Blog Updates

As you may have already noticed, I've been adding labels to posts so you have a new way to search through this rambling dialogue of mine.... I also added a few fun gadgets! I just added a counter this evening and it's already racking up the hits pretty quickly. I had no idea this blog had so many readers! Well, I suppose there's nothing on TV tonight :)

Unfortunately I didn't get pics tonight, but I found Paula out by the back fence of the pasture, touching noses with a cow. Sophie then got completely freaked out by them and carried on something fierce! It was pretty funny.

I did force myself to get some walking in despite the Guantanamo Bay interogation tactical device (otherwise known as sciatica) constantly knawing away at my leg. Yes, it hurts, but honestly it ticks me off more than anything. It's just a pain you can never get away from--it's ALWAYS there and you just get to the point where you want to say "Enough, already--just cut the damned leg off!!" But of course you don't. You just try to forget and go about your day, but it's always there. It's always freak'n there.....

Oops, sorry that was a total rant! Other than that, life is really good! I go get my car Friday, get to see my friend Jennifer on Saturday to celebrate both our birthdays, and it looks like I've sold my computer armoire. It's a beautiful piece, but way too big for what I need so it will help more to have the money and continue to get caught up on a few things. I've already spotted a small, used, cheaper desk I want to replace it with, so again, life is good!! :)

Another Beautiful Day

Today was another gorgeous day out. I wish I could ride so badly, but I'm still walking like Quasimodo, so riding was out. I woke up at 6am, just on my own, ready to go, which was sort of odd since I couldn't get to sleep until well after 1--the sciatica was really being annoying last night.

It was nice to get up early, though, so I could get quite a bit done. I got water hauled for the horses and the house. It took 4 loads to get the house cistern filled as I had let it get quite empty since driving hurt so much the last couple of weeks. I got the garage swept and moved the jukebox that my landlord had left over to the side so I can get my new car parked in there when I get it picked up.

Oh, didn't I tell you? I got a commuter car!! I go pick it up Friday, which is my birthday, so it will be a really cool day. It's not exactly new, but it's new to me :) I believe it looks something like this car (I haven't seen it in person yet).

It's a 2001 Honda Civic Ex Sedan. I will be saving almost $300 per month in gas costs alone, not to mention saving wear and tear on my truck and the 17" tires that have really been killing my budget (100 miles a day eats up tires more than you would ever think).

Anyway, I go pick up my car this week and I can't wait. It's going to help out with my budget so much. I'm still planning on getting a second job (which is harder to get hired for than I ever would have thought--no one wants to work around a regular 8-5 schedule--grrr!!!), but this is really going to help out in so many ways.

Back to today, I was able to get my truck cleaned out really well, too, and get the Coq Au Vin made. I took the bacon grease and poured it over the dog's food and they absolutely loved it tonight. I still need to taste the Coq Au Vin and see how it turned out. The Vin part was really good, though--had a glass of Pinot Noir and immediatel sacked out on the couch. I'm such a lightweight!

I got my coupons clipped for the week and picked up my mail. In it, I got my Purina challenge. If you belong to APHA, you should have gotten a coupon for $12 off any bag of their feed. If you sign up for the Purina challenge, you get a coupon for buy 8 bags of feed, get 2 free! Then once you complete the challenge, you get another coupon for $15 off 10 bags of feed. Definitely worth signing up for as I feed Equine Junior and Omelene 200.

Another exiting day on the funny farm comes to a close! Hope your weekend was as relaxing and enjoyable as mine was!

Saturday in Paradise

Today was one of those perfect days. It was sunny out, there was only a touch of a breeze, the weather wasn't too hot or too cold. It was just right, Goldielocks.

I moved the kids around some, took down one of the fences to allow the girls access to the south pen, and mowed. I wish I could have done more, but I'm still healing. It's exhausting compensating for the pain in my lower back--I get wore out pretty quick, but I feel like I still got something accomplished, plus I got some pretty darned good pictures, if I do say so myself.

I let Patience and JJ out to graze in the yard. Samson went to go check them out.

Could he actually be doing his "job" as a livestock guardian?

Maybe not. He's too cute to have to work, and he knows it.

He likes to camp out with Charlie in the grass.

Just to give you an idea of how big Samson has gotten, Charlie weighs in right at 50 pounds.

The girls enjoyed getting out into a new area. Bambi takes the prettiest pictures--I'm so proud of my girls. Click on the picture to get a better view.

Paula was absolutely fascinated by the cows in the pasture behind us.

She kept running up and down the pen, staring at the cows, then going back to the girls. Sophie followed her. They look like traveling buddies.

Laramie and Bambi are buds, too.

They started playing around and were out of breathe when I took this picture. Poor Laramie--the fly mask doesn't quite cover all of her nose. She's a little sunburned!

The girls' pretty faces again. I think they're so cute together, burnt noses and all. Pay no attention to my fence-mending. All will be replaced by electric rope fencing (5 strand) hopefully by next spring, so I make due for now.

Samson, get to work!

The girls all take off running again.

Sophie and I have been working on her *not* chasing the horses when they play. It ticks them off! She's really smart but has a hard time controlling her instincts. She's almost got it down, though. She's really a good girl--or she tries hard to be :)

Gotta love the big booties.

Although this is a bad, bad picture of Truly's filly, I had to include this shot of Bambi taking off! She was really having fun today.

This isn't a good horse-shot, but kind of an interesting artistic-type one. If nothing else, I love the colors.

Bambi. Pretty, pretty Bambi. If the market wasn't the way it was, I'd be buying her momma back in a heartbeat. This cross really exceeded my expectations.

Final thought: I really need a name for this pretty girl right here. Her registered name is Truly a Hustler. I thought about calling her Truly since she reminds me of her momma so much, but it just doesn't seem right. I've thought about Grace, Tiffany (kind of "Truly's filly" smashed together), and Sweetie because she is such an incredibly sweet, kind filly.

So anyone have any ideas? Obviously I'm fresh out!

Coop'n Update

I promise this isn't going to be come a coupon blog.

Or a shopping blog.

Or a cheapskate blog.

I just wanted to add a follow-up to last night's post, to let ya'll know what I found. And let me tell you my friends, the harvest was bountiful.

Well, I actually saved more money than even what a Confederate note is worth! :)

First of all, I found this awesome local savings blog:

Score!

I was also able to access a little more info on Walgreen's website than I had before. Not sure if I was just too medicated to notice the second weekly flier (the one with more than one page) or what the deal was, but I was able to "pre-shop" and see how I could best use my manufacturer coupons, combine them with the sales and also the Register Rewards. Here's how I made out:

Walgreens

1. Dryel on sale for $8.99

($2.00) Coupon on Dryel website

($2.00) register rewards

= $4.99 total. Not too bad and I've had a limited wardrobe for months because I couldn't bring myself to pay for dry cleaning or another box of Dryel, so this will actually expand my clothing options for work AND help me save money!

2. Kelloggs cereal 2/$7.00 (sign actually said 2/$6 so I was a little miffed that I didnt' catch the error before I left the parking lot, but it wasn't worth driving back all the way into downtown OP).

($1.50 off two boxes) coupon

($2.00) register rewards

=$3.50 for two, or $1.75 per box for Special K with strawberries, so not too bad still, and better yet, fairly healthy!

3. Starbucks Ice Cream Pints 2/$6

($1.00 of two pints) coupon

=$5 for two, or $2.50 each. Not a great savings, but these actually ended up being free as I had a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more.

That's my justification and I'm sticking to it.

4. Crest Toothpaste 2/$5.00

($2.00) register rewards

=$3.00 for two or $1.50 each, plus they each came with a free bonus travel size, so I got quite a bit of toothpaste stocked up now for not much money. And I was just about out, too.

5. Listerine 3/$9

($3.00) register rewards

=3/$6 or $2 each. Yes, for normal people it would be silly to stock up on Listerine, but every horseperson understands Listerine can be one of the best grooming products in your barn.

And no, I haven't taught JJ to gargle.

Overall, between sale, coupons, and register rewards, I saved $21.05. Not too bad for a novice, I don't think.

HyVee

I mostly stopped here to do my banking and get a roll of quarters for water hauling the next two weeks, but I did check out the sales and did make a couple of really good purchases:

1. Jello 2/$1.00

($.50 off two boxes) coupon

= $.50 for two, or only $.25 each. I got the sugar free kind, too, so pretty healthy, and I got peach to go with the peaches I bought the other day. I can't wait to make peach jello, with peaches and add a little whipped cream. Yum!

2. Suave Shampoo $1.00

($1.00 off two bottles) coupon, in Spanish no less LOL

= $1.00 for two, or $.50 each, and I love strawberry Suave shampoo. It reminds me of the Strawberry Shortcake shampoo I had when I was little.

I did use a couple of small coupons but it wasn't much--about a dollar more off total. The rest of the bill was spent on chicken, carrots, and mushrooms for Coq Au Vin that I'm planning on making in the crock pot this weekend. I forgot bacon, though, derned it. Luckily I have some Pinot Noir sitting around here and an onion, so I'm almost good to go. Here's the recipe.

I'll let ya know how it turns out.

Saving money, good food, and wine. Does it get any better than that?

Coop'n Time

Here lately I've been on a huge coupon kick. I jumped right in, learned that there are different types of coupons, with their own sets of rules and you evidently have to do a lot of preparation to get them to play nice together, much like planning a 5-year old's birthday party.

I thought I'd share what I've found so far, as long as you promise to share what you find with me.

Deal?

Deal.

OK, first of all, read this blog:

Tres cool. Tres cool indeed. Be sure to check out her links on how to get started, how to stockpile, etc.

In the past two weeks I've gotten 3 bottles of laundry detergent for under $6. I also have an extra bottle of shampoo and conditioner--I was completely out last week and now I have a stockpile, all done for less than $9.

Then I found the coupon sites:

Red Plum

Hot Coupon World

Coupons.com

For those folks near Kansas City, Hy-Vee conveniently matches up coupons on their website!

http://www.hy-vee.com/helpful-ideas/coupon-match-ups-08-26-09.aspx

I've also found that so far for the Kansas City area, CVS has the best rewards. I spent $25 last week on 4 12-packs of diet pepsi, a case of bottled water, the laundry detergent and shampoo/conditioner I mentioned above, lotion, face wash and hand lotion and still got back $9 in rewards and a coupon for free chocolate.

Obviously the clincher here is free chocolate.

They don't know me.

Colorado Man Plans Public Slaughtering

My mom just sent this to me:

http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=122013

"LOCHBUIE - The flyer says a horse owner needs help finding executioners. He wants people to come to his property and help gun down 24 horses.

The Weld County Sheriff's Office says the flyer is being passed around the county by 64-year-old Trenton Parker. According to the sheriff's office, Parker is upset because he faces a 90-day jail sentence for contempt of court because he didn't clean up his property, which is at County Roads 8 and 35 north of Lochbuie. He was first ordered to remove converted mobile homes from his property on Dec. 31, 2007 and the sheriff's office says he hasn't. The mobile homes are a violation of county zoning codes. On the flyer, Parker says he's looking for riflemen to publicly execute 24 registered horses as a way to protest the zoning codes. He says the shootings will happen at high noon on Sept. 5. "I've never seen anything like this before in my experience in law enforcement," Shane Scofield with the Weld County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's office stresses that anyone who participates in the shooting would face felony animal cruelty charges. "I would like to think that after reading something like this, there would not be a person in the county, or a person around in the state, that would actually be interested in taking somebody up on this. However, you know there are different things that different people find acceptable. Where you or I, or other people, may find this repulsive, other people may find this to be an acceptable activity or something they might be interested in doing," Scofield said. 9NEWS spoke with Parker on the phone and he said, "Yes, we're going to kill the horses. We have to." Deputies say Parker is due in court on Sept. 8 on the contempt of court charges.

Investigators also say that Parker left a threatening voice mail at the county zoning department. When the zoning department got the voice mail, the employees called the sheriff's office. On the voice mail, deputies say Parker graphically described how he would kill his horses. According to an incident report, "It would be done in public, he would kill one every day for a week on the front steps of the court house, at CSU and other public places. He would stab them in the belly three or four times, killing the foal and then he would bash the mare's brains in."

On the voice mail, Parker also said he would starve the horses because he didn't have any sheds to put hay in "because the courts were making him get rid of all buildings and trailers." Parker was arrested for an unrelated assault in March, but the victim decided not to pursue the charges.

The National Horse Rescue Association (NHRA) heard about the flyer on Tuesday and says it's making an effort to "stop the slaughter." The NHRA says the horses are going to be slaughtered because the zoning codes have forced Parker to close a breeding center."

--Wow, sounds like such an upstanding citizen *cough.* Maybe he's the one who should be gutted and his head bashed in publically. It would be a service to the community.

Sunday Stills....on Monday

I apologize again for being MIA. The weekend was a rough one. I firmly believe sciatica was once used as a medieval torture device!

But I'm doing better today--well enough to get online and post some photos I took last week. It's interestesting, the different angles one can get when laying in the grass :)


Like this shot--I love how Paula and Sophie are framed by Laramie's legs and the sun is shining so brightly. Sophie thinks when I have the camera out it's time to bark at the horses. Obviously Paula does not agree....

Laramie was all on her own earlier. I need to mow so bad, but it has to wait until I heal. Until then, we have a little wild look to the place.


Samson has finally been spending the nights outside. He got scared last night so I had to put him on the backporch and he tore up Charlie's bed. Thanks, Samson.

Good thing he's so cute!!

I had to take breaks and lay down on the ground while doing chores. I did get some pretty cool shots I wouldn't have otherwise. I played around with the coloring with this one of Paula.

I love the sun shining behind Laramie, showing off her pretty profile.

Sophie and Laramie discussing the world's issues.

And let's not forget JJ and Patience. JJ is such a great babysitter--just like his dear old dad.

The girls out on pasture.

Laramie and Bambi, almost in silhouette.

I took this shot of Charlie upside down while laying down on the ground, then played around with the color. I'd love to get a "real" camera someday, but I can have fun with what I have for now.

He's so "fluffy," much like his owner....

Ears!

Best buddies, the odd couple. They are too cute together.

Bambi has the prettiest profile.

Finally, I got this video of the girls running up to be fed. This is always my favorite part of the day. Obviously Paula knows the routine.

That's my girl!!

Sorry, Kids

I've been MIA due to back issues. I'm not as bad off as I was back in February, but I'm not doing so hot. So, the novice farrier installments will have to be postponed temporarily. Fear not, though--it seems that farrier work and unloading hay is actually good for me. My back goes out, not because of the manual labor, but when I seditary, like I was most of last weekend because of the rain.

We will return to our regularly scheduled program shortly, but in the meantime, please enjoy this lovely excerpt from an email I recently got. If any of you non-horsey people out there wonder why I do the things I do (because for my horsey-friends, no explaination is needed), here it is, folks:

"A single woman can learn to survive on the prairie. She can keep horses, build fence and stack hay. She can muck stalls and drive a tractor. She can unfreeze a frozen hydrant, install a stock tank heater and close the swimming pool. She can strip and rebed horse stalls and she can install a gate. She can haul water and break ice and sit up with a colicky horse. She can pick hooves and pull manes. She can treat wounds and kill flies. She can teach an unruly horse to mind. She can calm a nervous horse. She can earn trust and give love. She can kiss noses and snuggle her face into warm, soft shoulders. She can sleep hard at night and work hard during the day. She can keep them safe. She can walk into a cold dark barn on a cold dark morning and hear sweet soft nickers. She can leave that barn to the tune of contented munching. She can survive. But better than that, she can live."

--Author Unknown

Eddie is, er...I mean "and" Crazy

Well, anyone who has met Eddie knows he's a little crazy (more like the biggest goober EVER) but no, I mean the horse Crazy. Eddie's old-lady-in-waiting.


This past weekend it was settled that Eddie would be staying up in the great Pacific Northwest for a few more months, anyway. Kelly claimed that Dunkin couldn't go on without him, but for some reason, I got the slightest impression, that Kelly wasn't quite ready to tell the Goober farewell :)

Vicki told me she wants to try to get that illusive baby out of Crazy, too, so the old dame is staying in Texas, too. Ah, I'll miss my dynamic duo, but I know they're in GREAT hands and I'll see them soon enough.

Vicki, Kelly--give the kids big hugs for me. I know they're happy, healthy, and don't have a care in the world. I hope both give you amazing babies!!! :)

Visitors!

Sandra and Jennifer Layton were so nice to come all the way up from Diamond, MO to bring me a special delivery. They also brought Colton (known to some of you as Ringo). He has grown into a FABULOUS horse!!!


I can't help it, I am brimming with emotion when I look at him. Pride, because I'm his breeder; Gratitude to Sandra for nurturing him into the best horse he could be; Bitter-sweet nostalgia for what could have been had I not made that terrible mistake that cost Larry (his momma) and Colton's full brother their lives; and Love, for great horses and great friends.

I can't say I could be any more thrilled at Jennifer (Sandra's sister) taking Fabian home with her. Yes, that's Sandra with Colton and below is Jennifer with Fabian. No, I didn't get too confused :) I tell you what, though, I think us girls could get in a lot of trouble together LOL

I have no doubts that Fabian is going to blossom in Jennifer's care, just like Colton has done under Sandra's. I felt bad Fabian could have looked much better and here's what they brought me:

Isn't she pretty?

She looks just like her momma:

Truly, if you remember, I had to euthanize last fall. Her legs had gotten way too bad off to go on and it was the right thing to do. Before she left us, Truly gave us a great gift:

I debated posting the following, because I'll surely get reemed for breeding a mare with crooked legs. However, I was told Truly's legs were caused by injury and she had 40 APHA halter points to back that story up. She had other foals whose legs were perfect and Eddie has never had a foal with any leg issues at all.

Until now.

I'm posting because if I hide it, it makes it seem like it's wrong, but no one did anything wrong here. Things happen, and now Truly's filly seems to have the beginnings of the same problems Truly had. If this is truly genetic, I cannot figure out how Truly got 40 halter points.

I will have my vet look at her and we'll see if we can do anything but most likely I think she'll be left to relax, grown and see what happens as she matures. I plan on starting her on some extras the others don't get--msm, corta-flex and perhaps some legend injections, just to see if we can help her grow up straight and tall. She moves great, doesn't seem to have any issues at all, but of course I'd love for her to have a longer life than her momma. She needs time to grow and see if these things can get worked out.

If I do break her, she'll be a long 3 year old or 4 unless she snaps out of this. Even then, knowing this is a weakness, I don't plan on showing her. She'll probably be trail ridden at the most, if even that. They're not awful, but they do certainly raise the red flags, at least with me. I'm so glad to have her, though. She's got a lot of her momma in her, and I adored her momma.

I had to post this pic below. While she does have her momma in her, you can also see her daddy in her, too. On the other side of the fence is JJ. I think they look like brother and sister here!