30 April 2007

This is a picture taken last year of one of my fillies. Her name is DBD Cookies N Cream and she is lucky enough to have found a fabulous home with a couple that love her to bits and keep me posted on her progress with e-mails and pictures. I know Susan reads my blog so I just want to say thank you to her and Kelvin, it means so much to me to know that my babies are well cared for and loved and to see them in their new homes.

There are never enough hours in the day. I did the chores again this morning and then went up to the hospital to visit Larry. It looks as if he will still be in for a while as the one place on the wound has not healed properly and the doctor wants to fix it in surgery either tomorrow or Thursday, we don't know yet. I managed to get him signed up with the internet today. He has had the laptop all the time but just has not felt like using it. I am glad that he is getting into it again, it will keep him occupied instead of just watching TV, it must drive him nuts. Unfortunately it is a dial up connection but better than nothing. I eventually got home at a quarter after 7 this evening and finished the feeding at about 8.30pm, cooked something to eat and am now just wanting to collapse into bed.

I am so glad that he is feeling so much better just wish he was home, this travelling is killing me and I am just not keeping up with everything that needs to be done.

Thanks everyone for your visits, have a great evening, what is left of it and a better Tuesday. (((((Hugs))))))

Lori

xx

29 April 2007

Hi all. Had a better day today, still having headaches but think it is just stress. Larry is still doing well, we are hoping when the doctor gets to see him tomorrow he will give us a date that Larry can come home.

We have had two wonderful days, beautiful sunshine today and warm. I managed to get a few stables cleaned and the horses all got out which made them very happy. They are going to sleep out for a few days, or as long as the weather is good, saves on my time and energy cleaning stalls.

We are going to have Blaze gelded this week. When Larry gets home we will decide what to do about the other two yearling colts. We are also going to geld the older stud, Dosie next. I hate that he can't get to have a life because he cant be with the other horses and know he will make a much better gelding, at least then he can be turned out with the mares until we sell him. Also we can trail ride with him without the liability of having an out of control stallion if he gets near a mare in season. I have had a few beautiful foals by him, my filly Lori is one and so are Wiggle and Blue but the market is so bad and I dont want my horses to end up in the kill pen because they cant be sold. These days the killers will pay more for a horse than someone who wants one to ride unless you have THE horse of the moment in your horses' pedigree and THE right trainer. So sad. If I could find 40 acres I would keep them all and just take my time with them to find good homes and if they dont sell who cares, but I dont so I have to make the most of a bad situation.

Today's pictures are of a bumble Bee (actually a wood bee which tunnels into the rafters and roof trusses in the barns and is a real pest, I have visions of my barn falling down there are so many burrowing tunnels in the wood). This one was in the house on one of the fly screens so I thought I would snap a few shots of it. I dont like the flare on the wings but couldnt avoid it, well I suppose I could have but didnt want to spend the time LOL.

The second shot is of the Brat (Mike I have given him a swat on the butt for you LOL but he is still a bad boy). He was getting ready to sleep and I really like this shot, I think it is one of my favorites of him so far.

Well I am going to get some sleep as I have to start early so I can get up to the hospital. I also want to get to a few blogs tonight so that I can reciprocate for all of your comments and support.

Sleep well and have a great Monday!!.

Lori

xx

28 April 2007

It has been a long day, I have not been coping too well and have had a severe headache all afternoon and still have it. I had a few visitors today which was great and also quite a few phone calls. Larry is feeling much better and we are hoping that the doctor will tell him he can come home on Monday.

We had a lovely day today so I put all the horses out. We have a pond in the bottom of the field from all the rain over the past 3 days so Taxes got his first look at the lake!! I waded in and he followed me which was cute, the only problem was I couldnt get far enough away to get a full shot of him in the water. He is still fascinated by the other mares and is constantly going to the fence and momma is constantly herding him away. The other picture is of Piglette, she loves the water and will roll in it. This was taken before she rolled in the mud which changed her color from her muzzle to her tail both sides, to clay grey!!

I am turning in early. Thanks everyone for your visits, Abe I looked quickly at the horse and the other animals from your outing, they are fabulous!!! I will get to commenting tomorrow.

Sleep well.

Lori

27 April 2007

Catblogging day!! These are two of the kitties that have moved to a nice home. They used to like to lay in the window on our porch enjoying the sunshine in the winter.

It has been another long day. After chores I went up to the hospital and got home at about 5.30pm. Larry is doing really well and is his old self again. Still keeping him under surveilance as his blood pressure and heart rate are fluctuating more than they would like.

We are expecting sunshine and 70s tomorrow and Sunday so I will be putting the horses out again after 3 days of being cooped up. Taxes is bouncing off the walls with energy and being as naughty as always. He tried to kick me tonight and got a nice smack for his troubles and a loud NO!!!! so hopefully he will have learned a lesson. I am not holding my breath LOL.

Thanks again to Mike, Talj, Anna, Anna, Julie, Julie, MiKael, Kaycee, Pat, John, Kathy C, MPRPRO, L, Photogchic, Chad, Tracey, Abe and anyone else I may have missed for your visits and messages. They are all greatly appreciated. (((((Hugs)))))) to you all and have a great weekend.

Lori
xx

26 April 2007

I will give you a break from the brat today LOL. It has been raining for two days and tomorrow it looks as if it is going to be reasonably dry so the horses have been in since Tuesday. These are some blossoms on an apple tree we have in the field. One of the few shrubs/trees/bulbs that survived the cold snap. I also noticed today that the Lilac bush has some new buds too which I am glad for because all of the original flower buds were killed by the late frost and I thought we would be without them this year. Not as many as usual but at least there are some.

I am greatly relieved and glad to report that my husband finally came back to me this afternoon. The doctors never told me how serious it was and we are very lucky he is still with us. We are still unsure what caused it maybe just a combination of things but he is his old self this evening and I am so glad. The doctor is very happy with the wound and I think he will be in for a few more days. They are also still monitoring him in case of a relapse. I spoke with his plastic surgeon tonight which made me feel a lot better, he is a wonderful man and Larry has been treated by him for the past 25 years since his accident. He has done uncountable surgeries to fix these pressure sores over this time. We joke with him that we have put two of his children through college and med school and are now working on the third one LOL.

I will be spending the day with him tomorrow again. I didnt get up there today because the stables needed attention, but his sister and nephew went up so he had company for part of the day which really put my mind at rest and took some of the pressure off of me.

Thanks everyone, I will be commenting to each one of you individually I promise, it is great to know that there are so many people who care. (((((Hugs)))))) to you all. G'Nite

Lori

xx

25 April 2007

I did my chores this morning and then went straight up to the hospital. It has been pouring with rain all day and is pretty cold. No time for new pictures so yet another picture of Rotten Baby (Taxes) looking sweet and innocent again with momma looking on.

There was a slight improvement in Larry today, he was far more rational but very subdued and restless. He ate a bit in the morning and then I gave him some lunch (really small portion) but he is drinking again and not looking so glazed and blank. His heart rate is a bit fast so they have moved him to another section where they can monitor him 24 - 7. He still has a long way to go but at least this is a step in the right direction.

Hope you are all well and I will "see" y'all tomorrow. ((((((Hugs))))))

Lori
xx

24 April 2007

These first two pictures are dedicated to Anna in London and Carmi in Canada. They are always seeing these amazing shapes and lines and this caught my eye at the hospital. I was on the second floor (for those in Europe, England it is the first floor as the bottom floor is called the ground floor, here in USA the ground floor is considered 1st floor!!) and you can look down on the church chapel. It has this stained glass window which picks up the sunlight and I loved the shapes.


This is also one of my favorite types of shots with the backlighting to give the rim light. This is the little monster. He is a great subject.
Things did not go well at the hospital today. I spent about 4 hours there and it was dreadful, Larry was totally naurotic, hallucinating and refusing to take his medications and let them take his vitals. He hasnt eaten or drunk anything since yesterday and is convinced that there is a conspiracy. He wont sleep because he thinks someone is going to kill him. I am devastated, I didnt see my husband today, I saw a stranger. We are not sure what is causing it as he has been taken off all of his medications that would be narcotic or cause this type of reaction. I think it is triggered from depression. When I phoned the hospital this evening they said they had been able to sedate him and when the doctor came by he allowed them to take the blood to run tests and change his dressing. He wouldnt even let me give him his meds or go to sleep while I was there. He kept telling me all these ludicrous stories. They put a sedative in his IV while I was there and he managed to get half an hour sleep and a few more 15 minute stints.

I am going to do my chores tomorrow morning and go straight up and spend the day there. We are expecting 2 - 3 inches of rain over the next two days so the horses can stay indoors.

I am really drained so I am going to keep this relatively short. Hope you are all well and Julie I would love for you and your daughter to come over and help me clean stables, anytime you are welcome LOL. Blaze is the first baby born here last year. He is the most amazing laid back, loving, quiet, clever baby that we have bred. He is a love child (that is what I call him), just loves to be loved on and be the centre of attention. Sometimes I think that he is sick because he is so laid back and quiet. He would make a perfect horse for your daughter!! He is a year old now but I would not hesitate to let someone inexperienced handle him with me supervising.

Good night all. I keep praying that things will get better.

(((((((Hugs)))))))

Lori
xx

23 April 2007

This is Taxes saying Hello to his big sister. This is Lori (the horse version) and she has the same mother as him, different daddy.

He loves to run, when he is not sleeping he is running or getting into some mischief.

I am afraid it will be more baby pix today. I havent had time to shoot anything else and he is so darn cute (totally rotten but cute). And for those non believers, I challenge you to come over and find out how sweet and innocent this little darling isnt LOL. Seriously he is a great baby and so confident. I could sit and watch him all day. I am just sorry that we arent going to have any more babies here until after weaning for him to play with.

It has been a bad day for me. The trainer didnt pick up Gee today because her transmission went out on her truck with her towing a 6 horse trailer. A friend came to switch the trailer over and bring it the rest of the way but she is going to have to wait a few days to have hers running again so it will be another few days before she collects Gee. She said that it was really hard transferring a Gooseneck trailer from one vehicle to the other with 6 horses inside it!!! Every time they got the hitch aligned one of the horses would move and they had to reposition the vehicle again. I waited ll day for them to arrive only to find out at 7pm that she had phoned the owner at 5am this morning to tell him which he didnt bother to tell me until he got here this evening. Shoot, I could have spent the day at the hospital.

On top of that, Larry is still having bad effects from the drugs and his boredom is making him paranoid so I have to go through tomorrow and try to sort that out. A friend of mine is going up to Fort Wayne for a few doctors' appointments so she will drop me off and collect me when she is finished which should take 3 or 4 hours. The stress is killing me.

Well it is very late so I am off to get my beauty sleep. Thanks again to everyone for keeping in touch, I appreciate your comments and well wishes.

Lori

22 April 2007

Another week bites the dust. I mentioned yesterday that all of our spring flowers are dead from the cold snap we had just over a week ago. While I was walking around the field yesterday watching Taxes I noticed these tiny little flowers. The were about half an inch in diameter so I clicked them quickly. Might be the only burst of color we have here this year.

Larry is doing okay, still having a reaction to something, making him paranoid, and the doctors are still monitoring him. I say it is the morphine but who am I to say anything LOL. It did the same thing to him last time. Other than that he is doing well, a bit hard to have a conversation with him though.

I went to the opening of the local art exhibition that I am participating in today. It will run for a month in the Town Hall. I met a few of my fellow artists and photographers there. I must say we have a lot of talented people considering we only have a population of about 8000 - 9000.

Tomorrow the trainer is coming to fetch the Thoroughbred mare that we board in the off season Gee. I am really excited because she is the lady that trained her before the guy who owns her now bought her and she knows her well. She was always in the money every time she ran. I am sure she is going to be sooooo happy to get out and do what she is bred for again. She is an amazing mare, such an easy keeper and nice to be around.

I have also posted a picture of the brat that I took today, I just cant get over him. He is amazing, no fear and a real stud already!! I think we are going to have to geld him soon. His poor momma has a sore front leg and is limping and it is no wonder because she is constantly having to gather him up and get him out of mischief. This is one of the rare occasions he isnt getting up to something. Looking at him here, butter wouldnt melt in his mouth, little angel (NOT) LOL.

Hope you all had a great Sunday. ((((Hugs)))))

Lori

21 April 2007

It never rains but it pours, I have had an absolutely hectic day trying to get caught up with cleaning the stables etc. and Larry has been having a really bad reaction to one of the drugs he is taking and has been out of it since this morning. The doctor is with him now and is running tests to try to get to the bottom of it. Lets hope it is something easily remedied.

Taxes is an absolute brat!!!! I have never had such a spunky, brave, adventurous, cheeky baby before. He runs towards the fence dividing the paddocks whinneying in his deep whinney for the other girls to take note much to his mother's dismay. She spends her day scurrying after him keeping him out of trouble LOL. He has to bite and lick everything that comes in his path. I had to teach him about electric fence today, it is a very low voltage but they dont like it much but he was pushing against it and biting it and I was worried that he would get onto the other side and then I would have had drama, so I had to turn it on and let him find out the hard way :-(

I hope tomorrow is better. My love and ((((Hugs))))) to you all, I really miss visiting everyone's blogs and seeing all of the shots, hopefully I will get back into it soon. Talj, Julie, Julie, MiKael, Anna, Anna, Abe, Mike, and anyone else I have forgotten who has stuck with me through this, thanks so much.

"See" y'all tomorrow

Lori

xx

20 April 2007

I didnt forget Catblogging day, I just didnt get a chance to take a shot and am really pooped so forgive me for not posting one today.

Another busy day. I did the chores this morning and then went on up to the hospital to visit Larry. I stayed until 3.30 and arrived home at quarter to 5. I don't like putting the horses out when I am not there so they had to stay in and it was a beautiful day today, so when I got back I put them all out because it is only getting dark at about 8.30 now. They really enjoyed it. Taxes has to be the naughtiest baby that we have bred!!!! MiKael would call him a little snot LOL!!!! His antics are wonderful. I think he is going to make a cow horse (cutting and roping) because he is so agile, changes direction in a blink and flying changes as he canters along. He has discovered that he has back legs and if he double barrels them he can kick quite hard with them, so we are having a no kicking lesson at the moment. He is naughty!!!!!

The picture shows Wiggle (my bottle baby) checking out the new addition (instigated by Taxes I must say) and Sonny supervising the proceedure LOL.

Wiggle is doing really well, I will take update shots of her tomorrow, I didnt get the chance today.

Hopefully Larry will be home sometime next week, best scanario mid week, worst scenario, much later.

I hope everyone is well. Thanks all for your visits and messages. Have a great weekend.

((((((Hugs)))))))))))))

Lori
xx

19 April 2007

I LOVE baby horses!!!! I managed to get it all set up so that I could let Taxes and Sonny out to run in the field today safely so that he didnt run through any fences. Here he is having a good run and then after all the exercise, a nice sleep. He didnt lay down long and Sonny being the good mother that she is, took him back to the barn where he could lay down in his straw and sleep. She is an amazing mother, she shows him everything. I sat for ages watching them and she did the tour of the field showing him where the fences were (he bumped into the one once and after that knew exactly where it was from that point on). She let him see the other horses when I let them out into the adjacent field but kept a close eye on him and herded him away when he got too close. It was really educational watching her. Cat still wants to steal him from her LOL. She is also a great mother but has a problem and we have lost three pregnancies with her in the past 5 years which is a shame because she is a great mare.

I didnt go through to the hospital today but will tomorrow. Larry is doing great but getting really bored so I can't wait until he comes home. It will also be less pressure for me because the trip up there is so time consuming.

Wiggle is doing really well, she is putting on weight nicely. I will take photos of her tomorrow so that we can compare them to two weeks ago when she came home.

Thanks again to all my visitors and for all your support and messages. MiKael, CG, AB, Talj, Julie B, Julie, Anna and Anna you are great your notes and messages mean so much. Abe Lincoln, thanks for your visits and to all the others who check in thanks too. I will get up to date once Larry is back home I am sure. In the meantime I will try to get a few of you answered and reciprocate with my messages each day. That way I will catch up with my backlog soon.

((((((((Hugs)))))))) to you all and thanks again.

Lori

xxx

18 April 2007

Okay I have managed to load a picture. This is Tax (4 days old) and his momma Sonny this morning (Thursday 19 April 2007). I finally got him into the field without running thro the fence and this is one of the first shots I took. More on todays post when I get them edited.

(Blogger won't let me upload a picture tonight, I will get one posted in the morning)

Pheew what a day. Went to see Larry today after unloading a trailer full of hay and doing all the other chores. Only got back at about 8pm. So this is another rush job.

The baby is too gorgeous. He is getting stronger, and naughtier, every day. I am going to work on the fence tomorrow so he can see it better and to avoid having him running into it.

I will post more tomorrow. I can't wait until Larry gets home, this commuting back and forth to see him is taking so much time and energy.

See y'all tomorrow.

Lori

17 April 2007

Okay just gotta see what all this enthusiasm is over this green stuff that Mom loves to bite so much!!

It's gonna be more baby pics I am afraid LOL.

The little darling decided that he didn't want to get his hooves muddy so would not go into the field today when I wanted to put them out. He far prefers the front lawn where he can canter around and not get too dirty LOL. There is mud at the gate, not too bad but he didn't like it at all so we had to settle for two excursions on the lead rope for momma so that we could eat some nice green grass (the front garden) and "Taxes" (love that name Annette!!!!) could stretch his looooooong legs.

I have just about caught up on the barn work but tomorrow I have to unload a trailer of hay and then go through to Fort Wayne to see Larry. Two hours (one each way) on the road and then hopefully will get a few hours to spend there.

We had an absolutely beautiful day today, 70F which after the near freezing temps was a real turnaround.

Cat (the black and white mare) is absolutely beside herself. She wants Sonny's baby. Yesterday when I put them out, she stood at the gate and whinneyed all day because she couldnt see Sonny and the baby. Today I put her and the other mares out in the field that joins onto Sonny's stable and she stood outside the door to Sonny's stable the whole day much to Sonnys dislike. When I took the baby and momma out tonight for their bit of exercise and grass, Cat just about climbed over the gate!

I hope everyone is well today and that those on the East coast are recovering from the terrible weather and storms that they have experienced recently. Thanks everyone your thoughts and concerns are greatly appreciated. (((((((Hugs))))))) to those that need them. Talj, AB, CG, Anna, Mikael, Julie and Julie you are all in my thoughts.

Lori

16 April 2007

We had bitterly cold winds today, the temps were in the 40s but the windchill was around freezing (30 mph gusts) so I took Sonny and her baby out for a short walk this afternoon when it was reasonably warm. Sonny ate some grass and kept a close eye on her baby and he had a great time stretching his very long legs. His fetlock joints (just above the hooves) on his back legs are a bit swollen which I am going to have to keep an eye on over the next few days. He is so tall.

It should start warming up from tomorrow, I just hope the wind will drop because that made it really unpleasant today.

I am still struggling with flu like symptoms so am not feeling great. Hope you enjoy the pictures of the new baby, his name will be HOW D SPECIAL SONNY so I will probably call him Sunshine because his mother is known as Girl Sonny already so it would get confusing LOL.

((((Hugs))))) to all who need them, I am beginning to believe that I am never going to catch up. You are all always in my thoughts, Talj, MiKael, CG, Julie, Julie, Anne and Anne, hope you are all well.

Lori

xx

Lori

15 April 2007 (2nd post)

Wheew I am not used to being up in the middle of the night, a sure sign of old age LOL.

Here are a few of Sonny's baby's first official photos. The stall that they are in is pretty dingy and I used my 100mm 2.8 lens and no flash so didnt get any full shots of him yet. It is bitterly cold but they say it will warm up into the 40s later which I hope it does, only thing is it will be windy. If it does and dries up a bit because all the snow is now melting and leaving a mushy muddy mess, I will take him and Mom out for a walk later but I dont want to take his blanket off so I will probably only get the opportunity to do that tomorrow when the weather is expected to improve. So in the meantime these are the only pics I have of him. He is a doll and so friendly.

Have a great Sunday all.

Lori

15 April 2007

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

At long last Sonny has had her baby. A BIG healthy leggy boy. I woke up at 1am and thought I heard one of the horses whinneying so I got up and went and checked and she had just had him. He was already standing up but was all wet still and wobbling around on his looooong legs. I dried him and put his little baby foal blanket on him and then gave him his enema and waited until he found the milk bar. He is so tall that it took him a while to figure out he had to lower himself more to get to it LOL.

It is now 2.30 so I am off back to bed, Momma and Baby are well and warm with their new straw and I am relieved. What a star, she comes through for me every time with an easy birth, this is the best mare that we have.

I will post pics in the morning although they may just be in the stable because it is freezing out and windy and raining still.

G'Night

Lori

14 April 2007

Another hectic day, we woke to miserable weather today. At lunch time I left to go up to the hospital (an hours drive each way) and it started snowing as I arrived. I stayed and visited until 6pm and it snowed the whole time I was there!!!! Wet slushy snow (we have had 2 inches so far). By the time I left it was snowing quite hard and carried on all the way home. I stopped at the store and when I got back into the truck and started pulling out another driver honked his horn at me and pointed to my front tyre. I had a flat tyre, it was 7.20pm, I had to get home to feed the horses, it was gusting and it was snowing, with the temps hovering around freezing (hate to think what the wind chill was)!!!!!! I phoned the neighbor on my cell phone and while I was talking to him the guy who had stopped me came out with those aerosole cans with tyre stuff in it, they pump up the tyre and try to seal the puncture. He pumped the tyre up and sent me on my way insisting that I get going before the tyre went down again and that he didnt want payment!!!! Wow I have had my faith in human nature restored what a lovely gesture. He headed off back to the store before I could get his name or number and I screeched out to do the final two miles. The tyre lasted until I got home and then went flat. It could so easily have happened on the highway so I am grateful that it didnt.

So that is my day, the only ray of hope is that when I checked Sonny she had big droplets on her teats which is a sure sign. They are more obvious this time as you can see from the photo. I think I can safely say we will have a baby by morning.

The other photo is one of my favorites of Wiggle taken two winters ago. She is doing really well and starting to show signs of putting on weight already. I am going to take pictures every two weeks from the same angles and see her progress. She has her personality back LOL. Little Monster but I love her to bits.}

I am going to check on Sonny again and then try to get some sleep. I feel as if I am coming down with flu which doesnt surprise me with all these weather fluctuations. I need to bed her down with some straw before I do that though. Tomorrow is expected to be lousy again but from Monday onwards they predict clear skies, no rain and highs around 50F. I can't wait.

Hope you are all having a great weekend so far. ((((Hugs))))))

Lori

13 April 2007

Hi everyone

Today's picture is of a cat that was born here that we found a really great home for. His name is Bandit and two winters ago he spent the winter here as his new owners had to go to Florida for a few months. He fitted in nicely and I was sad to see him go home again.

Thanks for all the well wishes I really appreciate them. Larry is doing very well, the doctor is happy, I spoke with him today. I didn't manage to get up to the hospital today as I just had so much on my plate and Larry said to catch up on everything so I can go up tomorrow. He is feeling better too so all seems to be going well.

I spent the day getting some prints matted and framed for an exhibition of local artists that they are having at our local city building. I had to choose 2 prints which was hard. I had to go to Muncie which is about 20 odd miles away, they have an awesome place called Hobby Lobby which has a large selection of matting and frames and they can also cut matts and make up frames to your specifications. The icing on the top was that they had 50% off all open backed frames and precut matts until tomorrow so I saved quite a bit.

After doing that I had to get stalls cleaned as they hadnt been touched in over two days because of the trip to the hospital and then the surgery. We had a beautiful sunny day today, a bit cold but lovely. I put the horses out again and they had a ball. We are expecting rain and snow to move in tonight and for the rest of the weekend :-(

Sonny still has not foaled!!!! I give up LOL.

Well I am going to catch up on a few comments and will "see" you all tomorrow.

((((HUGS))))))

Lori

12 April 2007

Hi all

Its just after 9pm, have just got home from the hospital. All went well, it was a long 4 hour surgery again but Larry is great, I waited with him until he was completely out of the anaesthetic and starting to be ornery again!! The doctor is reasonably happy with the surgery, there are two points that he is a bit worried about but we will work through those in the next few days hopefully.

Sonny still hasnt produced her offspring (brat) but I have a feeling that the neighbor who fed the horses today for me while I was away at lunch time and this evening, was keeping a close eye on her because she is his favorite, and she is such a pro at this she has probably been keeping her legs crossed until there is no-one around. I fully expect to find a baby tomorrow morning, and if nothing is there I give up!!!!!

I am pooped so forgive me yet again, thank you all so much for your well wishes, they mean so much to us. I crave for normality (whatever normality may be???) again. The weather today was crazy again, gusty winds, rain and SNOW!!!!!! We dodged the really bad weather yesterday, the storm was much weakened by the time it got here, but it was still a bit of a wild ride.

I have posted another picture of Cat and am hoping it is not one I have posted before. This was a few days ago when she was having a lovely roll in the mud. My brain is numb.

Hope you all have a great Friday.

((((Hugs)))))

Lori

11 April 2007

This is going to be a very quick post. Larry is safely installed in hospital, we have had severe thunderstorms all evening and a tornado south of us so it has been a rough evening.

Sonny is still hanging on although I saw a bit of crystalisation on her one teat this evening. I fully expected her to deliver us with a colt during the storm LOL. We will see in the morning.

I will be going back to the hospital early tomorrow, the surgery is at 12.30 so it will be very late probably by the time I get back. A neighbor of ours feeds the horses for me when we are away for which I am very grateful. He loves the horses almost as much as I do and Sonny is his favorite.

Hope everyone is well, I will be back in the swing of things soon promise.

((((Hugs))))))

Lori

10 April 2007

I am making headway on getting my comments up to date. Given a few more days I should be on top of it again so thanks everyone for your patience. I have had a few new visitors to my blog who I will also get to visit and send thanks to soon.

I have been trying to get a shot of a Cardinal ever since coming here six years ago. I have numerous which were far away or slightly out of focus and today finally I got some reasonably presentable ones that I am happy with. Still want to get closer because these were shot at the 400mm end of my lens which has a habit of not being too good on sharpness at the long end so I have to back it off a bit and I still had to crop quite a bit of the surrounding space off around the bird to fill the frame in PS. I have been feeding the birds for a while in the front garden and this is a bare patch that I use to put seed down. I have had a few cardinals who have been visiting but they are very elusive and easily scared off. Today I went out and sat on the ramp outside the house that my husband uses to get into the house with his wheelchair. After about 15 minutes the cardinal appeared and I managed to snap these before he flew away. He has a sunflower seed in his beak in the one. I will be trying again though because I always see him there now, I just have to get a bit closer without scaring them off.

We had a coolish but sunny day today and the horses spent it out in the field. Sonny is groaning a bit today when she puts her head down to graze, she is soooo uncomfortable, she just has to be soooo close, I can't stand it. Will check on her later tonight before going to sleep. I took Wiggle and Dosie out one at a time and gave them about half an hour each to eat the nice green grass in our front garden. They were very happy. Wiggle is finally getting a bit of her personality back and is obviously feeling a lot better, I am starting to see that spark of mischief again in her. Just wish it would warm up so that I can take both of them and bathe them.

Tomorrow I am taking Larry to the hospital at about midday ready for his surgery on Thursday. It is going to be a long two days. The trip one way normally takes an hour so I hope that I will be able to get my posts in for both days.

I hope everyone is well and you are all finally enjoying spring.

((((((Hugs))))))) to everyone that needs them.

Lori

9 April 2007

I have posted a whole bunch of shots today, didnt know which one to post on its own so thought I would post them all as they are all reflections of what is going on in my life at the moment. This first one is of Cat doing her Leap that she likes to do. Unfortunately my bus and the other horses were in the shot, I will definitely get a shot of her doing this one day which is in focus and closer and which has no clutter LOL. She normally launches her back hooves about 2 or three feet off the ground while she is rearing

Here she is doing her next best thing, bucking and being a brat.

This is Sonny who is still holding out on us. All of the photos in todays blog were taken today for a change. Come on baby we are getting impatient.

And lastly, here are two more photos taken today of Wiggle which I think show her sad state a bit better than the other photos do. I put her in the new barn today with the studs in their stables and Gee (the thoroughbred) so that she wasnt left in the old barn on her own when I put all the other horses out. They tend to get stressed when they are left on their own. If you click on the pictures you will see larger versions. The vet came to see her today so we have his report on record. We are still not sure how we are going to deal with this, we just have so much going on with Larry going into hospital on Thursday, we are feeling a bit out of our depth.

This was taken from above her and I think shows her hindquarters very realistically, the other side shots just didnt show the extent of the weight loss like this one does. YOu can see her tailbone sticking up, that used to be level with the rumpon either side and you couldnt see her hip bones before at all now they stick right out.
Thank you all again for your concerns, messages of encouragement and sympathy. I am slowly getting back into a routine again, I just wish this year was over already, it has been awful thus far. We are still experiencing temps around freezing so I have been unable to bathe her. Hoping for warmer weather soon.

((((((HUGS)))) and thanks

Lori

8 April 2007

I have been very distracted the past three days and here is the reason. I sent my bottle baby Wiggle to a "trainer" in January to be broke to ride so that I could sell her. It was a very hard decision for me to make because she is my baby, I hand reared her and she is like my child. Unfortunately hand raising a baby horse has its disadvantages in that we tend to treat them like children which is a mistake because when they get bigger they tend to think that they can treat you like another horse and when they weigh 1000 lbs that is a no no. They are not being mean, just have an identity crisis LOL.

Well with the weather being as it has over the past 3 months the trainer wasnt getting the time to put the hours in that we had agreed on so the 45 days extended to 3 months and we were starting to get worried because every time we made an arrangment for him to bring her and the other horse of ours (our older stud) over to see their progress he cancelled at the last minute. This has been going on for 3 weeks. Eventually I had an enquiry from a Lady in Minnesota who wanted to come and see her this weekend, a 12 hour drive each way, so this was a serious enquiry. We agreed with her that we would have to get the horse over here and then make the arrangements, originally she wanted to drive down on Friday and see her on Saturday morning, but we wanted her here before we made the final arrangement. The trainer eventually got back to us on Thursday evening at about 9pm and said he would bring her over the next evening when I was back from the hospital/doctor.

He called me the next day to tell me he was getting ready to come over and I asked him to please bring the other horse too because my husband was still home and he would like to see him too. He arrived at about 5.15 and had already lead Wiggle out of the trailer and was looking for a stall to put her into by the time I got outside. I was horrified at what I saw. I didnt confront him (I hate confrontation) just asked him why she was so thin, he just fobbed it off with excuses, I let it go and suggested that as it was so late he might unload the other horse and I would make a stable vacant for him so that he could come over the next day to do the cleaning up and riding of the horses. He agreed.

When he had left I had to tell my husband what I had seen. He is bedbound so I opened up the blinds on the bedroom window and paraded both horses for him to see. Dosie was not as bad but was still thin and dirty but Wiggle was dreadful, I estimate she had lost at least 250 lbs. These pictures dont convey the scene very well because the white and winter coat tend to make her look not so bad but believe me this horse is thin. She used to have a groove running along her spine over her hindquarters, now she has her tail bone sticking up about 2 inches and her spine along her back is sticking up about 1cm and I can count every bump in her spine. She has been laying in manure because the stable or wherever she has been keps was not kept clean and dry and this tends to matt on the hair and burn the skin resulting in the hair falling out and leaving sore bare patches. She has a big bump on her nose,probably from a stud chain being used on her to load her into the trailer which I can imagine she didnt want to do as it was obvious that this horse had not been ridden, he had me believing that she had and that three children had been riding her and that they had been trail riding two weeks before. If she had been ridden in this state that in itself is a crime, she is in no shape to be ridden period. Anyway here are a few pics that I took to compare to the ones above. Half of her tail has been chewed off too.

There are more here http://groups.msn.com/doubleLpainthorses/wiggledbdindiandreamaker.msnw for those of you who may be interested.

It is going to take months to rehabilitate this mare, it breaks my heart. The lady who was interested was called as soon as I saw the mare and I told her the whole story and she told me that she was only really looking to buy a horse in May and that she would still like first refusal on her and to be kept posted about her progress. It sounds like a wonderful home for her so I hope this works out, and this one I am sure of.

So those of you who have read this far, thanks all for your concern and messages, I appreciate them. I promise I will get back into my catching up on blogs and comments soon. I just have to get my bearings back.

((((((HUGS))))))) to you all and thanks.

Lori

7 April 2007

Hi everyone, another quickie, I am still feeling under the weather, will fill you all in soon, I am just struggling at the moment. Thanks for all you well wishes, they are greatly appreciated. ((((HUGS))))) to you all and thanks.

I missed catblogging yesterday, dont know if anyone is still doing it, and for those who asked what it is all about, I can't remember who originated it but a whole bunch of us decided to post our cat pics on Fridays and call it our catblogging day. Anyway here is one a day late taken a few years ago.

Lori

6 April 2007

Hi All this will be very brief tonight, I am struggling with a situation that is making me sick to my stomach and just dont have the heart to talk about it right now.

The visit went well with the doctor, he is going to do surgery on Thursday and thinks he can solve the problem with far less effort than the last surgery required, which is a relief. So Larry is home until Wednesday when we will go back up for him to be admitted ready for surgery on Thursday. I am feeling a lot better about that right now and so is he.

I have posted two pictures taken a year or so ago of some of the wild flowers that grow around here and some of the miniature roses that grow in all the brush between the railway line and our fence.

See y'all tomorrow.

Lori