Back on!

Well it's been a LONG time since I've felt like getting on here. Lots of things have changed in my life, but as the old saying goes, the more things change the more they stay the same. So...a couple of updates: I'm making the trip of a lifetime this fall to some pretty exciting places overseas and I plan to permanently acquire my leased horse. I had been entertaining the idea of buying a new horse and returning the leased one, but after I sat down and really thought about what that would be like, tossing out the patient friend who taught me so much, how to canter, how to ride with double reins, how to ride in a full bridle, how to become a confident rider, I found that I couldn't do it. So I want to transfer his papers to me and make it official. I think he'll be pleased, he seems pretty content with life right now. So I'll post updates when all of this comes to pass.

Tire Adventure

Today I decided to treat myself to Mr Goodcents for lunch. It's about 5 minutes from my work, so I could bring it back and surf the net for my lunch break. Well I walked outside with visions of sub sandwiches in my head and for some reason I walked directly toward my back tire. Slowly I realized I was staring at it and then I found out why. It was darn near flat. Great. Quickly I call home and find no one there and then call Mom's cellie and got no answer there. Soooo I decide to crawl toward a gas station on the way to Goodcents (I'm keeping those sub sandwich visions alive). Luckily the road has a low speed limit which is stricting enforced so noone got irritated behind me. I arrive at the station with a FLAT tire and begin pouring air into it. I get it full and hang up the hose and turn around to inspect it. Hmmm, what's that hissing sound?? This can't be good. So I decide to JET back to my hometown and the trusty tire store on the way. Amazingly I get right in and he fixes it in about 15 minutes. Somehow a razor blade was stuck in it!! Good grief! So I settled for Sonic and continued back to work with dashed dreams of a sub sandwich.

Sleep

Well we got my Mom retired and after a very long day of party planning and executing I learned that I'd be sleeping on the floor. Lovely. Then I find out that I'll be sleeping there right up until I go to work Monday morning (for the first time in 2 months). Lovely again. What is that saying about company and fish after 3 days?? Ummm more like 1 day... So I get to spend my last 2 days before heading back to work in the stressful situation of having company. Lovely. Life is just peachy right now. Pause.

Retirement

Well today was my Mom's last day!! After 43 1/2 years of working with the same company she has hung up her spurs! We're having the party Friday and taking a Navigator limo into work for her official party there where she gets her present. Then off to lunch and back home for another party here. We'll be partied out!! So Good For Her and here's to 43 years of retirement!

Lottery Winner

I bought a Powerball ticket last Saturday because I could definitly use $85 million. I of course had no actual expectation of winning, but I could afford to blow $2. This purchase consquently caused a big arguement between my sweetie and I, which ended in me swearing not to share any of my potential winnings. But back to Powerball. I completely forgot to check the numbers Saturday night or Sunday. But I remembered Monday afternoon so I powered up the laptop and googled MO lottery. I checked the first ticket and as expected no winners. Then I checked the second ticket, and WOW I had a winner!!! I couldn't believe it! Me who never wins anything ever had won Powerball!! So today I walked right up to the Price Chopper Customer Service window to claim my winnings. And walked away $3 richer. Not real sure what I'm going to do with my winnings, but I know they will go towards a larger purchase.

Show Aggrivation

Well today was D Day. I was up at 7AM, which is quite the feat for me! I was to the show by 8:30 getting that boy all ready for his close up. Thank goodness his sheet had done its job and kept him from turing his white into brown. I scrubbed his knees with Green spot remover and sprayed him with Shine (not on the saddle area). He looked magnficient if I do say so myself. I had several people comment on how good he looked, and saying it must be hard to keep him that white! You have to love Captain Obvious, right?? Well into the show ring he went and BOY did he strut his stuff!! I thought we have to be at LEAST 1st or 2nd. Wrong. Even though one horse threw a fit in front of the judge and the other had his nose as high as it would go, we came in dead Last. As in Big Brown at the Preakness. As in the Royals every year. What?! How?! I have no idea other than the continual confused look on the judge's face. AND the photog didn't feel the need to take ANY pictures during the class?? Why?! I paid exactly the same amount of money as all the ASB's showing! So today I'm flustered and aggrivated at the whole situation. Why exactly did I pay over $100 to show here AND bring my 20 year old horse to stand on concrete floors for 3 days just to get last place??? Oh well, maybe nap will help.

Official Groom

Well last night I got to see my Pretty Boy worked in his full bridle in prep for the show on Saturday. Of course he looked amazing with the Trainer extrodinaire on him. I sometimes get nervous that he'll forget about all the fun we have together. But on his way back to the barn he only had eyes for me, his little ears pricked forward as if to say "Look Mom! Don't I look GREAT!!!" And yes, he did. They stopped right in front of me and he got a great big dose of love and pats and Good Boys. So I'll head out there tonight and get everthing together for when he heads out on Friday, but now it sucks that I can't ride him until after the show. Oh well. I know it'll be worth it when I see him marching right down the rail at the show.

Show Disappointment

Well due to my life suddenly becoming very hectic this past week I will be unable to ride in the Horse Show next weekend. Sometimes it feels like I am NEVER going to get back into the ring. I spent the majority of the week out of town trying to buy and house and attending a funeral. Well our love for the house has grown cold, and we are going to wait and see what the future brings. That brings me to the funeral. It was definitly not the way I prefer to spend a Thursday morning, but it was much worse for the family. So I haven't even seen my 20 year old spotted baby since last Tuesday! But tommorrow morning he's getting ready for a show (with my Trainer in the irons). He's gonna get his feet sanded and his hair clipped, and MAYBE even get his tail put back up. Surely to goodness I can braid it tight enough to keep it up until Friday. Hopefully anyways. He always manages to shake out the braid and the tail bag and pee on it. Sigh. And I've been coaxing this tail to grow why??? But we are now floor length (at least it was on Tuesday) so it has to be put up. I know I'll be beside myself watching from the rail, living vicariously. But at least this way I'll still get to keep the ribbon!!

Mansion Expression

Well this past weekend my sweetie and I looked at an old Victorian mansion. Neither of us had any expectations because the other 'mansions' we had looked at mostly defined the word 'dump'. So we pull up and are instantly amazed by the architecture, but we've been here before. The realtor opens the door and WOW! As each room unfolds in front of us we are blown away by it's beauty! There appears to be no reason why someone couldn't move right in. So begins the long and VERY stressful dance of home buying. We are in the contentious bidding stage right now, with big hopes for the future. Oh and this house will be on HGTV July 28 on the show 'If Walls Could Talk'. Man I hope we get it before that!!!!

Passion/Torture??

Tonight the 'road to a show' continued. We were working on going S L O W E R at the walk. Which kind of means, actually walking! It gets a little intense sometimes with the trainer bellowing in the middle of the ring and the rider silently making adjustments on the rail. I didn't realize just how intense it apparently looks until I rode past a family watching their daughter with her lesson. I wasn't frustrated or flustered at all, as I've said before I've been down this road and know pretty much what to expect. I know that in the end I will once again have my mannered, prancing, show-stopping horse back, and it just takes some determination (and LOTS of sweat) to bring that out. But unfortunately this process was new to a Grandma watching from the rail. As I passed by her (red faced and sweating) she remarked that 'I thought riding was supposed to be for fun! That looks like torture'. Hmmm. It kind of made me laugh a little, but also to think. Whenever you see someone achieve something, i.e. winning an Olympic medal, winning a football game, running the fastest marathon time, winning a spelling bee, etc what you don't see is the HOURS of time it took to get there. You don't see the blood, sweat, and tears. You don't see the determination in their eyes when they realize this is much more difficult than they ever imagined it could be... You only see the end result. As my trainer put it tonight: 'Showing is easy, it's the training that's hard'. But in the training is when you find out what you are made of, and for me that's been the most rewarding part. Torture? Maybe, but only to the uninformed.

Pool Story, Vol 3

Well last week I got our pool looking amazing, thanks to the God Chlorine. I brushed, skimmed, tested, and added chemicals all in the pursuit of the perfect pool water. Which I got. Just in time to leave on a 4 day vacation. Oh well, I'm back today and thankfully it still looks great, and I plan to go for a dip!

The Road to a Show

Well the road to my first show of the season officially began today. And as usual I was working much harder than the horse. In fact when we were done, my trainer said I looked hotter than the horse! We began to get back on track with rail work and walking. And more walking. We went over our strategies for the show ring, and began to lay the plans for our success. I noticed something today when I was working so hard to get him right: even though I'm working just as hard as last year, it seems easier. I pondered this fact on my drive home. I think it's because I've ridden this horse for going on 2 years straight every week. I've seen what bothers him and what doesn't, what makes him excited, and what makes him irritated. I feel confident that no matter what he throws at me, I will be ok. He was having a blast working today, he's the only horse I've ever seen who fights to get the bit IN his mouth, and who is at his happiest when he's being ridden daily. Oh and as for his lovesickness, sadly the lovely mare has moved on to other geldings, leaving Apachee to whinny mournfully out the window to her. Poor guy. I told him she was a hussy.

Lovesickness

Something dreadful (or wonderful, depending on your vantage point) has happened to my horse. He has fallen in love. Hard core. Yesterday a new mare was put into the pasture to board at the stable. Apache's stall has a great view out the back door into the pastures. Yesterday when I arrived everyone said my horse was going crazy and why haven't I been working him?? Well I have been, including a rare Sunday morning workout!! But when I turned the corner and beheld the horny teenager my geriatric horse had been reduced to, I could NOT believe it! Now you must remember that the whole barn is filled with mares, AND a stud horse who weren't the least bit interested in this new girl in the field. Apache on the other hand was smitten. He danced around on the cross ties, making it difficult to wrap his legs. I was afraid to just lead him, so I had to search out a lead rope with a stud chain. Once that was in place we danced down the aisleway, with him nickering the ENTIRE time!!! Finally we get outside and begin the 20 foot walk to the arena. Good Lord. It took a good 3 minutes to finally get inside!!! By this time I want to know WHO has snatched my horse's brain and replaced it a little lower on his anatomy! Riding was out the window, and lunging proved extremely difficult. Finally I just rinsed him off and put him back in his stall to stare longingly at his love. Hopefully when I get there today this 'fever' will have passed. Or he's getting a new stall, one without a view.

Je ne sais quois

Last night I had the honor of judging a Prince and Princess contest in a neighboring town. I had to choose winners from 64 (mostly) cute children. It started with the 2 & 3 year olds. There were 8 children lined up next to the stage waiting to get their chance at stardom. The first little girl marched right up those stairs and looked the MC in the eye and honestly answered all of his questions all the while flashing her dazzling smile. 'Wow' I thought, this is going to be great! But the next 7 children either refused to walk (so they were carried) or refused to talk due to excessive crying. So needless to say the adorable little girl walked away with the tiara. It made me think of show horses (which I'll admit I do a lot). Sometimes in the show ring you see horses who looked not at all happy with their surroundings who faithfully plod around and grudgingly do their gaits. Then sometimes if you are very lucky you get to see a horse with that something that makes you stare and not be able to look away. The horse that says "hey everybody, look at me!!" and prances around the ring in true peacock fashion. I've seen only a few who truly gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. Now our little 3 year old didn't make me cry, but she did hopefully teach the other parents something. When you're hot, you're hot, and when you're not...Now if only I could bottle it!! I could afford any horse I wanted!!

Pool Improvement?

Well today I bit the bullet and got the silly pool open. I drove back to the pool store for some sand to fill up the filter only to find out they had run out. So I then drove all the way to the original store (30 mins away) for some. I got there just in time as they were on their last pallet of sand. Thank goodness I had a pal willing to employ her brute strength to get the bags open! We got the filter ready then took a quick Mexican lunch break and my Dad helped me finish the operation. This year I actually put everything together correctly the FIRST time! I can't believe it! We were standing there watching it run like new and I said to my Dad "this is kind of scary!!" he said he was going back in the house before it broke! haha. So tommorrow back to the pool store for hopefully the last time this week (it'll be the 4th time), and onto new and improved chemicals to keep our water sparkling!! Bring on the sunshine!

Pool Frustration

Well it is nearly July and we haven't opened our pool yet. Rarely does it live up to it's proported 'oasis' namesake. Most often the best description is 'pain in the butt'. It regurarly shuts down power to the entire house due to a circuit overload, and costs big $$ to keep clear (which it RARELY is). So this year I've been procrastinating like crazy getting it open. Tonight we drove to the pool store to see about maybe getting some new equipment to stop some of these problems, but of course in true fashion the store closed 30 minutes before we got there. So tommorrow when we go back, I intend to request a full service opening. In other words, can I please pay you to do all the work?? This is America, right?

GPS woes

For my birthday I requested and recieved a new Garmin GPS so as to never get lost again. Ha. Today I was in a BIG hurry to get home and see my Aunt whom I hadn't seen in at least 2 years. I knew my usual route wouldn't work because of dreaded road construction. So I decided to take an alternate route that I knew should not have any slowdowns. So I boldy defied the automated voice in the Garmin and proceeded to blaze my own trail. The wrong way. Instead of a leisurely hour drive home I instead took a lovely tour of Eastern Kansas. I live in Missouri! But thank goodness for little favors as in there were no police officers doing their duty and I was able to put the pedal to the metal and get home only 30 minutes late. I got to see my Aunt and visit for a minute before she had to leave, and we headed back home. Back to dog and horse sitting for a couple more days!

Wild & Crazy

This morning I saw a (somewhat) rare sight. My pretty boy was strutting his stuff!! He wasn't out of his stall yesterday (due to my Birthday celebrations) so I arrived bright and early this morning (after feeding my pals horses). I could tell as soon as I arrived that he was rearing to go! When I got there he was happily munching on his hay, but by the time I dug out his replacement leg wraps (there is a bit of a fungus problem, but THAT is another story) and came out of the tack room he was standing at his stall door with his ears up and his eyes bright. So I brought him out and wrapped up his legs and slapped on the velcro boots and off we went. I decided to take him outdoors as there wasn't any mud and the stable was hosting a day camp in the indoor arena. It took every bit of his self control to wait until I told him to go and BOY he was 12 years old again!! Kicking and bucking and running and...snorting. We've had a bit of a problem with this noisy habit in the past. It seems as though other horses who are supposed to be working think that when Apache breaks into this breathy song that it's time to play!!! I did mention the day camp, right?? Well after about 3 minutes of this stomping and blowing I could hear the poor instructor attempting to regain control of her group. Did I mention Apache LOVES to disrupt other horses work?? It is definitely near the top of his priority list. I let him run himself out and after about 10 minutes he did. We calmly walked out the round pen gate (stud chain firmly in place) and he proceeded to bend his head down and graze as if to say "My work here is done". Thank goodness I ride the troublemaker as opposed to having to ride NEXT to him...

Birthday!!

Well it's my birthday today, and now I officially round up to 30. Bleh. But I do still love birthdays! What's not to love? Everybody is really nice to you and you get stuff! I still don't understand why some people hate birthdays and even lie about when theirs is. As far as I'm concerned older=wiser. And I'm all about getting as wise as possible! On another note I've been doing some dog sitting for a friend on vacation. She's the coolest dog ever, her name is Minnie and she's a Miniature Pinscher. I may not be giving her back...haha! The cats on the other hand are NOT amused with this new addition. Normally I have one wrapped around my legs and another around my head when I sleep, but last night nobody would come near us. They just sit in corners and glare at me. Well I'm off to enjoy my day!

The Big Hoe Adventure

Tonight I did something I said I would never do again. Hmm it seems I may be making a habit of that! I hoed up our garden. For those of you not familiar with this particular form of manual labor, it involves using a garden tool to turn or till the soil thusly eliminating weeds. In years past my Dad has kept the garden thriving all by himself but this year has brought it's own surprises and challenges. No longer can he toil all day in the hot sun without feeling the effects, no longer can he lose himself in the physical work of gardening. So if I want big, juicy, and healthy tomatoes (which I DO) then it's up to me to maximize vegetable growth while minimizing weeds. Last week I came home to find him nearing exhaustion in the garden while hoeing up some weeds. I took the hoe and told him I would do it, and without much arguement he let me. Ha, I worked harder in 10 minutes turning over that solid ground than I had in a week! The next day I was a mess of blisters and aching muscles. I swore no more hoeing for me, that was it. So of course I come home today to find the garden once again filled with all manner of undesirables. And of course I pull out the trusty old hoe (it's literally older than me by a good 20 years) and got to work. I've got the icy hot and neosporin at the ready...

Green Bean Memories

Well I just got finished cooking lunch, and boy is my Grandma laughing at me from heaven. Today my sweetie has a bag of garden fresh green beans which he requested for lunch. Well I know how to cook a green bean, the problem lies in the prep work. Snapping, that's right removing the stem end and breaking them into more manageable pieces. When I was a little girl my Dad would always grow lots and lots of green beans for canning. My Grandma would stay with us in the summer and help out however she could. It seemed like we would always end up in front of the TV watching a Royals game snapping away at a big ole bucket of beans. Now when you are 8 years old, there are about a million other things you'd rather do than snap beans and watch the Royals. But also when you are a kid you have to do what you are told. Invariably I would end up watching her snap unbelieveable amounts of beans into the bucket, and talk about days gone by. Her life was nowhere near easy but she never once complained, always putting her faith in the Lord to see her through whatever life dealt her. She's been gone for about 13 years now and it's funny how things remind us of the past. Well I hear a car in the drive so I better get these beans cooled enough to eat. I think Grandma would get a big kick out of me snapping beans and thinking about her.

The Most Fun!

Yesterday morning I had more fun than I've had in a LONG time! It really wasn't anything Earth-shattering, I just rode a different horse. In fact I rode a horse I spent several months riding last year. BUT: this time I knew a little bit more about what I was doing! I showed up for a group lesson (which I haven't done in over a year) to ride Raven. She is a very cute black American Saddlebred mare. We have a bit of a troubled history, in Dec '06 I fell off this same cute horse and broke my tailbone and gave myself a concussion. But I never let my fear overtake my passion, in fact I finished my lesson with the aforementioned injuries, and competed in a show less than a month later. But back to the future: I wanted to ride her because my dream is to own/show my own ASB (saddlebred). Currently I show a NSH (national show horse, 1/2 arabian, 1/2 saddlebred) named Apachee who I love, love, love. In order to 'test' myself in accordance with my dream I rode Miss Raven. Who was definitly a challenge to collect and keep going. I'm a bit embarassed to admit I've grown accustomed to 'push button'. So I finally had to work a little to achieve the same thing. We worked both directions at a trot, trying to figure each other out. Then Melissa asked if I would like to canter her, of course I said Sure! Well once we finally got the lines of communication open, that girl TOOK OFF! It was the most exhilarating experience!! Each step felt as though we were launching off the ground! So we stopped and turned around for the other lead, WOW even better this way!! Whew, I was pretty sweaty at the end, but it was definitly worth it. I hopped on my own show horse and away we went. I think he was pretty happy that Raven had 'warmed me up'...once he got over his jealousy at having to share me. So the lesson is to take risks and try new challenges. It could end up being the best day in a LONG time!