Sunday Stills: Self Pics

Scrappy and that obnoxious lady who writes this blog. Thanks to the D-Meister for taking these pictures. Thanks to Sunday Stills for the challenge.

Bombay's Snowy Day Antics

For some reason, Bombay always manages to do something totally hilarious on rainy and snowy days when I can't bring my camera outside with me because it will get wet.  It was snowing off and on all day, so I didn't want to put the horses in their outdoor pens.  However, Lostine peed so much in her stall that I had to let her out so that she wouldn't be standing in it.  I left the door to her stall open to air it out and let her choose where she wants to be as the weather changes, but both Bombay and Gabbrielle had to stay indoors or Lostine would rip their blankets.

At lunch time, I started cleaning stalls.  I decided to let the horses hang out on the RV lane together, because they like to root around for grass under the snow and that keeps them busy enough that they don't rip each other's blankets.  All of the sudden all three of their heads popped up and they watched something off on the horizon.  Deer, I'm guessing.  All three spooked and stampeded back into the paddock to be closer to me.  I started shoveling faster to try to get the stalls cleaned, so that I could separate them back into their stalls again.

I heard a ruckus of galloping hooves and looked out the door to see what was going on.  In my mind I imagined it was Lostine chasing the other two around, trying to rip their blankets with her teeth.  Instead, I saw the two mares come racing out from behind the barn and Bombay chasing them with this huge tumbleweed in his mouth. 

He kept poking Gabbrielle in the butt with it, and she was kicking out in protest.  Soon everyone settled down, and Bombay used the tumbleweed to scratch Gabbrielle's back.  She enjoyed it for a while and then turned, grabbed it with her teeth, and the two of them pulled it apart like a wishbone.  Then Bombay carried his half over to the water trough and dropped it in to watch it float. 

I finished cleaning stalls and herded Lostine into her stall first, making sure the door was locked tight before I brought out the wheelbarrow of hay.  If Lostine knew it was feeding time, the other two horses' blankets would be shredded in an instant as a warning to move off, so that she could get fed first.  I then herded Gabbrielle into her stall, and the instant I reached up to close her door, a loud slam rang out from next door.

Gabbrielle was just as startled as I was.  She reared up and lunged for the doorway.  I screamed, because I thought she was going to plow me down.  She slammed on her brakes.  I shut the door, and then turned around to see what the heck was going on next door.  The old jerk came out in the middle of a snowstorm to work under the hood of his truck.  I yelled out, "Good timing, guy!" in my most sarcastic voice.  I don't know if he heard me or not.  He's half deaf.  But my goal is to be so rude to these people that their only desire will be to avoid me.

Anyway, at least up until my nosy neighbor came outside, I had a good laugh over Bombay's antics.  In closing, and in apology for not being able to have my camera ready for such a silly moment, I'm leaving you with a picture of some cookies my daughter and I baked today.  Usually, you put Hershey's Kisses in the middle of them, but my husband picked up Hershey's Bells, which make the cookies come out looking a little obscene...

Ice, Ice, Baby

I woke this morning feeling totally blah and asked my husband to feed the horses for me. All I expected him to do was to throw a flake of hay to each horse in its stall, but he went the extra mile and put each horse in its pen, fed it, and broke the ice in all the water troughs.

The ice is especially bad this year. In the 21 years I've lived in Nevada, up until last winter I've never had problems breaking ice. However, both last winter and this winter the water troughs froze over to be about three inches thick. A hammer doesn't cut it. I have to get a man out there to swing a sledge hammer.

I have two electrical outlets, so I usually keep deicers in two troughs, but I have six water troughs -- one in each stall and one in each outdoor pen. This year we discovered that a brand new deicer that we bought at the end of last winter is broken, so we were down to just one. Since the ice is so bad this year, I asked my husband to pick up two deicers while he is in town. We can switch out the plugs in the two outlets between three deicers.

However, we both spaced the fact that the two outdoor troughs that needed deicers were different brands with different size holes.  So, we ended up with two deicers for one Rubbermaid trough and no deicer for the trough with the broken deicer.  To make matters worse, we didn't know where the cap was for the trough with the broken deicer.  My husband asked me to clean off the broken one to see if that would get it working, so I cleaned it with steel wool (while it was unplugged, of course).  It seems to have fixed it, but we're waiting to see how it handles itself during the night before we throw a party over it.

My husband informed me that the person at the feed store told him that you have to remove the deicers in the spring because they will break sitting in the troughs unused during the warmer months.  I've had the horses break them when the water level gets too low, but I didn't know that continued exposure to the sun would damage them.  Geez.  I don't have the strength to tighten and loosen them, so my husband always has to install them.  He throws such fits putting them in that he wasn't happy about the prospect of having to uninstall them every spring and reinstall them every winter.  He also wasn't happy over the fact that they cost $53 each and only last one or two years.

The other problem we have with these water troughs is that the rubber washers rot, and then the plugs and deicers leak.  You can buy an entire replacement plug with washers for about $20, but I just want the washers.  I'm going to have to hunt around the hardware store for something that will work. 

I'm am completely astounded that for the second year in a row, every major storm is coming through on the weekends. Every freakin' Saturday and Sunday I'm trapped inside the house. I need sun. I need air. Wah.  What are the odds that storms would be on a 7-day track for two years straight?  This is just plain bizarre.

Also astounding is how, even on this ice in these frigid temperatures, I still can't go outside without my nosy neighbors coming out to hover. You'd think a woman in her 70s and a man in his 80s would be incapacitated by this weather. 

Today I looked out my kitchen window to find the man's truck stopped in front of my house blocking my driveway. Just a few minutes before, I had been outside feeding the horses, and these neighbors had been in their yard buzzing around the truck with its hood up.  Anyway, I guess they decided they couldn't get enough of me and had to drive over to my house and block the end of my driveway.

I took pictures through the window to add to my stash of evidence concerning their stalking and trespassing behaviors, and then opened the front door and stepped outside onto the porch to take a few shots. As soon as I opened the door, the woman ran out from behind the truck. I'm not exaggerating when I say "ran", and the man took off in the opposite direction in his truck. I tracked the woman, and she ran to her house. I don't know what the heck they were doing, but I want them to stay away from me and my property.  They had just been talking to each other on their own property a few minutes before, so I don't know why they felt it was necessary to carry their conversation over onto my property.

Plus, with the number of times that truck breaks down, I don't want it breaking down at the end of my driveway.  These people are so incredibly annoying.  We've got a whole street where they can stop in emergencies, but they always choose to park blocking my driveway -- I'm guessing because they don't want trees blocking their view of my windows and yards.  Since the last neighbor who lived in that house used to do the same thing and I later found out it was because she was casing my house in order to steal my hay, I'm a bit over-reactive toward people who loiter there.  It's best not to do anything suspicious on my property.

When I looked at the pictures on my computer, I saw that the man got into a car accident recently. There's a big dent on the side of his truck. I'm guessing it was related to the icy roads.  I know you all would love to see the pictures, especially the one I got of the woman running away, but I have to protect myself from getting sued.  So, instead, here is a photo of a very cold dog...

A Website for Those Interested in Becoming a Vet Tech

VeterinarianTechnician.org posted an article, “50 Horse and Equestrian Blogs”, and included some blogs we are all familiar with and others that are new to me.

This is an interesting website.  Here's what it says on the About Us page:  Vetrinariantechnician.org was created in 2010 by Ashley Porter. Veterinarian Technician is a nonprofit online resource created to explain to students their options and some of the advantages and disadvantages of getting a vet tech degree. I decided to create this site when I was searching for the right school to get my veterinarian technician degree. It was my opinion that existing sites which attempted to explain to students the reality of obtaining your degree either online or at a campus location were typically for-profit and thus biased and less trustworthy. I therefore decided to make a site that listed all the information in one place.

Thankful For...

...my family being safe and healthy in these freezing temperatures.

...the rest I've been given these past couple of months and the time to get caught up on my dreams.

...the good food we will be eating.

...the roof over our heads, complete with heating.

...the pitter-patter of little paws.

...the clomp-clomp of big hooves.

...the warmth of a pile of blankets.

...the steam of a hot cup of coffee.

...my blogger friends.

...and so much more...

Some Trouble Getting to the Barn This Morning

I thought my window was broken this morning.  It's not often that it gets so cold that ice webs form on the windows.  I went to the sliding glass door I normally go through to feed the horses, but it was frozen shut.  The horses could see me trying to get out, and they were calling out to me, but I couldn't get to them.

I knew the front door would open, because my husband and son had already gone out it and braved the icy roads to get to work and school.  It pays to have a door set back in an alcove.

Walking around the garage was tricky.  My husband and son had shoveled the walkways and driveway, but the cement iced over during the night.  You can see a narrow strip I can walk on, then it gets darker, and that's where the flip-you-head-over-heels ice starts.  Then the rest of the ice has a deceiving dust of snow.

When I reached the gate that I had to put a combination lock on to keep hay burglars and the creeper out, I had to remove my ski gloves and let my hands freeze while I struggled with the combination lock.  When any kind of lock is frozen, I cup my hands over it and huff my warm breath on it a couple of times.  That's usually enough to melt the ice and get the movable parts moving again.

Of course, I was in my pajamas, so all the people driving by got to see my snowflake flannels.  I had one more gate to get through...

Then I finally reached the barn.  Thank goodness I set out breakfast the night before, so that I didn't have to dig under a snow-capped tarp for hay.

Bombay says, "My whiskers are frozen!  Hurry up and feed me!"

Lostine says, "My water is frozen!  Hurry up and get your hammer!"

Gabbrielle was so hungry that she couldn't wait for her hay.  She just started eating my feet...

Ugh!  While watching the local news, I heard that a hiker has been missing for three days!  I wish the police/news would be better about reporting these missing people right away, because I might be able to help find them.  Unfortunately, my finger started getting frostbit just from me removing my glove to press the shutter release on my camera for these few pictures.  I can't imagine how someone could have survived the night in these temperatures.

LaRaedo Farm Management Software

Marie Taulbee, Founder of LaRaedo - Web-Based Horse Farm Software, gave me the opportunity to try out her product and write a review. I visited her website and registered for a free trial, then took the product for a spin.

LaRaedo Farm Management Software is ideal for horse boarding facilities. It is essentially a database that tracks the past and future care of each horse, allowing ease of communication between farm manager, employees, and customers. It generates invoices for each billable service performed on horses of boarders, and allows the farm manager to track what payments are due and which are paid in full.

Everyone has their own login, and the focus is on tracking the health and maintenance of the horses. This can include everything from worming to farrier visits to turnouts. What I really like about the design is that it is so open. You are not limited by a subset of activities. You can input whatever event you choose, like grooming, baths, stall cleaning, feeding, and medicating. Since my mare Lostine has to have her hooves picked out twice a day, a boarding farm with this software could verify that someone did pick out her feet at these times on those days. Then I can log in to the website and see that the task was completed.

I can see how this software would bring great peace of mind to horse owners who are unable visit with their horses on a daily, or even hourly, basis. For horse boarders, the feeling must be the same as dropping off your kid at daycare knowing that you can log in to a website while at work and watch your child on video.

Marie says, "The reason why I created this software was because I know how incredible the emotional connection can be with our horses. I wanted to create a way that farm owners can show how much they care and reassure their boarders that all is well. Providing such a service shows a more professional, organized and customer focused farm."

I boarded my gelding before we built our barn. I remember having a problem with the farm owners always feeding him right when I wanted to exercise him. I'd walk over to their place only to find my horse heads down in a meal, and I'd have to turn around and go back home. Eventually, we worked out a system in which they fed him on my schedule instead of theirs, but I'm sure the problem would have been sorted out more quickly had they been using LaRaedo.

On another occasion, I was boarding my gelding at a training facility. I visited every other day to inquire about his progress in his training. With each visit I felt more and more frustrated, because I kept receiving vague answers. I finally talked with an honest employee who told me that my gelding hadn't been touched since I dropped him off the week before. I was furious. I had paid $700 for 30 days under saddle -- not for a month of board. I know now that if I had a choice between sending my horses off for training at a facility that does not track my horse's progress or one that has LaRaedo software to track accountability of their services, I'd choose the facility that offers the software service.

Those of us who don't spend a lot of time around computers can still access information about our horses through our mobile devices. In-system messaging and alerts are available for instant communication with the people of your choice. Say you, the customer, notice that they have medicating your horse listed as a once daily event, you can instant message them to let them know that the medication is supposed to be administered once in the morning and once at night. Or perhaps you see that they scheduled a grooming before a show, and you want to remind them to use a specific size of clipper blade on the face, you can do so with an alert.

LaRaedo also gives back in other ways. Subscribers have the opportunity to enter the name of their favorite non-profit horse organization when they register. A raffle occurs at the beginning of each month, and an organization is selected to receive some of the profits that come from subscriptions. When I registered, I chose Walkin' N Circles Ranch Horse Rescue, since Lisa of Laughing Orca Ranch has done such a great job of keeping us posted on their activities.

Check out Marie's LaRaedo blog. She has extended the following offer to us:

Now until December 31st, if you refer a horse farm to LaRaedo and they subscribe, you will make 50% of their monthly subscription for six months! That equals $23.50, $43.50 or $88.50 per referral every month (depending on the selected subscription).

If you are currently running a horse boarding business yourself, feel free to sign up for a 15-day trial.  I promise you will get addicted in no time.

Lessons Learned in Pet Photography

Each time I perform another pet photography session, I make a lot of mistakes and learn so much from them. That's why I'm giving away these first few photo shoots for free. I don't feel comfortable charging people until I know I have my stuff together.

The funny thing about photography is that people perceive it as being such an easy job. All you do is point the camera and press the button, right? Wrong. Obtaining professional level images is a complicated process. There are so many factors that can make or break your end product, so you have to be incredibly observant and quick to act. With DSLR cameras, your reaction time is slowed by the need to constantly be adjusting your settings. In an outdoor shoot, if you so much as move three-feet, you have to double-check your light meter and adjust your camera settings.

Each time I complete a session, whether it be in the studio or elsewhere, I pull out my trusty suede journal and list everything I learned. I know many of you are interested in creating better photographs for your blogs, so I thought you might be interested in my latest list.

1. The camera's light meter lies. Take three test shots, and then review them. I waited too long into the shoot to check what was appearing on the monitor and found that I lost several great shots to an overexposure problem. White dog against a light background. One must slightly underexpose in this case.

2. Ask customer to bathe and groom pets before a photo shoot. (Women are more likely than men to cooperate with this request. Since I was doing the shoot for a man, I arrived to find a white horse with a yellow and brown tail.)

3. Ask customer to bring a pitchfork and clean up manure in location of shoot. It saves on a lot of post-processing later. (Again, women tend to be more cooperative than men with this request.)

4. Before shooting, make sure everyone's face is in the light. Which brings me to...

5. When faces face the sun, there is a lot of blinking and squinting from both humans and animals. Fire off as many shots as possible and maybe one in ten will have everyone's eyes open at the same time.

6. Bring a wide variety of attention-getters for horses. Some horses just don't seem to be interested in anything and getting those ears forward can be a challenge. (In my case I had a party horn with sparkly tassels on the end. Blowing it and shaking it around just put these horses to sleep. They were trail horses in their twenties that probably wouldn't bat an eye at a deer jumping in front of them.)

7. The photographer should never have dog or horse treats in her pocket, because all she will get is close-ups of eyeballs and muzzles. Have an assistant or the pet owner handle the treats.

8. If there is a lot of junk in the background and you can't move to a better space, get on the ground and shoot up toward the clean horizon.

9. Don't schedule a photo shoot around feeding time. Hungry horses get grumpy and will only hang out by their feeding bins. (I scheduled this shoot just before sunset for the most dramatic light, but unfortunately that was feeding time for the horses.)

10. Keep an eye out for unwanted shadows on the ground or the wall behind the subject. Don't be afraid to ask people to move. (I already felt guilty about taking up this friend's time for my own benefit, so I figured I could just Photoshop out his shadow, but it really would have been simpler to just ask him to stand back.)

11. Trees can make nice backdrops as long as they aren't sprouting out of the top of someone's head.

12. Carry on a conversation with the humans in the portrait in order to get a wider variety of expressions. Talk about funny stuff, sad stuff, philosophical stuff and watch their faces change.

13. Wind does make for some wild hair if the customer doesn't mind the natural, wind-blown look.

14. Ask about the herd dynamic before entering a paddock or pasture where multiple horses are housed.

15. Steer clear of horse butts. Just because your horses don't kick, doesn't mean other horses don't kick. (No, I didn't get kicked, but I did worry about it since it's so easy to crouch down to take a picture of one horse, and then have another horse sneak up from behind you. The only problem I had was with one horse rooting through my pocket while trying to shoot another horse.)

I guess what was the most interesting about this photo shoot was how these horses had completely different personalities from my own horses. My horses, for the most part, are very physically affectionate. They love to be hugged and will hug you back. Gabbrielle is a heavy kisser. She plants muzzle kisses all over my face each morning when I enter her stall. This customer's horses did not like being touched at all. I wanted to get a shot of him standing with his arm around the horse's neck, but the horses would pin their ears back and move away as soon as he stepped in close. It kind of made me wonder how anyone could actually mount these horses to ride.

I got a lot of shots of him wrestling the horses, and we ended up having him sneak treats out of his pocket, feed the horse, and quickly slip his arm over its neck in order for me to get the chummy shot. It was well worth the effort, though.

I Beat the Storm

I did manage to make it out to the mountains to relocate my letterbox early this morning before the storm moved in. Now the weather forecasters are guesstimating 8 to 14 inches of snow in the valley. Fortunately, my husband had the day off from work thanks for furlough days saving the State some money, and he took the trek with me so that I wouldn't get eaten by a bear.

It turned out that the first part of the trail was slicked down with ice, so every footfall was treacherous. A private school was taking a field trip, which I thought was odd since everyone knows it is time to batten down the hatches. They looked like they were geared up for an all day hike, but we only had about an hour before the clouds and high winds moved in.

I found the letterbox and looked around for a better spot to hide it just off the trail, but not so far off that someone would complain that it causes people to tramp through an area that should remain pristine. Letterboxing is tough, because you are not supposed to leave the trail, yet if you plant the letterbox directly on the trail like I did, someone complains because they can't get enough privacy to sneak it in and out of its hiding place.

I just could not find a single spot where I felt the letterbox wouldn't be a problem, so we hiked back down the hill and looked around the picnic area around the parking lot. I found a stump where I could re-hide it, and then a short time later I found a great crevice under three boulders, so I planted a second letterbox there and created my first series.

I'm sure someone will bitch about them being too close to places where people are picnicking, but honestly, in all the times I've visited this location I have never seen anyone utilize those picnic tables. They usually head straight up the trail.

In other news, the neighborhood has been amazingly quiet lately. The young guy who seemed to have moved in next door appears to have taken the old lady's car and disappeared off the face of the earth. Now the lady has no vehicle doors to slam, so she can't pretend like she's searching for something in her car every time she comes outside to spy on me. She also isn't driving up and down the road in front of my house every 15 minutes. She actually just sits in her house quietly and keeps busy like most retired people do.

Occasionally, I see her watching me from her window or backyard, and sometimes she comes out to fuss with the tarps over the junk in her front yard, but at least she's not interfering with my activities every time I walk outside. Now it is just some of the time. I did notice that she has returned to the habit of walking her dog behind my barn when I'm in there cleaning stalls, but if I look at her and get eye contact, she knows I've spotted her and she'll stay on her own property.

All the construction has stopped too. The noisemakers are going into hibernation. Hurray!

Genoa at Dusk

After leaving a photo shoot, I decided to drive along the foothills to avoid the rush hour traffic on the highway. I drove past a couple of deer on the side of the road and said, "Oh shoot! What kind of a photographer am I to pass up that?"

A little further down the road a doe ran in front of me and I had to slam on my brakes. I watched it run down the hill onto a golf course and knew that by the time I could pull over, park, and get my camera out of the trunk, she'd be gone.

So, I continued on. When I reached the town of Genoa, supposedly Nevada's oldest town, I saw a buck and a doe in some trees. I pulled over, grabbed my camera, took a few shots, turned around and saw something like twenty deer up and across the road.

I used my telephoto lens to capture the activity, so that none of the drivers could blame me for scaring deer across the road in front of them. There was a near accident at one point, as you will see...

The locals know to drive slower than the posted 25 MPH at dawn and dusk, but sometimes the tourists are so busy rubbernecking at the interesting buildings and mansions in this area that they don't see what is on the road in front of them.  In the case below, I thought the guy in the van was leaning on his horn to get the deer out of the way, but in the series of shots I took, I could see that he was glaring in his side view mirror and probably honking at the tailgater behind him who was following so close that he couldn't see the deer in front of the van.

Queen of the hill...

This doe was actually pawing at the sand just like horses do.  Below I snapped a shot right after a rather grown up adolescent fawn ran across the road to nurse.  Mama pushed her away, so I suspect it's weaning time.

A buck in the cat tails...

A fight broke out when one deer ran across the road and ran right into the personal space of another deer...

Lots of old barns with photogenic wood panels and wickedly bare trees...

Hmmmm. If the electric and gas meters weren't there, I'd think the picture were taken in the 1800's.

Say It Isn't So

I was just wondering whatever happened to one of my favorite horsemanship clinicians, GaWaNi Pony Boy.  I liked his style of presentation so much that I've requested that horse event organizers invite him to do a presentation.  Just now I went out to his website and saw this message:

Hello friend, I hope this finds you well.

I regret to inform you that due to a motorcycle accident/injury last year, I will no longer be doing clinics.

If this changes, I will surely let you know with a newsletter announcement and

an announcement on this page.

Sincerely,
G. PonyBoy

 Is this just belated news to me or did others know about it?

Racing Against Winter

I've been in a race against time these past couple of weeks to try to beat winter.  Beginning on Saturday we are supposed to get four straight days of rain and snow.  I have a friend who moved into the area who I wanted to spend some time with before the roads got too treacherous.  Then I wanted to complete a photo shoot of my farrier's dog and horses.  I tried to set up something last week, but he said he'd call me over the weekend after he found out his work schedule for the next week.  He forgot.  So, I called him again and we're going to end up having the shoot in some high winds.  It might make for some interesting pictures with fur, manes and tails flying around.

I also wanted to hit the pavement and finish passing out all my business cards and coupons to related businesses before it got too cold.  Regarding the horses, I made sure that all the water troughs are clean and full, assuming that getting water out of frozen pipes will be a pain in the near future. 

Lastly, I received an ornery email from a letterboxer who didn't like where I placed one of my letterboxes.  She says it's in too much of a high traffic area and it compromises the integrity of the trail.  I see her point, so I need to relocate the box to a more appropriate hiding place.  I remember the day that I hid it.  I was extremely tired and didn't have the patience to keep looking for a better spot.  I knew the hiding spot wasn't ideal, but I had places to go and things to do, and this was my umpteenth attempt to hide the dang thing.  I just wanted to get it over with, so I could cross one more item off my To Do List.

So, now that I've received a complaint, I have to get up there in the mountains and relocate the box before the snow settles in for good.  There is snow up there right now, but I've been watching it melt day by day on the web cam.  It might be melted for one or two days before this next storm comes in, so I'm only going to have a very narrow window of opportunity to make my move.  Otherwise, I'll have to wait until the spring or summer and knowing how lousy my memory is, I'll probably forget all about it.  At least until the next complaint arrives.

I'm starting to think that letterboxing just isn't the hobby for me.  Though I love getting out in nature and I love hunting for hidden treasures, it seems some of the people who do the hobby can be a bit persnickety.  This lady even criticized me for not hand-carving my own stamps.  Maybe she should try working 60 to 80 hours a week with no holidays for 11 years straight, raising two kids, and training several dogs and three horses and see how much time she has to hand-carve stamps.  Geez.  And quite truthfully, now that I've been laid off and have started my own business, I doubt I'll have any time to do it in the near future either. 

I'm still trying to complete the king-sized bed quilt I started years ago to replace the one that's all torn up now thanks to many generations of dog toenails ripping into it.  That's my priority as far as crafting goes.  I'm making this one extra wide so that my husband and I don't have to fight over the covers.  If you haven't seen my Frazzle Frenzy blog (yes, I like z's), I've been using it to track my fabric art projects over the years.  The older posts display pictures of finished projects.  I first started quilting and learning about fabric art many years ago when I actually had some free time, because I found it to be a relaxing activity to do after a stressful day at the office.  However, as the years wore on I found myself working later and later into the evening or just plain too wiped out to do anything at all.  Getting old sucks, but staying warm with quilts is awesome. 

May your winter provide you with the water you need, and then go away quickly.

Photo Fun

Here's my attempt at the Sunday Stills coffee/teacup challenge, late as usual...

Then I started having fun with Photoshop.  I gave the photo of Midge playing in the leaves a crackling effect to make the entire picture look like a crackled leaf.

This was our sunset the other night.  I only let Photoshop make one minor adjustment, because the sunset was perfect in itself.

While shoveling manure I noticed this vehicle parked up against my fence had fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror.  Then I noticed that the interior was an incredible throwback to earlier times and I had to get a picture.  This one is closest the to real image.  The windows had a blue tint.

I also liked the look with a yellow tint.

And who could resist neon?

But it wouldn't be the same without basic black and white.

Book Review: How To Raise Your Adult Children

I was given the opportunity to preview and review the book "How To Raise Your Adult Children" by Gail Parent and Susan Ende, M.F.T.  I was interested in this book for several reasons:

1.  Susan Ende taught at one of the universities that I attended in Los Angeles.
2.  I used to be a Parenting Educator, but we only covered prenatal education through raising teenagers.  Unfortunately, the majority of the prenatal education was specifically for pregnant teens.
3.  I have one adult child and another soon-to-be adult child.
4.  I am still a bit of an adult child myself, because I am ashamed to say that I still depend on my mother for so much.

The book is broken up into the following topics:  Money, college, living arrangements, work, dating, family rituals, marriage, in-laws, grandchildren, divorce, aging and illness.

Each chapter begins with an insightful summary of the various problems that today's parents of adult children face.  The majority of each chapter is formatted a la Dear Abby style.  It begins with a short letter from someone who needs advice, is followed by a humorous, yet often painfully true response from comedy writer Gail Parent, which is followed by a response from psychotherapist Susan Ende.  Sometimes Gail then responds to Susan's response and they get a banter going back and forth.

Both of them take somewhat of a tough love approach of throwing the bird out of the nest or at least setting strict boundaries so as not to be taken advantage of by the blood and flesh you conceived.  It was interesting reading all the various problems that parents have with their adult children, and of course I recognized a few of them as being too close to home for me.

My parents had a hard time of it with my brother who has been an incurable alcoholic living on disability most of his life.  They had to throw him out of the house and even after they did, he kept sneaking back in during the night to have a warm place to sleep.  They put him through a slew of recovery programs, none of which worked.  They did all the right things to help him hit rock bottom, but nothing turned him around.  I know it was painful for them to have to turn him away each time he begged for help, but they quickly learned that each dollar they gave him went toward more alcohol and each gift they gave him got hocked for money for alcohol.  Amazingly, my brother is still alive 30-some years after his alcoholism began, and he's learned to let our parents live in peace.

However, after reading this book, I became aware that my own trespasses toward my parents were just as bad if not worse than what my brother put them through.  Because my husband and I have a long history of getting laid off from jobs, and because we were raising their grandchildren, they felt it was necessary to buy us a house so that we would always have a roof over our heads.  And I happily accepted.  Both my brother and I have experienced homelessness, but the only difference between us was that he was an alcoholic while I was simply unfortunate.  I was born during economic times when lay offs were rampant in our line of work and even with both my husband and I performing four jobs between the two of us, we couldn't afford to buy our own home.

I am eternally grateful for all that my parents have done for my family.  For 18 years we have taken turns covering the costs of various problems or upgrades needed to be done to the house.  In bad times, my father paid to put on a new roof and repair the water pump.  In good times, we paid to lay down a new leach field for the septic tank and remodeled the kitchen with all new cabinets and appliances.  When we lose our jobs, my mother tells us not to bother to pay our share of the utilities and mortgage until we have jobs again.

After my father died, I started taking care of my mother.  When she broke her leg, I left my job and family to live with her and care for her.  Every once in while she offers me a very expensive gift, such as paying to have a wall built between us and our annoying neighbors.  There's been a lot of give and take between our two generations.  I hate to think where we'd be now if my parents didn't help us out.  What is amazing in all of this is that my parents never once complained about having to help us.  It's what they wanted to do.

My parents survived The Great Depression and came out of it into a time of prosperity.  My father worked one job until he was 65 years old while my mother managed things at home, and somehow they ended up with more money and a more stable income in retirement than my husband and I make working multiple jobs in the software industry.  We both have college educations.  I actually have 7 years of higher education, yet that doesn't mean we will be financially secure.  My parents bought and paid off their first home, which is what allowed them to buy a second home for us.  We, on the other hand, have been working for well over 20 years, and we still can't get enough saved up for a down payment on a home.  There is an undeniable difference between yesterday's working adults and today's working adults.

The other thing that amazes me about my parents is how they desire nothing.  I would ask them what they wanted for Christmas and they'd say something like, "Nothing.  I already have more than I need."

Anyway, in the very least, "How To Raise Your Adult Children" will get you thinking about both your relationship with your own parents and your relationship with your adult children, if you have some.  The differences between the generations are fascinating.  My father worked to put himself through college without any help from his parents.  Then he turned around and paid for everything for me and my brother, right down to college parking permits and books as well as tuition and housing.  My own daughter is splitting the cost with us.  She's working while in college and paying some of her expenses while we pay others.

Ultimately, it is up to the parents to decide how much they want to help, and any child over the age of 18 should never expect for his parents to support him financially.  Adults must take responsibility for themselves.  Just looking around my neighborhood I've seen several adult children move in and out of their parents' homes over the years.  Many of them fly the coop only to return a couple years later.  I see multiple generations living together, usually not so happily ever after.  It seems the more people under one roof, the more arguing I hear.  I just hope this economy improves for everyone's sake.

What I enjoyed the most in reading "How To Raise Your Adult Children" was the way that Gail and Susan really did not favor either the parents or the adult children overall.  At times they'd receive a letter requesting advice from a parent who needed an attitude adjustment, and boy did that give it to him or her.  Years ago I had my own parenting advice column in a newspaper.  Nobody ever wrote in with questions, so I had to make them up.  I'm hoping that's what Gail and Susan did in some cases, because otherwise the authors of some of those letters were probably mortified by their responses.  This book is kind of like some of the more blatantly honest reality TV shows that air now-a-days -- very humorous for those watching from the wings, but not so fun for the participants.

You can purchase this book at Amazon.com.

Vaguely Familiar Objects

What is this thing?

Oh, that's right, it's a saddle. I haven't seen one in so long that I forgot what it was. And who is this?

Ahhhh yes, I remember now. It's Bombay! We took a little ride today and he was good as gold. I didn't push him too hard since he's out of shape from a series of long recoveries from leg and hoof injuries.

Of course, the second I put the saddle on Bombay, my neighbors' boarders showed up in their truck to drag the paddock. I suspect that they've learned that Sunday morning is the best time for them to get work done and ride their horses without having my nosy neighbors hanging around. Unfortunately, that was MY best time to get work done and ride my horses until they started showing up and making a racket with their yelling, door slamming and horn honking.

Bombay did alright despite the distractions. I kept reminding him to collect and keep his head down, because he wanted to see what the boarders were doing. While I was riding, the boarders started cracking their whip at their horses, which caused a stampede. They rarely take the time to lunge their horses on a long line, but instead just gather them all together and chase them around while cracking a whip. Since they don't have a round pen, this lunging isn't done in a controlled manner. The horses run off in all directions bucking and snorting, which gets my horses riled up. Then I have to start worrying about my safety while riding on my property.

At one point Bombay was so focused on what what happening next door that he stopped paying attention to anything else, and a horse on the property behind him bit into a fence panel so hard that we heard a CRRRRRAAAACK! Bombay burst forth out of the jog into a fast trot, but I was able to get him back down to the jog fairly quickly. You can't have horses breaking out of their pace and frame if you plan to show them or perform dressage. I don't necessarily plan to do either of those things, but I would like a horse that could perform at those levels.

I was considering riding Gabbrielle, but as soon as I dismounted from Bombay, the ladies next door started dragging the paddock with their truck and honking at their horses each time they got in the way. So, I decided to just lunge Gabbrielle and film it, so that you can see how her gait has improved. She still throws her head up in the air like a giraffe, but it's not bobbing up and down as if favoring a leg or shoulder. You can hear all the honking coming from next door while I lunge her.



In this next video you can see a bit of her silly gallop. I let her do it until she starts to lose traction on the wet sand, then I slow her down or stop her. Overall, I think she's moving much better than earlier this year. I'm trying to avoid further accidents and injuries with her, so I was keeping my own energy really low to balance out the crazy and wild energy she was feeling from the horses next door.

Scrappy Got a Bone

Midge got a bone too, but she hid under the table while she ate it, so I had to wait until after she was satiated and came back out to socialize to get a picture of her.

Fall Frolic

Boy!  What a difference in the weather between Wednesday and Friday.  The kids actually got to have some fun outside in the fall leaves.

Snow, Hoof Updates and Five-Foot Wingspans

It snowed today.

Bombay wasn't happy.

In other news, I continue to pick out the horses' hooves. The farrier found a rock lodged in Bombay's abscess, which was preventing it from healing. The rock was the same color as his hoof, so I thought the hole had just healed up fast. He stuck a shoe nail into it to show me just how deep it goes and told me to keep the rocks out of it and pour some Betadine solution in there.

Lostine was having good days and bad days. Each time I got my hopes up that her lameness was only temporary, I'd be let down the next day to see her limping again. I went ahead and put the Old Macs on her to offer some cushioning, and that seemed to do the trick. She was galloping all over the place. Unfortunately, I can't keep those shoes on her all the time, because they rub and collect gunk.

Gabbrielle is actually moving a lot better at the trot than she was this spring and summer. I don't know if she was just having a good day or if this is a trend and she actually is healing from whatever the heck has been ailing her. When I took Lostine in to the vet with her limp, he wasn't seeing it at first, and Gabbrielle's lameness is a lot less obvious now than Lostine's was, so I doubt I would get anywhere if I asked the vet to investigate. Hopefully, this miraculous healing will last and I'll be able to start riding Gabbrielle again once the ground dries out.

Regarding the dogs, my husband reported that Midge was nearly attacked by a Great Horned Owl last night. This is the second time this has happened, and my husband had to shoo the owl away. He did some research and found a story about a lady with four Chihuahuas, who let them out at night to do their business, and one dog came back needing stitches while another dog disappeared. A Great Horned Owl had descended upon the dogs, tried to pick up one and took off with the other. They can carry off pets that weigh less than 15 pounds. Midge weighs 38 pounds, so I doubt an owl could carry her off, but it could cut her up with its talons, and of course it could easily carry Scrappy away. So, we are going to have to take the dogs out on leashes at night from now on. We've always felt our fencing would protect the dogs from coyotes, but we never thought a threat could come from the sky.

Three-Year Vaccinations

Midge finally got her three-year vaccinations including rabies. I called the new vet and asked if they could just give her the vaccinations without the wellness exam. The doctor was the one who answered the phone and she snapped at me, "I cannot give vaccinations without a wellness exam because of Nevada Law!"

Say what? I was taken back a bit. First off, why do pet stores do vaccination clinics? I don't see any wellness exams being performed there. It's just a long line of pets getting shots. The lady seemed too angry with me for trying to save money that I didn't want to push it by arguing with her.

So, I explained that I lost my job and have to ask how much everything costs. She quoted me for about $83. That's a heck of a lot better than anything I've ever had to pay at my old vet, so I asked to set up an appointment. She wanted me to bring her in within the next hour. Some alarms went off in my head. I can see a vet clearing her schedule for an emergency, but this is an annual maintenance appointment. I found it odd that she didn't have any customers right then. Every time I drive by this vet hospital I never see any cars in their parking lot. For some reason the locals just don't do business with them.

I said I couldn't come on that short notice and set up an appointment for first thing in the morning. As usual, the parking lot and waiting area were empty. They took me right in, but the doctor was on the phone so another vet came in to examine Midge. I felt like I had taken a brand new car in for an oil change and the mechanic was desperately trying to find something wrong with it, so he could charge me more. Between the doctor and the vet tech, they must have asked me half a dozen times if Midge has had any diarrhea, vomiting, scratching or lameness. It was like they didn't believe me when I insisted that she was fine.

Then came the sales pitch to remove the tarter from the teeth. Sigh. They forced me to take an estimate for a teeth cleaning and made me sign a legal document saying that I read the estimate. It was bizarre. It was like they were going to sue me if I didn't get my dog's teeth cleaned. I wondered if they remembered me from when they pressured me to get Scrappy's teeth cleaned and I didn't follow through because Scrappy's previous caregivers recommended against it. They felt he was too old and too small and too weak after just having surgery to be put under anesthesia again.

Then this new vet started laying a guilt trip on me regarding annual wellness exams, saying that they are very important because they have to check to make sure the tarter on the teeth hasn't gotten any worse. Sigh. They are obsessed with that tartar, aren't they? I've never had a dog die from tartar, even though I know bacteria can get into the bloodstream and stop the heart. If it were an epidemic, I'd get the teeth cleaning, but this is more like getting an expensive and potentially dangerous medical procedure done to prevent something that rarely happens.

They had Midge's medical history from my old vet, and they probably went over it with a fine-tooth comb and noticed that I don't bring my dogs in for annual wellness exams. So, this doctor was making it sound like if I wanted to do business with them, I had to bring my dogs in for their annual wellness exams. The whole time I was thinking about the one last small animal vet clinic we have in our area, wondering if that would have been a better choice.

We had a hot air balloon float over the neighborhood this morning, which got the dogs excited. If any moving thing out of the ordinary comes near our property, the dogs go nuts. So, when I walked Midge into the vet clinic waiting area and there was the clinic's resident cat sitting there in the middle of the floor, I expected Midge to charge it. Instead, she completely ignored it. I guess the difference if that she was in the cat's home as opposed to cat being around her home.

While I was taking pictures of the hot air balloon, I heard a noise behind me. I turned to see yellow leaves pouring off our tree and knew this might be the last day of our fall colors, so I snapped this picture of our front yard...

Green, red, and yellow side by side with the white backdrop of a snowy mountain.