Oops!

Oops!  I didn't mean to mislead anybody!  The image I used in the previous post is just of the cover of the sales catalog Bob's new horse was in.  As Funder pointed out, Big Ben is a gelding, and the cover horse is a mare.  Can't wait 'till he gets here.  He's 4 years old, and that's about all I know.

BIG NEWS

We are very happy for our friends, Bob and Diana, who have a new horse!

As of today!

We are beyond excited to have Big Ben come live with us

and join their other clyde Boomer.

 

Thunder, Lightning and ...

Snow!

It started as little round pellets.

Then it changed to huge fluffy flakes.

Now it's horizontal snow, slashing past our window.

 

Spring Clinic

Dr. Gary came today for our Spring clinic.  All the horses got their shots, sheaths cleaned and teeth checked.  Paj had points that needed filing, but everybody else's teeth were fine.  I always ask Dr. Gary to check weight, and I am very happy that every horse is at a good weight.  I worry about weight.  We weigh hay and feed 1.5% of their body weight per day, but on those super-cold Colorado winter days we give extra.  It's hard to know if you are giving too much or too little extra, and it's hard to notice subtle changes when you see them every day.  We got it right, so good job, us!!!  Becky, the vet tech, said our barn is the cleanest barn she's ever seen, so double good job us!!!  And the boys were all really well-behaved.  It was a good day.

Hey, Reggie here.  It was a crappy day.  First, they backed me into a corner.  No need for that, really.  It was all downhill from there -

You stick that finger up my mouth any farther,

 and I'm gonna bite it off.

What's that in your hand, Dr. Gary?

Wormer?  Yuck!

Double yuck!  I thought we were friends!

Never trust a human.

Palm Sunday Moon

This is looking toward neighbor Chuck's ranch.  You can just barely see his barn at the bottom of the picture.

A Gorgeous Day!

Wow, what a pretty day!  Now if it snows 3', it's our fault;  we set up the dressage arena.  Or rather David set up the dressage arena

while I raked the lunge pen

It wasn't all work -

Bob and David took Boomer for a spin

while I found the first wildfower,

Easter daisy.

Signs of Spring!

At last!  A flower!!!  The wildflowers are too well adapted to stick their heads up for another month or so, but we have daffodils!  These little guys are only about 6" tall but they sure are pretty.

Thirteen-stripped ground squirrels are cavorting on our lawn, drawing the coyotes ever closer.  We had this handsome fellow in our back yard today -

It looks like he made it through winter in fine form.

A Change of Pace

You know I love our ranch.  But I gotta tell you, I had a great day away.  Our friend Adwyn invited us to a chamber music recital to benefit Japan relief efforts.  The concert will be held twice, so David will go to the Friday evening concert.  Saturday was my turn - we're switching off horse duties - so off I went on a long drive north.

Carol, Adwyn and Don

Here's an abbreviated version of the program -

Ludwig van Beethoven Streichtrio, Opus 3

Paul Hindemith Trio, Opus 34 No. 1, Fugue

Robert Schumann Klavierquartett Es-dur, Opus 47

I enjoyed every minute of it, but the Schumann was a real thrill.

We've been friends with Adwyn a long time.  David met Adwyn walking the cross country course way back when we were young.  There weren't many guys eventing in this area then.  David was showing Skipjack and Adwyn was showing Squeek.  It was instant male bonding, and we've been the best of friends ever since.

David and Skipjack

These days, the guys have brother-horses.  David's Reggie (Wingate) and Adwyn's Wulf (Ware) were both sired by Wendepunkt.

Wendepunkt

Hey wait a minute...I started out telling you about my day away, and here we are, back at the ranch!  Now how did that happen...

It's Hard to Keep a Good Man Down

David is feeling pretty darn good.  It's hard to keep him resting instead of working.  Neighbor Chuck called this morning to ask us to keep an eye out for a hubcap off his truck.  He thought he lost it on the lane.  So off David went on Boomer, the best 18.2 hand trail horse ever, in search of the hubcap.

They found it!  I am pronouncing David fit for light duty.  Boomer's feathers are still white and fluffy, even after our little snow storm.



Snow Be Gone!

View from the house

yesterday -

and today -

Yep, it's Snowing!

Perhaps I got carried away by the warm weather -

It was a wild night last night with winds recorded at 75 mph.  It let up this morning, and I was able to get the horses out for a half day of liberty.  Then the temperature plummeted, and the snow started.  The boys are pouting in their stalls.  Snow should stop around midnight, and tomorrow is expected to be back in the high 40s.  It's just a little Spring storm.  I'll be back in those flip-flops in no time!



A Good End to a Scary Day (Yesterday)

Today's Sunrise

The End -

David has acute sinusitis.  When he forcefully blew his nose, he affected the pressure in his inner ear, resulting in extreme dizziness.

The Day -

It was our normal day.  We fed the horses at 7, ate breakfast, turned the horses out for the day, and swept the barn.  David has had a cold, but was feeling fine.  He did yard work while I gave Boomer a make-over by clipping his whiskers, trimming his mane and washing his feathers.  When we got back together for a chat, David blew his nose and felt like he was going to pass out.  We went up to the house and he laid down, but he still felt dizzy.  He's a healthy guy and he never feels dizzy, so we were concerned about the possibility of a heart attack.  We went to the emergency room.  He had an EKG, a chest x-ray, a blood panel and a CAT scan of his head.   It was scary, but the results were all good.  The doctor said his EKG was "boring".  Yay!  After getting a prescription for an antibiotic and sudafed, we went home, shaken but relieved.  I've barred him from the barn until he's completely better.  Right now he's enjoying snacks and watching the Final Four.

I've been mourning Clifford.  I have to avert my eyes from the pet aisle at the grocery store.  I hate walking into the house without him greeting me.  Every time I make a meal, I want to slip him a treat.  But the scare and ER experience was a reminder to appreciate and focus on what I have now.