Christmas Kitty Will Survive...

He is really angry though, that we won't let him outside. Poor kitten.

I am having to give him an eye drop 4x a day, and a liquid antibiotic squirted in his mouth 2x a day. He LOVES that. Ha!

His poor little eye, it is all glazed over and the lids are so swollen they are pushing into his eye socket. Yuck. Daniel said he looks a 100x better than before he went to the vet though, so that is good.

I think Christmas is having problems with his depth perception and night vision. Last night he accidentally (or intentionally ?) knocked a cup of tea off our nightstand onto sleeping Daniel, and this morning he tried to jump on my nightstand and knocked off my two candles in a noisy crash... poor little guy...

In other news, Jim and Kristin's new baby, Sadie, is happy and healthy!

Also, Margo got a big cut on the top of her head last night... :) Fun!

Good Grief!

OMG!! I laughed out loud!

I found this funny blog called "Why The F*ck Do You Have A Kid?" "Because the skate park was closed that day..."

It is pretty good...(funny, in a disturbing way!)

Here is another funny blog... Link

Oh Noes!!

Poor Christmas kitty!!

Christmas was out last night and apparently got in a nasty fight with someone (or something)!

Dan said he was curled up in a tight ball this morning and was unresponsive. He called me as soon as he saw Christmas's little eye! I guess he has a cut above his right eye, and the eye it self is swollen shut and basically a bloody-goopy mess. Poor kitten!

Daniel took him to Dake vet this morning; and the vet called me back a little bit ago. He had to put Christmas under to examine him. The vet said Christmas's eye is very inflamed, some damage to the eye itself and an infection is already present.

He said we can take him home and start him on a round of antibiotics, and two kinds of eye drops. The vet said, if these eye drops don't help, we can try two prescription-type drops that run $50 a tube! Yikes! I said we will try the ones he has and hope they work. I can't afford another $200+ vet bill!

If the eye doesn't heal, the vet said it may have to be removed! Poor Christmas! He might become a one-eyed pirate kitty! (I hope not!) The vet said the bad eye is responsive to light, but no where near as good as his good eye.

Thank God Daniel was home from work today! Poor Christmas kitten! He is going to go pick him up at 3:00. My poor baby!

*sniff *sniff

Horse of a Different Color

Color! I want x4! :)
I LOVE this first guy! Anyone have $4,500 I can borrow???Link

Cute little grulla Morgan... :)Link

He is GORGEOUS! LOVE! :)Link

Another pretty thing... Also the most expensive of the bunch. (I like the Appy on top the best.)Link

Hmmm...

At least she is not catching him in the mouth... The horse is cute with her front end, scary "jump" though...
Link

Stuff N' Junk

This is my Grandma Tillie (my Mom's Mom) and two of her girlfriends, wearing boots and breeches. Too cute! I wonder when this was taken? You can't hardly tell (with my bad scan) but there is a ferris wheel in the background. Grandma Tillie is on the far left. (Maybe my Dad or his brother's can tell by the make of car? I know that is a game they enjoy playing...)

Margo got her Lute shot this weekend. She seemed to come into a light heat after... so fingers crossed she is not bred! :) She did not seem to have any negative side effects from the drug.

My brother and his wife are having a baby today! Fingers crossed all goes well with that! I can't wait to meet her!

Snowed on Saturday, so I didn't get to ride. I went and got hay Sunday, Dan said he would unload it for me today. :)

Edited to add:
WELCOME TO THIS WORLD - Sadie Beth Lee was born at 7:** am this morning, she is 21 inches long, 7 something pounds, and has a head full of black hair. Kristin is fine and already breast feeding at 9 am. Congrats!!!

Lucha

Here are some pictures of Lucha, my friend Kelsey's new horse... I found this mare on craigslist and Kelsey went and bought her! (Lucky!)
She is a cutie!

CL Find

This one is too cute! I want!
Link

Another 50 Animal Post

Bestweekever.tv now brings us 50 Animals Who Hate Baths... Here is the Link.
I thought this Hedgehog picture was cute! It really makes me miss our old hedge, Hedgington Wedgington the III, aka Hedgie, aka Hedge-Wedge... *sniff
She was so cute! I want another one!
She would eat cat food that we would hide around the living room. She was sooo noisy! She would scurry around to find her cat food and the go ***CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH***
She was a free range hedgehog. It makes me sad to think about all the hedgies out there who live in aquariums and never are allowed to run and play... :(

Lovely

Link

Horse of the Day

I thought she was really cute. :)
Link

Horse Stuff to do This Weekend

I am sooo glad it is Friday! Lots of horse stuff to go do this weekend, even though they are predicting snow on Saturday. (Yuck!)

Tonight: Horse Auction at Springfield Livestock Marketing Center. I will probably stop by on my way home, I like to see what shows up there.

Saturday: BLM Mustang and Burro Auction, Humansville, MO. Here is the link.
Tara and I talked about going up there, I have never been to a BLM auction, but I think we are going to pass, with the snow and long drive there.

Coggins Clinic at Fair Grove Saddle Club Arena on Saturday at 1:00. If rained out, it will be the next weekend.

Also this weekend, Cowboy Classic Pro Rodeo, at the Springfield Fairgrounds. My friend Ryan won tickets on the radio and asked if I want to go. We will see... :)
I told Ryan she might be able to find a cute cowboy out there... :)

COON HUNT Saturday! Here is the link. I only included this, because Ash Grove Coon Hunter's Assn's building is just down the road and around the corner from me. What is a Coon Hunt? Do they hunt raccoons? Is that where the red fern grows?

Also on Saturday, I have to give Margo her shot of lute. It will cause her to come back into heat, after having be bred by my idiot neighbor's fugly stud last week. My poor baby! The vet said it will cause her to cramp up, sweat, and display mild colic like signs. :( It makes me SO angry that Margo has to go through that because of my stupid neighbor's ignorance!!! Arghhh!!!

On a happier note, my brother and sister-in-law are having a baby Monday!!! I am excited to see her, her name is Sadie Beth. :)

Beat the Turtle Drum

Beat the Turtle Drum by Constance C. Greene

"Born on October 27th, Constance C. Greene's parents were newspaper reporters. One of Greene's most popular books, Beat the Turtle Drum (Viking 1976), came from personal experience. At the age of eleven, Greene's sister died. The story relates how a young girl learns to cope with the accidental death of her sister. Greene also wrote other juvenile and adult novels."

Synopsis:
This is a great book that makes me cry every time I read it! Told from the big sister Kate's p.o.v., Joss is the little sister who loves horses. She saves to rent one for a week, for her birthday. The sisters are best friends. One day, while the horse is there, they eat lunch up in a tree. Joss climbs out on a branch to check her horse and *snap* she falls to the ground and is killed.

This is a interesting book about dealing with the death of a young person, from a sibling's view point. One line from the book "Death loves a shining mark" makes me think of my friend Eric (Killuh E) who passed away last November and was definitely a "shining mark." *sniff*

Other books by Constance C. Greene:
Al(exandra) the Great, 1982
Al's Blind Date, 1989
Ask Anybody, 1983
Dotty's Suitcase, 1980
Double Dare O'Toole, 1981
Isabelle and Little Orphan Frannie, 1988
Isabelle Shows Her Stuff, 1984
Isabelle the Itch, 1973
Love Letters of J. Timothy Owen, The, 1986
Monday I Love You, 1988
Nora: Maybe a Ghost Story, 1993
Odds on Oliver, 1993
Star Shine, 1985
Beat the Turtle Drum, 1976
Good-Luck Bogie Hat, 1971
I Know You, Al, 1975
Just Plain Al, 1986

Cute Mare on CL

What a pretty girl! $1000
Link

Good Grief

Another hot mess from Craigslist:
"Wanted: Barrel Horse and Saddle"
"ok heres the deal dont have much money but i need all tack for barrel racing. the saddle pad, bridle, reins, saddle, leg wraps, tie down the whole thing. i want matching colors dont care what color as long as the whole set up matches. i am willing to make paymens but i would preferrably would like to work for all these things. i would also like some clothes like girls jeans depending on the type of pants what size. button up shirts, belts, hats and boots preferrably phat babies but will look at others to. i also need a barrel horse can be an older barrel horse but preferrably not older than 12-13. must be 14 hands and higher dont care what color as long as not gaited. must be broke. does not have to be perfect on barrels but needs to know how to do them if they are not perfect on them i will work with it. and please no studs. all of these i can work for i dont have any money at this moment so if you need something something done around the house inside or out or if you need a horse worked i can do it! email me with what you have. thanks!"

Are you kidding me? She wants, not only a horse and all the tack to go with it, but also the clothes and boots? In exchange for working around the house or riding your horse?

How does she plan to feed, shoe, worm and vaccinate said horse? Yikes

Horse of the Day

A silver bay Kentucky Mountain horse. Isn't he handsome?

Link
Here is another Kentucky Mountain horse, not the best picture, but what a neat color!

Link

Saddle Pad

I want one like this for my new saddle...

Pretty horse, she is for sell here.

Comparison

I posted this horse the other day, a 3 yr old Friesian cross. I was shocked that the sellers were asking 18k for it. Link

Well, here is another Friesian cross, similar age, similar training (none) for only $6,250Link

I just can't figure out how the people with the top horse decided it is worth so much more than the people with the bottom horse decided theirs was worth.
Personally, I like the bottom one better (the top one is a little older though...)

I Hope They Are NOT Still Breeding!

From Craigslist:
"Young Horses Free"
"I have 2 or 3 young horses that I am willing to give away. All are arbians of good stock. Two are weanlings--a colt and a filly , one is a yearling gelding. I am trying to move them because I expanded too fast and do not have the facility to keep them all. They are all very healthy animals with good confirmation. They have been handled daily but not worked with much. Only prerequisite is new owner must already have horses and know something about horses. My place is 2 mile south of Summerfield IL."
Link
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE I hope these people did not breed back all their mares!

You can hardly give away horses right now. The top of the market (20k+) horses seem to be selling okay (I guess...), but the bottom of the market has completely fallen out!

People need to give their broodmares a year (or forever) off! With the slaughter plants now closed, the number of unwanted horses is only increasing, yet back yard breeders keep pumping them out.

(Like my neighbor with the fugly stud, when I suggested he get it gelded, said, at one point "Maybe I'll take 'em over to my brothers and have him breed a couple mares." To which I replied "We don't need anymore like him!" That guy has NO CLUE!)

It is official, right now on Craigslist, saddles are worth more than most of the horses!!!

I also love how, everyday, I see people's ads wanting to trade their un-broke, green horse for your broke horse! Are you kidding me? Nobody wants your scrubby, never been touched, back yard bred crap, especially not to trade for their safe, broke horse! Give me a break!

From Craigslist:
"I am desperately seeking an inexpensive kid-broke horse for my 4 and 9 year olds. Their beloved mare passed away due to old age, and we would love to have a new one to soften the news.

I would be willing to trade my 4 year old green-broke Quarter philly for 2 well broke horses.

If you have one for sale, or are interested in a trade, please email me. I will send photos upon request."

This person wants TWO well broke horses for her "philly"?

Arghhhh!!!

Okay, sorry, that is the end of my rant! (For now. Poor horses.)

Edited to ad:
Another gem from CL (Pony for sale):
"He is still a stud and i cant afford to geld him so i need to sell him as soon as possible before he tries to breed his mom (she just had a new baby yesterday and it will also be for sale when it gets older)"

Arghhh!!! CANT AFFORD TO GELD HIM? IT COSTS $125!!! Why did you bred you mare again, if you can't afford to geld your colt???

And one more ($100 mini horse for sale):
"Black and white painted stallion. About three feet tall. Very frisky. Untrained. Not older than five years. We would like to trade him for a more companionable, riding horse"

You're asking $100 for this mini, but would like to TRADE for a riding horse???

PEOPLE!!! Come on!

Passier Saddlery Replies

Our saddle book shows following details for Passier saddle # 135913:

PT, Dressage Saddle with plain moulded flaps
Size: 17.5"
Tree width: medium
Color: havana
Built: June 1969

Best regards,
G. Passier & Sohn GmbH
Janet Hein
Am Pferdemarkt 8+10
30853 Langenhagen
Germany

1969!!! I knew this saddle was older than me, but 40 years old?!
Good grief! It is in LOVELY condition for being 40 years old! :)

My New Saddle (Pics!)

Yea! I am so happy to have got it! It fits Margo too!
My friend Kelsey (who owns my old horse) emailed me last night and said she has the same model and loves it! Hers is 25 years old and still going strong!
(Also, I finally got to use my new monogrammed saddle pad that has been sitting in my tack room for two years! It wasn't the right shape for my old English saddle) :)
(And doesn't it look swanky up against my lovely wood paneling? Ha!)

For Sale: 72" Rambo Dustbuster Fly Sheet

New fly sheet, only tried on a horse a few times. 72" Rambo Dustbuster Fly Sheet/ show sheet/ scrim sheet. White with black trim and white piping.

These are $100+ new. Has Rambo's patented circingles and front closures. Leg arches, tail flap. A really nice sheet!

Asking $35

Naughty Boy!

Here are the pictures Daniel took of my neighbor's fugly stud that broke into my pasture and bred my nice mare last week. (We wanted pictures of him on my property just in case we needed proof...)
He is a young thing. As often said over at Fugly Horse of the Day, he would make a cute GELDING! Cut 'em off, I say!!! :) (Cut 'em off, get him some training, do his feet, and freaking vaccinate and worm him! Arghh! Some people just shouldn't own horses!)



Can you see Margo in the background? She is such a sl*t when she is in heat! Bah!!!

New Porch Handrail and Other Projects

Daniel finished building our flowerbox handrail! It looks really nice. Now all we have to do is paint it and plant some flowers in it! (Started here)


Here is his new project. He was off yesterday and built the two wooden benches. All the posts in the ground will support his L shaped patio deck. (It will be 8-10 inches high when finished) I think it will look pretty nice! (Hopefully he will get excited about building horse stalls next...) :)(Oh yeah, he also planted some bushes!)

My New Saddle

Found online:

Passier PT Dressage Saddle $2,095.00
One of the first PASSIER models is the PASSIER Traditional. This model also has a PS tree. The seat is made of VACHETTE leather. The saddle flaps are molded, without knee inserts. Please note that the standard saddle comes in a hard seat, a soft seat is available.

My is used, I bet it is older than me! Still beautiful, buttery soft leather, broke in nicely, only $95!

They are going used online for anywhere from $295 to $800+!

I think mine is a dressage saddle. I like how it is cut though, not so straight in the leg as more "modern" dressage saddles are... I can definitely use it for hunter stuff and I don't think anyone will notice.

I emailed the company, and as soon as I can provide them the serial #, they said they would let me know when it was made, etc.

:)

In Other News

Had a nice weekend even after last weeks freak out with Margo being bred by the neighbor's fugly stud.

Daniel and I went to a neat auction Saturday and scored a few good deals. He picked up a nice hose for his air compressor for $7, I got a leather halter with chain and lead for $4, and my best buy, a Passier English saddle for $95. It is really nice! And it fits Margo!

I got to try it out Sunday at Wilson's Creek. Tara and I were able to fit in an afternoon ride, it was quite nice. Good weather, saw three deer. I tried my new English saddle and liked it a lot. I'll post some pictures soon.

I was all excited to go to the Everton Saddle Club's Coggins Clinic on Sunday, but as I was getting ready to leave, I realized I missed it, it was Saturday! Gah! Oh well...

Horse of the Day

Isn't he gorgeous?
Link

Are You Kidding Me?

$18,000 for this horse? A coming 3 year old Friesian cross with no training?
Good luck with that... Nice sale pictures of your 18k horse...(head shaking)
Link

Animals Wearing Wigs

Gotta love bestweekever.tv. Link over to their post of 50 Animals Wearing Convincing Looking Wigs.

I really like #32, white trash dog, and #10, Myspace picture looking kitty.

Funny stuff...

As a side note, what on earth is going on here?

A. How do you even get a sweater and a wig on a squirrel?
B. What is with this diorama?
C. WTF?

Horse of the Day

From the ad:
"Don't be fooled by his price, 8,000.00 is a steal for this horse! Its only due to my leaving for college and the bills I have to pay! Midnight is a 14 yr. old, 16.2 hand Trakehner gelding. He has been evented succesfully at the Novice level and is more than ready to compete at Training. Will remain in full training and be shown untill sold. Trainers hate to see this horse leave our barn. Would also make a great Jumper or beginner Hunter mount as well as a beautiful mover in the Dressage ring. Very animated gates. Midnight is a gentleman, extremely calm and hard working. He is great for teaching a beginner how to really ride, as well as for an advanced rider (he adjusts himself). He has also shown in OHSET(Oregon High School Equestrian Team) in Hunt Seat EQ over fences, Dressage and was a state qualifier in Working Pairs. Midnight clips, hauls, stands for the farrier, is good for the vet, bathes, and is sound. Several X-Rays available. This horse is born to show and sadly I'm not going to be able to in college and I'd hate to see him sit. Good Home a MUST!"
Link
I want! Only 8k!! :)

Yikes!

Bad Parent Award...

Why, why, why???

Stuff to do this weekend...

Big auction Saturday morning of farm supplies, house stuff and horse stuff in Miller, MO. Here is the link. I think I will go over and check it out.

Also this weekend, a Coggins clinic at Everton Saddle Club Arena. Sunday, starting at 10 am. For $10 bucks, you can get a new Coggins pulled. I will be there!

I Said Hello Country Bumkin

Yikes! You can definitely tell the difference between speaking with someone who is college educated vs. speaking with a country boy who *might* have graduated high school!

Last night, I went over to speak with my neighbor whose stud broke into my field and bred my mare Wednesday night. I tried the "good neighbor" approach.

As an experienced horse person, I explained how a two year old, unbroken stallion is a dangerous choice of a horse for their 12 yr old beginner daughter. I suggested they take the stallion (I offered to help) to the horse auction next Friday. I suggested they might sell him, and for about $200, pick up a well trained, older horse for their daughter.

The Dad replied that this stallion was a gift from a good friend of theirs, and that it has "really good bloodlines" and they aren't interested in selling it. (I didn't bother telling him that bloodlines don't mean sh*t if the horse isn't registered, which it is not.)

So, I replied, "In that case, here is a number for the vet up the road, he will come out and geld the horse for $125." The Dad then said (imagine a really country accent)"Yuk, Yuk, okay, I will get 'em done next week." YEAH RIGHT, and I will win the Olympics next week... (eyes rolling) I could tell he was full of sh*t and just trying to get this bitch (me) off his property.

I said, "Well, I really hope you do that because the horse will NOT be coming onto my property again." He replied that he is planning to run a string of hot wire along our fence lines. I said that is great, but if you don't get the horse gelded, that will not keep him from coming into my field.

We pretty much hit a stalemate there, so I said one more time "That horse can NOT come onto my property again." He said he would take care of it. I also told him that if they don't do anything with that horse, that by the time he is 3 or 4, he will be dangerous and uncontrollable. The guy pretty much blew me off.

Whatever. If you are such a dumb sh*t, you think your 12 yr old, inexperienced, little girl can train a stallion who isn't even halter broke then that is on you. I tried to help. (head shaking...)

The horse also hasn't been vaccinated or had it's feet done since they have owned it. Idiots!!! I spend thousands of dollars a year maintaining my nice horses!!! Arguhhh!!!

Well, I have done what I can do. Margo will be kept in the front paddock from now on when she is in heat, Daniel and I are putting up some new fencing this weekend, and I pray that dumb sh*t's horse doesn't come over again. If it DOES, I am seizing the horse and calling the sheriff, animal control, and a lawyer. Hope their free horse "with really good bloodlines" is worth a lawsuit to them!

BTW, I have also decided to use my own money and have Margo ultra sounded to see if she is bred or not. If she is not bred, I would rather not give her a shot of Lute, as it makes a horse sick and off for a few days. I would like to avoid putting her through that, if she is not bred.

Good Grief!!

BTW, Thanks everyone for the helpful comments, advice and support!

Horse of the Day

Isn't he handsome? Only 20k...
Link