I woke up this morning and realized it's Saturday. Saturday. As in the day before Sunday. And Sunday is the last day of my vacation. Monday means back to work. And the rat race at TWRMC. ARGH!!!!
Vacation has been wonderful. I've sooooooo needed this break. I've had such a great time. Hanging out with Mikayla. Spending time at the farm with Olliver and the rest of the herd. Chilling with Traci. It really has been a busy vacation. No wonder why I'm still TIRED!
One of the highlights of my vacation was an impromptu trip to Winona to see my parents. We went over to Winona last Sunday. I got to watch the Vikings game with my dad. Then....I got to spend a couple hours drinking coffee and catching up with Dorkchic. She was home for the holidays from LA. Oh...who's Dorkchic?? We grew up together in Winona...but lost touch after high school, but thanks to the power of the intranet we've been chatting online on occassion. She has a wonderful blog - which was the inspiration for this here blog. She knits beautiful things with yummy yarn. And she thinks Olliver is cute. So - she's very, very cool. Anyway, this is my official shout-out to Dorkchic and her blog. It was wonderful to see you guurrlll...hope to see you again soon!!!
Oh yeah...my plans for today....I'm procrastinating getting out of bed this morning. One of the most unsavory things about owning a gelding is having to clean their sheaths. Yes, that sheath. His weenis. YUCK! Traci hasn't cleaned Tubby's in a long, long time. And now his sheath is swollen and ouchy. He's walking funny and we're worried now that he may get an infection. So....I get to help with that today. Yippee. In preparation for my upcoming story on cleaning Tubby's sheath, here is a funny article/instructions about how to clean sheaths....it's a humorous take on an unhumorous task (Meet Mr. Hand). Take a few minutes to read it...it will make you giggle. I will write all about it later...bet'cha can't wait :)
Showing posts with label TWRMC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TWRMC. Show all posts
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Introduction - Part 5 (last intro post)
Since we're pretty much up to present time...I thought I'd share the pics that have and let you know that I am living my dream. Olliver is wonderful. He's smart. Patient. I
nfinitely patient. And he's going to need that patience, since I'm learning just as much as he is. I'm really limited with how much work I can do with him right now. It's winter. It's cold. Footing is bad. The wind can blow really hard at the farm. Spring can't come soon enough. Ollie and I hung out yesterday. We did a little work, but mostly we just hung out. It was 40 degrees...but foggy...misty...yuck. He's learned how to take a treat from my hand. He knows his name now and my car. He comes to the gate when he sees me pull in at Traci's. I noticed yesterday that he has grown a lot since we brought him home. He was avrunt...but he will catch up. We'll have to watch the protein levels in his feed - we can't let him grow too fast or it will damage his joints--the vet warned me about this. That can happen to Friesians. If they grow too fast, they can get problems with their stifles or OCD (no, not that kind)...or other bad things. We'll probably need to cut back on his protein levels.
nfinitely patient. And he's going to need that patience, since I'm learning just as much as he is. I'm really limited with how much work I can do with him right now. It's winter. It's cold. Footing is bad. The wind can blow really hard at the farm. Spring can't come soon enough. Ollie and I hung out yesterday. We did a little work, but mostly we just hung out. It was 40 degrees...but foggy...misty...yuck. He's learned how to take a treat from my hand. He knows his name now and my car. He comes to the gate when he sees me pull in at Traci's. I noticed yesterday that he has grown a lot since we brought him home. He was avrunt...but he will catch up. We'll have to watch the protein levels in his feed - we can't let him grow too fast or it will damage his joints--the vet warned me about this. That can happen to Friesians. If they grow too fast, they can get problems with their stifles or OCD (no, not that kind)...or other bad things. We'll probably need to cut back on his protein levels. Taggart has forgiven m
e for bringing Olliver to Traci's. See....Tubby hasn't been my best buddy since I brought Olliver home. I think I hurt his feelings. He was my best buddy. He'd let me hug him and breathe in his horsey smell for as long as I needed to - which could be a really long time after a bad day at TWRMC. Yesterday, when I was checking everyone over for scrapes and bumps, I noticed blood on Tubby's chest. He had 3 nasty cuts on his chest. Poor Tubby. They had stopped bleeding, but looked pretty nasty. I cleaned them up, put some Fura-Zone on. I gave him a hug. Lately he would tolerate a hug from me. And just that. He tolerated them. I hurt his feelings. I brought home another horse. Not to replace him, but he doesn't know that. Yesterday, he leaned back into me. Wrapped his neck around me. Hugged me back. He hasn't done that since I brought Ollie home. He's forgiven me. Thank you, Tubby.
e for bringing Olliver to Traci's. See....Tubby hasn't been my best buddy since I brought Olliver home. I think I hurt his feelings. He was my best buddy. He'd let me hug him and breathe in his horsey smell for as long as I needed to - which could be a really long time after a bad day at TWRMC. Yesterday, when I was checking everyone over for scrapes and bumps, I noticed blood on Tubby's chest. He had 3 nasty cuts on his chest. Poor Tubby. They had stopped bleeding, but looked pretty nasty. I cleaned them up, put some Fura-Zone on. I gave him a hug. Lately he would tolerate a hug from me. And just that. He tolerated them. I hurt his feelings. I brought home another horse. Not to replace him, but he doesn't know that. Yesterday, he leaned back into me. Wrapped his neck around me. Hugged me back. He hasn't done that since I brought Ollie home. He's forgiven me. Thank you, Tubby.Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Introduction - Part I
Hello! And welcome to my first ever attempt at blogging. I've kept a personal journal for years, but this somewhat public (if it's ever read by anyone) version is a little overwhelming...so please bear with me as I muddle my way through this. I'll have to give my introduction in sections...because this blog should have really started several months ago...and Olliver is already home. Who's Olliver? We'll get to that...
My name is Jodi. I'm 38 years old. And I'm a horse-aholic. Been one my entire life. In my real life, I'm the single mother of a 14-year-old daughter (Mikayla). We have 2 cats (Quiche and Moxie). We live in Rochester, MN and I work in health care administration at "The World Renowned Mayo Clinic"....which from this point on will be known as TWRMC.
Due to some unfortunate losses in my life over the past few years, I've finally come to the realization that life is just too short for wishes and regrets. You've just gotta grab life by the horns and make everyday the best it can be. Enter Traci.
Traci is one of my dearest friends. A horsewoman. A fisherwoman. The bestest, most perfect friend I could ever want. Practically my clone - only a lot shorter and looks nothing like me. She gave me back a piece of myself that I had shut down a long time ago - my love for horses.
I spent much of the summer at her place. Riding horses. Brushing horses. Feeding horses. Scooping horse poop. Building fences. Lots of manual labor. Except that when manual labor involves horses - to me, it's just not manual labor. It didn't take long before that old ache to own my own horse came back. It was all I could think about. I was CONSUMED by the need to have my own. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Traci's horses. But there is nothing like having one of your own.
I started researching breeds. I've always been crazy about Arabians. Arabians are beautiful. And a little psychotic. Not good when you've got a 14-year-old who knows nothing about horses who's gonna be running around in the pasture and corral with you and said horse. Oh, and I did I mention that I'm over 6 foot tall? I'm a big girl. I need a BIG horse. Time to rethink what breed of horse I should consider. Then I remembered the movie Ladyhawke. Remember that one? With Michelle Pfieffer? Matthew Broderick?? And that big, black, gorgeous horse?? A Friesian. Oh yes. That was the kind of horse I wanted. Only Friesians are light draft horses. Not known for having the smoothest ride. Okay...think, think. Google. Google. Here we go....Friesian Sport Horses. Athletic horses crossed with Friesians. Smart, loyal, good bone, big, athletic. And guess what - one of my new horsey friends just happens to know a breeder of Friesian cross sport horses. Just a 40 minute drive away....
My name is Jodi. I'm 38 years old. And I'm a horse-aholic. Been one my entire life. In my real life, I'm the single mother of a 14-year-old daughter (Mikayla). We have 2 cats (Quiche and Moxie). We live in Rochester, MN and I work in health care administration at "The World Renowned Mayo Clinic"....which from this point on will be known as TWRMC.
Due to some unfortunate losses in my life over the past few years, I've finally come to the realization that life is just too short for wishes and regrets. You've just gotta grab life by the horns and make everyday the best it can be. Enter Traci.
Traci is one of my dearest friends. A horsewoman. A fisherwoman. The bestest, most perfect friend I could ever want. Practically my clone - only a lot shorter and looks nothing like me. She gave me back a piece of myself that I had shut down a long time ago - my love for horses.
I spent much of the summer at her place. Riding horses. Brushing horses. Feeding horses. Scooping horse poop. Building fences. Lots of manual labor. Except that when manual labor involves horses - to me, it's just not manual labor. It didn't take long before that old ache to own my own horse came back. It was all I could think about. I was CONSUMED by the need to have my own. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Traci's horses. But there is nothing like having one of your own.
I started researching breeds. I've always been crazy about Arabians. Arabians are beautiful. And a little psychotic. Not good when you've got a 14-year-old who knows nothing about horses who's gonna be running around in the pasture and corral with you and said horse. Oh, and I did I mention that I'm over 6 foot tall? I'm a big girl. I need a BIG horse. Time to rethink what breed of horse I should consider. Then I remembered the movie Ladyhawke. Remember that one? With Michelle Pfieffer? Matthew Broderick?? And that big, black, gorgeous horse?? A Friesian. Oh yes. That was the kind of horse I wanted. Only Friesians are light draft horses. Not known for having the smoothest ride. Okay...think, think. Google. Google. Here we go....Friesian Sport Horses. Athletic horses crossed with Friesians. Smart, loyal, good bone, big, athletic. And guess what - one of my new horsey friends just happens to know a breeder of Friesian cross sport horses. Just a 40 minute drive away....
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