappear, even into places that you had no idea how she could fit.

While Mindy was my mom's dog, Penny was very much mine. She was emotionally tied to me in a way that I've not had with any other dog. In high school, I raised rabbits for FFA, and I was having a very difficult time with the fact that my baby bunnies would be going to slaughter. The night after they were taken away, I went home and went to my room. Penny followed me. We both got on my bed, and I turned away from her and started just sobbing, I was so broken hearted. I suddenly felt a nudge in my back, so I turned around. Penny had the most crumpled expression on her face. She then too started whimpering. She didn't know what was wrong, but she knew it was something terrible. There was also the aforementioned incident when I was told that Mindy had died, and Penny tried to be the one that comforted me.

It was not always rainbows and unicorns with Penny. One day, she and I were sitting on the porch swing in my backyard. No one else was home, and we were just hanging out. I went to get off the swing, and Penny did too, only her leg caught. I quickly grabbed her and threw her back onto the swing, and removed her leg from the slat. Then we tried again. Her leg slipped again back in between the boards, only this time I didn't move fast enough, and she was hanging by her leg, thrashing and yelping. I grabbed at her, only to have her teeth close on my hand- and not let go. I started screaming, too- "God, help me! Help her! Help us!" She released my hand and I reached for her again, only to have her grab my other hand in her teeth and clamp down tightly. I got free and tried again- and she got the first hand again. Suddenly, the wind blew very hard, blowing back the bench, and she was free. She released me and immediately cowered down, a look of "What have I done?" on her face. I stood there a few moments, catching my breath and making sure she was ok, then looked at my hands, which were dripping blood. Fortunately, my neighbor across the street was outside when I walked up, holding out my hands, and she took me to our nurse neighbor who bandaged me up. The doctor said I wouldn't need stitches, and I was good to go. I still have scars from the incident on my hands, but I am grateful for them, for they are a physical reminder of my girl.

Going off to college and leaving Penny behind was very hard. Even when I had the ability to bring her with me, I decided she would be better off staying with my parents, for that was what she knew. She was very old at that point, and she did not really like new places. Penny had always slept with me in my bed at home, and it was strange having a bed all to myself in my dorm room.

In November of 2010, I got one of the worst calls ever while out with some of my friends. My mom called asking if I could come home that weekend, for she was afraid that it was Penny's time. I told her before that I wanted to be there if Penny needed to be put down, especially since I hadn't been there for Mindy. I got home that weekend, and Penny seemed pretty normal- she was excited to see me, like always. But my mom said it was all an act for me. She was having a very hard time getting up, and she was sick. It was my decision. After watching her all weekend, I decided it was more cruel to make her keep on going for my sake. I spent a long time the night before laying with her in her bed in the kitchen.

The next day was one of the worst days of my life. My then 17 year old brother loaded Penny into my parents' truck with tears in his eyes, and my mom and I got in and headed towards the vet. I remember at a light, a lady pulled up in the lane next to us, wanting to turn right, and kept honking peevishly, over and over, at the car in front of her, as that person was blocking her. I wanted to get out and throttle her. Here I am, taking my beloved dog to her death, and she couldn't take a moment to shut up and be patient.

We got to the vet, and we had to wait in the waiting room while they prepared a room for us. Penny was freaking out, as she recognized where she was. Some guy was standing next to us, and his stupid dog kept barking and lunging at Penny, making her even more upset. I wish to this day I had asked him to remove his dog from us. She deserved a quieter last few minutes than that. The vet called us back into an open office, not an exam room, took Penny to put an IV in, then brought her back so that we could tell her goodbye. We had probably 10 minutes with her to tell her how much we loved her, for me to tell her she was the best dog ever, that I was so sorry I was doing this to her. I often relive those moments. The vet then came back in and very compassionately put her to sleep. She died with her head in my lap. I held her for a while after it was over. I told her that Mindy, Rex, and several others would be waiting for her, and to let them know we loved and missed them. The second hardest part of that day was leaving her body laying on the floor. I knew she was no longer there, but I felt so guilty just leaving her behind.

To this day I still sob over Penny. I love my dogs, and I know I'll have future dogs that I'll love, but I don't know that any will ever be at Penny-level for me. I dream about her often, which is nice, as it is an opportunity to be with her again, for a little while. Penny lived to be 13 years old, again, a good age for a Golden. I only wish she could have lived forever.

My bed buddy, with a young Dixie

A rare moment of camaraderie between Penny and Reeses
Around the year 2004, my mom decided that she wanted a lap dog. I don't remember how, but we ended up getting a little black and tan female mutt, who we named Abbey. She bonded with me; I remember her sleeping with me (and I guess Penny) at night. She was a very, very sweet dog. However, she did enjoy trying to attack my hamster in his cage, even if he was out of her reach. I don't know what happened, but for some reason my parents decided that she wasn't working out. A friend of my dad's said he would give her a good home. I sobbed and made him feel terrible guilty when he came to pick her up.

A little while later, my mom still wanted a lap dog. After doing a lot of research, she settled on the Bichon Frise, as supposedly they were the "Golden Retriever of the little dog world". They were not supposed to be your typical little dog- aka yappy. The problem was that every breeder would be sold out of puppies before the litters were even born. My mom, however, was persistent, and she managed to find a litter in San Antonio. So, she and my dad went to reserve a female puppy.

Out of the six puppies in the litter, two were females. My parents were having a hard time deciding between the two, so, they did what any rational person would do: they picked both of them. My brother, sister and I went to pick up our "puppy", only to discover we were getting puppIES. Thus, my family acquired Dixie, or "Dixie's Belle of the Ball", and Daphnee, or "Daphnee's Dancing Delight".

I can safely say that these two little dogs are just that: little dogs. They are yappy. The smaller one is shaky, like a chihuahua. They don't care to please you. They were terrible to house break. And yet, we love them. Daphnee is my dad's dog- she will literally sit by the back door all day long and wait for him to get home. Dixie is my mom's dog and possibly one of the most timid dogs on the planet. They are adorable, and they are spoiled. They get jealous of each other and sometimes have little sisterly spats. In hindsight, getting two from the same litter was probably not the best idea. But, what are you gonna do?

Penny, Daphnee, Dixie, & Mindy
This post is almost coming to a close, but I wanted to mention three more dogs that I temporarily owned- the strays from last year. Someone dumped these guys near my house, and I took them in, got their weight back up, taught them to walk on a leash, got their rabies shots, and adopted them out. One of them, Merle, went to a girl I still talk to. The other two, Cash and Hank, went together to a lady's house, and I haven't heard anything about them since. I was particularly attached to Cash, and it was heart-wrenching having to pick him up and load him into her truck because he was too afraid to leave me. I hope those boys are all doing well, and while I don't particularly miss having 5 dogs to feed and clean up after, I do miss their joyful barks sometimes.

Cash

Hank

Merle
I'm not going to talk much here about my current dogs, Romeo and Fiona, as they are mentioned plenty in my other posts. The stories of how they each came into my life can be seen under the tab at the top labeled "The House". I will say that I love them both very much, and they are both (generally) very good and well-behaved dogs. They both know that I am their mom, and while they don't listen 100% of the time, at the end of the day they love me and want to shadow me everywhere I go. I got Romeo in 2008, after Mindy's time, but I did have him while Penny was around- and it comforts me that he knew her, as silly as that sounds. However, I got Fiona the month after Penny died. I felt guilty, but I had already decided on getting her before knowing Penny was going to be put down. In her honor, I decided that I wanted Fiona's registered name to somehow reflect Penny. Since Fiona's parents both had "little" in their registered names, I decided that needed to be in there, as well. And, I wanted Fiona to fit with it somehow. I ended up coming up with "Fine Little Legacy"- "Fine" for Fiona, "Little" for her parents, and "Legacy" for Penny.


That brings me up to speed on the dogs I have owned. If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with me. Like I said in my intro post, this is entirely for me, and I don't expect others to have any interest whatsoever. But, if you feel like wallowing down Memory Lane with me again, stay tuned for Part Two, The Cats I Have Loved.

Monday, October 22, 2012

The Animals I Have Loved: Intro

I woke up early Sunday morning after having a dream that I was playing with my old dogs, Mindy and Penny. Both Golden Retrievers, Mindy died about 6 years ago, and Penny died 2 years ago. As I lay awake reminiscing, I decided that I was going to write the stories of every animal I have owned. As many as there have been, I could probably write a whole novel. Mostly this is for my own gratification- I vowed long ago to never forget any of my pets, no matter how old I am. Call me soft, but thinking back on some of them still can bring on a good crying jag.

I've decided to separate this by species- dogs, cats, small animals, and horses. Each will have its own blog post. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to find photos of them all. Otherwise, we'll all just have to use our imaginations.

I know doing this will bring on many tears, but I think I will appreciate it down the road.

Happy happy!

I've been meaning to write this for a little over a week now- ONE OF MY BFFS IS GETTING MARRIED! Well, next year! Woo! Ring bells, bang the drums!

Kaitlin, I am so excited for you and Erick, and I look forward to your wedding next July! I'm so honored to be a part of it, and I can't wait for everything that being a bridesmaid will entail. The shopping, the parties, getting glam, watching you become a bridezilla... just kidding on that last one ;) Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your big day!

Me in all of your wedding photos

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Too Shy To Unzip? More Like...

Too Lazy To Unzip.

Seriously. Sienna is one of the laziest horses I have ever ridden. How lazy, you ask? Well, trying to move her out results in her going slower, something that I am working hard on correcting. No, thank you.

Fortunately, Sienna generally picks up the canter now only a couple of strides after I ask for it- versus trot, trot, trotting around and into it. Also, she usually gets her leads. However, all of this depends on how tired she is- seriously. I have to be careful how much I longe her beforehand, because if I do it too much, all of the prompting in the world won't get this girl to canter.

She is going to be in for a real shock in December at our next show, which lasts all day. Maybe by then, we'll both be in fight-ready condition.

On a serious note, I am very happy with how she is coming along. My riding schedule the last couple of months has not been at all consistent, and yet, almost every time I get on her, she remembers what we worked on before. Sometimes I wonder if she has been practicing in the pasture.

Yesterday, after riding, I decided to go off and re-tackle the infamous ravine from my March post. Sienna has come a long way since March, and I was curious to see what would happen. As we approached the ravine, her steps became more hesitant, but I pushed her forward. She walked down into the ravine like she  was walking into a foreign land- step, halt, STARE AT EVERYTHING SCARY, step, halt, STARE AT EVERYTHING SCARY- but then we got down the first side and calmly walked through the middle and up the far side. There, she stopped again, but every time I asked for forward movement, she gave it to me. There was no fighting me like back in March. Satisfied, we turned back and more quickly maneuvered through the ravine, complete with going over some fallen tree branches.

I am pleased as punch with our ride from yesterday. Sure, there was some creative riding on my part as I used everything I had to keep her moving into and at the canter. But we had a peaceful ride otherwise. She gave her head much more easily than our ride Monday night, and she was just very, very pleasant.

My girl is growing up!
Video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdyEvZc1ZPE&feature=plcp She's a little quick in it, and let's not even start on me, but I was really driving her forward since this video was taken after we had already worked and cooled off. Also, she's a big fan of leaning into me on the left lead when turning, which I'm hoping spurs will help with. But that little spin in the saddle at the end? That was the second time I've done that on her, the first time being about 10 minutes before the video. She's just so chill!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Accepted!

If only I were talking about the South Harmon Institute of Technology.

Just as good, however: I received my acceptance letter yesterday into the Master's of Publishing program! This is all happening so quickly, it's fantastic! I will be starting in the spring of next year.

I am so excited, but also nervous! Sending in my writing samples and application essay was a scary business. I had the little nagging thought that nobody liked my writing and they were going to look at my application and have a good laugh. But receiving the letter yesterday was a great confidence booster.

I have nothing else to say at the moment; I need to speak with an advisor so that I know which classes I will be taking first. But eeeeeee!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Hope

My last blog was titled, "New Beginnings", which may have been some sort of psychic foreshadowing on my part.

I finally know what I want to do career-wise.

I finally have steps I can take to get there.

I finally have a path I can go on, and I have new goals that have popped up to get me there.

I've spent the last three years wallowing, not knowing why I was stuck where I was. I won't say those years were wasted, as I think God used them to grow me and get me where I am today. And who knows, maybe I made a difference in someone else's life. I certainly would not have the friendships I have today if I had left College Station when I wanted to, and because of that, I am so grateful that I stayed. I got to spend yesterday with two amazing people- Elizabeth and Becky- people I would not have met if I had moved away from College Station in 2010 like I was wanting. I got to spend the day before with a couple of my bffs- Patricia and Kaitlin- and I was also able to make a new friendship with a sweet girl named Michele. This weekend was such a blessing, and, when I was least expecting it, it made me realize what I want. Where I think I should be be focusing my efforts now, where my opportunities lie. It all feels so right, it's incredible. I haven't had assurance like this career-wise ever.

I've officially applied to grad school. I've applied to jobs that will get me the actual experience I need to be successful. I feel like God is working in my life right now.

I still need to find new living arrangements, a new job obviously, etc., etc. But I feel like if this is indeed what God wants for me right now, He will provide. I just have to ask Him and let Him part the way for me.

And my 2 horses, 2 dogs, and 1 big fluffy cat.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

New Beginnings

After being out of the saddle for a few weeks due to my knee, I decided yesterday was the time to get back into the groove with Sienna. So, I donned my tall boots, work breeches, and helmet- along with a spaghetti strap tank and sunglasses. Yes, I was that rider.

Additionally, I was so excited to ride that I forwent longing. Go big or go home, I say.

We stretched and loosened up, and then... we worked on trotting to walking transistions, something that Sienna definitely knew how to do before my riding hiatus. After she remembered how to do those, we worked on whoaing. Again, something that she definitely knows (and is even one of her saving graces). Let me tell you, it's SO MUCH FUN reminding her that she knows how to do stuff.

After all of that, however, I did some trotting in two point, something that I think kind of confused her at first ("Mom? What? Are you asking me to slow down? To speed up? To dodge to the left out from under you so you fall off (which didn't happen, for the record)??"). But the most exciting part was cantering in two-point! We did our regular circles around and through trees, and for the most part, she kept in gear through it all. But then, I surprised her by pointing her in a straight line across the yard, and off we went, me clinging to her neck like a jockey. She definitely put her head up, ears forward, and picked up speed- and I LOVED every minute of it. I was grinning like a lunatic as I came back in contact with the saddle and we dropped back to the trot.

My aspirations for her have evolved the longer I've ridden her- I started out wanting to make her an all around horse, for instance, and then switched to hunter under saddle- but now I'm thinking maybe we won't be as bad at this jumping thing as I figured we would be. Granted, I say that not having tried her over a jump yet, and there are some confidence issues I'm going to have to get over for myself there, but I am excited!

Now, I just have to find and/or make some practice jumps. I'm pretty sure that neither the massive wood pile nor Fiona's agility jump are going to serve my purpose here:

Surely Sienna will squeeze through...?
We cooled off afterward by riding down the road the opposite direction from where we usually ride, which means that my roommate's annoying horse can follow right next to us all the way down the fence, screaming and bucking and bolting. If anyone was outside, they would have heard a few choice words, in addition to my thoughts on the one thing that horse is good for- but I digress. Sienna was a champ, even with the other horse running at her and being a idiot. Oh, she looked at him, but not once did she try to join him. I think she was really just wondering what he was doing and why on earth he would want to expend so much energy. Meanwhile, my angel of an appaloosa just watched from her feed bucket across the pasture, knowing that dinner would be coming soon.

Speaking of Chica, I finally got her neurectomy scheduled, which I have mixed feelings about. Once it's done, there is no going back. I'm not worried about her value going down or anything, since I have no plans on ever selling her, and I do think it's the right thing to do after watching her favor her foot for the last few months. I just want everything to go smoothly. Surgery is always a scary thing, due to possible complications that can arise.

Ramses is finally starting to show signs of having an appetite again. Usually weighing around 15-16 pounds, he has dropped to under 13 over the last few weeks due to everything with his urinary blockage and diet change. If you run your hand over his back, you can feel his spinal cord. He is still as plush plush as ever, but it makes me so sad! Fortunately, after trying food number 4, I seem to have found something he'll eat. Still working on switching him to a prescription wet food, but that may be a lost cause. I do think that part of what caused his appetite to come back was his sudden interest in the dogs' food:

"Hey, you gonna eat that?"
 And now for a montage of my favorite children:

Scholarly Romeo.

Can you tell who got the short end of the stick on where to sleep?

Ramses enjoys confounding Fiona.

Fiona is the tiniest of them all.

I love them all. They keep me so entertained (and give my phone's photo gallery something to do- it is currently at 433 pictures, and I can guarantee that at least 375 of them are of at least one of my crew).

Monday, September 10, 2012

Fabulous, darling!

I decided yesterday evening to have an impromptu photo shoot with my equines and canines. The weather was nice, and since I'm still off riding, I needed an excuse to keep me out with the ponies past regular grooming time.

I started off with Chica. She wasn't too dirty, so she got a quick brushing, mane and tail comb out, and a few spritzes of Pyranha fly spray.

Not too shabby for a girl of almost 17 years!

She came ready to pose- I don't think she has ever been better for pictures!

Apparently this is the only head shot I got of this side of her face?
Sienna would have been next, but she was a mudball. So, she got a quick bath, and then she stood in the sun to dry while I did the dogs.

First up, Romeo! And his studly collar :)

Me: "Are you hungry?" Romeo: *head tilt*

Gotta appreciate a guy with a sense of humor.

So handsome!
Next was the little gremlin herself, Miss Fiona.

Little fox

Being a good girl!

Mischievous corgi
Last but not least, Sienna. Her thoughts on the whole process:
"I don't like standing still for photos, thank you."
It has been a lesson in humility going from a horse that I can order around by voice commands- aka, a horse that will stand and stay while I take pictures, and who comes to me when I call her- to a horse that walks off (and sometimes trots if she's feeling particularly frisky) with me yelling "Whoa. WHOA!" to no avail. Whereas with Chica I could set the shot up, move around to get the angle I wanted, and basically take my sweet time- everything with Sienna was on the fly. "She's standing still for a millisecond! CLICK!" I am happy with some of the ones I got of her, although I couldn't get a very good head shot since she refused to look at me.
One of my favorites from the whole day

The askew angle and Sienna's eye show what I was dealing with here.

Preeeeetty girl.
I realized something while taking these pictures: I have beautiful, photogenic animals. That may sound arrogant, but I don't think it's a bad thing to revel in the beauty of God's creations. And I can't credit their collection to myself, as Romeo found me, I didn't have a choice when picking Fiona, and Sienna was given to me. The only one I picked was Chica, and I didn't even think she was as pretty as the other option at the time. Now I see the error of my ways, as I think Chica is absolutely GORGEOUS. But seriously, aren't they all such a fabulous bunch? I used to not even really like sorrels, but they have really started growing on me due to Sienna.

Finally, lest we forget, the King of Gorgeousness himself:

"I don't do the outdoors."
I love my crew.