Welcome To The Zoo – Page 6

The Show Boat

Many moons ago..

when my daughter was very young..

we began a journey that would consist of fits and starts.

I’ve had a horse since way before I could afford one,

but showing was never a goal for me.

Trail riding is my bag, with some ring work for fitness sake.

We started with lessons at a quarter horse barn with the idea of

a safe learning experience for my young child.

and here is where the idea of showing was introduced.

We bought a quarter horse. And then another.

Still my favorite breed, they tend to be solid and dependable.

Below on the right is K with our mare at the time, Sadie.

We tried this route for about two years..

my infant son on my hip or in a stroller,

hauling our horse to lessons and shows because we

really couldn’t afford to keep her at a training barn,

which brings you much more success in the show arena, truth be told.

Then I noticed we weren’t having fun anymore.

K was tired of the serious lesson atmosphere

and the buying and selling of horses that turned out to be

“not the right fit” for her.

We got attached, you see.. and the selling was heartbreaking and frustrating.

Plus, we didn’t have the big bucks that buy you the quality horse

you need to do well against the competition.

Sadie, up above? She ” wasn’t fancy enough”.. and I wish I never

listened to the trainer and sold her. She was a good girl,

I should have atleast kept her for myself.

She did go to an awesome home, I find solice in that.

At this time I had bought a young horse for myself, sent her for training,

as is the proper way to break a horse when you’re not experienced

in green horses and their schooling…

and she died in a training accident. I still cry over that loss.

That was the straw that broke it.

We left the world of QH show,

and came home to recover what was truly in our hearts.

Years passed, I continued to ride my Quarter Horse,

K rode hers. Life happened, but not in the show ring.

Two years ago, after a long recovery from an un-horse-related accident…

my daughter decided she wanted to ride again.

She started with lessons at a local QH barn with a family oriented QH group

we knew from Back In The Day.

You’ve all read about Beemer and K’s success this year..

we were so fortunate that his owner made him available to K for

the Open show season (Not QH circuit).

It’s been a great year.

For those who are unfamiliar with the higher end horse show circuits,

know this. It’s ridiculously expensive, and there are politics.

There’s much travel if you’re a serious contendor,

and you really can’t do it from your backyard.

You need an agent.

(i.e. qualified trainer)

Enter Max… we weren’t really looking to get into the QH circuit again…

but with the acquisition of our senior gelding, Max…who even at 17 years of age

is still capable of the beginning levels of QH show,

we’re traveling down that road again.

This time it’s all K’s decision. She wants to try it, so I’m trying to

make it affordable. Because of his age,

we bought Max for a bargain basement price, and boy

were we lucky. He’s not caviar, but he’s certainly lobster fresh from Maine,

and that’s just our style anyway.

The average show Quarter horse cost anywhere from $20,000

to $200,000., depending on how crazy you want to get and how big your wallet is.

You can pay $8,000.00 for a show saddle if you want the very best.

This one is for sale for that very amount. and It’s used.

Our Trainer found another used version for a fraction of the price.

Max wearing his new “bling” …..

It’s not just the horses “clothes” that are expensive.

There’s the matter of the riders attire as well.

Last year I bought a few $60. blouses out of catalogs for the open show circuit

and they were suitable. Heck, one blouse I bought on a sale rack for $19.

This year… we have to kick it up a notch. OK, a freak’n staircase.

You can spend anywhere from $1,000. to $5,000.

on a custom showmanship or western pleasure jacket

if you’re crazy enough and your wallet is big enough.

(not that there is anything wrong with that!)

This one below is for sale for approximately $3,500.

but we’re not going there.

We’re looking at a few used jackets for much less.

Thankfully there are opportunities to buy used show clothing.

So.. here we go again,

only this time I’m not driving the train,

I’m just a cheerleader on the sidelines.

I realize how lucky we are to be able to do this..

We’re doing it on a budget and with reasonable equipment,

reasonable expectations. And our expectations are..

to have fun, to enjoy the experience,

to take good care of the horse doing the work,

and walk away with a sense of accomplishment and pride,

regardless of the color or quantity of the ribbons.

Max will live at the big barn for now, safety of the indoor and instructors

being the main reason..

and he’ll retire here at This Old House.

For us.. that’s what it’s all about.

When is the last time…

…you made a snow angel?

Built a snow man?

Last night, as we all huddled around the fire
(and the TV and FB via various methods of ipad, iphone, etc)

I stood up and declared I was going outside to build a snowman.

Anyone coming?

You woulda thought I said I was digging a tunnel to China

with a teaspoon and a thimble.

However, after a few minutes…

we were all out in it.

You’re never too old for this ….

I’ve never had a dog who balled up with snow…

and this is Frasier’s first real snowfall,

being the Southern boy that he is.

He loved the romp in the white stuff! OMG! EXCITING!!!

But not the iceballs after.. or the warm bath to melt them.

I suspect I’ll be rinse-and-repeat-ing all day.

This morning, Smiley doesn’t look so happy.

or maybe he’s just doing his morning yoga.

So.. if you’re one of the lucky ones and you’ve gotten SNOW…

get out there and make a snow angel or a snowman, yes YOU.

Take a pic! If I get a few or more pics, I’ll post them here.

All he wanted for Christmas….

..were flannel sheets.

So I obliged a little early.

It’s the little things, don’t ya know.

Snowballs in the house

I’m always happy to find an indestructable and safe dog toy

for the four leggers in this house.

I found this snowball at Whole Foods, of all places..

and it is awesome!

Soft, yet thick and supposedly indestructable.

I’m finding that to be true.

It’s the Orbee-Tuff snowball.

It’s about the size of a baseball.

http://www.indestructibledog.com/products/orbee-snow-ball

Frasier loves it!

I’ve never had dogs that needed clippers or a haircut

until Bailey, and then Frasier.

Bailey’s hair is easy, I just take a scissor to it when it gets too long,

so for six years that’s been a cake walk.

Because her hair is wavy you can’t really see my mistakes.

FRASIER.. however, has an AFRO.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

It’s just I’m totally unaccustomed to wielding a clipper.

I also don’t like the expense of paying a groomer, which is the

smart and easy thing to do, admittedly.

If I didn’t have all the other animal expenses here at the farm,

I’d happily pay a groomer friend of mine on a regular basis.

She’s even given me a great price…

but I’m thinking..

of all the things I do for the animals, surely I can figure out the damn clippers.

My first attempt was comical… and embarassing for Frasier, I’m sure.

Yesterday.. I tried again, and I think I’m getting a little better.

I left a little length on the muzzle…

and a little on the lower body and legs- ..sort of cockerspaniel -like,

since he’s supposedly got some of that in him…

And I left a little fluff on the tail

because it looks like a rat tail without.

So what do you think?

You’re not laughing, now, are ya?

*any tips would be appreciated

SO, Mr.Type A has been bothered by the fences we put up when we first moved to the farm. The horse fencing was electric tape, which worked just fine, but the deer repeatedly knocked it down when attempting to jump over or through it. The Dog run fence was, well it was just plain ugly. Since it was the main entrance everyone used to get in and out of the house, it drove the husband nutz. Things don’t stay around for long if they’re aggravating him….. (it’s a wonder I’m still here.)

Lacey and Coady out in the lower field…

time to come in, so I clap my hands and pretend I’m going to chase them.

Coady knows I mean business and won’t quit till he’s where he’s supposed to be,

back in their grassless paddock.

Minis get very fat very easily, and these two are chubby as it is.

Grass time is only an hour or so every few days.

Lacey waits till Coady is in the paddock and clearly not coming back out…

and then she panics, running as fast as she can to get to him.

She has Separation Anxiety.

Reunited after that agonizing three minute separation,

they get a drink of water in their stall

and then come back out….

…and stare wistfully at the big boys,

who are allowed longer periods of grass time

in the new upper grazing field.

Today was Opie and Max’s first day out in this new pasture..

we needed to make another for rotation purposes…

they’ve been eating down the one pasture we had fenced in.

The back side of a subdivision that abuts one side of our farm can be seen here…

Keeping the boys blankets clean has been a chore this year..

the ground has not frozen and so there is quite a bit of mud. And rolling.

Ma, how many more times are you gonna stitch up this blanket

before you call it a day and buy me a new one?

Now let’s talk chickens.

I have not gotten more than one egg every other day or so for about two months now.

My husband was all in a lather, saying…your chickens are defective!

You spoiled them and now they don’t lay eggs!

The new ones you brought home were really old ones, not young ones…

and they don’t lay anymore!

After 24 years he hasn’t quite gotten it through his head that I always have been

and always will be the animal authority in this house.

He’s the Home Builder, I’m the Dog, horse and chicken whisperer,

as it was and ever shall be.

I told him they were all freaked out by the

new flock addition and it threw them right into a molt.

They looked like featherless hell for about four weeks,

until the new feathers began to fill in.

While chickens are molting, they don’t lay eggs.

The NEW chickens weren’t laying eggs, because they were just five months old.

They needed time to mature.

Plus, the shortening of daylight hours slows down egg production.

He wasn’t having any of it.

This mindless chicken banter went on for weeks and weeks…

until….

Lo and behold….

… all re-feathered and flock frackas finished…

They’ve begun laying again, old..and new.

…and that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

A Betta Tale

My dad had fish tanks when we were little. He’d place a map behind them as “wallpaper”, and I picked out a treasure chest whose jewels glimmered and bubbled The real treasures were the fish, and the tranquility of watching their movements in the tank, the gurgle of the water as it flowed through the filter system.

Born in the sign of water, I’ve always been drawn to most things aquatic. Sharks and I don’t see eye to eye, and I sure hope we NEVER DO! … but fish have always been a part of my home. When we were first married and not yet adorned with children, we had a 50 gallon fresh water tank. I loved it, but we lived in a contemporary with big windows.. and the algae got to be a big hassle. We sold the tank and fish and I settled on a smaller goldfish tank. Life was good.. and the fish tank cleaning was easy.

Many years later, my husband has a very large cychlid tank in his office, my son has a golfish tank in his bedroom… remember Goldie?.. dumped by a family at the fairgrounds in the parking lot because his little baggie was leaking? Son picked him up and put him in his soda cup.. and he still thrives today with a buddy and algae eater.

As for me, I just love my bettas. They are so darn easy to take care of, never asking for much. You know my attraction to rescuing things if you read my blog very often, and to walk into a pet store and see this….

Well, it’s just makes me cringe.

And so.. every now and then I get to liberate one or two of these guys

by bringing them home to a better environment.

Oh, their tank is still small compared to many,

but it’s better than their original lot in life.

FYI – Bettas originate in the shallow waters in Thailand (formerly called Siam, hence their name),

Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and parts of China.

They proliferate rice paddies, shallow ponds, and even slow moving streams.

Their natural habitat

(that’s a giant snail in the middle, but you see the bettas on the outskirts)

When my daughter attended college, the first week’s activities included a betta adoption

program.. I guess to give the kids an opportunity to make their dorm room

more homey, give them a pet to keep them company.

You know the end of that story most of the time, right?

Dead betta within weeks.

This setup is what they’re given.

My daughter did adopt a betta… and I’m proud to say

she had it for two years in her dorm without incident, and with good care.

She even brought him home with her when she visited.

One weekend she came home without the fish,

the power went out in the dorm while she was here at home

and the fish was a frozen fish stick when she returned.

Fast forward to two weeks ago.

I’ve currently got two bettas in a divided betta tank

King and Ruby

King is by far the biggest Betta I have ever seen… he is, in fact, a King Betta. Ruby is beautiful with long flowing fins, and he is an old man by Betta standards. We’ve had him since we moved in to This Old House. He has survived several tank changes and some weird fish fungus which rendered his right eye useless. He now cohabitates through a divider with King.

They only argue on occasion.

Daughter visits a friend at her old alma mater,

friend has the adopted betta that he doesn’t have time to take care of.

Daughter brings said fish home.

MC was looking kinda puny, water kinda murky,

not eating and not talking about it either.

We busted him out of the little plastic pot,

put him in a bigger glass bowl and gave him two friends

to commiserate with. Soon the little bugger was eating again

with a vengeance, fins furled and feathered.

(More water was added, there’s a distillation process in progress here)

And the boys, they are getting along just fine.

Santa has Minis this year!!

A dogs life

You’re leaving us home… again?… really?

Fine. Go.

Peace on earth…

…requires dogs and beaches, I’m convinced.

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent.

To sit with a dog on a (beach)on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,

where doing nothing was not boring–it was peace.”

― Milan Kundera

“You think those dogs will not be in heaven!

I tell you they will be there long before any of us.”

― Robert Louis Stevenson

“No matter how close we are to another person, few human relationships are as free from strife, disagreement, and frustration as is the relationship you have with a good dog. Few human beings give of themselves to another as a dog gives of itself. I also suspect that we cherish dogs because their unblemished souls make us wish – consciously or unconsciously – that we were as innocent as they are, and make us yearn for a place where innocence is universal and where the meanness, the betrayals, and the cruelties of this world are unknown.”

― Dean Koontz,