To The Fruit Wizards Of Donnington

Dee got a massage today.  She spent most of the hour making faces, trying to put anything within reach in her mouth, and just generally being a busy-body.  When I threw her on the lunge after, though, she seemed much more relaxed throughout her body than she has been.  

Reunited and it feels so good.

I'm finally back in Knoxville after a [way too long] visit to CT for the holidays.  So of course, I rushed up to the barn to see Dee.  I waited until about 10:30 to leave, figuring that would give her a few hours with her friends before I disturbed her.  Unfortunately, when I got to the barn at 11, the horses were JUST being turned out.  Luckily (or, from Dee's perspective, unluckily), she was not out yet, so I didn't have to deal with the fact that she would be incredibly angry at me for grabbing her right after she got turned out (and let's be real, she probably wouldn't have let me catch her).
Since she's been on vacation for awhile thanks to me school schedule, the plan is to get her legged back up for a week or two before I really start riding again.  That means lots of in-hand walk work and trotting on the lunge.  She was... marginally well-behaved yesterday.  It took awhile to get her listening and settled in the trot work, because what she wanted to do was fall into the circle, get on two wheels, and bolt in a fit of bucks and leaps.  I was able to keep that to a minimum though, and by the time we changed directions she was mostly listening to me--with some eye-rolling and giraffe-impersonating thrown in for good measure.

Looking very proud of herself.

Back in the barn, she promptly started throwing a pawing tantrum whenever I walked away from her (she knows better when I'm working on her), because she wanted to go out.  If she could talk, I'm pretty sure the dialogue would have been something like "You are the worst mother ever and I hate you and I want to see my friends."  I imagine there would have been some expletives thrown in, too.

Notice the wide-open mouth... Very classy.

On the way out to the pasture we had to have a bit of discussion about not being a disrespectful cow, since she suddenly decided that she didn't need manners and could just barge ahead to the gate.  False.  Once she was back to acting like a lady, I released her back into the "wild" and she never looked back. I could really feel the love.

To the New Year

I found this post by Neil Gaiman, and it is absolutely perfect in every way to reflect my wishes for everyone in the new year:

"A decade ago, I wrote:

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

And almost half a decade ago I said,

...I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.

And for this year, my wish for each of us is small and very simple.

And it's this.

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever."

Happy 4 year Mare-iversary!

I'm a bad mother.  This is almost 2 weeks late.  BUT, happy 4 year mare-iversary, Deedles!  It's hard to believe that I've owned the little hellion for 4 years now, but it's true!  We've definitely had our ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't trade her for the world.

This year in review:

Apparently, according to the picture, this year, Dee ate a lot, got a message, put me in the hospital, posed for lots of pictures on the lunge, moved, and made amends with me.  Love ya, pony!  Here's to many many many more years!

Hermit the Frog

"Ah, finals period, that wonderful time when all law students are crushed under pressure, and some of them turn into diamonds. Others just crumble."

Others, apparently, come up with genius poems about how horrible exams are:

Twas the night before exams, and all through the library;
not a person was happy, no one was merry.
The outlines were written and printed with care;
In hopes that the answers would be in there.
It had been more than a week since the 1Ls had seen their beds;
While visions of Starbucks danced through their heads;
The 3Ls were drunk, the 2Ls, taking a nap,
I was wondering how I was going to learn all this crap.

When from down the hall, I heard such a clatter,
I sprang from my seat to see what was the matter.
Away to the group study rooms I sprang with a flash,
Tore open the door, and threw up the sash.
The florescent light on the practice exam hypo,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to the questions below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but strange fact pattern involving issues unclear,
With an extra large staple, it must be 20 pages thick,
I knew in a moment, their professor was sick.

More rapid than eagles, the cases they came,
And I whistled and shouted, and called them by name.
"Now Palsgraff! now Pennoyer! now Dredd Scott and Ashwander!
On Marbury! on Miranda! on, Youngstown and Lochner!
I've read all these cases, back in the fall!
Now write away! Write away! Write away all!"
As children at bed time, they began to cry,
and they begged and they pleaded and wished to die.
So back to their laptops, the students they flew,
to update their outlines and their class notes, too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard such a sigh,
the sound of exhaustion from a gunner 1L guy.

As I drew in my breath, and was turning around,
I knew his sprit had been chrushed without even a sound.
Though he'd dress all in suits, from his head to his toes,
he'd not have a chance at good grades to show.
The bundle of books he had carried on his back
had not translated to learning, understanding he lacked.
His eyes- how they had twinkled, his face had been merry!
His cheeks had been like roses, his nose like a cherry! 
Now his drawl little mouth was drawn down like a bow,
His unshaven beard was just starting to show.
The stump of a pencil he held tight in his teeth,
And the gloom, it encircled his face like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly
that shook when he cried, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a sorry shell of his old self,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A blink of my eyes and a turn of his head,
Soon gave me to know, he had plenty to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went back to work,
and rewrote his outline, then turned with a jerk,

And laying a finger aside of his nose,
Slowly out of his chair, slowly he rose.
He sprang to his book bag, and let out a whistle,
he still had time to get a Venti Chia Soy Double.
But I heard him exclaim, as he walked out of sight,
"I'm goind to go read Gilbert's for the rest of the night."

Yeah, that's basically been my life since Thanksgiving.  It's over on Monday, thank goodness.  Finally got out to the barn today, though, and gave Dee's mane a much-needed pulling:

I'm stealing the towels.

Today was generally a gross day... raining, temperature hovering just below 60.  Naturally, I thought that by the time I went to the barn at 3:15 this afternoon, the horses would have been inside.  I mean, while it wasn't raining too badly earlier in the day, the weather had gone downhill since noon.  Imagine my surprise when I showed up to find this:

All of the ponies outside, soaked.  Now, I will admit, I generally don't mind throwing my horse out in the rain, but when the temperature is hovering just above blanketing temperatures, and will probably fall to blanketing temperatures once the sun goes down, forgive me for thinking that the horses should be brought in well before the sun goes down to make sure that they are all dry and toasty in time for bed.  I got Dee inside and spent the next hour and a half cleaning her leg and drying her off, so she would be dry when it came time for bed and a blanket.  I get the feeling the other horses were just going to be left wet, since they were all brought in at around 4, and no one who was working seemed concerned about it.  Kind of drives me nuts / makes me nervous.

Don’t Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk

Today in random pictures...

Nomnomnom

Apple-eating Fail

Fat leg :(  Luckily the scrapes looked good today, and seemed to be healing

"Bye Mom, Thanks for the Apples!  Come back... never!"