Twenty Questions

1. My ex ... works down the hall.

2. Maybe I should ... get back to work so I can succeed.

3. I love ... only a few, and I mean it when I say it.

4. People would say that I am ... intelligent & highly opinionated.

5. I don't understand why ... anybody in the country would want a Liberal hand-out, and wouldn't want to actually work for their checks.

6. When I wake up in the morning ... I can smile before I briefly pray for those I love.

7. I lost ... my mind a long time ago. Let me know when you find it.

8. If I had my way ... There'd be more daylight free hours outside of work.

9. My past ... is forgiven.

10. I get annoyed by ... stupid people.

11. Parties are ... okay, but I won't clear my calendar for one.

12. I wish life was not ... full of grouchy bad news!

13. Dogs ... love unconditionally.

14. Cats ... have a maintenance staff, of which I lead.

15. Tomorrow... is another work day.

16. I have a low tolerance ... of those who lack common sense.

17. If I had a million dollars ... I'd pay off debt, invest, and relax a while.

18. I'm totally terrified of ... being alone.

19. My spouse is ... (n/a) As I told a lady at a laundromat soon after I moved here, "If you find him, would you tell him to hurry up & get to the house?! I've been waiting over twenty years, and I'm getting a little tired of waiting." LOL

20. My life is ... pretty darn incredible.

09/08 And Then the Rains Came

I could make some snarly comment here ... something like "You All had to work, I didn't".. but nah, I won't do that.

Woke up too early for a vacation day. So have you done the math yet? I was first excited to have four days off, Tuesday makes five. Yup, took an extra vacation day. Had some repairs on the house scheduled for Monday, that got postponed to Tuesday.

My leaking roof was repaired, at a very reasonable cost, with discounted supplies. Fantastic! As the last shingle was being nailed, sprinkle-showers started. (I'd almost forgotten what true rain looked like.)

Then, in the afternoon, the clouds opened up. It absolutely positively, POURED at my house. It rained solid-steady for almost a half hour. Not so much to make puddles everywhere, but enough to water the pastures, the yard, my flower beds, and my ponies.

Tuesday lesson cancelled, well, postponed to Thursday. The rain is appreciated, though it delays my riding even further. Darned weather. Choir tonight, along with garden duty at church beforehand.

Thank You God, for the rain. It's not the best timing, with the end of month show coming and all, but Thank You.

09/02 Through 09/07 Updates

Where have I been? Geez whiz, I know folks. I'm entirely sorry. I had a few moments here & there in front of a pc where I could have updated & let everybody know I was alive.

Plain & Simple, the boys were dealing with loose shoes & over reaching (Romeo) or missing shoes (Ransom), so unfortunately there aren't many pony-stories to tell. Nevertheless, updates it is!

09/02 - Choir rehearsal. Back in the swing of things. We've got a pretty full room this year, and it's nice to see all the happy faces.

09/03 -Nothing much. A stressful week at work came to a relaxing end, with four days of time off scheduled.

09/04 - Again, with Ransom missing a shoe, I took the opportunity to haul him to the vet in town. Coggins and a brief exam. Vet saw nothing major wrong, though attributes the slightly runny nose & raspy breathing to allergies.

09/05 - Again, not much. I spent a good deal of time running here & there in town. Jen and I fetched breakfast together, and she tells the story pretty good here. Diaper Party. Hmm... Yes, it's double-dipping for gifts. Redneck ways of acquiring baby supplies for free, I suppose.

09/06 - Church choir is back in full season. The message was good, though the opening ten minutes or so left a foul taste in my heart I couldn't shake. Spent a good part of the afternoon at BBQ at Jen's place. I like it when she blogs before me - makes my typing less. *giggle* R and I enjoyed a late evening at his place - *hiccup* An entirely good evening, with just a speedbump or two.

09/07 - Mr Dale came to the house, Romeo barefoot now, Ransom a trim & four new shoes. Happy horses. R and I watched an afternoon movie together (HAH! I figured out "WhoDunIt"! HAH!). I grabbed Ransom outta his pasture, hoping I'd get to ride Tuesday, for a Monday night lunge. He was fabulous. A little frisky-fresh to start, but quickly settled into those side reins & really paid good attention. About 40 minutes total work for the big monster. Fun to be back in the equine-swing.

Lyrics of the Day

Now, who here is in the mood for some Chipper Cheery Happy Lyrics? I've done enough of the angry, upset, and frustrated songs for a while, don't ya think??

Sara Bareilles "Many The Miles"

There's too many things that I haven't done yet
Too many sunsets I haven't seen
You can't waste the day wishing it'd slow down
You would've thought by now
I'd have learned something

I made up my mind when I was a young girl
I've been given this one world
I won't worry it away
But now and again I lose sight of the good life
I get stuck in a low light
But then Love comes in

How far do I have to go to get to you?
Many the miles Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you?
Many the miles But send me the miles and
I'll be happy to follow you Love

I do what I can wherever I end up
To keep giving my good love
And spreading it around
Cause I've had my fair share of take care and goodbyes
I've learned how to cry
And I'm better for that

How far do I have to go to get to you?
Many the miles Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you?
Many the miles Send me the miles and
I'll be happy to
Follow you Love

Red letter day and I'm in a blue mood
Wishing that blue would just carry me away
I've been talking to God don't know
If it's helping or not
But surely something has got to got to got to give
Cause I can't keep waiting to live

How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles But send me the miles and
I'll be happy to yeah
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles Many the miles
Been talking to God don't know if it's helping or not
Many the miles Many the miles
How far do I have to go to get to you
Many the miles Many the miles
Oh send me the miles and I'll be happy to
Follow you Love

There's too many things I haven't done yet
Too many sunsets I haven't seen

09/01/09 Making Lemonade

I hurried home after work, rushed the dogs to potty, changed clothes, sprayed down with bug repellant, and grabbed Ransom.

Brushed him off, looked at his.. feet.. dangit! Left rear shoe, GONE. That's the hoof that was buggered up to start with, a chunk of wall missing after a trailer-meets-hoof incident soon after I got him. Darn it! So I sprayed him with bug spray, and sent him back out with a few cookies & an apology.

When a Horse gives you Lemons, Get another Horse! =)

So I grabbed Romeo, Western saddle, English bit, running martingale, and off we went.

We worked for about 45 minutes, walk, trot, canter. Mostly walk/canter and trot/canter transitions, focusing on getting the right lead, staying at a decent pace, and staying collected. After a few intial road blocks of wrong leads and fussing with the martingale, he settled in nicely with some controlled circles & relaxed canter.

I had fun, though now I'm off Ransom until Monday when Mr Dale can arrive at the house. Darn it! I think Romeo will get one more day, though his feets are long too, and when he's not paying attention, his back feet meet his front shoes, clink clink clink. Turkeys. Everybody else in town has slow feet in this dry weather. Boy dog wow, not at my house - we got good food, good hay, and apparently just enough rain to have happy fast feets at my house.

I'm Told This is a Bad Idea

But I don't care. It's still funny!

08/31/09 Romeo Ends the Month

The sky looked gloomy, with rain on the radar just west of my house. It was a bit stagnant, sitting in the same spot, strengthening & weakening without warning. Ransom's lesson was set for Thursday, so a Monday ride would've meant two days off until lesson, which doesn't usually make for a good teaching session.

So I buried myself in long sleeves, jeans, boots, and an armor of bug repellant, and grabbed Romeo. He was happy to oblige, and a bit happier I believe when I slid over his back in his french link bit. He picked up a very long strided walk, ears pulled straight forward.

We wandered down the road each way from the house a bit. The deer were bounding around in the trees, squirting across the road from one side to the other.

I worked on walk & trot, and tried to focus on seat transitions. He was pretty compliant, but I could tell a bit annoyed we weren't going any faster. Need to work up courage to pick up bareback canter in the arena soon...

Played for about a half hour.